Call through

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Call Through referred to in the telecommunications a method in which telephone calls by a service provider provides be that does not represent the used for the call participants - terminal is.

Connection establishment

The caller first dials the dial-in number of the call-through provider and is greeted by the Audiotex system with an automatic announcement, which asks him to identify himself by entering a PIN on the telephone keypad ; alternatively, some providers can also use voice control to do this. There is no need to enter a PIN if the customer's phone number is permanently stored in the provider's call-through system. With open call through (see below), the PIN is also not required. The caller is then asked to enter the number of the subscriber he would like to reach . This can be done in the same way as with the PIN. The call-through provider then sets up a connection to the desired subscriber on a second line and connects both subscribers together. The connection is now established and both can make calls as usual.

Cellular

Alternatively, software from various providers is now available for some mobile phones that automates call-through call switching, so that only the number of the person called has to be entered via the telephone keypad. In addition to software providers, there is also an increasing number of providers who offer such services to a varying extent with various billing and convenience modules.

Purpose of use

Callthrough enables the caller to save on call charges, similar to call-by-call . In contrast to call-by-call, which in Germany is only available for Deutsche Telekom landline connections , it can in principle be used from any telephone. Call through also enables cell phone users to make calls at the rates of a call through provider.

Open call through

Open call through can be used in Germany from any telephone connection - including cell phones and telephone booths . The caller first dials a (chargeable) dial-in number that connects him to the respective service provider. He then hears another dial tone , whereupon he enters the actual destination number.

Advantages: As with call-by-call, the caller can use other providers in addition to his line operator without prior notification or conclusion of a contract. The calls are billed to the normal telephone bill.

Disadvantage: Connection costs are usually incurred after dialing the dial-in number, even if the person called cannot be reached (e.g. because he does not answer).

In Germany, the fixed-price ("online billing") 0180 and 0700 number ranges are generally used for this purpose. The fees for forwarding by the call-through provider are already covered by the uniform connection price for these special numbers. Caution is advised when calling from mobile phones , as calls to special numbers are usually much more expensive than calls from the landline network.

Technical

There are always two connections. The caller uses the first to dial into the system of the call-through provider, the second to establish the connection from the call-through provider to the desired subscriber. There are costs for both connections.

Tariff

The call-through system is often dialed in via a freephone number (0800 or 00800 number) that is free of charge for the caller . However, the provider has to pay fees to the network operator for this connection and forwards them to his customers. Therefore, in addition to the charges for the connection to the desired subscriber, call-through users usually have to pay surcharges, which depend on the network from which the call is made. For dialing in from cell phones and public telephones , they are between 20 ct / min and 40 ct / min, depending on the provider. The costs for dialing in from the fixed network are usually already included in the call price (connection to the desired subscriber). When designing its tariffs, the provider always has the problem that he is not able to assign the dial-in costs to a specific customer before entering the PIN. One possibility is to pass the costs on to all customers through higher tariffs. Frequently, the discussion bars are extended so that the costs are offset by incomplete utilization of the bars.

Due to the increasingly emerging flat rate tariffs for connections to the national landline network, geographical landline numbers are now often used as dial-in numbers instead of freephone numbers, which means that the connection from the caller to the call-through platform is free.

Payment methods

The calls can be paid for in advance (prepaid) as well as afterwards (postpaid). If a customer wants to pay in advance, he or she purchases a so-called calling card on which the dial-in number and PIN are printed. Alternatively, a customer can also conclude a contract. He then also receives this access data and receives a monthly invoice for all uses of the same.

literature

  • Sven W. Massengeil: Service trader in the market for landline-based telephone services. Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2001, ISBN 978-3-8244-7480-6 .
  • Jens Schulze: Implementing CRM successfully. Springer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2002, ISBN 978-3-642-62798-9 .

See also

Web links