Sulekha.com, one of the oldest Indian community portals, launched its ‘Click to Call’ feature, which allows users in India to connect with advertisers in real time. [via exchange4media.com] The service, which is extremely popular in the United States through sites such as AOL (NYSE: TWX) and Local.com, allows users to make free calls to advertisers in the yellow pages and classifieds instantly from their computer. In the United States, Ingenio is the biggest provider of this service, which connects online consumers with businesses by phone.
Not sure who the service provider is for Sulekha but this is how Sulekha’s ‘Click to call’ link works. Once you choose the ‘Click to Call’ link on a classified ad, a popup window asks you to enter your cell phone or landline number. The advertiser then calls you back on the number provided. You can also SMS yourself the number of the advertiser or forward it to a friend. However, responsiveness of advertisers is key to the success of this service. I am yet to receive a call from one of the advertisers I got in touch with.