Dialing made easy: Bell Atlantic program takes callers to nearby businesses

In an age when consumers are overwhelmed with numbers - for everything from wireless phones to fax machines - Bell Atlantic is giving businesses with multiple locations the opportunity to offer customers a single phone number that will connect them to the nearest location.

The Easy Number Call Routing service is designed to build brand identity by enabling businesses to advertise one local number, regardless of the number of locations it has in the area. The service claims to increase overall company productivity by eliminating the guesswork for customers trying to determine which location is closest to their home.

Bell Atlantic also is spinning the service as a health and safety tool for customers. The service can quickly access emergency and medical services for home accidents and pharmacies in the immediate area. Drivers who subscribe to roadside assistance programs and need immediate attention also would benefit by having fast access to local programs.

Bell Atlantic is targeting new business clients, promoting it through "sit-down presentations" to fully explain the features of the routing service and to map out how a business wants calls routed, said Clyde Lew, product line manager for Bell Atlantic. "Easy Number Call [Routing] is not a service you can sell over the phone."

The service gives businesses the option of providing additional factual or promotional information to callers. For example, real estate agencies could provide an over-the-phone listing of properties for sale in the caller's neighborhood. Callers will be billed up to $5 per call for the service. "It's a non-adult version of pay-per-call," Lew said.

Since the launch of the service in June, only a real estate company has signed on. Lew, however, expects other companies soon will realize its advantages.

"If it was 1979 instead of 1999 and the Internet didn't exist, it would be easier to get the customer excited about this feature," said Ray Boggs, an analyst for IDC.

The Easy Number Call Routing service also integrates businesses' existing voice applications, such as interactive voice response systems, Centrex service and caller ID, to enhance customer service. Using Easy Number Call Routing with caller ID helps businesses determine who is placing a call, and it allows them to address the customer with a personalized greeting, Lew said.

Easy Number Call Routing is available in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. Bell Atlantic offers the service in two separate packages: The basic package charges businesses for each call customers make on the Easy Number Call Routing line; Deluxe customers will be billed according to "minutes of use," based on the length of each call and the number of calls handled.

The service is provided by a platform of Advanced Intelligent Network features that route incoming calls based on the first three digits of a phone number. By the end of the year, the company plans to route calls based on the nine-digit ZIP code of the calling party.

"The ZIP+4 will help businesses pinpoint, almost to the street corner, which unit should respond to a call," Lew said.

Boggs said he isn't aware of any similar routing services being offered by local service providers but said it "makes perfect sense for Ameritech, or any RBOC ... who wants to stay competitive, to offer similar services."