Scott Kliger hated 411 charges. A buck fifty for a phone listing? Hated it! His solution: Make it free--as in 1-800-FREE411. His Jingle Networks applied a new advertising model to an old database. "It's like Google for the phone," he says, "but instead of pay-for-click, it's pay-for-call." FREE411 plays targeted ads before the number you ask for. If you're looking for Martin's Bagels, for example, you may have to listen to an offer from Fred's Bagels first. Advertisers pay only when their number is selected--and callers never spend a dime.
Introduced last September, FREE411 has since seen its call volume grow by 30% weekly. Will the advertising revenue follow? To find out, we made toll calls to three interested parties.
"Jingle is very timely. A free service will accelerate the decline of fixed-line directory assistance and encourage wireless directory assistance to enhance its services."
"I'd stopped using 411 completely; the charges add up. FREE411 is great. Would I select an advertiser? Depends on the deal."
"God bless and good luck. Customers want accurate numbers quickly--and if they perceive anything as slowing them down, they get irritated."
Related Stories: | Topics:Innovation, Technology, Leadership, knowledge management, customer service, teamwork, Scott Kliger, Business, Advertising, Dan Miller, Google Inc. |
Recent Comments | 5 Total
October 15, 2008 at 11:38am by Ilya Bodner
free 411 is a great feature. We have a lot of clients at Initial Underwriting that have stressed the importance of directory assistance at their jobs.
Sincerely,
Ilya Bodner
Small Business Owner
Initial Underwriting
October 25, 2009 at 2:23pm by Le Binh
Marie Curie say: Thank a lot, it is so usefull for me, keep it going on