VoIP based calling cards continue to attract the worldwide market with its low rate international and long distance calling facilities. Especially, the ability to make VoIP calls even without internet connection has been rightly perceived by global customers. Service providers have been making good revenue by targeting calling card business in countries where VoIP networks are unfeasible due to poor bandwidths or regulatory norms. However, the real challenge lies ahead is the simplification of calling card usage to attract more customers and grow the business.

While PIN based calling cards were useful to some extent in the initial period of VoIP growth, it couldn’t avoid the lengthy process of making a call. Usually, a PIN based card encompasses information such as access number (or DID), PIN code, denomination, destination and calling instructions. User buys this card and enters the access number for calling a particular destination. The IVR then prompts the user to enter the PIN code for authentication. If the authentication is successful, IVR reads out the available balance and prompts the user to enter the destination number.

The lengthy call process is made somewhat short in the case of PIN less calling cards where a user buys the card and enters the access number. The IVR authenticates the PIN code via ANI authorization and prompts the user to enter the destination number. Thus, users need not remember complex PIN codes in the case of PIN less calling cards which has considerably eased their calling card use.

A new use case emerges…

What if a user wants to enjoy mobile VoIP when internet connection is available and switch to calling cards when internet connection is not available? Or May be a user has ran out of mobile VoIP balance and wants to use calling cards for making a call. Do we have such a facility? Yes! Some well-known VoIP solution providers are offering hybrid dialers along with calling card solution.

Hybrid Mobile Dialers

Hybrid mobile dialers are mobile VoIP apps that simplify the calling cards use. The application offers both mobile VoIP and automated calling card experience from the same application. That means a user equipped with calling card dialer can make VoIP calls even without internet connection. When internet connection is available, calls are made using the VoIP account balance.

Hybrid mobile dialers require one-time PIN configuration so that users need not re-enter PIN every time they want to make a call. Also, automatic DID selection will ensure that the application picks the right DID for a particular destination for which the call has been made. For calling through calling card, all a user has to do is directly enter the destination number while the rest of the process will be automatically taken care by the hybrid dialer.

Calling Card Solution

Calling card providers should consider leveraging calling card solution that facilitate hybrid dialer calling experience. The calling card solution should support flexible routing, billing, monitoring, reporting, PIN, ANI/CLI authentication, automatic DID selection, carrier management, etc., for offering seamless calling card services to end users.

The combination of hybrid mobile dialers and calling card solution is the new success mantra for both established and new VoIP players in the industry.