I know many of you have toll-free numbers with iML and a few of you are upset that some of your numbers have disappeared. I used to be on the retail side and I totally understand why this would be upsetting, but let me explain our position:
iMagic provides these numbers at below our cost so that dealers can have an integrated, trackable phone component. We know that your calls are your lifeblood and without knowing who called and when, you are essentially blind. So the purpose of these numbers is to track calls and to relate those calls to revenue and opportunity.
Our agreement with each of you says we will provide these numbers PROVIDED you use them (500 minutes a month). We go further in the Agreement and tell each of you we will not call you or notify you to tell you when a number on your account is subject to deletion. Without charging much more a month we just don't have the staff to call each dealer and try to get hold of someone to tell you the number is gone that you were not using anyway. You know what I mean? You are not using the number so why should you care?
Well, again I used to be in retail, and the dealer position is that some of those numbers that got no calls are used in print or in some kind of advertising. Losing even one customer is not OK so the thought of it happening automatically is beyond comprehension. We hear you and understand this but we never intended you to use our numbers in this fashion. This service was designed to track calls, not individual one-time events or mailers.
We are currently negotiating with the phone companies a new deal that would exempt us from paying the crazy fees they charge us for inactive numbers. I expect that will happen sometime next month and if we get the deal we think we will get we will waive this clause.
We are always looking out for the right balance and I hope you understand that we have not changed our program or service. Because a few of you guys want something different than what your contract with us says we are trying to adjust.
Stay tuned...
Keith