Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Paid-Connections & pay-per-call?

The term Pay Per Call is owned by Ingenio, having evolved from pay-per-click advertising. It similarly allows companies to pay for every call they receive to a dedicated 800 number found in their advertising campaigns.

Paid Connections is a telecom system that allows a company or individual to bill their callers per minute or at a flat rate, in exchange for the phone services provided.

With Paid Connections , business owners bill their callers and profit from each call.

Paid Connections can be used as a telephone payment gateway for many different services, including advice hotlines, information lines and other services. Companies can also use Paid Connections to give their clients an optional payment method to pay a user defined amount, such as their monthly bill.

Where can I download the Paid Connections Client Manual?

You can download it from our website here.

What are the packages that Paid Connections offers?

There are 3 Paid Connections packages which are:

Paid Connections Basic is an option for professionals to become an Advisor for our sister company, Paid Connections. Through our fully featured service, those wishing to sell advice by phone can set their own hours and rates, and receive 80% payout for all calls received. All you need is a phone, internet access and a computer to get started.

Paid Connections Professional is a fully automated 1-800 pay-by-telephone IVR systems that can be used by a variety of businesses that provide information, advice or entertainment. Our basic systems come pre-loaded with a large variety of features, and custom features can be added at a very low programming cost. We can set up an individual line or up to 990 extensions for a large scale call center.

Paid Connections Unlimited gives you the ability to own a fully featured IVR phone system that includes a custom website and Payflow Pro Gateway connected to your merchant account. If you would like to have funds transferred to you 2-3 days immediately after your clients have paid for your services, then this payment processing solution is for you. The Gateway provides immediate connectivity to all major payment processors, supporting more payment types than anyone else in the industry. The Gateway lets you authorize, manage, and support all major credit cards, debit cards, ACH transfers (bank-to-bank). (You will need to set up a merchant account to use the gateway.) The website includes an in-depth control panel where you can see a variety of call and transaction reports, you can masquerade into the accounts of all your professional and caller profiles, and more.

What is a vanity number and how can I get one?

A vanity number is a customized number. For example, 1-800-CALL-DAVE. You can obtain a vanity number through a 3rd party TFN Vendor such as http://www.customtollfree.com. You can then have the number ported to the Paid Connections network.

If I already have a toll number can I use it?

Yes. If you would like to use an existing number, you can forward it to your line or have it ported to the Paid Connections network.

Can I put a call on hold until I get ready to answer?

Yes. When you answer the line, you will hear an option to put the caller on hold. You can keep the caller on hold for up to 10 minutes until you press “1” to accept.

Does Paid Connections have voice mail?

Yes. You can put voice mail on your account. You can then record an outgoing voice mail message. If you are not able to answer the call, the caller will be redirected to your voice mail. The caller will not be charged for leaving you a voice mail message unless you have the extension set up to charge your customer for listening to a recorded file and then allowing them to leave a message.

Does Paid Connections have a Call Back feature?

Yes, if the agent your customer tries to connect with is unavailable, the customer is given the option to opt-in to the agent’s Call Back Queue. The agent will be notified by text and email. The customer can do this by phone or online from the agent’s profile page. The customer will be shown what number they are in the queue. Both the agent and the customer will have access to “Message Me” buttons that they can use to arrange the best call-back time. A scheduling application is currently under development.

Can I do a test run without using my actual credit card?

You can set your cost per minute/ per call at $0 to temporarily remove the credit card processing from the account so you can test it.

Can I use my own merchant account with Paid Connections?

Yes. You will need to obtain an internet merchant account that is compatible with our platform. The merchant gateways that we have integrations for include Payflow Pro, PayPal Payments Pro, Authorize.net, and Stripe Payments. You can optionally use our merchant account and we keep 20% of all of your transactions. When you have your own merchant account connected, we do not charge any percentage or transaction fee.

Can I issue a refund to my customers?

Yes. If you are using your own merchant account, in your Admin Dashboard you will have access to refund buttons for all transactions. If you are using our merchant account, this feature is disabled and you will send all refund requests through your support ticket system.

Why is an international caller hearing a zip code prompt?

The system disables international zip prompts based on area code. Is there a particular zip code that’s not working for the customer? If so, contact Customer Service at (888) 439-8984 .

Why am I getting a busy signal?

There are a lot of components that make up a phone/data network that has to work together. A problem can occur at any point from when the toll number is dialed to when it reaches our network. If you encounter a busy signal, contact Customer Service at (888) 439-8984 so they can help troubleshoot the problem. If Paid Connections is producing a busy signal, our technical staff will know about it right away. Our system is polled with our very own monitoring system. This system checks all our voice systems to ensure that they are up and running 24/7.

How secure is it for me to store information on your computers?

Your data is stored on the very same secure servers that we use to administer our own business so we have an extra incentive to be sure that all information is highly protected. Our secure servers use advanced encryption and password protection. All storage equipment is monitored by our highly trained staff, and all data on our servers is backed up every 15 minutes.

Where are all the servers and information stored?

All Servers are stored in the best location:
* Carrier-class hosting facilities with customized design, expedient implementation, power and back-up power supplies, temperature and humidity controls and fire suppression systems
* Large nationwide footprint with locations in prime metropolitan areas
* 24×7 Technical Services available on a time-used basis to support your equipment
* 24×7 onsite physical security, including security guards, motion detectors, security cameras, individually locking cabinets and cages and card-key access
* 24×7 monitoring of systems and services
* 24-hour access (with security escort where necessary)
All data (like name, address, etc.) is stored in a fast (replicated) database on our server. It is also saved in real time onto a second backup drive. Every 15 minutes, the data is saved to a text file on a third drive. Each night, the data is saved again to another hard drive on a different server. Finally, each week, all your information is transferred to DAT tape.

Your information is crucial to your business (and ours!) so we have taken every precaution to ensure that your data is safe. Also, because we own and manage the servers, you will not have the problem of your ISP installing new updated software and crashing your system.

Do I have to pay for software updates?

Software updates are completely free of charge, and are updated regularly and automatically. Your system will never go offline when we make these updates in the background.

How long does it take to activate Paid Connections services?

Your PaidCommunications Professional will be set up immediately at the time you place your order, and you can immediately login to access and configure your system. PaidCommunications Unlimited may take up to 3 weeks to customize and configure payments to your existing merchant account.

Do I need a lot of computer experience to install and run Paid Connections?

Our system is built to be user friendly and intuitive, and you don’t need any programming experience in order to manage it. When you order Paid Connections, you’ll get a comprehensive integration manual that walks you through every step of getting you up and running.

Here’s how you can record your preamble:
1. Dial your phone number.
2. When you hear the Intro, press the star key(*).
3. Enter your pin number.
4. You will hear the Admin Main menu. For voice recordings, press 1.
5. To record your preamble, press 1.
6. To create a new recording, press 1.
7. The system then tells you to speak after the tone. Speak clearly after the tone is heard.

Yes. Login and click on the “Audios” link under the Settings dropdown menu. Then choose the clip you’d like to edit, and either upload or record a new track.

We pride ourselves on transparency, and want to inform the customer of the total approval that will be placed on their credit card. We have found that callers are not concerned about having their credit card pre-approved, and gives you the security that their card won’t be declined if they need to be charged during a call.

When are Paid Connections payouts issued?

Payouts are made approximately 25 days after the close of a particular month in the following month. For example, if your statement shows funds due to you for the month of January, your payment will be directly deposited by February 27th. Funds are directly transferred to your bank account Via ACH (Automated Clearing HouseNetwork).

When are PaidConnections Gateway payouts issued?

Funds are directly captured into your own merchant account and will take 2 to 3 business days for the funds to be deposited into your bank account, depending on your merchant service provider.

Can you send me a check?

Yes. If there is a case where ACH is not available we can send you a check. We can send the funds to any checking account — personal or business.

Are there any hidden charges?

No. There are no hidden charges. You can login to your account and see what charges exists and what they are for. What you see on your statement is what your payout is going to be. You are responsible for filing and paying your own taxes.

Why do I need to provide tax ID/SSN, bank routing and account numbers?

It’s a requirement by law for us to collect tax ID or SSN numbers unless we are deducting taxes from your payout. If you have a US checking account, you need to provide the account number and routing number so that you can get setup with Direct Deposit.