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IF YOU HAD to describe phone plans in one word, it would probably be ‘confusing.’
Numerous service providers, vast number of plans and terms and conditions that can almost be undecipherable. It’s probably unsurprising that most of us choose a plan and stick with it, even if most of the benefits aren’t actually used.
That’s what KillBiller hopes to change. By analysing 70% of your phone calls, text and data usage, it can help you figure out the most cost-effective plan for you, helping you save money in the long-term.
Originating from a startup weekend, the three founders, Shane Lynn, Bart Lehane, and Ciarán Tobin decided it was an idea worth taking further and so started developing the app in their spare time, before turning it into a full-time venture this year.
Considering the mobile market is highly saturated – there are roughly 4.9 million active mobile subscriptions in the country – and the growing competition among providers, there’s more reason to switch, but few of us go through it.
Developing the idea
While the idea came about almost two years ago, it took the good part of a year for the first version to be released on Android back in June.
The app has been downloaded almost 5,000 times, which is a small amount but good when you consider it was a side project with no advertising or marketing behind it. That and the support from investors and programmes like AIB’s Startup Academy and Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers was further proof that there was a genuine interest and market for this type of service.
Still, it had its fair share of challenges and obstacles according to its co-founder Shane Lynn.
“[The] biggest challenge is probably, and it’s probably the same with all programming tasks, is catering for all the weird things that happen,” explained Lynn. “So when you build something, you always assume that everyone uses their phone the same way you do.”
That wasn’t the case as they found certain users who didn’t make calls, didn’t send texts or users who only rang specific people all of the time.
While the app presents the results to you, it doesn’t calculate the results itself. Instead, the data is sent to one of their servers for analysing before returning the relevant plans.
One such instance is looking at the networks a person contacts. Doing that means it’s able to determine the type of carrier you should go for since there tends to be deals for making calls within networks.
Part of KillBiller’s appeal is that you can switch plans directly through the app or at least register a call to a provider – for now, these are dealt with by Carphone Warehouse – to help with the switch.
That switching is also how it manages to cover costs every time someone switches through the app and the high volume of mobile users means providers want to work with them, a relationship that Lynn describes as involving a “bit of give and take.”
There are some providers that are more cost-friendly than others and are looking to gain market share. There are more SIM cards than people so it’s a massively saturated market… the offer that we give them is giving them more customers for less cost so deliver high-quality leads so it’s not just a lad on the street, someone has actually thought about changing plans, looked at how their data works and seen that this plan is the one for them so in a way they’re not unsure.
Next steps
The next step for the team is to release the iPhone app which has been coded and submitted into the App Store (those who have signed up to the beta will get it this month).
While developing for Android is mostly open, Apple implements greater restrictions meaning there were more obstacles to work around.
Developing a hybrid system was one measure taken so the look and feel of the app would be the same across both platforms, but the team had to develop some workarounds to cope with iOS’ restrictions.
For one, you can’t access an iPhone’s call log, meaning users will have to download logs through iTunes or enter details manually. It’s an extra step that some users may find annoying, but it was necessary because of the constraints placed on iOS.
There’s just no other way. We looked into it extensively and the unfortunate thing is… we will be able to cover 80% of users, but there will be 20% whose account, for instance, doesn’t have call usage info in it so we can’t get it… We’re developing a semi-manual entry so you can put in how many minutes you talk.”
After the iPhone app is released next month, the next aim is to add prepay plans and smartphones to the mix to make it more comprehensive and allow premium users to switch, but they’re thinking beyond that. The next step is to expand into other European countries, starting off with the UK which has significant potential, and something the team has been working towards.
One of the challenges we always kept in mind we wanted to build something that was scalable to a new market so the system we built, we can import new plan details from a different country… so we’ve built it with that in mind constantly, that we’re going to move into other European markets and go from there so that’s the plan anyway… we’re optimistic for the months ahead.
KillBiller is available on Android while iPhone users can sign up for the beta version on its site.
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Great idea, best of luck
We are still a country with the highest rates in europe
It’s a good idea takes all of 5 minutes to figure out if you like smartphones then steer clear of the extortionate vodafone
Bye bye Vodafone rip-off pricing.
Now if they could also tell you which network has a decent service in your area and who to avoid because the signal will be rubbish that would be brilliant.
Hey Catherine – might be an idea to have a look at some friends of ours over at http://freq.ie/ – they’re working on just that problem!
This is a fantastic idea and I love it. For a start there is no ” real” independent advice out there on what is the best provider or plan. Often independent sales people are influenced by how much they are paid by each network even if they are not supposed to be. Secondly your current provider is usually the only one with the breakdown of your usage and they onlyj want that to move you to another of their plans to keep you in contract. While sales people can look at our your usage and know instantly where you should be on their plans it’s not so easy for you to do this across all networks. The only thing I would watch out for is if you had events like a family crisis or a reason to ring abroad a lot for a given period. Usage that is unusual and not going to be repeated. It will still be included in calculations and gives false indication of regular higher usage.
Looks good but id be concerned at how car phone warehouse do all the deciding. Not fully independent
Hey Darren – just making sure you know that the order of results on KillBiller is ranked by cost for you on each provider. The decision on which plan to choose comes completely down to the user. At KillBiller, a key point is that we’re aiming to provide a completely independent review of the plans for people!
I hope this start up works and best of luck to the three lads. Working in mobile phone retail myself, I can honestly say that about 2 in 5 of customers I deal with look for the best plan for them where the majority are willing to sign up to €50 or higher per month plan to get the phone cheaper or free. These same customers then realise that they cannot afford this and either return to change to lower plan, which they cannot do, or stop paying their bill altogether.
Isnt this what carphone warehouse are supposed to do?
Hey Trickytrixster. Carphone Warehouse provide a great service comparing plans – but they dont have the technology at the moment to accurate examine your phone usage profile. We’re actually working with Carphone Warehouse to get people changed between plans when they request a callback from the app.
Can I ask why are you doing it that way? If your app says I should be with Meteor for example is it not better to just arrange with meteor to do the porting? Is it the difficulty of dealing with several networks? They all expect churn so I’m sure they would be willing to work with you. Also what happens if a customer is still in contract and may not realise. they could port still but face a hefty cancel contract fee or penalty? Are their safeguards or is that up to the customer to find out beforehand?
Do carphone warehouse get the commission still perhaps? A customer can very easily arrange their own porting I suppose. It says if they request a call backbone I’m assuming they have the option of ringing up the networks themselves which is a good thing. Also if you are porting and using the same phone get your unlock code before you switch.
Great questions Catherine – you’ve thought of loads of the issues that we come across! I suppose we’re still in the early stages of development and promotion, so we’re working out the best way to deal with them all. At this point, we are essentially testing the market and checking the demand out there – so far so good!
In terms of contracts, you’re right, people will need to know when their contract finishes. Either way, most networks wont allow you to port your number away without first clearing you bill and/or finishing your contract. For example, have a look at Vodafones terms and conditions regarding porting here: http://www.vodafone.ie/terms/paymonthly/
No network can prevent your port,you call to the donor operator and they request it,it won’t prevent vodafone or whoever issuing you with term charges for the remainder of contract though,so check before you leave or you will be liable for the term charges plus the cost of your new contract on billpay
Yes this is true. You can port you just end up paying for the rest of the contract term.
48 hours ftw. Tenner a month for unlimited texts, 300mins calls, 1gb data. Don’t mind the age restrictions, easily circumvented
I’d burn through that data plan in a day or two! I know some people have had issues with them but I’ve nothing but good things to say about 3. All you can eat data is a winner. Especially where smartphones are concerned. Watching Netflix alone means big mobile data usage that I don’t have to worry about.
48 months I mean. Yeah I use my home internet for the likes of streaming video and downloading. Phone is only when on the road for email light browsing and maps.
Yeah netflix is a big user of data but if you have an andriod phone get yourself Showbox. Its similar to netflix but better selection and you can download the shows to your phone when you are at home on wifi. Saves on data usage and also on the monthly subscription too….
Great idea. Just downloading and installing now. I hope it all goes well for you.
Any jobs going for an expert in billing and optimisation for someone who may or may not be working for one of these networks?
Why not wait to publish this article once their iOS app was available? Surely would help them promote it better and get some traction across both platforms?
Because they are a start up and might not have the funds to wait until apple gives the go ahead. A phased release might keep them afloat. Good luck with it I say. Downloaded and running
I guess my point is that as an iPhone owner I will forget about this article and KillBiller in a matter of hours. Having a Journal article promote your new product is a great opp but it is not timed right on this occasion.
Fair point Brendan – and one that we were torn on. Its a tricky balance between promoting early when you’re not quite *there*, and also needing to prove that the business model works and that there is demand before you invest more time.
For now, we’re collecting people interested in iPhone on our mailing list which you can sign up at http://www.killbiller.com
Hopefully the fact that we’ve responded to you will cement the name in your head. …if not…please read aloud… KillBiller, KillBiller, KillBiller, KillBiller.
Great start with customer service so far, refreshing. Best of luck with the adventure.
I’m always amazed by people who have the fortitude to micro-manage their bills. I like to pay one fixed cost and know everything will come out of that.
This is a bloody great idea. Any plans to expand it into the UK?
Hey Caillte. Ambitious plans ahead! Stay tuned on our Twitter and Facebook pages to hear. Sure its only over the water…
Great app great idea. Best of luck. Are you you on twitter? Every phone should have this installed!
Hi Dave – thanks for the good feedback – you can get us on Twitter at @Kill_Biller. Appreciate new followers and people spreading the word!
Nothing new about this technology. Plans are simple… Tesco mobile at the moment is the cheapest in the country at 25eur Sim only unlimited… Sign up for a phone for 24 months and end up paying almost 2k.. Thats a small car loan! How do carphone warehouse move customers to Tesco? Answer is they can’t move anyone to Tesco mobile. So therefore this will not get you the cheapest deal but will make a great business partnership with carphone warehouse for referrals!
Hi Joseph. Thanks for the feedback. Sorry if we weren’t clear up above, but calls are handled by both CPW and also directly by networks where appropriate. No matter which network choice the user makes on our application, we have a method for them to change to that network. We’re really striving to remain completely independent!
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