Bosses clamp down on calls to sex and vote lines

costing businesses 25 million says BT

UK workers blew 25 million last year phoning sex lines, chat lines and TV vote lines from their desks, according to research carried out by BT.

A total of 35 million calls were made to premium rate phone lines, costing up to 1.50 a minute, when employees should have been working.

Financial advisors and hotel workers topped the league for rogue callers abusing their employersí trust.

And London, Birmingham and Chelmsford in Essex were the areas with the highest number of offenders.

But the bosses are now able to hit back with BT Business Planís network call performance solution, which allows them to pinpoint waste on premium rate calls and launch a crackdown.

Craig Rowland, managing director of BT Business, said: ìEvery hour 15,000 UK workers call a premium rate number from their desk. This is a graphic illustration of the need for businesses to have greater certainty and control over their phone bills.

ìFor many companies, the amount of premium rate calls can cause an unexpected shock when the phone bill arrives. BTís new Business Plan lets you analyse your call patterns for free, then decide what action to take. For example, some companies put bars on certain types of calls whilst others find that a warning to their staff can do the trick. Our customers are increasingly telling us they want certainty and simplicity with their phone service.î

BT Business Plan was introduced following in-depth research amongst BT''s business customers, and provides greater certainty and simplicity over phone costs with the same rates and 10 pence ceiling on all geographic calls, local or national, peak or off-peak. Customers are also offered a five per cent reward credit on a pre-agreed threshold at the end of each 12 month contract. Network call performance is available free for at least six months to new customers to BTís Business Plan or alternatively, businesses can use BT Call Alert or BT Billing Analyst to assess the use of the phones on their premises.


BT Business Plan is the first in a series of major changes to BT''s business services, building on the reliability of BT''s national network, offering increased certainty in the face of uncertain business conditions and rewarding customers for their loyalty. Customers are able to plan their communications spend, knowing exactly what they are paying for every time they use the phone. For further information customers can ring 0800 389 8721 or visit bt.com/btbusinessplan to check their eligibility for the package.