Marc Frederick Roxas, category head of PLDT SME Data Solutions (left), announces the PLDT #MyNumber vanity hotline solution for businesses in Cebu. At right is John Thomas Anthony Nanquil, PLDT area sales head. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Inc. (PLDT) yesterday launched in Cebu the #MyNumber solution for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Around 60 MSMEs, mostly from the tourism and retail sectors, were invited to the product launching last night, said area sales head John Thomas Anthony Nanquil.
Nanquil said they were targeting hotels and resorts as well as retailers and other businesses that still need to promote their brand to a bigger customer base.
So far, 22 businesses from Manila have signed up for the service including Jollibee and McDonald’s, Nanquil said.
The solution, PLDT #MyNumber, simplifies any enterprise hotline system down to a simple four to eight-digit contact number that begins with the number of hash tag sign, such as #8888.
This would be reachable nationwide through PLDT landlines as well as Smart, Talk ‘N Text, and Sun Cellular mobile phones.
With this vanity number, a business owner can replace existing contact numbers for different stores or branches in different area codes with just one national hotline.
This would reduce overall marketing communications costs and allow businesses to receive more calls from customers, said Marc Frederick T. Roxas, category head of PLDT SME Data Solutions.
He said they plan to launch the solution in Davao after Cebu. They will also proceed to Northern Luzon and Southern Luzon.
“There are no hard targets (as to how many MSMEs will be convinced to sign up). We want to empower entrepreneurs who want to expand their business outside of Cebu. With this service, they will have the capability to expand their reach and make their operations efficient,” Roxas said in a press conference shortly before the product launch last night.
Mitch Locsin, PLDT vice president and head of PLDT Smart SME Nation, said in a statement that only a few MSMEs were adapting to the disruptive digital economy.
“PLDT #MyNumber connects these MSMEs to the new generation of consumers with a unique, singular hash tag number accessible nationwide,” he said.
He noted that voice communication still has a “stronger value proposition when reaching customers” despite the increase in social media usage.
“Whether the customer is calling from Metro Manila or other parts of the country, all PLDT landline calls from customer to hotline are free of charge,” the statement added.