Service: 1-800Free-411Funding: $400k Series A – First Round Capital, Lead Dog Ventures
Location: San Francisco, CA
Directory assistance calls are expensive – $1 and higher – and yet 6 billion of them are made every year in the U.S. 1-800-free-411 is a new and brilliant service from Jingle Networks that provides this service to consumers 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.
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.
Free-411 gave a presentation at DEMO last week, which is available along with additional company information here.
As a user I love this, and I would highly consider advertising with them if I owned a small business.
Team
Scott Kliger – Founder and CEO
Tom Latinovich – Founder and SVP
Joshua Kopelman – Chairman
Susan S. Bratton – Advisor
I tried this out. I called and asked for the phone number of Tamarin, an Indian restaurant in Los Angeles. The automated system was unable to find it, so they transferred me to a human. The human couldn’t find it either.
You can find it very easily on losangeles.citysearch.com
So I think these guys have some work to do. Plus the additional problem is that they are competing on price: if the carriers drop the price to 15 cents, these guys will lose a big chunk of their market.
So far the best FREE 411 service I found:
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1-800-411-METRO >> by Infreeda
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They have super friendly LIVE operators, offer nationwide listings, and are advertiser supported. Many people balk at advertiser supported services, but I have found the ads very unobtrusive and well-placed. Save $1.50 to listen to 10 second ad, sign me up!
IF you are farmilliar with “skype” a Online VOIP service- you will like this. with skype you can make free calls to 1800 numbers, but charged for normal calls. if you go through the “free 411″ service”
you can make calls for free!
also, just another question. Will it work through a payphone as id does through skype? if so- never pay a quarter again for your payphone calls
I was curious….sometimes the cat gets burned and sometimes the cat gets a nice break…I won! This is neat. Oh and as I was transferred to a live operator, I did not have to listen to an advertisement. To be honest, with the time it took to get to the live operator and the free service…I would not have minded an ad at all. Overall my call lasted les than 1 minute. Thanks for truly having a great service. This is what we need more of. It is nice to know things in this day and age are still free.
This is one of those new services out there that are absolutely wonderful. I want to tell you about another service that does the same as 1-800-FREE-411. The company is called Internet SearchPro and they look up phone numbers but also any other kind of information that can be found on the internet. Their toll free number is 1-888-ISP-FOR-U and you can call them 24/7 -for free. I think they will work w/ advertisers in the future, too, but so far I simply call and get the information I need. I call them about dictionary definitions, addresses, weather info, and anything else that I’m wondering about. I love it.
Check out their website at http://www.Inte...etSearchPro.com
why not use the the free 411 via sms (mobile phone)
from http://www.411sms.com
?
it was great–no commercials on the residential numbers that i asked for–i don’t know about businesses yet–i HATE the phone company charges and refuse to use them–i repeat this is great
Just received an email from a friend who recommended this 1-800 number. I tried it and it took the same if less time than using the 411 on my cell phone. The best part is — it’s free! Thanks!!!!!
I don’t know what any of you guys are talking about, I just tried it today and got an triple-x fantasy line. “Enter your credit card number for the sluttest girls around.” LOLOLOLOL I’m sure glad I didn’t forward that email I got about it!!
Oops, my bad. Make sure you type
FREE 411 and not -> 411 free!!!!
Geesh, need to learn how to type!!
Yes they do need work. I don’t know many people that don’t know that Jalapeno starts with a J. That was the restaurant I was looking for to no avail through this service. I even tried once more and wouldn’t you know it, it was there. Three of them actually. The number I was given wasn’t the one in the state I asked for though!
I am bothered about the further harassment of the company I call if they are going to get a sales call later.
good idea! I like it wery much.
free call with ad , it’s can be extented to everywhere.
I will used it in our the restaurant call service.
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Is there a way to look up addresses myself on your web site?
A friend of mine emailed about this service about a year ago and I’ve been using it ever since. What have you got to lose? As for the person who posted about trying to find “Tamarin” restaurant in L.A…. perhaps your issue was around the fact that it’s spelled “Tamarind.”
I think they have improved significantly over the past 6 months. Its actually Nuance’s Speech Recognizer thats at the heart of their biz-and thats improved in quality. It even gets my name!! (Sanjay Krishnamurthy is simpler than Enrique Iglesias btw:-)
After you get your free number, while you are waiting in line at your favorite restaurant, try 1-877-myMusik. You can say something like “Music of Led Zeppelin” and we will find Led videos on YouTube and play them for you. So, you listen to some Led while you wait. Or The Who, Or Bob Marley or Shakira or…
Enjoy…
hello friends,
my name is samuel aminu. i came from lagos state, nigeria. and i am a student of engineerring.i am searching an seeking for a ladys, that can take good care of me.
inconclution:if there is any lady that is intreted to chat with me on phone for more details about me and about your self.
contact number:+2348066082529
hello friends,
my name is samuel aminu. i came from lagos state, nigeria. and i am a student of engineerring.i am searching an seeking for a ladys, that can take good care of me.
inconclution:if there is any lady that is intreted to chat with me on phone for more details about me and about your self.
contact number:+2348066082529
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Hi..!!
Here now it seams like Google is in business great takeover the world you deserve it if you can give Free Call talk-time for at-list 10 minutes to the world when you are going to launch it in India. Yes we know the Indian Government is not letting you do but I know you are doing things that is impossible & that’s what you are.
We can’t dial all toll-free number from mobile phone thanks to Indian Government only few number.