3 Smart Ways To Trim Monthly Telephone Expenses
Posted by Joseph Brochin
Three smart strategies to trim down your monthly telephone expense
by bob.letterman
These days consumers are definitely feeling the pinch of escalating prices. From the gas pump to the grocery market, costs are leaping higher. But the phone bill is an area where smart folks can still save. For most people, phone related expenses are a significant element in the family budget. Notwithstanding the fact that telecom costs have dropped considerably in recent years, this remains a cost that can be cut through prudent planning. These techniques will help you achieve this goal.
Tip 1: Switch over to a shared-use plan on your cell phone bill
According to data published by the Kiplinger Letter, the average cell phone bill in the United States runs approximately $55 a month. You might ask how the average could be $55 given that so many ads for cell phone providers promoting $29 or $39 plans. Part of the reason is that a few power callers spend $79, $89 or more per month. Part of the reason is taxes and miscellaneous charges such as 411. But a major reason is the fact that cell phone companies hit you on “overage”. Letâ��s say youâ��ve got 1,000 peak minutes and this month you hit 1,099. At thirty or forty cents per minute on overage, your cell bill suddenly rockets up twenty dollars. Seem familiar? The next month you get to 900 minutes but you donâ��t see a corresponding reduction on your bill. Some providers claim to solve this problem for you by allowing you to rollover your. And the rollover does help increase your peak minutes quota for the following. But even then, you still get assessed overage if you exceed your increased peak minutes quota.
Shared use plans are the most elegant solution for this dilemma. Also called “family-plans”, these plans allow you to aggregate all of the minutes of 2 or more users into a bucket. Since variability is typically a function of individual usage patterns, these variability quotients tend to cancel each other out. Think of it this way: if you and your spouse both have individual plans for 1,000 minutes and one month you get to 1,100 minutes and your spouse reaches 900 minutes, youâ��re in for overage surcharges to the tune of 100 minutes. If you have a family plan, your total comes in at 2,000 minutes and no overage!
Tip 2: Don�t use your regular long distance provider to make international calls
Most long distance phone companies offer very good rates for domestic long distance. If you are a frequent user on a good plan you are probably paying less than five cents on a per minute basis. The problem is that international rates are still relatively high. For example, fifty cents a minute to South Asia is typical, even if you pay the four or five dollars a month many providers charge for the privilege of getting lower rates.
In recent years, there has been an explosion of superior options. Sometimes called “PINLESS” dialing plans, these offerings allow you to call anywhere in the world at rates forty to seventy percent less from your landline or cell without needing to dial a pin code. If you type “cheap international calling” into a search engine youâ��ll see a plethora of options. The basic way they work is that callers register one or more phone numbers and input a credit card number. They offer you a toll-free number and when you dial this number from a registered phone, you can call any country without needing a PIN code. Using the above example, one could reduce the charge from 50 cents to 15 cents per minute.
Tip 3: Use a free teleconferencing service
For a lot of families, phone charges escalate because of the need to have multiple conversations between family members on the same topics. It is inefficient but this is the way most of us have learned to cope. In the last five years, there have been literally dozens of companies that have launched free teleconferencing services. All of them work on the same basic idea: they give you a PIN and a toll number to call. If all participants dial the same number and enter the same PIN, they are put into a group call. Apart from regular toll charges, there are no charges assessed by the providers. If you have a large extended family, one thirty minute call could easily substitute for five to ten one-to-one discussions for planning a trip or family event.
Unfortunately, it is often a bit of a hassle to actually arrange these calls in the first place; consumers often are therefore reluctant to familiarize themselves with the mechanics of setting up a conference call. Rondee is an example of a free conference calling service which is working on addressing this issue. It offers consumers a way to schedule the conference on-line, have the invitations emailed out and show the responses tracked on the website. As with many corporate grade conference call companies, Rondee allows calls to be recorded.
With consumer prices rising, there�s not a lot most of us can do to fight back. But phone expense is an area where being smart can mean substantial savings. Applying these three tips will save the typical consumer 30% to 50% monthly, or several hundred dollars on a yearly basis.
About the Author
About the author:
Bob Letterman speaks and writes frequently about communication topics. He consults to a number of industries that use communication technologies as part of an integrated approach to increase productivity. His clients include free conference calling services such as Rondee.
Article Source: Content for Reprint
Conference Calling Companies - Top Five Ways of Choosing a Reliable Provider
Posted by Joseph Brochin
If you’ve been thinking about using conference calling companies for your personal or business needs one of the hardest things to do is to decide on how to choose a reliable calling provider. It’s important to find a company that provides the best service of the best price. After reading through this you will have several key pieces of information that will help you decide on what the best possible solution will be when it comes to your conference calling needs.
1. One of the most important factors is making sure the company he you’ve decided to use has the latest technology so that the calls that you have are clear and easy-to-understand by all that are on the line. They should have services available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
2. When it comes to choosing a provider you will want to make certain that the provider you select will be able to handle the number of callers that you anticipate having on the call. Does their program or particular product accommodate just a few people at a time or does it allow for a wide number of callers. It’s important to make sure you have this figured out to prior to your call.
3. The success or failure of your conference call depends on the reliability and ease-of-use of your provider. Choosing a provider that is inexpensive is a good idea if you’re on a budget, but be careful because you want to be sure that the level of quality that you get is on par for what your needs are.
4. When deciding on a conference calling plan there’s no doubt that you are able to use such a great tool for both personal and business use equally. Many companies offer services at discounted rates and are sometimes even free because they get bundle to other software programs are calling services. Just make sure that when you select from such a plan that the conferencing portion is adequate for your needs.
5. Make sure that when choosing a service they provide easy to dial in phone numbers and that the access to the call is a simple and easy solution that anybody can follow quickly. Nothing will ruin your conference call more quickly than having a difficult connection process.
These days more and more people are looking for ways to establish and maintain connections with either business partners or social groups on a regular basis. One of the best ways to do this is with a conference calling company.
Want to know more about using conference calling companies follow the link to http://www.idealconferencecallingservices.com and discover what I consider the most state of the art conference calling provider companies, including web and video conferencing services some at little or no charge!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Kirchain
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