Dial Around Software Saves Money on Long Distance Calling

Minneapolis, March 10th

Beagle Software announced today the release of a new version of the unique software program, CallWatch, that finds the lowest cost long distance company for every call made. Aimed at consumers and small businesses, CallWatch checks its database and selects the best long distance company to use. Then, using the computer’s modem dials the phone number, inserting the access code, if necessary. CallWatch keeps track of the length and cost of the call –as well as the savings realized by using the ‘dial around’ company over the user’s regular long distance company.

"Call Watch quickly chooses the best and the cheapest long distance provider for each and every call", said Skip Singer, President of Beagle Software. " We have users who have saved up to 66% on their long distance and international calls using CallWatch. Best of all, callers can do this right away using their regular phone lines without signing up for anything or changing their long distance company," Mr. Singer added.

Dial '10-10' companies have grown rapidly in visibility and in number in recent years. These companies promise to lower the cost of long distance calls by 'dialing around' the regular long distance company. The companies are accessed by first dialing a 7 digit code. These companies, which include such heavyweights as AT&T (Lucky Dog) and MCI (’10-10-321’), each have their own discount rate structure. These structures are based on the time the call is made, how long you talk, where you are calling from and calling to. Some companies also charge a monthly minimum. The rates and the promotions change so often that keeping track of the best deals can be a mind-numbing task.

Using its own database, which can be updated over the Internet, CallWatch sorts through dozens of individual rates to select the best rate for the call about to be made. Upon call completion, CallWatch presents the user with a summary of how much the call cost and would have cost had their regular phone company been used. Reports are available to provide the user with a summary of the total length and cost of calls for each carrier and show the details of each individual call.

CallWatch includes an easy to use contact manager that keeps track of names, addresses and phone numbers and can exchange information with Microsoft Outlook.