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What does “Pay Per Call” Mean? Clearing Up the Confusion

Pay Per Call services can be a confusing industry to search for online, and finding exactly what you need is difficult. Many companies offer Pay Per Call as a marketing platform, but PaidConnections caters to a special industry of businesses and professionals that are charging for their time and are offering their services by phone, video, and chat. Get paid to chat online and talk to your customers by phone and video using the Paid Connections platform. We take care of all the automated billing and calculate all the transactions, and provide detailed records and reports. Our user interface gives you a huge number of settings and controls as well as website building tools to help you create beautiful advisor profile pages and categories to help you keep ahead of the competition. Earning money by phone, chat, and video has never been this easy until we worked closely with hundreds of clients over the last decade to refine our platform and create a service that is leading the industry.

 

The term “Pay Per Call” has two completely different definitions.

The Original Meaning:

Up until 2005, the term Pay Per Call, also known as Premium Rate Phone Numbers, was originally made popular in the 80s with the 900 phone number industry. Companies would get a 900 (premium rate) number and they would get their customers to call and listen to recorded messages and information or sometimes speak with live operators such as psychic readers. The phone companies who host the 900 numbers would do the billing for these premium services and the customers were billed on their phone bill. They did not need to enter a credit card or any form of payment because the phone company would bill the customer based on a per minute rate established by the company providing the information or entertainment with recordings or live operators. Phone carriers eventually dropped out of the 900 number business starting in 2002 with AT&T and finally, Verizon was the last carrier to end 900 numbers in th US and it has remained unchanged ever since.

For more details on the end of 900 numbers please check out this article.

https://priceonomics.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-1-900-number/

 

In the final years of 900 numbers, one company that was a big service provider for the Premium Rate Number industry was paypercall.com, which started in 1996. This partly leads to some confusion and debate today about the actual definition of Pay Per Call.

The Modern Meaning:

The newer and more popular definition of Pay Per Call was launched in 2005 by Ingenio. They trademarked the term PayPer Call for their newly launched marketing and bidding platform which was an adapted replication of Pay Per Click advertising models like Google’s Adwords.

Ivoca and Ringba are a couple of the marketing agencies that dominate the Pay Per Call Marketing industry today.

https://www.invoca.com/blog/pay-per-call-11-common-questions-answered

Companies such as paidconnections.com, paypercall.com, consulto.com, and a small handful of others offer Pay Per Call services of the original meaning, not the marketing agency platforms of the modern meaning. This service is also known as paid chat, paid communications, paid connections, and bill per call, just to name a few terms that describe the service. 

These companies no longer use premium rate 900 numbers that bill the customers’ phone bills. Instead, they have built platforms that allow customers to pay for the calls by entering credit card information through an IVR phone system or they provide an online payment platform and will then dial out to the customer and the agent, then connects them in a live conversation. The call is timed by the platform and the call is billed to the customer based on the specified payment settings that are agreed to in advance. Today the more advanced platforms are incorporating online chat and video into the paid conversation model.

This type of service desperately needs a new universally accepted term. Back in 2005, when Ingenio trademarked Pay Per Call for their marketing platform, the billpercall.com developers rebranded their platform to differentiate between Pay Per Call Marketing, where the companies are paying for lead generated phone calls, and Bill Per Call, where the customer is paying for the call so they can get information or entertainment services from the business they are calling.

This is a relatively small niche industry without any massive companies that dominate. But that’s starting to change gradually since the Covid-19 pandemic forced many people to work from home and or lose their jobs and they are looking for new work-from-home opportunities.

In 2021 billpercall.com rebranded with a new platform that adds Paid Chat and Paid Video services to its offerings with the new name PaidConnections.com aka Paid Communications, LLC. This name is a better fit as the industry transitions to fewer phone calls and more chat and video communications.

Alternatives to Premium Chat

Are you looking for an alternative to Premium Chat? Our web chat services have elevated Paid Chat to a higher level and our plans are much more affordable. If you have been searching for Premium Chat competitors, and PayPerCall competitors, you have come to the right place. We offer a more advanced and feature-rich platform that is more user-friendly and is available to you at a fraction of the cost.

Finding the best pay-per-minute automated billing software can be challenging. You may have already wasted time filtering through a handful of companies that hype up their services with a huge marketing budget, but when you get to see their platform, you then realize that little money was spent on the high-end development that is necessary to build an excellent service.
Paid Connections has built a pay-per-minute phone service that is constantly improving because we listen to the feedback from our clients. Instead of investing all our profits on huge advertising budgets, we constantly spend the money that is required for our high-end developers to meet all the demands of our clients. Over the past 2 decades, this work ethic and our determination to reinvest all company profits into improving our platform have resulted in the best pay per call, phone, video, and chat services on the market. Our customers inspire us. People like you, who love to explore as much as we do – to push the boundaries, and create something unique and powerful.

Paid Chat: Tips for Selling Your Services in a New Way

The way you sell your services can affect your success and make or break you as an entrepreneur. Most freelancers charge for their time, whether it’s per hour or per project, but what about charging by the minute? Paid chat might not be right for everyone, but there are some enormous benefits to using this new model when selling your services in 2022. Here are some tips to help you set up paid chat sessions with new prospects and turn them into paying clients.

The importance of charging appropriately

In any sales scenario, it’s important to charge appropriately for your services. When you undercharge, you risk looking like a hobbyist and losing out on more lucrative contracts.  But when you overcharge, you run into problems, too. 

For example, if I don’t believe that my work is worth $200 an hour (and I don’t), then what am I going to do when a prospect asks me how much I charge? If I say $200 an hour, then they may think that my hourly rate is high—but if I say anything less than $200 an hour, then they may think that my hourly rate is low. 

The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to charge at least 10-20% less than your competitors. That way, clients know they’re getting a bargain but won’t feel like they’re being ripped off if (or when) you come up with an idea for them that costs far less than you usually charge.

How to keep the sales going without becoming pushy

The trick to avoid being pushy when selling your services is to ask your clients if they want to keep going without making it sound like a question. For example, when you call your clients after an introduction email, don’t say something like is now a good time? Or shall we continue?. Instead, say something like this is John from yesterday’s appointment… just following up with you on that fun minor project we were talking about. That sort of language clarifies that there is more work to be done but in a non-threatening way. 

You still want to offer the client some flexibility. You can do that by being careful about when you make your pitch and when you ask for payment. Give them a few days after an introduction call before asking them if they’d like to continue working together. If they don’t respond right away (and it’s okay if they don’t), then try sending another email or making another call after three days or so and asking again. 

When it comes time to charge, be sure not to bring up money until there is something solid that you can point at as proof of progress. A good example of this would be to charge clients right after the first session to provide them with the evidence they need of your work.

Getting clients on board

Foremost, you need to make sure you can convert your prospects. Make sure that you have a good conversion rate before making any major investments in paid chat/pay per minute services. Paid chat is also great because it allows you to sell during off-hours when you may not get clients on the phone. This is especially helpful if your clients work during normal business hours. You can still reach them outside of those times by offering paid chat. The downside of paid chat is that you do pay for every minute spent with each client, so keep track of how long calls are lasting so you don’t end up paying more than necessary.

Besides selling during off-hours, paid chat/pay per minute services are also great for selling large ticket items. It allows you to connect with your client and build trust. Then, you can follow up on calls by sending them emails or adding them to your newsletter list so that you can keep building your relationship with them long after they hang up.

Planning your days

Sometimes things get hectic and if you plan on working from home, you understand that your schedule will be irregular. One day you might work from 8 am until 2 am and another from 10 pm until 6 am. Make your schedule fit your life – not your life fit your schedule.

Working from home offers you more flexibility. However, it can also lead to less structure, which can interfere with productivity. While your day-to-day schedule will be irregular if you stay organized and plan your days properly, you’ll be able to get everything done. Using time blocking is one way to create your daily schedule and be efficient.

This can get done by scheduling your tasks and then fitting them into blocks of time. It’s a simple concept, but it’s extremely effective. When you know what you need to do and when you need to do it, there’s no reason you can’t be as productive working from home as you would be if you were in an office. You just have to plan your days accordingly.

How PaidConnections Helps Sales

PaidConnections streamlines and supercharges your paid chat efforts, giving you one powerful place to manage all of your paid chat accounts. The integrable, customizable Call Me widget gives prospects access to call you from any website. If they are interested in learning more about what you do or have questions about what they saw in your profile, they can simply click Call Me. This widget also reports your availability to prospects so they know when to call. 

PaidConnections helps you create a profile that will convert prospects into clients, too. The more time you spend on your paid chat profile to share information about what makes your service unique, the more trust gets built with prospects. This is extremely important with selling services online because many of them are already skeptical about paying for something they can’t see or touch.

With the reports menu, you can track metrics like calls, earnings, and chat sessions monthly or daily. You can also see customer feedback, your customer notes, and your availability. With PaidConnections, you can collect more leads, more sales, and better customer service. These features allow you to take your consultancy to new heights!

How to Get Paid to Chat Online with PaidConnections Paid Chat

IVR, or interactive voice response, has become wildly popular among remote workers since the COVID-19 pandemic started. It’s challenging to hold conversations through text alone, which is why services like PaidConnections allow users to communicate through video and audio calls, as well as instant messaging–giving you more opportunities for income than ever before!

Why should I do this?

According to Global Workplace Analytics, among all [interview] seekers, 81% said they would take part in an interview if offered via telephone. That’s why professional communication services are booming. For instance, you can earn more than $20 per hour as a virtual receptionist for large companies. 

If you’re more of a phone person and have excellent written communication skills, a direct connection could be for you. It is slightly more complicated than using an IVR system and gets associated with larger companies because of its customizability. If talking on the phone makes you uncomfortable or has low returns in your area, PaidConnections may be your best bet. In that case, callers hear pre-recorded messages before connecting with a live receptionist through voice recognition software after choosing one of their options.

What is the pay-to-chat opportunity?

With making money online, there are countless options available to you, but not all of them are great ways to make some actual cash online. Paid chat, or pay-by-minute phone as it’s called in the industry, is one of the better options. It gives you the ability to talk with people over the phone and earn money while doing so.

What will my experience be like?

You’ll have a friendly person in your inbox ready and waiting to answer questions you might have about PaidConnections. They’ll even welcome you if it’s your first time chatting, plus they can point you towards some of our best tips for new chatters. At PaidConnections, we don’t want your free time away from work or school to feel like work—so let us do some of that work for you! Being a paid chat member means more free time when you need it most: during slow hours at school or before bedtime on weeknights.

How much can I make?

Everyone who provides a valuable service in the advice, mentoring, or entertainment fields can make money with paid chat. It’s all about how much you want to make, and how much time you’re willing to put in. Paid chat also gives you some of your own hours back. 

You can make an average of $60+ per hour working from home. The amount you earn varies depending on how fast you type, how long you chat, and if you have any previous experience in a chat environment. Some paid chatters even earn over $100 per hour! 

Can you provide more information about how it works?

What is the difference between Paid-Connections & pay-per-call?

The name Pay Per Call is owned by Ingenio and has, likewise, developed from pay-per-click advertising. In the same way, it allows companies to pay for every call they receive to a dedicated 800 number they post in their advertising campaigns.

Paid Connections is a Paid Phone and Paid Chat service that lets companies or individuals bill callers a per-minute rate or flat fee, in exchange for providing the service. By utilizing the Paid Connections option, business owners can profit from each call or chat they take, and they charge their callers accordingly.

For example, clients may use Paid Connections to make voluntary payments that may otherwise get left out over a series of weeks. They can also use PaidConnections as a phone payment gateway for several services, including help hotlines, informational lines, and other phone services. Companies can also take advantage of Paid Connections to give their clients an alternative means of payment, such as their monthly bills.

Where can I download the Paid Connections Client Manual?

You can download it from our website here.

What are the offerings from Paid Connections?

There are three monthly paid packages.

If you’re a professional who wants to give advice over the phone, you can become an advisor with our company PaidConnections. By using our fully featured service, professionals will have their own set hours and rates, as well as an 80% payout for every call they receive. If you want to work from home, all you need is a phone (mobile is fine if you have strong service), internet access, and a computer.

Paid Connections Professional is a fully automated 1-800 pay-by-telephone IVR system that can be used by businesses who want to provide information, advice, or entertainment. We offer many basic services, with customization and updates coming at a very low cost. 

You can own a custom phone and chat system that features a custom website and an internet merchant account (Payflow Pro, Authorize.net, Stripe Payments) with Paid Connections Unlimited. They’ll have your client’s payments processed for you and transfer the funds to you as soon as 2-3 days later, as long as you’d like that to happen. 

The payment gateway you choose, whether it be Payflow Pro, Authorize.net, or Stripe Payments connects with all major payment card types, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and Amex. It also supports debit cards, and ACH (bank-to-bank) transfers. On the Administrator Dashboard, you can see full detailed call and transaction reports.

Do I need technical skills?

Yes, paid chat requires technical skills to be successful. However, that doesn’t mean you need to be a computer programmer. We provide all Professional and Unlimited plan clients with a 40-minute tutorial. Most of our clients have been able to learn and become proficient within one week! We are more than happy to teach you how to use our platform and will create a free basecamp.com (project management service) project dedicated to your Paid Connections service and its success.

In addition, once you become a pro at paid chat, we give all of our member’s access to a trained support team who can help answer questions that come up along the way. With both technology and support behind us, there is no doubt you can get paid for doing internet chat and phone calls from home!

How Do I Get Started?

If you have never used paid chat before, first sign up for an account. Once your account is active, read through our help documentation and FAQs to learn more about how paid chat works and how you can get started earning money from home.  

How Do I Make Money?

Remember, there’s no one size fits all approach—your strategy will vary depending on what type of business you’re running, who your target audience is, and how many clients are actively engaging in conversation. To make money from home through paid chat, it’s best to set up a profile for yourself as a call center representative. This allows you to earn a fee every minute that someone engages in an active conversation with you. You can learn more about how these types of profiles work by reading our help documentation.