VANCOUVER, Wash. – Jay Jessup doesn’t have a direct phone line to God, but the long-distance telephone service his company provides takes its cues from a higher power.
OneChristianVoice, a Christian-based long-distance phone service provider in Vancouver, looks a bit like a philanthropic group, given that some of its revenues are donated to charities.
“The mission and business is a simple model,” said Jessup, chief executive officer of Christian Media Technologies, the parent company of OneChristianVoice. “We’re letting our customers bring life and hope where there isn’t any while saving money.”
The strategy for telecom giants fighting to gain long-distance market share boils down to a simple argument – our plan is cheaper and better. OneChristianVoice is no different, other than appealing to a customer’s altruistic side.
Business and residential customers of OneChristianVoice pay a flat monthly fee of $6.95 for the first line and no additional charges for extra lines. The per-minute charges vary from 5 cents to 9 cents for in-state or domestic calls. International rates vary greatly depending on the country. For example, calling Italy will cost 6 cents a minute, Japan 8 cents and Argentina 19 cents.
Seventeen cents of every dollar spent on phone calls goes to a variety of secular and nonsecular charities. Jessup expects donations to hit $250,000 a month by the end of the first quarter of 2005. OneChristianVoice is expected to have gross monthly sales of $1.6 million by March 2005.
Jessup won’t disclose how many customers have ordered the service, but he said it is growing exponentially since it became available in December 2003.
Jessup said the company’s users generally fall into two categories: those who are fed up with traditional long distance providers and those who want to help charities.
That second group is part of a growing legion of consumers who are increasingly becoming concerned with a company’s stance on social and moral responsibility issues. Increasing numbers of publicly traded companies are adding social responsibility report cards with the traditional annual report.
Seattle-based Starbucks and Ben &Jerry’s, the maker of premium ice cream, are just two examples of companies that view social concerns as an integral component of the business.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
