Yak is an online forward messaging service.
Is that all, what’s the big deal?
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Well yes that’s all it is basically but the brilliance behind it is what can do for you. If you are a frequent traveler or you tend to move home/rented accommodation ... Read review
Advantages: excellent Disadvantages: slightly confusing at the start
...can be a nightmare. With YAC they call or fax just one number (your yak number) and are directed straight to you via which ever number you choose from home, work, or mobile. You can access these numbers frequently via your mobile phone, a normal landline or a computer to update them. .
It’s even useful for the average person because you can receive calls and messages on holiday (should you want to be bothered!), you need never ... ...free business cards with your YAC number on which you give to people and they will always be able to reach you wherever you are in the 22 foreign countries it covers so far. Neat huh! Should you be unavailable you can either use your current messaging service or make use of theirs, you can then have a copy sent to you via e-mail and this includes fax’s (useful if you don’t have a fax machine).
Is that all, what’s the big deal? ------------------------------------
Well yes that’s all it is basically but the brilliance behind it is what can do for you. If you are a frequent traveler or you tend to move home/rented accommodation etc then people trying to find you can be a nightmare. With YAC they call or fax just one number (your yak number) and are directed straight to you via which ever number you choose from home, work, or mobile. You can access these numbers frequently via your mobile phone, a normal landline or a computer to update them. .
It’s even useful for the average person because you can receive calls and messages on holiday (should you want to be bothered!), you need never loose contact with family or old friends because they will have a number that they can always reach you on. How many people have you lost contact with because you or they moved?
What features do I get? -----------------------------
You can order free business cards with your YAC number on which you give to people and they will always be able to reach you wherever you are in the 22 foreign countries it covers so far. Neat huh! Should you be unavailable you can either use your current messaging service or make use of theirs, you can then have a copy sent to you via e-mail and this includes fax’s (useful if you don’t have a fax machine).
You can also choose a personalised greeting and change your call screening options. There is also an option to send a voice message via e-mail to up to 15 people but I haven’t given that a try yet so I don’t know that much about it.
Do I need to download anything? ---------------------------------------
In most cases no. You do need windows 95 or later and you will need real player if you choose to receive voice messages via e-mail. But you can download real player if you don’t already have it, most computers will though. My computer is about 1 ½ years old and is just your basic P3 56k modem thingy and I’ve had no problems what so ever, the messages download quickly and easily to my inbox and are as clear as a bell.
So how much does it cost? ---------------------------------
Well to receive the messages it costs you nothing at all. It does cost extra to the person calling you though, the BT rates are 32 p pm at peak times, 22 ppm evenings and 10.5 ppm weekends and per second billing applies. Other phone operators charge at the same rates as personal numbering services although I’m a BT customer myself so I can’t tell you more than that.
If you have a mobile you can use outside the UK then you are normally charged roaming fees, divert your calls to a land phone outside the UK and you will only have the fees charged by the country you are in. Inside the UK mobile phone operators are obliged to inform you of their costs (apparently!) when you dial the yac number.
Not as bad as you might imagine really considering and for the average Joe Bloggs it won’t be used very much anyway but it’s useful just in case.
How do you get an account? ---------------------------------
Simple, just visit the website and sign up. You will receive a confirmation and a yac number via e-mail which you can use to access your account from the site. To activate your account you need to log in and change your call forwarding details and others then you are ready to go. You can order the cards on the same site and can get up to three sets of 50, which must be ordered a minimum of two weeks apart. They come in a choice of 6 designs but the designs themselves aren’t very different so don’t get too excited!
For beenz hunters who decide to sign up, you have to activate your account and actually receive a call via your number. You should then receive an e-mail within 3-10 days with the URL to your beenz location. I’m yet to receive mine so I may be updating this with a grumble but we will see.
The site itself doesn’t consist of very much, there is your account (which you access simply by putting in your number and password), a tour, a FAQ section and a news bit that has any new information. The FAQ section was helpful and the site is fairly easy to understand although for technical novices (like me!) you may need to read and re-read just to be sure what you are supposed to do at times. It’s clear they are aiming for business men and women etc but none the less it’s worth getting.
Just one final point so far the customer service has been brilliant. I received a reply to my query within 24 hours and it was both polite and helpful. So a huge two thumbs up for that, well so far!
http://www.yac.com/jsp/yacLogin.jsp?f_2=086029&f_1=QPVX (This is my ref, if you are going to sign up it would benefit me if you would use this. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to put this here so if I offend or am breaking any rules post a comment and I’ll delete it. I thought that if someone is gonna sign up after reading this then it seems silly to not benefit even if it is only a little but note that this has nothing at all to do with the above opinion).
Advantages: Good range of services Disadvantages: Expensive for callers
...free, some chargeable. What makes YAC different?
Firstly, what are personal numbers? They are non-geographic numbers allocated to a person or organisation that are used solely for redirection. Non-geographic means that the STD code doesn’t relate to an area (so the fact that a number starts 07092 doesn’t mean the user is in any particular place). All personal numbers start with 07, the same as mobile numbers (which are also non-geographic, because ... ...with an individual.
What YAC does is to issue a personal number and offer a range of services associated with handling the calls to that number. The number can be set to either handle voice, fax or both. If you choose to allow faxes, or dedicate a number to fax use only, the faxes will be received by YAC and passed to you as an email attachment. Voice calls can either be transferred to predefined (real-world) numbers or passed to the voicemail system. ...
pauljm 22.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yac
Advantages: Free, only give out ONE contact number Disadvantages: Callers pay slightly more (standard mobile rates)
A YAC Number is the ideal solution for any busy person, whether you're a business man, student etc... YAC lets you combine all your communications (phone, fax, e-mail, mobile) into just ONE number. When people call your YAC Number, they hear a greeting similar to "Thank you for calling. To be connected, press 1. To leave a voice message, press 2. Or to start sending a fax, press 3".
You can also customise this welcome greeting, making this ideal ... ...where you are, meaning a YAC Number is totally anonymous. Switching between mobile phone networks? Just give your YAC Number out to friends - they will ALWAYS be able to contact you through it.
Other features that I've found incredibly useful is the fax and messaging services. All faxes sent to your YAC Number will be forwarded to your e-mail address (as a TIFF, GIF file etc.). And all voice messages will arrive in your Inbox also (as a WAV, MP3 ...
jaffacakemonster 19.10.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Yac
Advantages: Free for user Disadvantages: Callers pay mobile rates
YAC stands for "You're Always Connected". When you sign up they issue you with a number which can be used for all incoming voice, fax and voicemail messages. The caller pays mobile rates, so it doesn't cost you anything. They will even forward calls to numbers in several other countries (e.g. USA, Canada, etc). It's a totally free service to use. Faxes and voicemail are delivered to your e mail inbox. Why not give it a try, it's free. You can find ...
Advantages: One number for life. Can be contacted where ever you are worldwide. Disadvantages: Expensive to call YAC number but not a problems if you don't pay the bills.
...busy lifestlye. However, with a YAC number all this is made much easier!! One number to give all your family and friends, etc. Your calls get diverted to which ever number you request (worldwide) so you have no excuse not to answer but if there is a call you don't want to take it just gets sent to your answerphone at either YAC or your mobile phone. You can even receive faxes without running out to buy yourself a fax machine!!
A big bonus is that ... ...of making calls to the YAC number (not a problem unless you have to pay the bill!!) - peak calls are charged at approximately 30p per minute and 12p per minute off-peak.
Even still it is a handy asset to have to make your communicating much easier. A must for all students, business people or anybody else that wants one really!! ...
marcusball 13.11.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Yac
The flexibility that YAC offers with it's variety of options appears to be better than other competing services. The fact that you can set up two forwarding numbers which it will try is useful, as is the ability to select where to have voice mail sent to. You can use another voice mail sevice (eg divert it to your mobile) or have all voicemail messages sent to YAC so you can pick them up together.
Be careful how you set up all your diverts and voice ... ...and have things looping around.
YAC also offers the option to set the number to voice only, fax only or voice and fax.
I have only seen one other service which offers slightly better forwarding options but that one wasn't free, unlike YAC. Free to the user that is. YC make their money by charging the caller, which is something to bear in mind when giving this number out to friends - do you really want your friends to have to pay extra to get hold ...
Phil_P 06.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Yac
