Articles

1. Giuseppe’s Pizzeria (278 words)

When a small business depends on incoming calls for the majority of its sales, a reverse telephone look-up service has three huge benefits: (1)it assures employees’ accuracy and efficiency. They get the correct spelling of the customers’ names, and they get correct addresses;if they’re confused, they get a tool for checking their work. (2)It gives the business a tool for building a database of customer information; the business owner can store information according to customers’ telephone numbers, so that when they call again, associates can address customers by name, thank them for calling again, and guide their choices by knowing their preferences. And (3)the reverse telephone look-up service gives the small business a tool for building customers’ loyalty through direct mail and door-hanger campaigns. Consider Giuseppe and our favorite local pizzeria: More than half of Giuseppe’s sales come from people calling-in for delivery. And in our neighborhood, people speak more than forty languages. Giuseppe and his staff do their best to get accurate information from callers; but language barriers sometimes are difficult to overcome. And a local business person never wants to ask for directions to a neighbor’s house or apartment. But the pizza still has to get to the caller’s address fresh and hot. So, Giuseppe and his staff capture callers’ numbers as they place their orders, and they use their reverse telephone look-up service to confirm names and addresses. When they’re not quite sure about directions, they link to mapquest or Google maps for turn-by-turn information, and their pizzas always arrive right on time. Giuseppe uses his database to send coupons and promotions to his loyal pizza fans. And his business is booming.

2. Beatty’s BeautyWorks (301 words)

Betty and her beauty salon have been legend and landmark in our little town for as long as woman ever can remember. Nothin’ is “a proper occasion” without a visit to Betty for the magic touch of her gifted “beauty fingers,” and the local ladies get their nails done just as regular as clockwork. “Cheaper ‘n therapy,” Betty chuckles, “and it lasts two weeks,” she laughs out loud. Betty is one smart business woman, too. She understands that her customers’ loyalty is everything to her. So, when they call-in for appointments, Betty uses her reverse telephone look-up service, getting accurate information about their names and addresses, and she builds a database of all her customers’ favorite styles and colors. Every now and then, Betty sends a note or a card; often, she sends out coupons, inviting the ladies to try a facial or a good eyebrow wax. When Betty hasn’t seen a customer in a little while, she’ll give the little lady a call, just a “Howdy, how ya doin’?” suggesting a new “do” might be just the thing for a little pick-me-up. Come prom time and wedding season, because she has her customers’ addresses saved from looking them up on the reverse call look-up, Betty sends-out a boatload of cards and e-mails, reminding all the girls to schedule early for their up-do’s and such. Come a week or so before the big prom, she sends out little reminders to the girls who have booked their times for hair, nails, and make-up. With just a customer’s telephone number, Betty gets all the tools she needs for staying in touch with all the loyal ladies—address, e-mail, cell phone, home phone, the works. And when Betty stays in touch with the women, the women keep coming back to Betty and her salon.

3. Jolly Rancher Landscaping (315 words)

When Frank, Jr. came home from college last summer, he quickly discovered all the good summer jobs were done. Even all the not-so-good summer jobs were gone. But Frank, Jr. is one resourceful character, going to college and all. If there wasn’t a job for him out there, he was going to make one. He got to work on his computer, and he printed up a few signs and a bunch of oor-hangers. Then, he went around the neighborhood, and wherever he saw a lawn looking raggedy or a garden in serious need of weeding, he jotted down the address, put a hanger on the door, and made a note to follow-up. A few people called and booked Frank, Jr. for a mow. When they called, Frank, Jr. used his reverse phone look-up service to get all their data, and after the mow, he sent a note and an e-mail, thanking the people for their business. Meanwhile, Frank, Jr. also followed-up with the folks where he had left the door-hangers. With just their addresses and a reverse look-up service, he could find the folk’s names and numbers; and because the people were his neighbors, Frank, Jr. mostly just called to introduce himself. “Oh, by the way,” Frank, Jr. just happened to mention, “I do landscaping.” And a few more people booked Frank, Jr. for a mow or a good weeding. Frank made sure he thanked all of them, too. When he had a pretty good clientele, Frank, Jr. sent mailers to all his people, pointing out he could do all kinds of landscaping jobs—fix their sprinklers, rebuild their fences, plant some trees, spread some fertilizer, dig-out those nasty old stumps, give them the prettiest yards on their blocks. And more people called back for more services. By the end of that summer, Frank, Jr. went back to State-U with more money than ever before.

4. Joe the Plumber (317 words)

Everyone in our little town knows and depends on Joe the plumber. He unclogs our toilets, rebuilds our sprinkler systems, puts-in our new water heaters, and, generally, if it’s something with a pipe and water, we trust Joe to take care of it for us. No one ever stops to wonder who’s taking care of Joe while Joe is taking care of us? But Joe is one smart cookie. He’s as sharp with his business tools as he is with his wrenches. Joe and Amy, his daughter who runs his office, keep track of their business with their reverse phone-number look-up service. See, most folks, when they need Joe, the call in. Amy catches their phone numbers, punches those numbers right into the look-up, and has customers’ names and addresses lickety-split. She can get all the information right out to her daddy in no time at all—perfectly accurate and detailed. Amy even can look-up the customers’ addresses on mapquest or Google maps, getting turn-by-turn directions for him, and keeping him right on schedule. When Joe finishes a job, Amy sends the folks a little “thank you” note and a coupon for the next time. It’s a nice little touch. Because Joe uses his time and his tools both skillfully and wisely, he does the work of two or three average plumbers, and his business is good. “I trust that reverse phone look-up service like I trust a good pipe wrench,” Joe says. And we believe it. Now, think about it: If you run a small business, and most of your customers reach you over the phone, how do you keep track of all their information? How do you build a database of customers’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mails? With just a telephone, a computer, and a reverse telephone look-up service, you have all the tools you need to deliver great service and build customers’ loyalty.

5. Pranksters (276 words)

“Stupid boys!” Mallory was furious as she got in the car after school. “Stupid, stupid boys!” Mallory, all grown-up in tenth grade, is usually a pretty tough customer. It takes a lot to make her mad, and it takes even more to make her furious as she was as she hurled her backpack across the car and sat there fuming. Mallory’s cell phone rang insistently. “See?!” she looked at me. “Those stupid boys have been doing that all day!” Two of Mallory’s goofier classmates relentlessly had prank-called her all day long. Now that she’s in high school, Mallory does not want me to fight her battles for her, but she doesn’t mind a few tools and pointers. When we got home that afternoon, I went directly to the reverse phone look-up service, typed-in the numbers from Mallory’s cell, and up came the boys’ names and addresses. “I knew it was them!” Mallory was mad as a wet cat. I took a couple more steps for my daughter’s protection and my own peace of mind. First, I called and changed her cell number—easy enough. Then, I went back to the reverse phone look-up service, and I requested privacy protection for all of our information—house phone, cell phones, e-mails, everything. No access for anyone; all denied. That put a stop to the calls. But I knew we weren’t quite finished. Later that evening, as Mallory did her homework upstairs in her bedroom, I made a call of my own. Using the information from the reverse phone look-up service, I called those “stupid, stupid boys’” mothers. The reverse telephone number look-up service helps keep my family safe.

6. Privacy (298 words)

Ya know, once—just once!—I would like to see a phone number on my caller ID that wasn’t some stranger trying to sell me something or some busybody little PTA mom trying to tell me the very best cupcake recipe for the bake sale. Sure, I know I can turn-off my phone, but people will just leave messages on the voicemail. Ugh, the messages! They go on and on and on and on. And recently someone has been calling and just hanging-up. Of course, caller ID gets the number, but if I don’t recognize it, what good does it do? When I call the number, it just rings and rings and rings. Just once, I would like to see that one of my friends had managed to squeeze in a call among all these other characters. And ya know what really kills me about all these calls? Our number is unlisted! Even if your number is unlisted, obviously people can find it. Lots of data collectors have used public information to build databases that contain all your information—not just your telephone numbers and address, but also your credit history, your employment, and other personal data. All kinds of marketers by this information from the data brokers, using it for all kinds of reasons. A reverse telephone number look-up service can help. For just a small fee, you can block access to these data bases. The reverse telephone number look-up services not only give information; they also can keep it confidential. Using the service’s privacy protection, you can make sure that no one ever can look at your records or use your personal data for any reason. Check it online today, because your privacy and peace of mind probably are just a few mouseclicks and keystrokes away.

7. Organized? (398 words)

Every now and then, I wonder what ever happened to the top of my desk. Under all the papers and post-its and notes and expired coupons and junk mail and tear-off sheets from the bills, I should be able to find a nice smooth, shiny slab of solid oak. I know I am! So, every now and then, not because I really have the time, but just because I really cannot stand it any more, I get busy and clean-off all that stuff. I’ll bet you already know what I find: Phone numbers. Everywhere, phone numbers. Sometimes with a name; usually just the number. When my children take messages, they don’t write-down details; they just write numbers. And I found lots of “800” numbers, too. These numbers must mean something, don’t you think? Every one of those phone numbers contains the seed of a relationship—a business connection, a link to the parents of my children’s friends, a way to track down my errant teen-agers when they’re out too late, maybe even the seeds of a new friendship. All in those numbers. The last time I cleaned-off and organized my desktop, I followed my curiosity about all those phone numbers. Using the reverse telephone number look-up service, I put names and addresses to all those numbers. Sure enough, secreted in all those little scraps of paper, I had an entire personal network. The reverse phone-number look-up service helped me build a directory of all the people with whom I regularly do business, and I put together all of my friends’ digits, and I have built a system for keeping track of the kids, and I even found a promising new restaurant…that delivers! Just a little bit of time with the reverse phone number look-up service and I got organized. Best of all, though, I got a life!

8. General Summary (415 words)

If you run a small business and you want that little business to grow, a reverse telephone number look-up service provides one of your most powerful tools. The more you know about your customers, the more you can deliver good service, alert them to special promotions, develop rapport, and cultivate their loyalty. A little bit of time invested in the reverse phone number look-up service will yield a handsome return: you will run your business more efficiently and more effectively: Efficiency: If you take just a moment to capture each customer’s telephone number—use your caller ID, ask for a business card, set-up a guestbook—you can develop an entire customer profile just from that one piece of information. With a bunch of index cards, or with any spreadsheet program, you can combine all those profiles into a customer database. Then, when a regular customer calls or comes in, you quickly can check his or her regular purchases, follow-up on special orders, or just give a personal greeting by name. Customer Service: Working with the reverse phone number look-up service and building a database of your customers, you can track their visits and purchases. More importantly, though, you can use the information the look-up service provides to stay in touch with your customers. If you haven’t seen a customer in a while, send an e-mail: just ask, “How have you been? Love to see you in the store soon. Did you know we have your favorite widget on sale this month?” Use the address information to send out flyers, maybe even start sending out a little newsletter just to let the folks know what you and your business are doing. Customer Loyalty: With just a phone number, you have the key that unlocks all the tools you need to communicate with customers in every way. The reverse telephone number look-up service will give you names, addresses, alternate phone numbers, and e-mail addresses; sometimes it will include employment data or information about your customers’ businesses. The more you stay in touch and develop rapport with your customers, the more they will trust you, and you will win their loyalty. Protection: You also can use the reverse number look-up service to protect your own privacy. Many vendors use predatory marketing schemes, and a lot of people assume that, because you provide goods and services, you are public property. Keep yourself safe with the reverse look-up service’s privacy protection. Block other’s access to information.

9. Courtroom Drama (265 words)

My telephone system and cell phone drive my practice as a criminal defense attorney. I tell my clients they may call me any time of the day or night, and they depend on my being available or calling right back. Of course, when I am in the courtroom all day or when I need peace and quiet for preparing documents and briefs, the phone messages back-up. The list of missed calls gets pretty large, and the voicemails back-up, too. Usually, the clients say simply, “George here, call me at…” I depend on the reverse telephone look-up service to make sense of all those missed calls, and I have used the information from the service to help me computerize all of my case files. With just a telephone number, I not only can identify a client but also pull-up data about his case, its status, his or her fee schedule and all the rest. With new clients, I can greet them by name when I return their calls, and I usually can develop a few personal questions to gain their trust, because I can infer a little about each person from their zip codes and e-mail addresses. With clients who have “disappeared”—the ones who have missed appointments or whose trials are rapidly approaching—I can find alternative phone numbers, and I send post cards to their addresses. And when “George” calls, using the reverse phone look-up service, I can figure which “George” and why. My practice depends on the phone, and I depend on the reverse phone look-up to make my phone even more powerful.

10. Applicants

When Fred down at the hardware store needed to hire a new person for his tool department, he placed and ad in the local paper, and he put another one on the internet. Fred didn’t think much of it. But with the economy the way it is, people came out of the woodwork applying for that job. My goodness, ol’ Fred was overwhelmed. One afternoon, he had a line of people practically out the front door—so crowded a person couldn’t tell an applicant from a customer, which to Fred’s way of thinking was not a great way to run a business. Well, Freddie, Jr.—you know, the “and Sons” of Fred and Sons—had a great idea. Freddie just went down that line of eager applicants, writing down their names and telephone numbers, telling each one, “We’ll call you for an interview.” Then, Freddie took that list, and he went to work with the reverse phone number look-up service. Right away, Freddie could find out where the people lived and how to reach them not only at home but by their cell numbers, too. More importantly, with the data he collected, Freddie could go on to investigate their backgrounds—see who might have a criminal record or an outstanding warrant, see others who might have credit problems, and, more importantly, find-out who the good citizens were. After just an hour or so with that reverse directory, little Freddie narrowed that list of fifty applicants down to the three he thought looked promising, and he called them on in for interviews. Big Fred, he joked later, “Maybe we should change the name to ‘Sons and Fred’.”

11. Why? I’m not a spy! (125 words)

Until just a few years ago, only grizzled, street-tough detectives and international men of mystery had access to “reverse phone directories.” They seemed far more James Bond than Joe Sixpack. Of course, with the rapid expansion of internet technology and privileges accorded average citizens under the Freedom of Information Act, reverse phone directories have become easily accessible through the worldwide web. At first, most people wonder, “Why would I need a reverse phone directory?” After just a moment’s reflection, though, people begin to see lots of productive uses for this information: they research strange phone numbers that appear on their bills, they track-down prank callers and obnoxious telemarketers, they research unfamiliar numbers on their lists of missed calls, and they find exact addresses they need.

12. Privacy (124 words)

Assembling “reverse phone directories”--databases which link business, residential, and cell phone numbers to their owners’ names and personal information—researchers collect personal data from government sources, public information, brokers of marketing data, and other reliable sources. Many local merchants use their directories to personalize their service and grow their business. Many ordinary people use online reverse phone directories to make sure they have correct and up-to-date addresses for stores, services, and friends. Just as importantly, though, with online access to reverse phone directories, people can protect their own privacy. Not everyone wants his or her private data available to the general public. Therefore, reverse directory services allow customers to restrict access to their own information, keeping themselves safe from intrusion, interruption, or worse.

13. Pizza Parlor (117 words)

Giuseppe, owner and still chief pizza maker in the neighborhood’s favorite pizzeria, explains why he uses a reverse phone directory: “In our neighborhood, people speak almost forty different languages, and they have all different kinds of accents. Naturally, we don’t want to be rude when we cannot clearly understand them over the phone, so we wake sure we capture their phone numbers. When we have their orders correct, we double check their names and addresses through the reverse directory. We save the info in a database, too, so that when our regular customers call, we quickly can identify them by name and address, and we can assist our delivery guys by printing out maps with driving directions.”

14. Beauty Salon (122 words)

Betty, owner and operator of all the moms’ favorite beauty salon, explains why she signed-up for online access to a reverse phone directory: “Sure, we take walk-ins; they’re about thirty per-cent of our business. When a new customer walks in, we make sure we get a name and a phone number. Then, after we’ve done the nails and the nice cut and color, we use the phone number to get an address, and we send the new customer a little thank you note. We tell the little woman she’s always welcome, we hope she loves her chic new look, and she oughta call us for an appointment next time she needs a little pampering. The walk-in becomes a regular in no time.”

15. Drain cleaning service (188 words)

Joe the Plumber explains how he and his team use their online access to a reverse phone directory: “Once we leave the shop in the morning, going out to clean drains and fix pipes, we don’t want to go back. We’re all over the city, all over the county, sometimes all over the greater tri-state area. But our dispatch girl keeps us right on top of what’s happening. “A customer calls-in, see, says she has an exploding toilet and needs help asap. Our girl gets her name and our caller id gets her number. Then, Miss Dispatch checks the reverse directory for the exact street address, making sure we got it exactly right, ya know? From there, our little sweetie gets us turn-by-turn driving directions from one job site to the next—no muss, no fuss, no bother. And we got our little housewife’s toilet all fixed-up and cleaned-up in no time flat. “Best of all, when we finish a job, we can send a little note to the customer, sayin’, ‘Hey, thanks for usin’ our service, and we usually send ‘em a coupon for the next time.”

16. Prank Calls (116 words)

“When my daughter and her three friends in the carpool first started high school,” one mother shakes her head, “some boys started ‘prank’ calling us all the time. At first, my daughter just shrugged it off, and so did I. Kids; boys. You know. But then it started getting out of hand: they started calling late at night and in the middle of the night, and their calls start getting pretty nasty. The standard old star-69 thing wouldn’t do any good, because the prank callers weren’t going to pick-up. When I got the reverse directory service, though, I not only identified the boys; I found their mothers. It’s amazing what a little mom-to-mom communication accomplishes. Problem solved.”

17. My Notebook (154 words)

Gathering the news is all about finding the right sources: “Do ya know where I can reach this guy, I ask my source,” the reporter says. “My source gives me a first name and a cell phone number, sayin’ the guy’s got all the inside scoop. Of course, I wanna talk to the guy with all the inside dope, but how do I know he’s on the up-and-up, and all I got’s a cell phone, ya know? I use my reverse directory service, just punchin’ in the cell number. Sure enough, there’s the guy’s whole story—full name, address, landline, work location, the whole enchilada. Lookin’ at the work info, right away I can see why the guy is in the know, and I got enough info to approach him like I’m a friend, put him at ease so he’ll talk for the record. Best thing we ever got, that reverse phone look-up service.”

18. The road warrior (151 words)

A manufacturer’s representative for a major tool company is out on the road six days out of every seven. He depends on his cell phone to keep him connected with his office and his customers. Because he cannot answer every call while he’s driving, though, he frequently must depend on voicemail and his list of missed calls to check on his prospects. “I am so glad I signed-up for the reverse phone directory service,” the rep sighs. “Often, one of my customers will leave a voicemail that says simply, ‘Hey, this is Bob. Gimme a call.’ Then, he just leaves his number. Do you have any idea how many Bobs I have among my customers? With the reverse directory, though, I can figure out which Bob it is, which retailer he works for, and what tools best will drive his sales. The reverse directory is the best tool I have.”

19. The “Boyfriend” (138 words)

Because she is a single mom, young professional Rachael is very careful about the men she dates. “So, through work, I meet this wonderful guy—Michael. We start slowly with coffee and then lunch; you know how it goes. But, I mean this guy is just so nice, so respectful, so sweet and thoughtful. We start seeing each other regularly, and then it’s almost every day. All of a sudden, it hits me: all I really know about this guy is his name and his cell phone number. It’s not like I don’t trust him; he’s a nice guy. I just want to know more about him. I use the reverse phone directory service, find his address and home phone. Thinking I’ll surprise him when he gets home from work, I call the house. Who answers? His wife!”

20. The “Ex” (150 words)

When Ashleigh broke-up with Travis, the divorce grew bitter and ugly. Ashleigh was anxious to put as much distance between herself and the soon-to-be-ex husband as she could, but whenever she moved or changed her number, Travis found her and resumed his harassment. “I kinda knew that there were directories,” Ashleigh says, “But I didn’t really know how much info they contained or how easy they were to use. When I learned a little bit more about how people find new phone numbers and use reverse directories, right away I understood how Travis could track me down. But I also figured out how to stop him: The directories let you block access to all your information. With just one request and one fee, you can make all your stuff private. When I did that, the extra privacy was just enough to discourage Travis. Eventually, he gave up and moved on.”