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FastCall411, Inc.

Product Name

FastCall411

Market Segment

Consumer Software and Services

Funding

Self-funded.

Competitors

No direct competitors. Secondary competitors include Jingle (800-free-411) Goog-411, TellMe (Msoft), Yahoo, yellow pages publishers, Citysearch (IAC), other local search providers, VoIP enablers such as Skype (eBay) and Jajah. Also Pay-per-call provider Ingenio.

Product Description

FastCall411 has reinvented the local directory with the consumer in mind, integrating artificial intelligence, VoIP and parallel dialing. The consumer requests a local provider using a phone, the Web, a mobile device or directory assistance. Patent-pending technology finds the best provider, immediately places the call and checks availability. Within seconds the consumer is connected. No dialing through bad numbers or hoping a message will be answered. The result? Satisfied consumers, paying service-providers and high-yielding publishers.

Market Opportunity

Local advertising is a $100 billion market. Of the seven billion monthly U.S. searches, one billion are local. 52% of local searches involve looking for a phone number or address with 70% of consumers using the Internet when shopping in their local area, according to Kelsey Group and comScore.

Demo Says

When was the last time you used an online local search? Chances are good it was fairly recently. When was the last time you actually found what you were looking for instead of disconnected numbers and surly business owners? Chances are good it wasn’t fairly recently. Though we all joke that there is no longer a need for the phone book, its online counterparts are dismal at best. That’s why we’re intrigued by FastCall411. Its technology not only ensures that the numbers you’re dialing are in service but also that the businesses have a strong track record of customer satisfaction. We experienced some initial hesitation about the service’s real-world viability—can FastCall surmount the considerable number of obstacles in its path? —but that’s one of our favorite aspects of DEMO. We’re intrigued by the possibilities and potential ramifications for telecom at large and the small business owner; what do you think?