How to Start a Phone Chat Business
Phone chat lines connect people who share similar topics of interests. Hollywood Psychics, Vibeline and Livelinks are three well-known chat lines. Most chat lines are geared toward individuals seeking companionship and dating. Yet, any marketable topic could attract an audience and make your phone chat business successful. Due to the rise of Internet chatting and social networking, to start a profitable phone chat business you'll need to have a solid business strategy and marketing plan that attracts customers to your service.
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Instructions
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Select a market for your phone chat business. Determine your target audience. Choose a marketable niche such as dating, sports, movies and so on. Be specific when describing your niche and who will use your services. Decide if you want a chat phone line for young or older adults. Consider a phone chat line that takes advantage of cell phones, smart phones and texting.
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Determine your budget for phone chat line. Figure your start-up costs based on how many phone lines you'll activate, hosting fees and marketing costs. Calculate your monthly costs to maintain your phone chat line once it's up and running.
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Develop your phone chat infrastructure. Hire a company such as TurboBridge or Softworks International to host a large number of calls at once and support phone conferencing. Contact your local phone company about multiple phone line packages. Ask about additional features such as private chat rooms and voice messaging.
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Choose a 900 phone number and name your phone chat business. Register your business with your state and apply for a tax number. Research the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines for establishing 900 numbers.
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Test your phone chat services before going live. Ask business associates, friends and family members to test out all the features of your chat line to ensure they work properly.
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Promote your phone chat business. Build a website that provides information for the various chat topics and their corresponding phone numbers. Include all costs and fees. Indicate the rules of using your phone chat service on your website. Take advantage of Internet chatting and social networking to advertise your business. Network through online discussion boards for special interest topics. Create a TV commercial for your business when funds are available.
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Tips & Warnings
Monitor the calls to ensure the service is working correctly, your customers are happy and that no illegal behavior is taking place.
State laws vary for new businesses. Hire an attorney to assist you in starting a new business.
References
Resources
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