November 19, 2008
PokeTalk Lets Them Talk for FreeBy Tim Gray, TMCnet Web Editor As the economy continues to play havoc with budgets, both on personal and business level, and consumers look rein in spending, PokeTalk is offering a reason to cheer this holiday season.
The provider of free and clear VOIP long distance calling service, PokeTalk will offer customers double the amount of free calls it currently offers – now 100 free calls per month – from November 24 to December 31, according to the company.
“The holiday season is when many people reach out to loved ones, friends, and relatives long distance or even overseas,” said Tamir Galili, president and CEO of PokeTalk. PokeTalk makes it easy for them to connect, giving them the same convenience and low cost of Internet calling but with much better clarity, less hassle and no special equipment or additional fees.
The holiday covers 16 hours of free calls, from landline or mobile phones without any special equipment, monthly subscriptions or additional fees, according to Galili. A consumer simply logs on to PokeTalk’s ad-supported site, www.poketalk.com, inputs their phone number and the number they wish to call and PokeTalk immediately connects all parties.
”With PokeTalk, budget-minded consumers won’t have to resort to cheap phone cards or compromise call quality to save money on phone calls,” said Galili. Galili says connecting calls to the user’s landline or mobile phone, allows PokeTalk to negate one of the biggest obstacles and consumer complaints facing other popular Internet phone services – being tethered to a PC or having to use special accessories such as headsets to place a call. And because PokeTalk connects calls over existing phone lines, recipients do not need any special hardware or software to receive calls.
PokeTalk subsidizes its phone service by displaying targeted advertising on the screen, rather than charging additional connection fees or playing intrusive ads over the phone during the call – another characteristic of other popular free Internet phone services. PokeTalk’s advertisements are tailored to the caller's profile and serve as effective engagement points for advertisers.
Launching its Beta version less than two weeks ago on November 1st, the company to date has more than 30,000 users worldwide and is growing by the thousands each week.
Tim Gray is a Web Editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To read more of Tim’s articles, please visit his columnist page. Edited by Tim Gray |