Would you like #Skype to offer collect calling? From #Faircall?

Few mobile operators let you accept collect calls; neither does Skype or Google Voice. I interviewed the genial Joey Zukran of Faircall about reverse charge calling. Would you partner with Faircall? Would you want Skype to let you accept or make collect calls? Let’s see if we reach the same conclusions.

1. The Interview

Skype Journal: Hi, Joey. What do you do at Faircall?

Joey Zukran: Faircall is the world’s largest operator of collect calling services.

Where is Faircall based?

Faircall has it’s head office in San Diego, California.

What user problem does Faircall solve?

Skype customers who cannot complete a call to a landline or mobile phone because they don’t have sufficient funds would have the option to use our Collect Call service to complete that call. Today, as I understand it, there is no solution. Top up or hang up!

How does Faircall solve it?

By allowing skype zero balance customers to make a collect call to land or mobile number.

How do companies like Faircall help companies like Skype?

We partner with companies like Skype to promote the service and share the revenue of successfully completed calls.

Does this type of payment service work everywhere Skype works? All the spoken languages? All the local currencies and payment challenges?

Yes, Faircall can be customized to all languages!

Microsoft will buy Skype soon. I heard Faircall just completed its own acquisition. Tell us about it.

We are the proprietors of the famous 1800-COLLECT brand. Under this brand we are able to complete and bill calls to all North American landline and mobile numbers.  1800-COLLECT, now part of the Faircall family, makes us the largest operator of collect calling services in the world. We are excited by this brand acquisition, given the many hundreds of millions spent promoting it in the past and all the associated good will that accompanies the brand still today.

You use live operators to offer collect calls. That feels so 1930s. How do you recruit and train qualified operators?

We of course cater to many different generations of 1800-COLLECT users, and I’m sure a few of those from the 1930′s :) . The user experience allows for access to a live operator as a courtesy to users that are unable to reach their called party through our normal automated calling process. Remember, it takes 2 to tango to complete a collect (the calling party and the call acceptance party), so a live attendant is there to provide instructions for how to make a call to another number and for further explanations.  Our live attendant team is well trained and we use recruiting and training procedures similar to any large telecom call center operation.

How do collect services manage fraud, identity theft and other security challenges?

While there are security challenges in any business, fortunately the operation of a collect call service does not require the user to provide any personal information. That being said Faircall is both a CPNI (Customer proprietary network information) and PCI (payment card industry) compliant business.

Would they complete their call using Skype? Or would they use your own PSTN services?

Through our 1800-COLLECT brand, customers know the number by heart and use it to access our platform. Other marketing channel partners such as mobile network operators automatically rout their zero balance prepaid customers to our network as well. Upon our platform answering, we request the calling party’s destination number. We reach out to that destination number and gain bill acceptance and then conference the two parties together. Over 80% of the time this is an automated IVR call handling procedure.

I thought collect calling died long ago.

I can understand you having that impression, however the opposite is true; it’s still a service in high demand amongst prepaid telecom subscribers (i.e. Prepaid mobile network operators, prepaid calling card users and the like). In fact our service offering through those channels are enjoying month on month growth. Remember that a collect call for a zero balance prepaid subscriber of any kind, is ultimately the only way to complete a call to a landline or mobile phone.

How does it work? What would the workflow look like? A caller launches Skype, sees they are out of credit and then…

We foresee two ways in which zero-balance Skype users would utilize our 1800-COLLECT service. The first option would be a 1800-COLLECT icon next to the current “buy more” link that users currently see when out of credit. The second would be when a zero-balance Skype user attempts to make a call, they would then be shown an insufficient fund message and be given the option to either top up, or place a collect call via 1800-COLLECT.

So this wouldn’t be part of the Skype software? Users wouldn’t complete the call through the Skype network at Skype rates?

The call is initiated through the Skype software via an icon link we envision being part of the Skype software. Since it is the receiving party paying for the collect call, then it is in fact a free call for the zero-balance Skype user. As such it would never impact a Skype user’s ability to top up his account!

We foresee a zero-balance Skype user (attempting to call a land or mobile number) initiating the call through Skype and terminating through our 1800-COLLECT platform and our various termination methods we use today including PSTN. The call initiation from Skype to 1800-COLLECT would be accomplished through VOIP or SIP connection. For the initiating zero-balance Skype user this would always be a free call.

Is Faircall still part of BBG Communications?

Faircall is part of, but a separate entity to BBG.

If companies like Skype want to talk, what’s the best way to reach you?

I can be reached directly at (514) 703-7377 and of course Skype me at joeyzukran.

2. A little research.

1. The first result on a Google search for “faircall” is Complaintsboard.com.

   • A single complaint in March 2009 from an angry customer. “On March 7, 2009, I placed a payphone call to my home from the Albuquerque airport, lasting only a few seconds (basically a "I’m here, come get me" message). The Faircall recording told me that my card account would be charged $1.00 for the call. When the charges came into my bank on March 26, besides the $1.05 charges, they tacked on an additional $11.27 for another call, which was not made by me.

     I have seen many other such complaints online against this company. This is nothing less than outright theft. Why is this company still in business and why have they not been prosecuted?”

2. Third on Google is Faircall.com. It’s "Rates" page:

   $9.99* per call for max 10 minutes talk time

   US Collect and AT&T also offer

   $12.99* per call for max 13 minutes talk time

   $14.99* per call for max 15 minutes talk time

   *Message and data rates may apply

   All charges will appear on your wireless bill or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All charges must be approved by account holder.

   Supported carriers for the program are: AT&T, Bluegrass, Cellcom, Cellular South, Centennial, Cincinnatti Bell, Cellular One, ECIT (Cellular One of IL), Eastern Kentuky Network, Immis, Nextel, nTelos, Rural Cellular, Sprint, Suncom, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless, Virgin.

   To Stop messages at any time text STOP to 51712 or send an email to support@faircall.com, or for customer service information call 1-800-606-0599

   For help at any time text HELP to 51712

3. BBGOvercharge.com is just below Faircall.com in the search results, spewing anger and stories of perceived rip-offs, misleading explanations, and surprisingly high costs.

3. Conclusions

Faircall’s prices don’t fit Skype customer expectations. Skype’s global rate is about $0.02 per minute. Faircall charges $1.00 per minute if you talk the full ten minutes. The average PSTN phone call is only two minutes, so the effective rates is $5.00/minute. That’s 250 times the rate Skype users pay.

Faircall sets expectations poorly. See BBGOvercharge.com.

Prior customer experience. See BBGOvercharge.com.

Brand values. Faircall prices and markets to exploit moments of human despair.

I don’t see a fit. Do you?

So, back to the original question. Do you want a Call Collect button on Skype?