April 11, 2008

V-Enable Adds Real Humans For New 411 Pitch

Duncan Riley

22 comments »

San Diego based V-Enable, a free 411 service provider we first wrote about in December is celebrating April 11 (4/11) with a new product that adds real humans to the mix.

FreeMobile411 (available at both freemobile411.com and fm411.mobi) expands on V-Enables previous handset only offering by providing any mobile free 411 service complete with the regular features, such as residential and business search.

Where the product differs from others, such as 1-800-Free-411 and Google’s Goog411 is the option of operator assistance, allowing consumers to speak with a live operator when they need one. V-Enable claims they are the first free 411 service to offer operator assistance.

Using real people to assist with free 411 calls seems like a step back into the past, but it’s a point of differentiation that may appeal to some people, like baby boomers.

Sphere It

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TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » V-Enableの新しい411サービス、人間の交換手の対応を提供

April 11th, 2008 at 11:37 am

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Chris Hogg

April 11th, 2008 at 4:43 am

I don’t think operator assistance is attractive to just boomers — I’m much younger than boomers and I would find it immensely helpful to get real-person help when automation fails.

I personally use automation every time possible, but I’ve also run into glitches in using Goog411 and when you can get real help it’s really frustrating. I was searching for a local business in Toronto, Canada and it gave me every result BUT the one I was looking for. An operator probably could have handled that right away without me having to wait on the line listening to a computer voice tell me about a billion unrelated businesses.

FreeMobile is still only U.S. based though so no solution yet for those outside her walls.
sabine

April 11th, 2008 at 4:55 am

chris hogg
“U.S. based though so no solution yet for those outside her walls.”

her walls??? you know hillary still wanna be president so us still it or his
living in chic country…lol

back to human help ..for most of us i believe nothing more important than human to talk with instead of computer
Ankit Gupta

April 11th, 2008 at 5:14 am

This is somewhat similar to the concept ChaCha has with their phone number, except that you can’t have a discussion with the person answering your question.
Driftwood

April 11th, 2008 at 5:25 am

“Using real people to assist with free 411 calls seems like a step back into the past”

I disagree. It’s an added service, one that gives you the availability of a human which can better help you find what you want if automation fails.

I think giving your “customer” more options to get the information needed, especially for free, can only be a step forward.
113.com

April 11th, 2008 at 5:30 am

Worth celebrating…
Jim McNelis

April 11th, 2008 at 5:44 am

That iphone interface sucks balls. If I need a business number I use Google Maps. I already have my friend’s numbers, so no need for white pages.
Et

April 11th, 2008 at 6:12 am

But what’s the business model?
It’s normal to offer an automated system for free as marginal costs are near zero, but humans raise drastacally the marginal cost.
How do they plan to make money or at least break even?
Shai Berger

April 11th, 2008 at 6:55 am

Video link is not working.

Any word on their business model? Last I heard, Free411 was still losing money on every call, despite pre- and post-roll audio ads.
srcasm

April 11th, 2008 at 6:59 am

@Driftwood,
I agree with you that this is not a step backwards. Many companies out there need to realize the while computers are great for many things they still can’t replace humans in every aspect. Sometimes emotion or a body that can think is necessary to safe time and sanity.

@Et,
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe TC can get us some more info on how they plan to make the big bucks while still keeping this model in place. I have a few ideas but I’d be interested in how they’re going to do it.
Shai Berger

April 11th, 2008 at 7:10 am

Never mind… video link works.
WG

April 11th, 2008 at 7:44 am

Duncan, 1-800-Free-411 actually had human back-up for quite a while. I think they’ve abandoned it now due to costs; very hard to find a business model currently that can cover those costs, other than charging consumers.
SoftwareSweatshop

April 11th, 2008 at 7:57 am

Goog411 was the coolest thing to me, until it didn’t understand what I was saying.

I’m gonna try V-Enable now.

Raza Imam
http://SoftwareSweatshop.com
Brian Hanifin

April 11th, 2008 at 9:02 am

I’m surprised everyone else missed this. Their website has a link labeled:

“0.Connect to Operator” which links to “tel:411″. Obviously they are not paying operators… they are having your phone dial 411. Ha!
Campbell Moore

April 11th, 2008 at 9:40 am

Real humans? Revolutionary!
Steve Weiss

April 11th, 2008 at 10:24 am

Doesn’t 1-800-FREE-411 have live operators if the automation fails?
Randy Haldeman

April 11th, 2008 at 10:34 am

“V-Enable claims they are the first free 411 service to offer operator assistance.”

Actually, they are the 5th:

1st] 1-800-San-Diego (you need to live there to get it)
2nd] 1-800-Free-411 (Jingle)
3rd] 1-800-Metro411 (defunct)
4th] 1-800-YellowPages (Most effective)
5th] V-Enable (handset or web dependent - can’t be dialed from most phones)

The only one that doesn’t is Google’s GOOG-411.

And since 411 automation only works 25 to 45% of the time, an operator is essential if you want people to not get frustrated and to continue to call you back. It is more expensive, but the only way to continue to build an audience to which you can sell Sponsor and Switch-Away ads into .
Ben

April 11th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Why not just use chacha - you can get 411 answers from real people and any other information.
Larry Chung

April 11th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

1-800-Free-411 doesn’t have an operator. I just tried it.

1-800-Goog-411 doesn’t have an operator.
pinetrees10

April 12th, 2008 at 6:42 am

I agree that there are free directory assistance services available with operator back-up. AND I agree that with so many choices, those that offer operators will be more attractive to more callers than those services that do not offer operators. Operators vs. no operators is just one of the many important differences between all of the existing free phone-based directory assistance services.

My favorite service is 1-800-YELLOWPAGES (800-935-5697). I also like that they offer residential, where some of the other ones only offer business. And, of course there’s the fact that I can use it from ANY phone…mobile, home, office without any downloads or anything…just dial.

My advice….try them all and keep your favorite direct-dial free directory assistance number(s) in your phone directories. I still use 411 sometimes, too! Happy number-finding!
pinetrees10

April 12th, 2008 at 6:46 am

I just tried Jingle’s and Google’s and couldn’t get an operator, either.
Penny Pincher

May 9th, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Guys, Guys, Guys…. use 800-411-SAVE… They have live agents and it is FREE. They have the same ads as the other free DA services but you don’t have to repeat yourselves over and over.