Business Technology: Reducing the toll

LINING UP: Telemarketing was vital for Annie Goodchap in establishing her Contours gym in Tauranga.

When Contours Gym opened its doors in Tauranga this year the business already had a respectable client list. Manager Annie Goodchap and her team had used telemarketing to spread word that Tauranga had a brand new gym catering solely for women.

Phones are one of Annie's biggest business expenses, and with the use of Telecom's BusinessTime plan, she believes she has this cost under control.

Under the plan, Annie was able to call potential customers and talk as long as she liked knowing calls from her business landline to Telecom mobiles would cost no more than $1 (excl GST) for up to 60 minutes.

She could also have long discussions with her franchise company in Hamilton about the new business and its operations, knowing national calls (as well as calls to Australian landlines) were capped at 50 cents (excl GST) for up to 60 minutes.

However, Annie says cost is not the main advantage of the service. "I was so busy setting up the business that I needed someone I could rely on. I phoned 126 - the Telecom customer call centre, and got Jason Orchard on the line," she says. ``He was fantastic. I could just get on with my business and leave the telecommunications side to him."
 
For its Internet activities, the gym uses an Xtra Business Broadband connection.

Staff research topics online such as sporting injuries, and Contours is promoted on the Internet through its own website.

Broadband significantly improves efficiency for businesses, with faster speeds than dial up internet and an always-on connection, Telecom says. Work such as online banking is faster, market research is easier and customer emails are replied to earlier.

Telecom claims more than 40,000 business lines in New Zealand are now on BusinessTime. Although any eligible business can take up BusinessTime, the plans have been designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.

For a set monthly subscription price BusinessTime allows businesses to cap prices on calls from their Telecom lines to Telecom mobiles, national and Australian landlines.

To be eligible businesses must have their direct dial calling and business line rentals with Telecom. Recently BusinessTime was extended to include customers with ISDN and Centrex lines (a contract applies for those customers).