John Linton
One of the tasks I set myself in developing Exetel's planning for the next 4 - 5 years was to increase the VoIP minutes we deliver to our customers by a factor of ten before June 30th 2008. Currently Exetel switches around 3 million VoIP minutes each month with around 2,000 of Exetel's DSL users actively using the service.
We have taken our time in refining our VoIP service and ensuring all of the back end systems and processes are in place and that our VoIP switch and the associated PRIs cope with the growing volumes and, much more importantly, the peak demands. Our VoIP switch has been in operation for almost 12 months now and we provided VoIP via a third party for around 12 months prior to installing our own switch so we have some reasonable understanding of what is needed to increase the usage of this very cost effective service.
There are, of course, many reasons why less than 5% of our current broadband users also use our VoIP service but, in my opinion, the major reason is that it's seen as being technicaly 'clunky' with a relatively high technical competence required and also a difficult to justify expenditure on suitable VoIP connectivity equipment.
I use VoIP at home and the whole Exetel office is VoIP and I wouldn't want to be without those cost savings either in my private life and certainly not in terms of Exetel's business. The call quality is indistinguishable from "toll" services.
So......simple challenge really...........show/convince the other 95%+ of Exetel's current users to also use Exetel's VoIP service.
I've thought about it for a while and included a lesser target in two Exetel people's job goals. We've made some progress but not enough.
So I think I know how to make it very likely that the majority of Exetel's broadband users will also use the Exetel VoIP service now. As with many things that Exetel has introduced this somewhat 'innovative' concept came out of a discussion on a different subject with someone who doesn't work for Exetel.
If the barriers to 100% adoption of VoIP are in fact:
1) Cost of VoIP equipment
2) Lack of technical knowledge by the customer
3) Fear of failure to make it work
4) Doubt, despite all evidence, about the quality
5) Reluctance to enter in to a contract - especially if there's a 'free' equipment component involved
then all that has to be done is to remove those barriers which I think can be done.
The answer is a calling card (or at least the same concept) which is, of course, in use all around Australia, and the rest of the world, by hundreds of millions of people.
I don't mean an actual calling card in the case of Exetel broadband users - simply providing them with a number that lets them use their current home phone set up to call the Exetel VoIP switch via their current PSTN or ISDN line and then dial their interstate number or overseas number or mobile number to save money on each call.
To allow this to happen only requires the user to register the telephone number they want to use or the service
Of course this is slightly 'clunky' because the customer has to dial an access number before they dial the end user number but that is not too inconvenient if they are making a call the want to save money on - some more modern phones allow a speed dial to make this an 'automatic' function..
Of course they also incur the local call charge but that is, in almost all cases going to be far less than the "flag fall" imposed by their current provider on calls to STD, International and Mobile numbers.
In this way every Exetel broadband customer could get the benefit of low cost VoIP calls without:
1) Incurring any cost of VoIP equipment - there is none
2) Needing any technical knowledge - they just continue to use their current telephone - they don't "set up" anything
3) Having any need to fear anything as they don't do anything new/different
4) Validating the quality by making one test call
5) Entering in to a contract - there would be none
I might be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, but I am of the opinion that Exetel will reach 30 million VoIP minutes by pretty close to June 30th 2008,
Of course, the only question needed to be asked and answered is why Telstra don't already make this a standard option across their network......but we all know the answer to that don't we?
No....not that they want to protect ther current call charges.