STRATEGIC PARTNERS
According to a Washington technology company, offering free phone time is a great way to get answers from ATM users.by Ann All, editor
September 30, 1999
Federal Communications Group Inc. knows you can't expect something for nothing. So the Bellevue, Wash. technology company has designed a product called TeleSurvey that offers free long-distance phone minutes as an incentive for ATM customers to participate in marketing research. For banks and other ATM owners, learning more about customers is a key to creating effective marketing campaigns. Moe Ghaffari, national sales manager for FCG, said customers are more inclined to part with personal information if they get something in return. "It all depends on what you're asking of your customer and how much you're willing to give them." FCG produces TeleSurveys for newspapers, cable companies and other businesses. Phone cards are given to consumers, who answer several questions to obtain the free minutes. FCG created a TeleSurvey for one company that had been asking consumers to fill out a four-page survey -- and rewarding them with a dollar bill. Not surprisingly, there was a very low response rate FCG pared the survey down to 10 questions, gave consumers 15 minutes of free phone time up front and offered an additional 60 minutes if the questions were answered. According to Ghaffari, response skyrocketed to nearly 70 percent. Utilizing prepaid phone minutes printed on an ATM receipt makes reaching consumers even easier. "We knew ATMs were capable of doing more than just handing out money," Ghaffari said. "With the ability to print the phone card on receipts, it was like a light bulb went on." Ghaffari said that offering free minutes, with the possibility of earning more, seems to work best. However, ATM owners can also opt to make answering the survey a requirement to receive the free time. "The more questions you ask, the more minutes you have to give," he added. Consumers answer questions by pressing keys on a touchtone phone. Ghaffari likened it to "filling out blanks in an electronic form," noting that the cost of collecting and processing the results is much less than traditional surveys. If a consumer decides to answer a survey, the questions play only the first time. The card can be used multiple times, until the minutes are depleted. ATM owners can have the results sent to them daily, weekly or monthly. Two large banks, PNC and First Union, recently began selling prepaid phone cards or vouchers at some of their ATMs. Ghaffari isn't convinced that selling the service attracts customers. "If you put in an ATM that dispenses phone cards, I don't think you're going to see a line of people waiting around the block unless you advertise you have a really fantastic rate," he said. Ghaffari said his company is working with three banks, though he declined to name them. One of the banks plans to learn more about customers' computer habits and promote its online banking service through the TeleSurveys, he said.