aimm launches new consumer information site PhoneCharges.org

Today is a really great day, as we launch our brand new consumer-facing website PhoneCharges.org.

Consumers needed a better way to investigate unknown charges on their phone bill, identify who charged them, and resolve their query as quickly as possible, and this is why PhoneCharges.org was born. In its simplest form, the site will signpost consumers to their own network’s number checker or to the PSA’s service checker to quickly identify who has charged them and obtain their contact details. It also contains basic information around what phone-paid services are, why consumers may have been charged, when refunds may be due etc.

PhoneCharges.org will provide users with links to the relevant pages of their mobile networks’ website or to the Phone-paid Services Authority Number Checker so that they can find out quickly where any charges have come from. Additionally, it will provide easy-to-understand information about how phone-paid services work, why users may have charges on their bill and when a refund may be due. It will also provide topical news stories from within the industry which will help consumers understand the types of services that use charge-to-mobile billing.

The website is funded by aimm and its membership, but has been built free of charge by The Cute Group who have a wealth of experience in handling customer queries in this area.

Andrew Fisher, CEO of The Cute Group said ““When aimm approached The Cute Group with a concept to help consumers navigate the maze that is the phone-billed services industry, we knew immediately it had our name on it. As a leading UK player supporting digital services for brands, publishers and content owners, Cute has rich experience understanding the kinds of queries, frustrations and confusion consumers face – and how to resolve them helpfully, and with as little fuss as possible.  We are excited to partner with aimm to bring PhoneCharges.org to life, building the site itself and contributing our experience to support the project as a whole.”

Joanna Cox, General Manager of aimm said “More often than not, queries about phone-paid services are due to a lack of post-purchase information and consumers end up complaining to the regulator who are unable to resolve specific cases. PhoneCharges.org is there to help consumers get the information they need and solve their queries as quickly as possible.”

We hope this site can help consumers better resolve any issues they have, increase their confidence in phone-paid services and, ultimately, create the conditions for growth in our industry.

Joanna Cox is speaking at the Global Carrier Billing Summit

Carrier Billing Summit Panel with aimm members 6th October

The Global Carrier Billing Summit begins tomorrow and aimm will feature prominently through the afternoon (6th October).

Joanna Cox our General Manager will be conducting an interview with Ana-Rosa Broster from Telefonica discussing ‘Building and balancing consumer confidence with the ease of doing business‘, she then takes part in a lively panel discussion with our Vice Chair Rob Weisz from Fonix, Joel Stern from Global and Peter Garside from EE, discussing how industry can lower the barrier for entry for new merchants.

Then don’t forget to tune in for the Carrier Billing Awards at the end of the afternoon where the winners from across the awards categories will be announced.

aimm members can claim their 10% discount off their passes by using our Media Partnership discount code: AIMM10

 

Media Partner Post: 10 reasons why rich messaging is re-writing the rules of customer communications

Post written by MEF as part of MEF Connects: Rich Communications digital event starting on the 29th September.

Rich business messaging is unleashing a new era of consumer marketing, customer care and conversational commerce. It is giving people a wider choice of channels. And it is enabling post-pandemic comms with low-human contact. This is a revolution, and every brand has questions about it. Ahead of MEF Connects Rich Communications this month, MEF ponder a few of them in their blog…read the full post

  • Rich messaging could displace the native app
  • Lots of platforms to choose from
  • Rich messaging is as easy as SaaS
  • Rich messaging will supercharge the era of the chat bot
  • Shopping inside messages? It’s coming
  • Fresh business models to suit all requirements

aimm will be co-hosting elements of the event on the 30th September and we are pleased to be able to to share the full speaker details for the event. Further details and agenda can be found here, but the full agenda will be released on the 17th September.

As part of MEF’s Future of Messaging Programme this all-new digital event brings together enterprises, brands & agencies to connect with MNOs and messaging providers to showcase the business messaging channels that are transforming customer engagement.

The 3-day global event features the latest use cases from brands revolutionising their customer engagement strategies with RCS, WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, Facebook Messenger and more. Plus, daily analyst briefings, regional deep-dives, industry roundtables, EXPO and facilitated networking sessions.

Rupen Patel joins Dynamic Mobile Billing

Dynamic Mobile Billing appoints Rupen Patel as Head of Sales and Marketing.

Rupen brings a wealth of experience, with a career that spans over 20 years, including his time as Product & Lead Commercial Manager at mobile operator Three UK, as well as previous industry experience gained at Telefónica and Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF).

DMB CEO Kev Dawson comments on the appointment: “Rupen joins the UK Management team at an exciting growth time for the business.  We are seeing new revenue growth opportunities across both existing and new sector clients and Rupen offers extensive experience and capability to help drive DMB UK offerings in these areas.”

Rupen adds: “I’m delighted to be joining DMB at this promising time and hoping my experience can directly contribute to the mutual success of both myself and the business.”

Rupen started his career in the Media & Advertising sector, including stints at ITV, Channel 4 and WPP covering Sales, Business Development and Account/Client/Product Management.  He’s worked across all the major Media Agency groups and managed a portfolio of clients that included BT, Vodafone, Unilever, Mars, Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKlein

At Three UK, Rupen was initially hired within the Payment Services team and was responsible for managing both Direct Carrier Billing & Premium Rate Services. For the last 20 months his focus has been solely on managing and growing the Premium SMS and Voice business working within the Wholesale Team.

As DMB are a member of aimm, we look forward to working with him, and hope to see him at the working groups.

 

Member Spotlight: Meet Telecom2

We would like to introduce you to Telecom2, one of our Fixed Line providers, and also a long standing member of our Board.

We interviewed Rob Johnson the Chairman for Telecom2 and he told us they are a technical development operation specialising in telecoms and billing, and their clients include TV companies and Premiership Football Club!

You can read the full interview here: Telecom2 Spotlight Member Feature