You’ve probably noticed the commotion caused by the directory enquiries charging controversy but before the dust settles it’s a good idea to look at this from the viewpoint of managing small business costs. It’s probably fair to say that most business owners don’t figure in the cost of ringing directory enquiries as it’s a cost assumed, incorrectly, to be within reasonable limits. A recent survey published by the Consumers Association of Ireland shows how exorbitant the charges can be.
There is no doubt that many business owners will question this cost but what’s more important is how they react and put in place procedures with employees as to the permitted usage of directory enquiry services.
There are many businesses that simply block outbound calls to directory enquiry numbers so the issue of excessive charges never arises.
For those businesses that don’t have call blocking in place, it’s surely time to get it in place and also have a business-wide policy on the use of directory enquiry services.
I’ve not used a direct enquiry service for many years since I discovered that you can quite easily, in most instances, get the required number by searching on the internet.
–