0004133373@mcimail.com (Donald E. Kimberlin) (02/17/91)
While there are frequent matters Telcos take criticism for in
this and other forums, there is at least one bright spot. It concerns
a recent post in the Digest about wasted billing return mail envelopes.
The Concord Telephone Company of North Carolina, one of the
few remaining truly independent companies (owned now by the third
generation of the family since inception in 1897), mails its bills in
a reusable envelope; one in which a gummed flap for resealing the same
envelope is provided.
The product Concord uses seems to be no secret. It bears the
trademark of Tension Envelope Company, an old name in the envelope
business, with Tension's patent number. Thus, the system should be
available to any telco that would see the light to copy what Concord
has been doing for some time now.
The envelope is marked with the recyclable paper mark, thus it
seems Concord even recovers the returned envelopes for further use.
As to the enclosures, Concord's bill is a series of sheets,
like most Telco bills ... and for a new client of any size, it's quite
likely Tension Envelope would design the window layout to suit any
Telco.
Now, the challenge is open to America's 1,400 or so other
Telcos to see which, if any, would adopt such a sensible (and
obviously economical) method. It might even show they can be as
sensibly innovative as the history they once had in business sysems
invention, instead of focusing on technological hype.
danj1@ihlpz.att.com (Daniel Jacobson) (02/18/91)
Donald E. Kimberlin writes about exciting new developments on the reusable telephone company billing envelopes front. Here in Illinois Bell territory I can charge it with my major credit card. On my monthly call I pester my Ill Bell representative about somehow making this automatic. However, I have it rigged up with Northern Ilinois Gas to "front" them $40 each month out of my bank account -- definitely the least maintenance style of billing I've come across ... they even pay 5% interest on the surplus $$. Dan_Jacobson@ATT.COM Naperville IL USA +1 708-979-6364 [Moderator's Note: You should familiarize yourself with 'BILL'. This is an automatic pay-by-phone service all the utilities in northern Illinois use as well as many merchants and credit card services. You can pay many of your bills by phone each month with a single phone call to 'BILL' as I do. They are in Arlington Heights, IL, and tied in with all the banks to do automatic debits, etc. PAT]