|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Table of Contents Contact Numbers Introduction Definitions Being A Retail Agent (Your Relationship With The End-User) Being A Retail Agent (Your Relationship With Universal Telecom)
Contact Numbers Our well-trained and friendly staff is standing by to answer any questions that you or your customers may have. Please feel free to call us anytime! Customer Service 1-888-788-7978
Retail Agent Hotline 1-800-349-6981
Toll Free Fax 1-800-217-7158
After the sale we do not want to inconvenience our Retail Agents, so please have your customers direct any questions to our toll free Customer Service number. INTRODUCTION Who We Are Universal Telecom, Inc. is a local exchange telephone service provider currently certified in twelve states. We provide hassle-free local telephone service to those who have had the misfortune of their phone service being disconnected, or people currently denied service from the local phone company. Local Phone Service Universal Telecom, Inc. provides the exact same local telephone service as BellSouth, Verizon, Sprint, Nevada Bell, Pacific Bell, US West or any other local exchange carrier. We recognize that a portion of the population has been disconnected or denied local telephone service by the “Big” phone company. Universal Telecom is proud to introduce a local phone service to meet the needs of these “credit challenged” individuals who still desperately need basic telephone service. Additional Features In addition to basic local service, we also provide additional features such as Call Waiting, Caller ID, Unpublished Number and others for additional fees. Emergency 911 service is provided at no charge in all areas where it is offered by the local provider. Since Universal Telecom provides pre-paid phone service, usage or “toll” calls such as long distance, receiving collect calls, and 900 numbers are blocked. Customers can dial “toll free” 800/888 numbers such as “1-800-Collect.” DEFINITIONS 
CLEC: Competitive Local Exchange Carrier – Universal Telecom LEC: Local Exchange Carrier – BellSouth, Verizon, Sprint, Pacific Bell, etc. RAC: Retail Agent Code – Code assigned each retail agent DAR: Daily Activity Report – Report faxed daily by retail agent End-User: The actual pre-paid telephone customer. Local Access: Basic telephone service in the local calling area. Business Days: Normal workdays, excluding weekends and holidays. Service Period: The pre-paid service period is one calendar month. Call Waiting: When on a call, Call Waiting alerts the customer with a special tone that a call is coming in. Customer simply presses the hook or flash key to switch to the line coming in. Call Forwarding: Call Forwarding allows the customer to transfer all incoming calls to another local number so calls will not be missed when away from home. Dial 72# and the “forward to” number. To turn off the forward dial 73#. Caller ID Deluxe: Caller ID identifies the name and number of the caller before the call is answered, as well as the date and time of each call received. Note: Caller ID requires a one-time $10 set-up fee. The customer must provide the Caller ID box. Unpublished Number: Having an unpublished number means that the customer’s name and number will not be published in the phone book and will not have a listing with directory assistance. Note: Even if a customer has an unpublished number, it will show up on a caller ID unit. Call Return (*69): Call Return calls back the last incoming call whether the call was answered or not. There is no limit for returning a missed call as long as no other calls are received to replace the last incoming call. The typical pre-paid phone customer is a hard working, good person who has had a problem with a local service provider in their respective hometown. Perhaps they refused to pay for a call they did not place or accidentally ran up a large bill using the Internet. The reasons for their situation are as many and diverse as the customers themselves. We understand the customer expects and deserves the same level of service they would receive from the local exchange carrier. We take extra care to insure the customer is treated fairly and individually. Taking care of the end user is our prime directive and this sets us apart from the competition. You and your customers come first. Any troubleshooting or additional service should be directed to the Customer Service Hotline (1-888-788-7978). Customers should have existing inside wiring and jacks for phone service. Universal Telecom does not provide any type of inside wiring service or equipment. In other words, the customer is responsible for wiring and equipment inside their home. Local access will allow your customer to make unlimited local calls. They will be able to call toll free numbers such as 1-800, 1-888, 1-877 and 1-866. They will be able to dial 911 in the event of an emergency if this service is available in their area. The line is “toll restricted” which means they will not be able to make long distance calls that are charged to their phone number. They will be unable to make any toll calls such as 1-900 numbers or directory assistance. The following is a chart describing what they can and cannot do with their pre-paid local service.
The cost for basic service activation is $49.00, which covers the first month of basic local phone service. The customer’s future bills may reflect some federal and state regulated charges, which Universal Telecom has no control over. These may include Federal Communication Charges, Federal Excise Tax and State and/or Sales/Utility Taxes. A $40.00 one-time set-up fee will be charged to the customer’s account at the time of application. All or part of this charge may be required to be paid at the time of application, or the customer may wish to pay all or part at this time. The balance of the charge will be billed in equal installments on the customer’s monthly bills ($5.00 per month) totaling the $40.00. If the application is cancelled or terminated for any reason, this fee is non-refundable. Universal Telecom also offers long distance packages. The customer may purchase one of three packages depending on how many minutes they would like to have. This is also done on a pre-paid basis so once the customer has used all of their minutes, they would purchase another package if they so desire. The ease of this program is that there are no messy PINs involved. If the customer is at home, they simply dial an access number and their phone number is immediately recognized. A recording relays the number of minutes they have remaining and they dial the number they are trying to call. If away from their home, they would dial the access number, type in their 10-digit home telephone number and dial the number they are trying to reach. They may make international calls as well with their long distance package. And remember, anyone can purchase long distance regardless of who provides their local service. We provide each Retail Agent with long distance applications. They, like the new service application are two-part carbonless. After faxing the application to us, you keep the white copy for your records and the customer receives the pink copy. There is a $5 service fee in addition to the cost of the package the customer purchases. This fee is charged each time the customer buys a long distance package. Any fees collected for long distance are recorded on your Daily Activity Report under section B, “Bill Payments and Other Fees Collected.” Once we receive the application, the long distance is accessible within 24 to 48 hours. Please have the customer contact the Customer Service Hotline if they have any questions regarding their long distance. Any additional services desired will add additional cost to the amount needed for service activation and monthly bills, as indicated on the service application. Customers adding services after the initial application will be required to pay a $35.00 processing fee in addition to the cost of the feature. Customers are encouraged to sign up for optional features while making the initial application to avoid this additional charge at a later date. The customer will also pay an additional charge for Caller ID. There is a one-time $10.00 set-up fee, which must be paid at the time of application in addition to the $10.00 cost of the feature. All future billing will only reflect a $10.00 charge for Caller ID.
Taking Applications for Phone Service We provide customers with a simple application to be filled out while at your location. After completion of the application you will collect payment from the customer, fax their application to our office and record the sale. All customers are guaranteed approval of their application for service regardless of their past credit history or past due accounts to other phone companies. The application authorizes Universal Telecom to connect the service. The application is very simple and allows for both you and the customer to retain a completed copy. To begin service, the customer must fully complete and sign the application. If the customer has any questions about the application or connection times, please have them call the Customer Service number for fast friendly help. The customer will receive a monthly, itemized phone renewal noticejust as they would with the “BIG” company. The customer will be provided a Renewal Notice once a month before the end of their pre-paid service period. The Notice will include the amount needed to purchase an additional month’s pre-paid service, any additional charges, which have accrued to the Customer’s account and a date that this renewal payment is due. If we do not receive the renewal payment by the due date, we may initiate suspension of the customer’s service. If the customer’s service is suspended, the customer will be required to pay the bill payment in full and a $20.00 restoration fee. The customer’s service will remain suspended for approximately three days before the account is completely disconnected. Once the account is disconnected, it may not be restored. The Customer must apply for new service and may be required to pay any past due balances. In the event any long distance or any and all charges are placed on the phone line that are in addition to the basic services and options provided by Universal Telecom, the customer will have to pay all such charges promptly to Universal. Should the customer not pay these charges, the customer’s service will be subject to disconnection. Fraudulent or unauthorized use of the telephone line will result in immediate disconnection of service. The customers should be informed that they can pay their monthly bills at your store. If the customer has any questions about their bills or if they do not receive a bill please have them call the Customer Service number at 1-888-788-7978. Service Repair, Line Trouble or Customer Complaints In the event a customer contacts you about a service or repair issue or is unpleased with anything about their service, please have them contact the Customer Service Hotline so we can resolve any problems or complaints directly and efficiently. Selling Pre–Paid Phone Service There are two ways to make more money, increase revenue or decrease expenses. Selling Universal Telecom’s services does both. You pay absolutely nothing for our service and when you sell the product you make money instantly; even before we do. You have a new product to sell, which is unlimited and there is no cost associated with maintaining inventory. The product is very easy to sell. There are no complicated training classes, which your employees must attend. Just two simple forms and a fax machine and you are on your way to increasing your bottom line. Currently the price is fixed at $49.00 from which the distributor keeps their respective amount as commission for selling the phone service. In some areas, a portion of the initial Processing Fees may be required at the time of the account application. All of our fees and charges are subject to change as per the company’s price list/Tariff filed with the respective state’s Utilities Commission or regulatory agency. These fees and charges do not include applicable regulatory fees and taxes, which will be added to customer’s future bills. Additionally, because our rates are regulated by state laws our Retails Agents may, in NO WAY, alter the fees which are charged to the customers. Our prime objective is to minimize the amount of time the Retail Agent spends working with customers. Whenever possible, we like to pass the workload back to our trained staff to complete. It doesn’t take much. You will be furnished with many point of sale marketing items (Posters, displays, signs, banners, etc…). Place these in prominent locations in your store, especially your banner, which we suggest you hang in a very visible location on the exterior of your building. You will find that this will be your most effective advertising tool if it is properly placed. The application forms are carbonless two-part forms, which are completed by the customer to obtain the necessary information to properly and quickly connect their telephone service. It is important that the application form be filled out completely and neatly, with black ink, so that it can be easily read after faxing. The questions on the application are self-explanatory, but we have highlighted a few of the most critical ones below: (There is an example of a completed form at the end of the manual.) You should provide the customer with the minimal assistance they may need to fill out their application and answer any questions they may have. After the customer has completed and signed the application you should complete the following steps: 1) Briefly review the application to make sure it is as
complete as possible. We ask that you keep these applications for an indefinite period unless we authorize you to discard them. When you need a new supply of applications please call the Retail Agent Hotline (1-800-349-6981) and we will send you a new supply as quickly as possible. Receiving Payments of Monthly Phone Bills Paid at Your Place of Business Taking a payment is even easier than making the initial sale. The customer pays you the amount of the payment and you issue your receipt just like any other sale. Simply record the payments on the Daily Activity Report (DAR), under Section B, and off you go to continue business as normal. The customers are not required to pay their bills in full. Many times they have made some type of payment arrangements with our collections department and will make partial payments. Please accept any amount of payment a customer is willing to make. If the customer has questions about their bill, you may simply direct them to call our toll free Customer Service Number to receive help from our staff. Completing The Daily Activity Report (DAR) The Daily Activity Report (DAR) is the most important communications device that you have with Universal Telecom. This report must be faxed to our toll free fax number at the end of every business day even if you did not have any activity. The DAR reports to us the phone activity that you have had for that day and we use this report to record new sales, customer payments and the commission amount that you have earned. This is the only means that we have of knowing if a customer has made a bill payment to you and, of course, we do not want to ever disconnect a customer because we were unaware a payment had been made. This report is compiled during the day, but only needs to be faxed at the end of the day. If you have no activity just put a zero on the form and fax it to us. This will confirm with us that we did not miss any new applications through fax or other errors. We will send you a supply of DARs in your initial welcome pack, with your store name and Retail Agent Code (RAC) pre-filled. These forms may be copied, as you need them. This simple form was designed to be fast and efficient. If you need any help in completing it please call the Retail Agent Hotline. Example. PIN cards are perhaps the fastest and easiest way to sell
Universal Telecom’s pre-paid phone service. The display cards are provided
for you to put in a noticeable location. If the customer is coming in
to purchase new service, simply have them pick up a New Activation display
card and take it to the counter. Once they pay the $49, exchange the display
card for an "active" New Activation card. It is then up to the customer
to call us and provide their PIN information. This same process is done
for a Payment card purchase as well. Completion of applications and payment
verification are all done by Universal Telecom. Your job is simply to
sell the cards. We recommend to the customer that they purchase the appropriate
number of Payment cards to pay their bill in full. If there are funds
remaining after their payment has been applied, they will be credited
to their next bill. Underpayment of the bill may result in suspension
of services. It is better for the customer to overpay than to underpay.
Additionally, a customer may use a Payment card for other things such
as purchasing long distance packages, adding optional services or transferring
service to name a few. Once a customer calls in their PIN information,
we will record that sale to your store and send an invoice the following
week. Please be aware that if a customer does not call in their PIN information
for several days or weeks, your invoice will reflect the date on which
they called. If you have any questions concerning any invoice that you
receive for PIN card sales, please call our Retail Agent Hotline at 1-800-349-6981.
Also if your store is currently using DARs and you would like to switch
to selling PIN cards please let us know via the Retail Agent Hotline. From time to time a customer may wish to make a change to their local service. This will normally be to add or delete Optional Services or request a new telephone number. Most of the time the customer will have already contacted our office to ask how to make the changes they desire to their service. We have explained the process, the fees involved, and have instructed them to go to your store to complete a Change in Service form. To add any Optional Services to existing service there is a one-time Processing Fee of $35 plus the cost of the services themselves. This Processing Fee is for each time the service is changed, not for each Option. There is no charge to delete Optional Services. Because changing a phone number is essentially getting new service there is a $40 Processing Fee to do this. This fee may be deferred if the customer has deferment credit on their account. You or the customer cannot ascertain this deferment balance; you must call the Customer Service Hotline and they will inform you of the amount you need to collect. After completing the Change in Service form and collecting the necessary amount, give the customer their copy of the form (Yellow Back) and fax a copy to us on the toll free fax number. Please inform the customer it may take 3-7 business days for their new services to be activated. Example. When a customer wishes to move their service from one address to another it is basically just like establishing new service. The customer will not be able to retain their current telephone number. They will receive a new number and the time frames for the connection are the same as with new service. We will require the customer to pay, in full, any outstanding bills they have at the time of transfer. We will also require the customer to pay an additional $40 Processing Fee. This Processing Fee may be deferred if the customer has available deferment credit on their account. Please contact the Customer Service Hotline to see exactly how much will be needed from the customer! When you have determined the correct amount needed simply complete a new service application form (with the customer’s new information) and fax it to our office. Please write in large letters on the application form “TRANSFER” to alert us to this fact. Also, please list “Transfer” as the description on the DAR under Section B. Whenever you need any type of supplies such as Application forms or Change in Service forms, just call the Retail Agent Hotline and the order will be shipped to you almost immediately. Also, we want your image, as well as ours, to stay professional and fresh. If you ever need new Point of Sale advertising items (Banners, signs, etc…) again, just give us a call and we will get replacement items out to you. Any refunds for cancelled or terminated service must only come from our office. We will issue the refund from our office and notify you of the refund via fax with a “Refund Notice/Invoice” (example at right). This will charge your account for your portion of the commission that was paid on the account when it was sold. If for some reason we are unable to connect a customer we will refund the full amount the customer paid at the time of application. Automated Clearing House (ACH) ACH is the method by which banks electronically move
funds between one another. Your company authorizes our staff to debit
or credit your bank account on a weekly basis for the amount due to Universal
Telecom for the telephone activity during the previous week. Remember
we will only debit the amount that is due after your commissions are deducted.
Your revenue is left behind. The transactions are secure and are closely
monitored by the Federal Reserve Bank. In the middle of every week we
will fax to you a detailed report listing all of the activity that transpired
at your location for the previous week (Monday through Sunday) and a total
amount that will be drafted. If you do not receive your report by Thursday
afternoon, please call our Retail Agent Hotline and we will immediately
resend it to you. You are encouraged to carefully review this report for
any unforeseen mistakes or problems and contact our ACH Department immediately
via the Retail Agent Hotline. If you do not see any problems, no action
is needed. The next day we will initiate the ACH transfer from your bank
account. The transfer will affect your bank account the following business
day. |
The customer should be
instructed to call our toll free number (888-788-7978) in two to three
business days after completing the service application. At that time Universal
Telecom will inform the customer of their new telephone number and estimated
date of connection. IMPORTANT: Under “normal” circumstances, a customer’s
telephone service will be connected in 3-7 business days (excluding weekends
& holidays), from the time that the Company receives the signed, completed
application. However, we do not, in any way, guarantee this time frame
because service connection is dependent on each individual’s technical
situation. 