23/12/11
CASE
STUDY
Telecoms provider exposing mobile networks’ charges for
freephone calls hires
London
PR firm
Skycom secures
public relations support for free iPhone, Blackberry and Android app
Mobile phone customers can now avoid the high fees
their network charges for calling 0800 “freephone” numbers using a
smartphone app.
Telecommunications provider Skycom hired Parker, Wayne
& Kent Public Relations to gain wider adoption of its 0800 Wizard app which
converts an 0800 number into a geographical number, the cost of which is covered
within users’ call allowances. For Pay As You Go customers the call is charged
at a standard network rate for landline calls. The app can be downloaded for
free to iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices.
The London based PR firm pitched the app to its network of
journalists in the technology, mobile, personal finance and consumer affairs
sectors to establish coverage with online, print and broadcast media.
Mobile phone companies currently make £1.9 billion
revenue each year from customers calling 0800 and other non-geographic numbers.
Vodafone currently charges 35p per minute for connecting customers to 0800
numbers, while O2 charges 20.4p per minute and Three charges 15p per minute.
Skycom has calculated that the average call to an 0800 number from a mobile
phone costs £1.70.
James Barrington-Brown, Managing Director of Skycom, said: “Having not used a
public relations agency before we took what we thought was a courageous step and
avoided the big agencies. We are surprised yet delighted with the results.
Parker, Wayne & Kent show a keen awareness of news values as well as
technology. As a result we have seen an unexpected return on investment as daily
downloads of the app increased ten fold from 1,200 to 13,000 following the media
coverage and the 0800 Wizard has become the number one app in the App Store
utilities category, as well as the 11th most downloaded app in the
UK. The range and extent of media exposure achieved as a result of Parker, Wayne
&
Kent
’s efforts are directly contributing to our bottom line. Parker, Wayne &
Kent’s proficiency developed a personal finance angle that – although
different to what we had in mind – gained national media coverage including a
feature with The Sun, a recommendation from Money
Saving Expert and a radio interview on Radio 4’s You and Yours programme – the premiere consumer affairs show on UK
radio. We were also featured in a broad range of technology, mobile and telco
media titles including Mobile Marketing,
Know Your Mobile, Which?
Mobile
and ComputerActive.”
Brian Ahearne, Director of Parker, Wayne & Kent, said:
“By launching the 0800 Wizard, Skycom reinforce the concept that freephone
calls should be free, as both consumers and businesses expect. Making a stand
against buried charges imposed by mobile phone companies is an important issue
that we are keen to help Skycom tackle. One
in four low income households have no landline phone and so rely on their
mobiles for all phone calls, including calls to freephone numbers such as their
gas or electricity company helpline. It is essential
that public awareness is raised to protect consumers from surprise bills and
give them an option to avoid such charges.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Average call
length to 0800 numbers derived from usage of 0800 Wizard application across all
platforms during May and June 2011. Pay monthly contract charges for calls to
0800 numbers sourced from providers' websites on 25th August 2011.
More information about 0800 Wizard at http://www.skycomuk.com/0800wizard.php
About Skycom
www.skycomuk.com
Skycom Ltd is an Ofcom-regulated telecommunications
provider based in Camberley,
Surrey
. Established in 2000, Skycom specialises in innovative business communications
tools and solutions, including providing telephone numbers to business users.
Skycom’s 0800 Wizard is free to download from the iTunes
App Store, Android Market and Blackberry App World, and is rated at least 4* in
each.
About Parker, Wayne
& Kent
Parker, Wayne and Kent are the
antithesis of “PR people”, and yet everything you should expect of a PR
company.
Services include: media
relations, online video production, internal and membership communications,
political relations, online communications, event management, contract
publishing, analyst relations, sponsorship and strategic consultancy.
For more information, please
visit: www.pwkpr.com
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