The German Call Queue – Preliminary Results and Predictions
Annoyance in the Queue
These days European media devote most of their attention to the European Championship and the latest situation in Poland or the Ukraine. However, in Germany the telecommunication sector is currently focused on a completely different game: that of the free call queue. By now the rules of this game are known: on September 1, 2012 the first phase of the new telecommunication law will become effective and on June 1, 2013 the start signal for phase 2 will sound, indicating that all call queues will then be completely free of charge. However, the technical realization of this law is not that simple and many questions remain, especially with regards to phase 2 of the law. TeleForwarding takes a look at the situation and provides insight into the problems and solutions the German telecom industry is currently facing.
The new telecommunications law, that was passed by the German Bundestag on October 27, 2011, has come into effect on May 10, 2012. In May it was made clear that in only 3 months, on September 1, 2012, all call queues for premium rate hotlines (in Germany 0900 numbers) and shared cost services (in Germany hotlines with the 0180-1, 0180-3 and 0180-5 prefix) will have to be free of charge. Exemptions from these rules are:
- Calls to toll free or free phone numbers (such as 00800 or 0800 numbers)
- Calls to geographic numbers (for instance with the 020 prefix for London)
- Calls to mobile numbers
- Calls to numbers with the prefix 0180-2 and 0180-4 (so-called pay per call numbers).
Consequently, from September 2012 any violation of this law could lead to a €100.000 fine.
The new German telecommunications law will be adopted with the help of a two-phase model. During the first phase, which runs from September 1, 2012 until May 31, 2013, call queues may be free only during the first 120 seconds of a call. After this so-called transitional rule, the second and final phase will start on June 1, 2013, when all call queues have to be completely free of charge. The key concept of both phases is of course that of the ‘call queue’. But what is the precise definition of a call queue? According to the German regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, a call queue exists when “calls are answered and a connection established, without handling the caller’s request.” Such a call queue can refer to the waiting period before the caller’s request is being handled but also the holding time during which a call is being forwarded; the ‘nachgelagerte Warteschleife’ or ‘second or next queue’. During the first phase of the new law it is still permitted to charge people for the ‘second queue’ , however, from June 1, 2013 this will no longer be the case.
Thus, the rules of the game are clear and simple, but the technical realization of these rules requires a bigger effort. By now, the telecom industry has decided on a possible solution for the first phase of the new law. During this phase a technical trick, the so-called ‘delayed connection’, can be employed. This trick may be realized relatively easy with the help of a network operator or a virtual dashboard, such as the online dashboard of TeleForwarding International B.V. , that can also be provided to the owners of small hotlines. The ‘delayed connection’ can be used to provide a phone conversation with a special signal that, indeed, signals the provider when a call is connected, whereby the provider knows that a caller can be charged. The ‘trick’ is performed by sending the signal a while after the first connection has been made and the caller has landed in the call queue; only when a call is answered by a call centre agent who deals with the caller’s request will a signal be sent, or after 120 seconds, the maximum amount of waiting time that can be bridged by this technical trick.
Moreover, starting phase 1 of the new law, any caller must be informed about the costs and duration of the call queue at the beginning of the call. This too can easily be realized with a virtual online dashboard that supports your telecommunications system. With the online dashboard of TeleForwarding, for instance, owners of a contact number have the option to record and change the voice messages in their IVR system by themselves. Furthermore, the Bundesnetzagentur states that the ‘caller’s request’ can also be answered by an automated dialogue. This means that recorded messages that answer the questions and problems posed by a customer can also function as the end of a call queue. Such an automated dialogue could also easily be created by a virtual or online telephone switchboard.
The technical realization of the second phase of the new telecommunications law is much more difficult. This is largely due to the fact that this phase requires a partial change of the billing system used by the German telecom industry. Many owners of contact numbers, mainly those offering 0180x numbers, are currently using an online billing system that cannot differentiate between different tariffs during a phone conversation, which means that such a system is unable to invoice premium rate calls with a free queue. It would be possible to switch from an online to an offline billing system, however, this will be an elaborate process and moreover, it will not solve all the problems. For, even with an offline billing system, there the ‘problem’ of the second or next queue remains. From the 1st of June, 2013, the second call queue, during which people are forwarded or put on hold, will have to be free of charge too. The big question relating to this rule is, as formulated by DTMS, a German contact number provider: “How are we supposed to get exactly that information from a company’s telephone system, that tells us that a caller has waited in the queue for another 30 seconds?” Until now, this question has not yet sufficiently been answered, however, the German magazine Funkschau, that focuses on communication technologies, recently claimed that the outline of a solution is starting to become visible.
Even so, it would be good to remember why the German Bundestag felt the need to change its telecommunications law, namely in order to prevent number abuse via premium rate hotlines. Similarly, the governments of several European countries, as well as the European government, are working on solutions to oppose long and expensive call queues and improve customer service provided by telephone. The Dutch government, for instance, is working on a law that sets new, and lower, standard rates for calling premium rate numbers and similar discussion are going on in Belgium, Austria and Sweden. The discussions about number abuse via contact numbers in all these countries have also made clear that long and expensive call queues influence the overall impression of a company; however, as with a face-to-face encounter, it is the first impression that counts. The same goes for telephone conversations. If a caller is confronted with a call queue and high costs at the beginning of a phone conversation, he will immediately form a negative opinion of the company he called. A study by the German Telekom company has confirmed that a negative first impression will influence the overall impression of a conversation, even if the caller’s request is satisfactorily answered later on. And if the customer is dissatisfied about a company, he will not be loyal to it, which could cause significant losses.
Thereby, free call queues do not only improve customer service, they also increase customer loyalty and thereby help a company to make profit. With a toll free or free phone (0)0800 number, call queues are always free of charge, without the need for time-consuming solutions. Even so, the Telekom study shows that only a small number of businesses are thinking about switching to a toll free 00800 or 0800 number. “Nevertheless”, claims Hans Lasonder, CEO of TeleForwarding International B.V., “00800 and 0800 numbers offer a good alternative for premium rate hotlines.” But, what about the costs of instating such a hotline? “The costs for investing in a toll free number are not very high”, says Lasonder, “as you can quickly and clearly observe with our online calculator. The profits of a toll free number, in combination with an intelligent dashboard, however, are much greater. Indeed, with a (0)0800 number and an online dashboard, you can quickly and directly forward incoming calls to the right employee. This will not only ensure a great customer satisfaction about the handling of the call, but it will also save your company time; an average of 15 minutes per employee, per misconnected call. Consequently, a toll free number means a small investment and a great profit, both for the customer and the owner of a contact number.”
This is why Lasonder calls upon companies currently using a premium rate number to seriously consider switching to a toll free or free phone number instead. For, good customer service should be the final result of the new telecommunications laws that are to be developed and implemented throughout Europe. Let TeleForwarding help you to improve your customer service or let us advise you about the necessary adjustments for your German premium rate numbers.
Contact us directly for further information about the new German telecommunications law or switch to a toll free (0)0800 number immediately by calling our toll free phone 00800 00123456 (without call queue).
Media Contact
Anniek van Engelenburg
Phone: 00800 00123456
Email: vanengelenburg@teleforwarding.com
Web: http://www.teleforwarding.com