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Setting up a phone-in Tarot thing: advice sought

 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
12:58 / 24.05.05
Following on from the Tarot-by-email thing, I would like to set up a service to do readings over the phone. However, I have only the sketchiest idea as to how one would go about such a thing. Does anyone have any experience of this? What should I watch out for?
 
 
Liger Null
13:02 / 24.05.05
Jamaican accents are a no-no, that much is certain.
 
 
Ganesh
14:49 / 24.05.05
Heavy breathers?
 
 
Jimbo
20:44 / 24.05.05
What do the cards say?
 
 
Jimbo
20:44 / 24.05.05
What do the cards say?
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
20:54 / 24.05.05
Versatile though the cards are, I'm afraid I've never been able to use them for tech support.
 
 
Warewullf
22:02 / 24.05.05
I was wondering about how to make a living reading the cards earlier on. Weird.

Anyway, no advice to offer, I'm afraid. I once did a phone interview for a job reading the cards over the phone. Got a really nasty vibe from the company. They actually did want me to read the cards but I had to use my own home phone line and would be expected to be constantly available, no private calls allowed (either to or from my own phone). I said no thanks.

So, um, don't go working for a company like that.

For setting up your own company, I don't know. Couple of questions:
1)Are you hiring an office or something to set up in?

If not, you will probably be working from home.
2) Will you use home phone number or get another line in? (There are obvious risks associated with freely distributing your home phone number)

3) Might you use a mobile phone? Certain advantages but would that seem less professional?

4) Where are you going to advertise? Pubs? Internet? Phone booths?

5) The hardest part would be how people are going to pay for this service. Haven't a clue how this would work...

Sorry I can't be more help!
 
 
Olulabelle
22:26 / 24.05.05
Do phone sex. Oh go on. You'd be brilliant at it.

If you mean where you do the reading but only earn money for the call cost, there's stuff about setting up premium lines here and here.

But if you want to set up a new phone line which charges normal rates and then charge by credit/debit card for the reading, then you need a way of processing the card details instantly. You need a specific phone line and one of those machines but the downside is you get charged a percentage of the transaction, which if you're a little business can be costly. Some good facts about it here.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
23:29 / 24.05.05
Oooh, ta for the links. (Did think about doing the phone sex thing, actually; went so far as to answer an ad in Primerama for "broad-minded" chicas to do intimate phone calls, which is a funny story that I am sooo not going to put in a public forum...)
 
 
A0S
05:58 / 25.05.05
Wullf I have a friend who works for a couple of phone lines. The conditions you mention, be availible during your shift and keep the phone line open, are universal. They have to be. You can still post on Barbelth (assuming you have Broadband), read a book, watch a DVD whatever. So you still have a lot more freedom than spending that time in an office, some of which also don't allow private phone calls.

As for advice Olulabelle has said pretty much everything I was going to say.
 
 
Warewullf
09:06 / 25.05.05
Yeah, I figured as much. I guess it's just that after working in a call centre for two and half years, any kind of telephone work makes me shudder and cry in a corner...
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
12:18 / 25.05.05
Maybe you should try and combine the phone tarot and phone sex ideas and provide a new unique service? You could offer an intimate phone call that's also an accurate oracle...
 
 
bitchiekittie
14:43 / 25.05.05
I certainly hope you consider sharing the phone sex story outside of the public forum - I'd be really interested in reading about it!
 
  
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