Voice Short Codes (VSCs)

What are Voice Short Codes?

A relatively new addition to the market place, Voice Short Codes (VSCs) are 5 digit numbers – 68888 for example – which can only be dialled from mobile phones. They are an alternative to calling standard geographic (01 or 02), non-geographic (0844) or most commonly premium rate numbers (0900) from mobile phones due to the uncertain nature of the charges that come with these numbers.

Why Voice Short Codes?

VSCs are becoming increasingly popular as the mobile industry grows. A major reason for this is the transparency of cost when compared to calling traditional premium rate numbers. The costs of calling these phone numbers from mobiles can vary hugely depending on network providers’ individual charges. This can result in the consumer receiving unexpectedly large bills and vowing never to take such a risk again. VSCs are set at a predetermined rate up to £2.00 per minute, per call and across all networks. Callers therefore know exactly how much their call will cost prior to dialling, which makes them ideal for people ringing call centres from mobiles as calls can be much cheaper than calls to 08 or 09 numbers where rates are aimed at landline callers.

The simplicity of these number should not be underestimated. The brevity of the 5 digits means they are easy to remember and this increases the likelihood of consumers calling the number – both initially and in the future when they realise they can remember the number.

The current market for VSCs is still in its infancy, with very few providers fully understanding the benefits. VSCs have the potential to be the future of the telecommunications industry; mobile phones have become an additional limb and companies who take advantage of this reap the benefits. VSCs have already proved a huge success on television voting shows or competitions, shows that often involve social media interaction which leads to another benefit; 5 digits means the number can be promoted on sites such as Twitter more easily.

The versatility of VSCs is endless and this is not the only format that benefits from short codes. They can be used for numerous other applications; marketing campaigns or major corporations such as banks, call centres and technical support lines as examples. They can also be diverted to existing or new Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVR) platforms.

VSCs can also be extended a further 2 digits eg. 68888 01, 68888 02 etc). This keeps rental costs to a minimum as the charge for the additional 2 digits is simply added to the monthly rental fee and there is no set up cost. Having multiple short codes would incur a larger rental fee and the set-up cost, but it also allows the company to essentially brand the original, memorable 5 digits.

These are currently being used to good effect on television voting shows, the 2 digit extension is used to determine the caller’s selection (eg, 68888 01 for DAVID or 68888 02 for SARAH).

Why EuroDigiTel?

At EuroDigiTel we believe in raising the bar when it comes to telecommunication products and that is why we aim to offer innovative ideas in attractive packages for our customers.

When it comes to VSC payment, we set the standard. The vast majority of our competitors will issue out-payments to their customers on a monthly or two-monthly basis, a major flaw for a company’s cash flow. EuroDigiTel’s most unique selling point is that we are able to offer superior weekly payment terms (30 days in arrears). This means that as well as offering the best industry pay-out rates, we can also make sure the inbound call revenue is received by our customers as fast as possible. The benefit of this is clear and EuroDigiTel appreciate that regardless of the size of the company, an increase in regular cash flow is vitally important.

EuroDigiTel also provide all customers with a state of the art reporting platform which allows them to monitor their company’s progress and compare conversion rates. The Rapid Reports are updated in real-time with information about the call volumes that you receive through your number/s.