Most people are busy and look for ways to make the tasks they perform more efficient—whether it’s bookmarking favorite pages in a Web browser, popping a meal into the microwave or programming frequently called numbers into their phone’s speed-dial. Speed-dial is particularly useful when a person is dialing an international number, which adds extra digits to the task.

 

Creating shortcuts when dialing internationally using a calling card—which many people opt for as a way to save money—becomes more challenging. One company, Packetel (News - Alert), decided to address the needs of busy people by providing a service that combines the convenience of speed-dial with the cost savings of a calling card. The company’s international calling service provides a Web-based interface for purchasing minutes and managing calling options, and offers customers a local number to dial for accessing very low rates.

 

Two features of Packetel’s Online Phone Book will be of particular interest to busy users. These are the Quick-Dial and XPress Number functions. The Phone Book is just what it sounds like—a Web-based system for storing frequently called numbers. These numbers can be associated with a Quick-Dial digit (1 through 9) for fast access.

 

Once a particular number is added to the Quick-Dial list, dialing that number is fast and easy. Here’s how it works: dial the Personal Access Number (which can be programmed into the user’s phone speed-dial), press the * key, and then dial the digit associated with the Speed-Dial entry. That’s it.

 

If there is one particular number that the user calls very frequently, Packetel provides an option for even fast dialing of that number using a feature called XPress Number. Here’s how it works: using the Online Phone Book, the user enters the frequently called number. When he or she wants to call that number, all that’s needed is to dial the Personal Access Number. After a pause, the call is automatically connected to the Xpress Number. That’s it.

 

Packetel offers these, and other, convenient features with its international calling service as a way to help customers save time in their busy lives. To learn more, please visit the International Calling channel on TMCnet.com, brought to you by Packetel.