News 2001
Virgin Mobile does the Business
14/06/2001
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Mobile today became the first network to offer Britain's entrepreneurs and small business owners a hassle- and catch-free mobile service. The deal allows small businesses to buy, manage and bill a group of phones to one account - and, unlike with rival networks, there's no contract to sign or monthly line rental to pay.
Virgin Mobile's small business service includes all the benefits normally associated with a contract, without any of the constraints - and comes with cheap calls day and night.
Virgin Mobile's small business service is designed to help entrepreneurs - builders to estate agents, drivers to shopkeepers - run their ventures more efficiently and cheaply. It comes with free group billing (subject to a standard UK credit check), free itemised bills for all the phones on the account, and international roaming already set up for when customers need to go abroad on business, or even pleasure!
Unlike other networks, Virgin Mobile's small business service is transparent and jargon-free. Its pricing is simple: calls are cheap at just 15p a minute for the first five minutes of use each day, then 5p a minute after that. There are no peak rates, so customers don't get 'stung' for using the phone during office hours. And unlike other networks, Virgin Mobile rewards its big talkers with its Big Bonus - anyone spending more than £30 on UK calls or texts each month gets a loyalty reward of 10% of whatever they spent credited to their account the following month.
Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Mobile, said: "Small businesses are the engine of our economy. As Virgin knows better than most, entrepreneurs often need a break or two to help them succeed, which is why we've designed our small business service to be the most appealing in the country: it's easy to set-up and manage, cheap and fun to use. There are no-contracts to lock people in, no monthly fees to drain their cash-flows, just straightforward service and great value."
Here are the Virgin Mobile small business service benefits at a glance:
Helping reduce costs:
- No line rental - Customers pay only for the calls they make
- Cheap calls when businesses need them most - Virgin Mobile charges 15p a minute for the first five minutes of calls each day, 5p a minute after that - for up to 23 hours and 55 minutes every day!
- Free voicemail - small businessmen and women need never miss calls from clients or customers - and it won't cost them a penny to pick up their messages
- Keeping in touch with international business contacts is easier - calls to destinations as far away as New Zealand and Australia are cheap at just 20p a minute for example (that's cheaper than BT's cheapest landline rate).
The best mobile customer service:
- Free itemised bills - customers can see when and to whom they made their calls
- Group billing - for up to ten users on one account
- Virgin Mobile will help customers switch from their existing network - a dedicated team will help customers switch and even bring their numbers with them - call our small business team on 0845 6000 809 24 hours a day.
Reaping the Virgin Mobile rewards
- The Big Bonus, rewarding big talkers with 'cashback' - Every month, any user spending £30 or more, will receive 10% of the value of their calls credited back in airtime to their account
- A month's free calls for all June joiners - all customers joining in June qualify for a month of free calls - whatever amount they spend on calls during the month of June, is credited back to their account.
For more information please contact:
Steven Day, Virgin Mobile: 07931 777 777
Emma Goold, Julie Watson, Big-mouths PR:
020 7385 0009
Email: press.office@virginmobile.com
Notes to Editors:
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile small business customer line: 0845 6000 809.
Virgin Mobile is a 50:50 joint-venture company between Virgin and Deutsche Telekom's One 2 One, and is the UK's first mobile virtual network operator.
Virgin Mobile launched in the UK on November 11th 1999.
Virgin Mobile is the only network to offer cheap calls and no line rental with no hidden catches and no sting in the tail. Standard calls cost 15p per minute for the first 5 minutes of use each day, and 5p per minute after that, for up to 23 hours 55 minutes each day. There is no line rental fee and no catches, however you choose to pay - you only pay for the calls you make. Voicemail retrieval is free and SMS messages cost 10p per message.
You can Pay As You Want - by topping up with a voucher or a debit or credit card, or you can pay monthly by direct debit. Either way, you still receive the same great value tariff and no hidden fees or charges.
Virgin Mobile has introduced the Big Bonus scheme - a reward for big talkers. Customers using £30 or more of airtime or SMS credit each month will receive 10% of whatever they spend as an airtime credit the following month. The Big Bonus is available for all Virgin Mobile customers who pay monthly or top up by credit or debit card. The more calls made, the more free airtime customers get, whenever they use £30 or more.
Virgin Mobile's VirginXtras service helps customers get the information they want, in the most accessible and easy-to-understand way. VirginXtras is available to every Virgin Mobile customer and puts service over technology.
- The portfolio of 26 services provides a range of content and m-commerce via a mix of IVR, SMS and WAP and can be tailor-made to each individual.
- Customers logging on to www.virgin.com/mobile simply pre-select areas of interest from seven core categories, including: sport, music, going out, staying in, travel, shopping and fun. So, whether people are after the most recent film releases at their local cinema, discounts on a whole range of items from CDs to holidays, football scores for their favourite team or a recommendation for a night out, VirginXtras offers the easiest way to get the best and latest personalised information.
- Virgin Mobile shopping assistant is also part of VirginXtras and is the first WAP service that allows customers to search for a product, compare retailers' prices and product features and make secure transactions.
In the UK, Virgin Mobile phones are available direct on 0845 6000 600; on the web at www.virgin.com/mobile; or on the High Street at over 3,500 outlets including Virgin Megastores, Our Price, V.SHOP, John Lewis, Asda and Sainsbury.
Virgin has already taken the brand overseas with Virgin Mobile (Australia), a partnership with Optus, which opened for business at the end of October 2000. A similar joint-venture between Virgin and Singapore Telecom will see the launch of Virgin Mobile (Asia) later in 2001. The global Virgin Mobile brand is also expected to launch in the USA and Europe within two years. Virgin Mobile has also recently launched in Northern Ireland.
Virgin Mobile's achievements include a number of firsts including being the:
- First consumer brand to launch into the UK mobile market
- First to abolish peak rates
- First to offer a daily discounting tariff
- First to offer one simple tariff for all customers
- First to allow customers to pay anyway they like
- First to offer m-commerce services to all customer irrespective of their handsets via Virgin Xtras
- First in the world to launch a GSM MP3 mobile phone
- First to trial mobile vending in the UK
