Mashable: FastCall411 Wants to Help You With Directory Assistance

September 24, 2007 — 01:34 PM PDT — by Sean P. Aune —

DEMOlive saw the introduction of an innovative new method to do local business searches with the launch of FastCall411.

The idea behind FastCall411 is that using either your mobile phone or their website, you enter what you’re looking for (plumber, locksmith, etc.), enter your zip code, and FastCall411 will start calling around for you. Once they find a business that is either open or willing to take your call, the service will ring you back and connect you to the merchant.

Merchants are ranked on things such as call acceptance (tests showed that to run around 25%), consumer reviews, and their availability. Those that rank highly will become “FactCall411 Recommended” merchants.

The service is completely free to the consumer and is underwritten by participating merchants. You can access the service from traditional phones, mobile devices, their website, or widgets on participating merchants websites.

http://mashable.com/2007/09/24/fastcall411/

DEMOfall: Marketing 2.0, Marc Orchant

FastCall411: FastCall411 is a local search engine that taps into a database of local merchants and service providers to find the product or service being searched and creates an immediate connection using VoIP. Satisfaction data is captured as part of the process to continually rank and rate participating merchants. For immediate results, this looks like an interesting approach. In the demo, the scenario used was trying to find a plumber who is immediately available to do some work. Having just had the experience myself of needing to find an appliance repair person who could unlock my suddenly inaccessible oven the day before a large party at my home, I can immediately see the value in having an engine like this find a resource.
http://us.blognation.com

FastCall: One (phone) ring to rule them all

By Rafe Needleman – September 26, 2007, 2:28 PM PDT

FastCall411: Now this is clever. If you're looking for a service provider, you tell FastCall what you're looking for (for example, a plumber), and then it dials up to ten plumbers at once on your behalf. The first provider to respond is the one you're connected to. FastCall also builds profiles of providers based on how responsive they are.

If you've ever dialed around for someone to handle a service need for you, you'll appreciate this for sure.

http://www.webware.com

From DemoFall 2007.

COMPUTERWORLD / DEMOfall: Push comes to shove

* FastCall411 demoed its system for customers to search for local businesses. The hook: Once FastCall411 finds a list of, say, plumbers, it starts calling them. All of them. The first one that accepts the call and presses "1" gets the job, or at least gets a chance to talk to the customer, who then rates the results. Between calls that never connect and customer ratings, FastCall411 ranks or deletes the businesses.
http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/n

MediaPost: Creative Marketing Apps Abound At San Diego DEMOfall

Hollywood-based FastCall411 served up a method to connect local merchants with consumers. The consumer calls the service and puts in a request for electrical, plumbing or gardening services, and FastCall411's technology dials as many local service providers as needed to satisfy the search. After each call, consumers rate their experience with the service. The system relies on artificial intelligence to learn and record information by compiling information on merchants who answer the call, rating them accordingly. FastCall411 recently appointed to its advisory board Gordon Henry, CEO of Yellow Book USA; Milton Olin, founding partner at new media intellectual property and Internet law firm Alschul & Olin; and Mark Cannon, SVP and chief product officer at Autobytel.
http://publications.mediapost.com/in

Consumers Expect Local Businesses to Pick up the Phone

Should be a no-brainer. You may recall the calling test we completed (press) this spring showing that 64 percent of businesses we called to determine if they were available to help a customer immediately -- weren't!

Combine this information with a new survey FastCall411 just released reporting that "8 out of 10 Americans have little patience for merchants who don’t answer the phone – especially after repeated attempts to make contact. And when it comes to the key demographic for buying most home and professional services -- adults 35-44 -- that figure rises to nearly 88 percent."

Here's some press on survey.

Pretty much, this is a major disconnect between the information available today in local directories and what the consumer really wants. Is this why we complain bitterly about disintegrating customer service?

FastCall411 is launching at DEMOfall2007 next week in San Diego. We are excited to show how the company is designed to connect consumers with local businesses that are ready and available to provide services.
DEMO -- a big press and VC event – will be the first time that we announce publicly how FastCall411 benefits the consumer, local merchant and publisher. I’ll send an update once we’re there.

PS. If you haven’t checked out FastCall411.com recently – we've added cool new features and polished the design.