Non geographical VOIP options

[Smlbusiness]

I run a small business (5 extensions), we currently have a 0861 number and it works great due to its non-geographical nature. Although we have extensive marketing material printed with our 0861 number and it would be costly to change, we would consider changing to another non geographical number(VOIP) if there really isn't a way to retain our 0861 number. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sparky_za]

You are able to keep an 086x number. The only portion that would change is the destination number should you move premises.

 

[Smlbusiness]

You are able to keep an 086x number. The only portion that would change is the destination number should you move premises.

Thanks Sparky

Please can you explain further.

Thanks and regards

 

[georgegolding]

To Smart Access or Not Smart Access

I run a small business (5 extensions), we currently have a 0861 number and it works great due to its non-geographical nature. Although we have extensive marketing material printed with our 0861 number and it would be costly to change, we would consider changing to another non geographical number(VOIP) if there really isn't a way to retain our 0861 number. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi - here is an expert from our support.euphoria.co.za portal which will give you further insight.

The short answer is Yes, However we suggest you do not use it.

Telkom will charge you to receive calls as it is directed to a number on the Telkom network. Telkom
charges from 65 to 72c per minute to receive calls from a Telkom 086 number onto any other fixed line network.

We do not suggest opting for Telkom 086 numbers as they are routed through a legacy analogue network
before being transferred to the our www.euphoria.co.za network, which can cause a slight delay on the calls.

Sometimes client's forget to pay their Telkom bill, in which case you will not receive any calls. Sometimes
Telkom's routing goes wrong and you will not receive calls. For the most part it will work but it will cost you
unnecessary expenditure and add routing complexity to receiving calls.

In our opinion the perception of using an 086 number is skewed. Business owners believe it will give them
a national presence and feel. You can pay even more for an 0860 GOLDEN (Golden number). In truth
South Africans prefer to dial a direct number normal number. No one really likes hunting for letters on keypads.
Using a Telkom 086 can cost a small business client more than the his entire Euphoria Cloud PBX monthly service
fee and calls.

In this day and age people simply type the name into google, and click call when you the business comes up. They will never remember the number either, as they are not typing into their phone anymore.

The only time it makes sense, is if the number has been in use for many years and you have the same set of customers calling, ie alot of repeat callers. We still suggest to leave a message on this number stating the new non-geographic number for a 3 to 6 months.

If you have a rotational client base, new clients signing up consistently or you have not used it in an extensive amount of marketing material then do not continue to use it.

You may request a non geographic 087 number from Euphoria Telecom instead. We can on occasion offer you an 086 number from the Euphoria Telecom network if you just have to have one (however we have very few so it is only offered in special cases)

 

[InfinityMVS]

ECN can accommodate the 0861 number range, cost of receiving the calls is 17c per minute (0.0017c per second) which is more cost effective than terminating it on a VoIP number (65c-72c, as George mentioned).

Telkom should be able to tell you how many minutes of incoming calls were received on the 0861 number, multiply that by 17c. Now call the printers ask them how much it is going to cost to reprint all your marketing material, and what about the material already out there ?

The savings you can achieve using VoIP will easily cover the cost of receiving the calls via ECN, unless you are a inbound call centre.

 

[georgegolding]

ECN can accommodate the 0861 number range, cost of receiving the calls is 17c per minute (0.0017c per second) which is more cost effective than terminating it on a VoIP number (65c-72c, as George mentioned).

Telkom should be able to tell you how many minutes of incoming calls were received on the 0861 number, multiply that by 17c. Now call the printers ask them how much it is going to cost to reprint all your marketing material, and what about the material already out there ?

The savings you can achieve using VoIP will easily cover the cost of receiving the calls via ECN, unless you are a inbound call centre.

Yes that is true however there other considerations.

Firstly there are other costs associated with the VAS service from ECN.

- You need to add magisterial routes on your Telkom Smart Access account - one for each Metropol = Cape Town, JHB, Pretoria, Durban and Bloemfontein. The cost is +- R 130 per route per month bringing your base Smart access bill to just over R1000, that is without receiving a single call. Any calls originating outside these areas will be charged by Telkom at the 65 to 72 rate, any calls from the Metropols mentioned 17c to ECN per minute charged per second.

You are now using two networks to receive calls, hence increasing your risk of experiencing a problem. i.e Smart Access has an issue or ECN you won't be receiving calls. I prefer minimizing the risks of downtime.

From my experience its best to start the transition now, by leaving a message on the 0861 number stating the new number until your stationery and marketing has made the full transition.

Before you know it you will be free of Smart Access and this will be a problem of the past.

George

 

[InfinityMVS]

George, I disagree with you, on a 0861 number you do not have to add magisterial districts and exchanges, it is a value add from telkom if the normal, routing to a single number is not sufficient for your business, see http://www.telkom.co.za/today/enter.../valueaddedservices/callfeatures/smartaccess/

if the OP had a 0860 number it would be a different story as the caller would pay for the local leg of the call, and the OP would pay for the national leg if the op was in CT and the caller was in JHB. On a 0861 number the caller pays the full cost of the call.

 

[georgegolding]

George, I disagree with you, on a 0861 number you do not have to add magisterial districts and exchanges, it is a value add from telkom if the normal, routing to a single number is not sufficient for your business, see http://www.telkom.co.za/today/enter.../valueaddedservices/callfeatures/smartaccess/

if the OP had a 0860 number it would be a different story as the caller would pay for the local leg of the call, and the OP would pay for the national leg if the op was in CT and the caller was in JHB. On a 0861 number the caller pays the full cost of the call.

The reason you need a magisterial route in each metropolitan is to divert the calls to the ECN PRIs they own. This way they receive the calls at no extra charges and route them to their network.

 

[InfinityMVS]

on a 0861 number calls are received on the PRI at no cost to ECN, the only time there would be a cost to ECN is if the OP had a 0860 number, these are two different services from telkom Maxicall and Sharecall

 

[georgegolding]

The magisterial route cost is charged by Telkom on the 08 Smart Access bill, it is not charged by ECN - they only charge to receive the minutes on their network.

 

[InfinityMVS]

The magisterial route cost is charged by Telkom on the 08 Smart Access bill, it is not charged by ECN - they only charge to receive the minutes on their network.

yes it is billed by telkom, that is not the issue, you are saying that you need to add magisterial routes for the service to work, which is incorrect, magisterial routes enable you to route your incoming calls to different destinations based on the magisterial district or exchange where the calls originated from, and it is an optional service, all the details are available on the telkom website http://www.telkom.co.za/today/enter.../valueaddedservices/callfeatures/smartaccess/

Many of our clients have 0861 numbers, and all of them are routed to a single number on ECN's pri without the need to add the magisterial routes, they only pay the 17c to ECN for routing the call to their site.

 

[georgegolding]

yes it is billed by telkom, that is not the issue, you are saying that you need to add magisterial routes for the service to work, which is incorrect, magisterial routes enable you to route your incoming calls to different destinations based on the magisterial district or exchange where the calls originated from, and it is an optional service, all the details are available on the telkom website http://www.telkom.co.za/today/enter.../valueaddedservices/callfeatures/smartaccess/

Many of our clients have 0861 numbers, and all of them are routed to a single number on ECN's pri without the need to add the magisterial routes, they only pay the 17c to ECN for routing the call to their site.

This obviously changed once the national and local rate became singular, my knowledge of the service is clearly a bit out of date. If this is the case, that is better, as extra charges to Telkom are irritating to everyone. I will speak to ECN to confirm.