Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2003/09/25/freeserve_to_offer_friendly_advice/

Freeserve to offer ‘friendly’ advice service

How do you get rid of red wine stains?

By Tim Richardson

Posted in Networks, 25th September 2003 14:11 GMT

Freeserve is banking on "friendly" advice to help boost numbers at the UK's giant ISP.

From next month punters will be able to phone up the ISP - free of charge - to find out which Net access package and tariff is best for them.

Based on the information provided by punters, Freeserve's "friendly" advisors will be able to direct them to the most suitable Freeserve package - be it broadband, unmetered dial-up or pay-as-you-go.

The ISP reckons there is so much conflicting information out there it's best placed to offer much-needed help.

A spokeswoman for the ISP denied this was little than a front for a sales pitch.

She told us: "We're not trying to sell people the most expensive product, but the product that suits them [the customer] best."

With churn still a problem for many ISPs, the theory behind this approach is this if punters are on the right package for them to start with, they are less likely to up-sticks and waddle off somewhere else.

Freeserve's new "Package Advice Line" manned by "friendly Freeserve Advisers" goes live next week and will be backed by a TV ad campaign. ®