Free Directory Assistance
Directory assistance calls are an expensive (over a $1 on my cell), but handy necessity when you’re doing business on the go. 1-800-FREE411 is a new advertiser supported service from Jingle Networks that provides these calls for free:
1-800-FREE411 was created to provide callers with a free alternative to the skyrocketing rates being charged by phone companies for directory assistance (411).The service is made possible by thousands of national and local businesses who sponsor this service with brief valuable audio advertisements that are played to callers who request businesses in their yellow pages category. This advertising model allows businesses to acquire new customers over the phone, cost effectively, with little or no risk. Meanwhile callers get free directory assistance, potentially saving each of them thousand of dollars per year.
The company was founded by veteran advertising and technology executives who pioneered some of the most innovative and successful advertising solutions in online media – and now they are opening yet another channel for businesses to acquire new customers. This time, it’s over the phone.
via TechCrunch, who described how the service works:
The service works mostly like normal directory assistance. You dial their phone number and go through an automated system that asks for the location, type of listing and listing name. While you are waiting for the number, you must listen to a 12 second advertisement from a competitor to the service. If you choose to use the competitor instead, you simply dial “1″ to redirect your call.Another difference is that if there is no local advertiser for the business type you have requested, the business receiving the call hears a short message at the beginning of the call telling them that the call is via Free-411. A tele-sales group follows up with the business to try to get them to advertise. Free-411 claims a 13% success rate in converting businesses to advertisers.
Jon Gales on October 5th, 2005 12:52 pm
You may want to check out Google’s SMS service (text to 46645 or GOOGL). It’s free, just text message rates apply.
http://www.google.com/sms/
You can look up business listings among other data, even movie show times. Neat!
Dane on October 7th, 2005 11:54 am
I tried out today 1-800-FREE411 and it works exactly as you’d expect. Good service. Good price.
Sarah Newsom on October 19th, 2006 4:13 pm
I’ve been using Free411 for a couple months and it’s awesome. I mean, it seems like a small thing but ever since I went mobile I’ve stopped using directory assistance. And it really irked me. But I wasn’t going to pay over a dollar for something that should be free. I have a few principles.
Now I use it all the time. Just like God intended. Go Free411. I love ya.
Mel Cooper on August 21st, 2008 9:33 pm
I never dial 411. Whether I’m on a landline or my mobile, I dial 1-800-411-SAVE, an advertising-sponsored directory assistance service. It’s worth it for me to listen to a 12-second advertisement before getting the number I need. It’s free anyway, let those ads pay for me.
deanna_shea on September 11th, 2008 11:13 pm
There’s a lot of services to choose from. But, I agree with what mel cooper said. 1-800-411-SAVE stands out among the rest. Not just that the service is free but its what they give and the way they give the phone numbers. So far, I’ve never gotten any incorrect listing from them. The operators are really really nice and accomodating. The best service ever!
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