dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
6929
anveo
Premium Member
join:2010-02-08

4 edits

1 recommendation

anveo

Premium Member

[Anveo] New Features

Today I would like to share some great and exciting news.

New Near Human 'Text to Speech' Voices
We are pleased to offer 4 new premium Voices
English: Sally (female)
English Australian: Russell (male)
Danish: Mads (female)
Russian: Tatiana (female)
So right now Anveo offers a very extensive set of 41 'Text to Speech' voices in 17 languages! Frankly I am not aware of any VOIP provider with similar 'Text to Speech' capabilities for IVR needs.

API Updates
* ACCOUNT.SIP.REGISTRATION.GET - get SIP Username/Password for sub-account.
* CDR.GET - Get Call Details Records
* DID.LIST - now returns DID order date
* ACCOUNTS.LIST - List all sub-accounts

Feature Updates
'Smart CallerID' feature is configurable and customers can select if Anveo should (or should not) include Country Code in CallerID Number for Outgoing calls.

Portal improvements
Search Filters were added to 'Users/Sub-accounts' and 'Manage Phone Numbers' screens

Call Flow updates
New CALL.TRANSFER.DURATION variable contain Call Duration initiated via TRANSFER call flow item. For example it can be used in the 'On Call Flow End' HTTP callback to notify third party http server about the call duration etc.

Another exciting news is that within a few days we will be launching Anveo Whitelabel/Reseller platform where anybody can become a reseller and can configure their own custom packages, set calling rates, DID pricing (including Toll Free), markup every Anveo feature, manage customers, billing etc. Stay tuned...

EDIT: It appears that the majority of users prefer Flat rate pricing in US so we have decided to roll back tiered approach and keep the original flat rate model.

PT Bluster
@46.165.197.x

PT Bluster

Anon

Re: [Anveo] New Features (US Rate from 0.5 cent/min) and more!

The tiered system sounds like a winner.

Your Text to Speech voices should be handy for your users, but anyone can get very good TTS voices by going to:
»www2.research.att.com/~t ··· demo.php

Adam4
Premium Member
join:2011-05-30
Woodland Hills, CA

Adam4 to anveo

Premium Member

to anveo
Interesting, but I'd much rather be disallowed from calling a rural/expensive area than being charged a lot for it.

Can Anveo users set a maximum allowed tier?

cb14
join:2013-02-04
Miami Beach, FL

cb14 to PT Bluster

Member

to PT Bluster
I can always use Localphone for 0.5c/min /US in the case I choose not to use GV for free...
anveo
Premium Member
join:2010-02-08

anveo to Adam4

Premium Member

to Adam4
said by Adam4:

Can Anveo users set a maximum allowed tier?

Sure, you can set the maximum calling rate from Account Preferences -> Call Security.
PX Eliezer1
Premium Member
join:2013-03-10
Zubrowka USA

PX Eliezer1 to anveo

Premium Member

to anveo
said by anveo:

Better rates and coverage in US ( from $0.005 per minute ). Tiered approach

We used to have 1 cent/minute flat rate within US while calls to 'expensive' destinations were blocked. We were rightfully criticized for blocking such calls. No more! We are pleased to switch to tiered model and avoid blocking calls to some rural/expensive areas.
What is even better is that now our rates within US are as low as $0.005 (that is half a cent) per minute.
Tier 1 - $0.005 per minute
Tier 2 - $0.01 per minute
Tier 3 - $0.03 per minute
Tier 4 - $0.08 per minute
Tier 5 - $0.12 per minute
Tier 6 - $0.25 per minute

Curious about the coverage of each tier ?
Below is the coverage (percent) for each Tier of all exchanges
Tier 1 - covers 34% of all exchanges in US
Tier 2 - covers 46% of all exchanges in US
Tier 3 - covers 15.5% of all exchanges in US
Tier 4 - covers 2.5% of all exchanges in US
Tier 5 - covers 1.5% of all exchanges in US
Tier 6 - covers 0.5% of all exchanges in US

So Tier 1 and 2 combined cover 80% of all exchanges

Kudos for an interesting solution to the "Ken Berry in Mayberry" problem.

Is the information available as to which Tier a particular call will be in?

Running the numbers, IF a customer called these various exchanges in direct proportion to their coverage (for example, if she makes 34 percent of her calls to Tier 1, and 46 percent to Tier 2, and so on for all of the 6 Tiers) the weighted average (blended cost) would be $0.016 (that is, 1.6 cents) per minute.

That's because although Tiers 3 to 6 cover (only) 20 percent of the exchanges, they do pull up the cost when blended into a weighted average.

Of course, it's not so simple.

Those high cost tiers (especially Tiers 4 to 6) probably represent exchanges where relatively few people call anyway. So the typical customer will pay a blended rate less than that.

Interesting though....

When only considering price:

The customer who calls mainly Tier 1 and 2 exchanges, will do well with this new system.

A different customer who makes frequent calls to those higher-charge Tiers (perhaps they live in or have family in a more rural area) might do better with Voip.MS, FutureNine, or with a 500 or 1000 minute outbound calling plan from CallCentric.

The customer's particular calling patterns are of particular importance with this type of Tiered system.

anveo
Premium Member
join:2010-02-08

anveo

Premium Member

said by PX Eliezer1:

Those high cost tiers (especially Tiers 4 to 6) probably represent exchanges where relatively few people call anyway. So the typical customer will pay a blended rate less than that.

You are absolutely correct and the statistics will be completely different when based on the population.
For example; North Dakota represents ~0.22% of US population but it has ~0.44% of all exchanges.
propcgamer
join:2001-10-10
011010101

1 edit

1 recommendation

propcgamer to anveo

Member

to anveo
Is anyone else having trouble viewing the area codes? I just get a "please wait" spinning circle.

Edit: Also, is there a way to hear samples of the "premium" voices?

cybersaga
join:2011-12-19
Selby, ON

4 edits

cybersaga to PX Eliezer1

Member

to PX Eliezer1
said by PX Eliezer1:

Is the information available as to which Tier a particular call will be in?

I think you're supposed to be able to see that here: »www.anveo.com/consumer/r ··· countryU

But it's totally busted at the moment. It used to have a tooltip when you moused over 'View'. Now there's a pop up with an infinite "Please wait", and a javascript error.

But I'm a geek so I spent too much time on this. When you're on that page, drop this in the address bar and hit enter:
quote:
javascript:dhtmlwindow.open("us", "ajax", "../-rates-view-show-zones.asp?cskey=222", "US Rates", "width=600px,height=630px,left=300px,top=100px,resize=1,scrolling=1,center=1");
Be aware that Chrome will strip the "javascript:" when you paste. Annoying.

Aaand of course the only people we call in the US are in Tier 3.

To Anveo: apart from fixing that bug (the only thing I added was the "../"), it would be nice to see the prices in the pop up window too, rather than having to refer back to the main page.

Edit: Looks like the bug is fixed now.

AllThumbs
join:2006-02-07
Charleston, SC

AllThumbs to anveo

Member

to anveo
The simple solution is to use another provider to call the high tier areas. Google also used to block them, but they don't any more.
PX Eliezer1
Premium Member
join:2013-03-10
Zubrowka USA

PX Eliezer1

Premium Member

said by AllThumbs:

The simple solution is to use another provider to call the high tier areas.

Some of the numbers are surprising.

For example, (202)-910-xxxx is Tier 4 even though that's in Washington DC and is simply for Metro PCS cellphones.

Customers really need to find out every number's Tier.
anveo
Premium Member
join:2010-02-08

anveo to cybersaga

Premium Member

to cybersaga
We working on optimizing carriers selection Anveo Retail uses (from Anveo Direct) to maximize the number of exchanges covered by Tier 1 and Tier 2. Hopefully by the end of the day we will have even better results for Tier 1 and Tier2 coverage.
JoeSchmoe007
Premium Member
join:2003-01-19
Brooklyn, NY

JoeSchmoe007 to anveo

Premium Member

to anveo
So this tiered system is in effect by default? There is nothing I need to do to make it active? I don't limit my per minute prices in Account Preferences -> Call Security.

StillLearn
Premium Member
join:2002-03-21
Streamwood, IL

StillLearn to cybersaga

Premium Member

to cybersaga
ANV_TIER.ZIP
345,150 bytes
I put the info into files anv1.txt ...anv6.txt.
Usage:
unzip the attached zip file ( made 2013/9/3) into a folder. Thee files and their sizes are
anv1.txt 407,488
anv2.txt 550,568
anv3.txt 186,960
anv4.txt 30,944
anv5.txt 17,704
anv6.txt 5,706
Search for the 6-digit string, and note which file contains the string.

Search examples:
If you have grep:
grep 217789 anv?.txt
From any Windows command window:
find "217789" anv?.txt
Or use your favorite graphical search tool.

Note: Tiers will change, so this uses just the initial tier info.
Davefred99
join:2012-08-10
Moreno Valley, CA

Davefred99 to anveo

Member

to anveo
I am not so sure I like this. Too much of a guessing game when you call a new number. This might be OK for some but this adds a layer of extra work if you want to avoid higher tiered prices. Anything above tier 3 pricing is outrageous to me.

I will certainly be monitoring my calls closely for awhile to see what this new scheme means for me. Personally I think I would have preferred slightly higher fixed price if that was necessary. Of course if I don't like what I see I will just use a different provider for outgoing calls and that may be exactly why this tiered pricing scheme was chosen because as soon as folks see an increased fixed price they will go to a cheaper provider if available.

For now I will just take a wait and see position but it certainly has put up a red flag.

AllThumbs
join:2006-02-07
Charleston, SC

AllThumbs

Member

Without tools in place at Anveo to monitor and control these costs, it would certainly keep us from ever recommending Anveo to our customers for VoIP termination traffic.

cybersaga
join:2011-12-19
Selby, ON

cybersaga

Member

If you want more expensive calls to be simply blocked, you can go into your preferences -> Calls Security -> check off 'Block Calls with call rate more than' and type in a price.

Type in anything between 0.03 and 0.07 if you want everything over Tier 3 to be blocked (depends if you make calls to any other countries too, and the price for those).

StillLearn
Premium Member
join:2002-03-21
Streamwood, IL

StillLearn

Premium Member

I wonder how number porting affects the underlying system. Suppose a person ports a tier 4 number to a cell phone. Does the mobile carrier get more in fees than it would have, or what. Ditto porting a number to a VOIP provider. I wonder how that works as far as the intercarrier transfer of money.

Here are a couple things I found while searching on fees:

»news.heartland.org/newsp ··· ion-fees is mainly Skype.

»www.lexology.com/library ··· 0f52e29f is more of the plans for the FCC to modify the system

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

morbo to anveo

Member

to anveo
Two things:

1. In call reports (CDR), it would be great to list the Tier or rate per minute in a column.

2. It would be great to list the codec used as well.
anveo
Premium Member
join:2010-02-08

anveo to cybersaga

Premium Member

to cybersaga
updated: We've added a couple more carriers from Anveo Direct and able to achieve even better results:
Tier 1 - covers 37% of all exchanges in US
Tier 2 - covers 48% of all exchanges in US
Tier 3 - covers 11% of all exchanges in US
Tier 4 - covers 3.8% of all exchanges in US
Tier 5 - covers 0.5% of all exchanges in US
Tier 6 - covers 0.5% of all exchanges in US

Tiers 1 and 2 combined cover 85% of all exchanges in US
propcgamer
join:2001-10-10
011010101

propcgamer to anveo

Member

to anveo
Is there a way to limit US calls to say $0.03, but still allow international calls to certain countries?

Arne Bolen
User of Anveo Direct, 3CX and Qubes OS.
Premium Member
join:2009-06-21
Utopia

Arne Bolen to Davefred99

Premium Member

to Davefred99
said by Davefred99:

Personally I think I would have preferred slightly higher fixed price if that was necessary.

Customers calling Tier 1 numbers are happy they no more need to pay for customers calling Tier 3-6 numbers.

Customers calling Tier 3-6 numbers are unhappy they are no more supported by Tier 1 customers.

It's difficult to make all customers happy with fair rates. Personally I like the new Tier rate system, because I feel it's more fair.

AllThumbs
join:2006-02-07
Charleston, SC

4 edits

AllThumbs to anveo

Member

to anveo
The problem is that the tiered rates can't be defined by a location. For example, in the Charleston, SC area, there are providers that are Tier 1, 2, and 3 depending upon the number you call. And it's the Verizon and AT&T cellphones which are Tier 1.

We also happen to have a Tier 3 number in Manhatten which you would probably assume was a Tier 1 location. So thinking you're immune from expensive rates may or may not be true depending upon the area your customers are calling and the actual providers.

Sorry but Anveo's Tier 3 rates are over double the cost for calling China, Germany, or the U.K. Nobody in their right mind is going to pay those rates for long. And it's probably worth mentioning that Anveo is one of the very few providers that rounds calls up to the next full minute. That typically adds another 50% or more to the total cost of your monthly calls.

There are literally dozens of less costly termination providers including Google which is still free. If you care about cost containment, you'll limit your Anveo usage to incoming calls.

cb14
join:2013-02-04
Miami Beach, FL

cb14 to propcgamer

Member

to propcgamer
said by propcgamer:

Is there a way to limit US calls to say $0.03, but still allow international calls to certain countries?

I hope there is. unless you can set separate limits for every rate/destination the feature were absolutely useless.
cb14

cb14 to AllThumbs

Member

to AllThumbs
said by AllThumbs:

The problem is that the tiered rates can't be defined by a location. For example, in the Charleston, SC area, there are providers that are Tier 1, 2, and 3 depending upon the number you call. And it's the Verizon and AT&T cellphones which are Tier 1.

We also happen to have a Tier 3 number in Manhatten which you would probably assume was a Tier 1 location. So thinking you're immune from expensive rates may or may not be true depending upon the area your customers are calling and the actual providers.

Sorry but Anveo's Tier 3 rates are over double the cost for calling China, Germany, or the U.K. Nobody in their right mind is going to pay those rates for long. And it's probably worth mentioning that Anveo is one of the very few providers that rounds calls up to the next full minute. That typically adds another 50% or more to the total cost of your monthly calls.

There are literally dozens of less costly termination providers including Google which is still free. If you care about cost containment, you'll limit your Anveo usage to incoming calls.

Most retail providers do round up to the next minute and it ads on average 15%, not 50% , to your phone bill.
The tier 3 rate is very high indeed. I do not see a reason why to use Anveo for outgoing calls either.

AllThumbs
join:2006-02-07
Charleston, SC

AllThumbs

Member

Not sure who your retail providers are, but we use over two dozen VoIP providers. With the exception of Anveo, none round up to the whole minute. Most bill in 6 second increments. It's been a while since I studied mathematical probabilities. My recollection is that, over time, calls would be evenly spread between all of the 6 second increments. That means that Anveo makes additional revenue on 90% of the calls. In fact, the only time you actually pay the advertised rates would be where your call ends during the 54 to 60 second time slice of a minute. So 50% was being charitable unless the majority of your calls last for more than 5 minutes.
anveo
Premium Member
join:2010-02-08

1 edit

anveo to AllThumbs

Premium Member

to AllThumbs
said by AllThumbs:

TAnd it's probably worth mentioning that Anveo is one of the very few providers that rounds calls up to the next full minute.

You are absolutely wrong here. For almost 2 years our billing schedule is 30 seconds initial and 6 seconds thereafter: »[Anveo] The first new features for 2012

As far as US calling rates in general; I am not sure if you know but in US the rate depends on the interconnect charges by LECs (Local Exchange Carrier) on the receiving end. LECs are compensated (in part) by charging calling networks access fees to process incoming calls on their phone numbers. That is why there are different rates across US because local phone numbers are served by different LECs. Also "access fee" model to compensate LECs allows "free" conference call services to exist by charging high access fees and they are now involved in legal disputes regarding access fees they charge »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr ··· _pumping

AllThumbs
join:2006-02-07
Charleston, SC

AllThumbs

Member

I'd be happy to produce records showing Anveo rounds inbound calls of under 10 seconds up to one minute. Silly me but I assumed your billing system probably employed the same methodology for outbound calls.
anveo
Premium Member
join:2010-02-08

anveo

Premium Member

If you have Value number, then incoming calls are rounded to the minute. However, incoming calls on Personal Unlimited and Office Unlimited phone numbers are actually free so no rounding is needed.
propcgamer
join:2001-10-10
011010101

propcgamer to anveo

Member

to anveo
Ouch, I checked my callcentric free ny did, 845470xxxx, in the Tier 3 category!