[December 04, 2007]

Case Study: OSG Billing Services/Inland Cellular phone conversion plan receives excellent reception

Background
Inland Cellular is a rural cellular communications company in Lewistown, Idaho, servicing Southeastern Washington and North Central Idaho. Founded in 1992, the wireless provider offers customers quality local cellular service. The company�s primary goal is to provide customers with the friendliest, most complete customer service and the best local cellular service.

Opportunity
In compliance with FCC (News - Alert) regulations for e911

, Inland Cellular was mandated to convert 95 percent of its customer base from outdated analog phones to new digital phones by July 2007. Despite previous campaigns, a total of 2,285 customers still clung to the old phones. With little time before the deadline and little room for error, OSG Billing Services (News - Alert) had to make sure that the largest number of people was made aware of the program in order to generate the highest response rate.

Solution
OSG Billing Services devised a plan of action that included a personalized direct-mail letter to each customer. The letters were uniquely designed and included a distinct OSG Billing Services insert and highlighted OSG Envelope MessagingSM. The program commenced with a mass letter distribution to all analog phone subscribers, with an enclosed insert that doubled as a coupon for one of two redemption choices.

In creating the letter, the OSG Marketing Services team drew attention to the most important information through the effective use of spot color. Taking the extra step of drafting personalized letters rather than addressing customers as �dear valued customer� also served to create a sense of importance. Customers felt their own best interests were being addressed and that the wireless provider valued them as an individual customer. Each letter also contained the listing of addresses where they could convert their old phones.

As an incentive, the insert offered customers a choice of either a free Motorola (News - Alert) V120E phone or a $50 credit towards any phone when trading in an analog phone. OSG Billing Services designed and printed the insert that was included with each letter. It was a two-sided piece that was actually the coupon for the new phones. On one side was the offer for the free V120 phone, on the reverse was the offer for a $50 discount. The big selling points, �free� and �$50 off�, were the featured text on their respective coupon. The coupon�s call to action included a highlighted offer expiration date to bolster the sense of urgency.

Through OSG Envelope MessagingSM, the outer package contained a subdued, straightforward message. The message simply stated that important information was enclosed and to �Open Immediately.� This call to action directed customers to the package contents.

This announcement was supported by OSG Dynamic MessagingSM notices on each customer�s invoice in the next regular billing cycle. The message briefly detailed the conversion program and the money-saving offer on the enclosed insert.

Results
After only the first mailing, Inland Cellular saw very positive results. The provider reported a 20-percent conversion response rate in a short time. By contrast, an average response rate for mailing is only one to four percent.

This plan was crafted specifically for Inland Cellular. They were on an exaggerated schedule due to the timeline of the FCC mandate. OSG Billing Services worked with Inland Cellular to determine their individual needs and unveiled a campaign that was effective enough to rerun twice before the FCC deadline becomes effective. However, as more phones were converted, the quantity of subsequent mailings was reduced each time. The campaign ultimately allowed Inland Cellular to achieve its FCC compliance goals.

This study demonstrates that a well-crafted campaign supported by a creative package with relevant incentives, garners the desired response.

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