When setting up a 1900 number you will be asked to select a tariff. This is what the caller will be charged to their telephone account for accessing your service. There are two main types of tariffs, which are supplied by Phone Australia:
Timed Tariff – This tariff charges the caller at a per minute rate. Tariffs range from $0.35 – $5.00 per minute.
A 1900 or 1902 number has a ‘tariff’ attached and the caller will be charged the amount you set for accessing your service. These tariffs can be ‘timed’ (per minute) and range from $0.35 to $5.00 per minute, or they can be ‘fixed’ (per call) and range from $0.35 to $35.00 per call. This is a profit service and is generally used for live operator and expertise advice lines.
The following is an example of the monthly billing process for a call to a 1900 service:
1) A caller makes a call to a 1900 service during the month
2) Telstra immediately calculates the cost of the call and add the cost to the caller’s telephone account
3) At the end of the month Telstra tallies up all calls that have been made to each 1900 service, and sends this information to Phone Australia (service provider). This occurs approximately 2 weeks after the end of the month.
4) Within a few days of Telstra providing Phone Australia with the 1900 call information a Gross Telstra Rebate payment is made to Phone Australia, which is calculated as:
(i) Gross Call Cost (to callers)
(ii) less Telstra Network Charges
(iii) less Provision for Caller Bad Debts*
5) Phone Australia checks the call information provided by Telstra against its own call data to ensure consistency and accuracy
6) Phone Australia makes Net Rebate payments to clients by the last day of the following month, which are calculated as:
(i) Gross Telstra Rebate
(ii) less Phone Australia Service Charges
(iii) less Outbound Call Costs** (if applicable)
The Net Rebate Payments that are made to clients are supported by a Phone Australia Rebate Statement, which includes detailed information about call volumes and financial data.
When a caller dials a 1900 number service the charges are billed to their phone account.
Provision for Caller Bad Debts is a percentage of the Gross Call Cost that is withheld to cover Caller non-payments. This provision is reconciled to actual on a monthly basis, twelve months later, and the difference refunded or invoiced to the Information provider accordingly.
If a service requires transferring a call from the Phone Australia IVR equipment to another location, such as when a call is transferred to a live operator, an outbound call charge applies for each call that is switched. Different outbound call rates apply, depending on whether the caller is being switched to:
A location within the Sydney Metropolitan area
A location ouside of the Greater Sydney Area (within Australia)
A location outside Australia
A mobile phone
As Phone Australia utilises the services of a number of carriers for its outbound calls, and uses these carriers on the basis of lowest cost at that point in time, indicative outbound call costs can only be provided at the time of service establishment, and are subject to ongoing change. Our carrier rates are unbeatable in the marketplace.
What is the service purpose? Is it for customer service, freeing up staff resources, promotion or revenue generation?
Am I offering knowledge and expertise? If so, what is this knowledge and experience worth?
Do I need to place advertising for my service?
What is my desired outcome with this service?