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January, 1998 |
  
Air France Intros Jetphone For Taxi Ordering |
Marketing with Toll-free Telephony...Air France Intros Jetphone For Taxi OrderingAir France, the national air carrier of France, has announced it is installing Jetphone systems on most of its short and medium haul aircraft operating in Europe. While airplane-based satellite phone services are notoriously expensive, Air France has teamed up with Artaxi de France, the French airport taxi company, to allow passengers to call up the company at specially reduced rates from the aircraft, to book a taxi at almost any French airport for when they arrive. The taxis can even be booked and paid for by credit card saving passengers from foreign countries having to worry about getting French currency when they land. Calls to the taxi company should be made at least 30 minutes before the aircraft touches down. Calls to the Artaxi service are priced at FF20 (US$3.20) per minute with no setup charge. Artaxi de France has 15,000 drivers and is billed as the only French taxi company that covers all of France. According to Air France, all Parisian taxi drivers and most provincial drivers accept credit card payments using all four of the major cards. Frequent flyers who register with Jetphone before they travel and are members of the Air France Frequence frequent flyer program, can get one air mile for every FF spent on the Jetphone service, as well as 10 percent off the normal price for Jetphone calls. Jetphone’s Web site is at http://www.jetphone.ie. (Reader Contact: Jetphone +353-61-706000) TopOutbound International Toll FreeTresCom International Communications in Ft. Lauderdale, FL announced that it has launched an innovative new product, TresCom MarketLink, which allows businesses in any of 230 countries worldwide to receive toll free calls from clients in North America. TresCom’s research indicates that it is the first major telecommunications company to provide this service. MarketLink is designed to allow businesses abroad to make themselves more convenient to their markets in the United States, Puerto Rico, the USVI and Canada. A North American caller need only dial an 800 or 888 number and TresCom will transparently forward the call to almost any telephone number in the world. According to TresCom Director Kristen Martin, "TresCom MarketLink is an excellent way for international companies to increase sales while making themselves more accessible to the world’s biggest market. Having a toll free number makes even the smallest offshore enterprise appear to be larger and more attractive to North American consumers." Now businesses like specialty olive companies in Spain, mahogany artisans in Honduras or even caviar distributors in Murmansk can advertise a toll free number in North American media and make it easy for this lucrative market to respond and communicate. TresCom is one of America’s fastest growing facilities-based international communications companies with service to more than 230 countries. TopFreePhone Payphone?The San Antonio Business Journal reports that a Texas entrepreneur has a new approach to take advantage of the deregulation of pay-phone rates in Texas. "We want to seize the moment with the frustration people have with pay phones," says Patrick Palmer, president of Houston-based Freefone. The concept behind Freefone’s public phones is simple. Anyone can use phones to make a local call free of charge. Freefone operators simply lease a business line from the local telephone company for approximately $50 a month, find a space to install the phone, and secure advertising for nine 8 x 10 ad spaces lining the inner walls of the phone booth. The ads sell for $75 per month, generating annual gross revenue of approximately $8,000. Palmer has installed 12 of the phones in various locations throughout Houston, including the Aerodrome, a hockey arena; and Sam’s Club stores — on a trial basis. Several weeks ago, Palmer received approval from the Federal Trade Commission to sell franchise rights in 27 states, including Texas. The franchise rights to San Antonio have been purchased by Houston-based entrepreneur Jim McCune. McCune, who is actively looking for franchisees, says he hopes to personally install a half dozen free phones in the San Antonio area by the end of the year. For $4,995, franchisees have the right to install Freefones in San Antonio and collect ad revenue from them. The phones cost approximately $3,000 each. According to McCune, businesses that want a Freefone on their premises need only donate the wall space. McCune, or one of his franchisees, will then install and maintain the phone free of charge. "It’s an innovative concept," McCune says, "and the ad dollars help us give something back to the consumer." Freefones are not subject to regulation because they do not charge a fee. "We applaud any effort to do this kind of thing because it makes public telephones much more accessible," says Leslie Kjellstrand, director of public information for the state Public Utility Commission (PUC). In October, the Texas PUC was forced, under regulations imposed by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, to lift the state’s cap on pay-phone rates for local calls. " Referring to the Freefone concept, Kjelllstrand adds, "It would send a strong message to pay-phone companies that are raising their fees, "It would send a strong message to pay-phone companies that are raising their fees." Palmer says he will begin advertising nationally in February or March.
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