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The core product is a [[SIM card]], which supports all standard [[2G]] and [[3G]] services. It can be obtained in two ways, either ordered directly from the website or as a gift from an existing member (the "member get member" scheme). A card ordered from another member has an additional £5 airtime added when it is activated by the recipient and topped up with a minimum of £10. Further top up payments can be added through the website either using a UK [[credit card|credit]] or [[debit card|debit]] card or by redeeming an [[Voucher#Mobile phones|eVoucher]] purchased from a [[payzone]] epay or [[PayPoint]].<ref name="eVoucher Rollout Plan">{{cite web|url=http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Welcome-and-News/eVouchers-roll-out-plan/td-p/13887 |title=eVouchers roll out plan |publisher=Community.giffgaff.com |date= |accessdate=2010-12-23}}</ref>
The core product is a [[SIM card]], which supports all standard [[2G]] and [[3G]] services. It can be obtained in two ways, either ordered directly from the website or as a gift from an existing member (the "member get member" scheme). A card ordered from another member has an additional £5 airtime added when it is activated by the recipient and topped up with a minimum of £10. Further top up payments can be added through the website either using a UK [[credit card|credit]] or [[debit card|debit]] card or by redeeming an [[Voucher#Mobile phones|eVoucher]] purchased from a [[payzone]] epay or [[PayPoint]].<ref name="eVoucher Rollout Plan">{{cite web|url=http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Welcome-and-News/eVouchers-roll-out-plan/td-p/13887 |title=eVouchers roll out plan |publisher=Community.giffgaff.com |date= |accessdate=2010-12-23}}</ref>


The member needs to have an unlocked [[mobile phone]] in order to use the SIM, although phones locked to the O2 network (except [[Tesco mobile]]) will also work,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Help-Ask-the-community-got-stuck/Can-Giff-Gaff-sims-work-in-locked-o2-phones/m-p/222213/highlight/true#M108244 |title=Giffgaff sims in o2 phones |publisher=Community.giffgaff.com |date= |accessdate=2011-01-25}}</ref>. The terms and conditions prevent the use of [[tethering]], except when gigabags are purchased for the SIM (see below).
The member needs to have an unlocked [[mobile phone]] in order to use the SIM, although phones locked to the O2 network (except [[Tesco mobile]]) will also work,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Help-Ask-the-community-got-stuck/Can-Giff-Gaff-sims-work-in-locked-o2-phones/m-p/222213/highlight/true#M108244 |title=Giffgaff sims in o2 phones |publisher=Community.giffgaff.com |date= |accessdate=2011-01-25}}</ref>. The terms and conditions prevent the use of [[tethering]], where the SIM has an unlimited data plan enabled. As of 6th November 2012, the £10 goodybag now permits tethering, as in common with the gigabags it comes with a defined amount of data. The existing rule of no tethering on unlimited data plans still stands<ref>{{cite web|url=http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Learn-giffgaff-Top-Tips/Tethering-A-Nice-Easy-Guide-on-Permitted-Tethering-Options/m-p/5050922 | title=Tethering: A Nice Easy Guide on Permitted Tethering Options |publisher=Community.giffgaff.com |date= |accessdate=2013-01-02}}</ref>.


On 15 April 2010 the first major new tariff product was launched called goodybags. These offer bundles of [[SMS|text messages]], [[mobile internet]] and voice minutes from a varying price range, which last for one month at a time. Goodybags may be purchased from the prepaid account balance or by credit or debit card at any time. On 25 June 2012, a feature was added to allow goodybags to be automatically re-purchased and added to the account each month if desired.<ref>[http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Welcome-and-News/Recurring-Goodybags-ARE-HERE/td-p/4813932 Recurring goodybags are here]</ref>
On 15 April 2010 the first major new tariff product was launched called goodybags. These offer bundles of [[SMS|text messages]], [[mobile internet]] and voice minutes from a varying price range, which last for one month at a time. Goodybags may be purchased from the prepaid account balance or by credit or debit card at any time. On 25 June 2012, a feature was added to allow goodybags to be automatically re-purchased and added to the account each month if desired.<ref>[http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Welcome-and-News/Recurring-Goodybags-ARE-HERE/td-p/4813932 Recurring goodybags are here]</ref>

Revision as of 14:21, 2 January 2013

Giffgaff Ltd.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTelecommunications
Founded25 November 2009
(14 years ago)
FounderGav Thompson
HeadquartersSlough, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Mike Fairman (CEO)
Richard Apletree (CFO)[1]
ProductsMobile telecommunications products and services
Number of employees
33 [2]
ParentTelefónica
Websitegiffgaff.com

Giffgaff (usually stylised as giffgaff, in lowercase) is a mobile phone service based in the United Kingdom. It operates as a mobile virtual network operator using the O2 network. It is owned by Telefónica and was launched on 25 November 2009.[3]

Giffgaff differs from conventional mobile phone operators in that the users of the service may also participate in certain aspects of the company's operation, e.g. sales, customer service and marketing. In return for this activity, the user receives remuneration through a system called "Payback".

History

Giffgaff was founded by Gav Thompson, the head of brand strategy at O2, who is reported to have come up with the idea after studying Web 2.0 businesses in San Francisco in 2008. The principles behind the formation of the company were set out in the Giffgaff manifesto.[4]

The word giffgaff is Scottish English meaning mutual giving and was chosen to fit with the principles outlined in the manifesto. The strapline for Giffgaff was "the mobile network run by you" to reflect the fact that some users of the service help run various aspects of the operation.

During the first year of operation in 2010, Giffgaff won two industry awards, the Forrester Groundswell Award in November and the Most Innovative Community Award at the Social CRM Customer Excellence Awards.[5][6] In November, they were also nominated as one of the five finalists for the Marketing Society's Brand of the Year, but lost out to the department store John Lewis.[7]

On 16 March 2012 there was a major service outage caused by a burst water pipe at a third party data centre which provided billing services.[8] Subcribers to Giffgaff lost the ability to make and receive calls, text messages and lost all data access on their mobile phones. All services were zero rated a few hours into the outage to allow subscribers to use their services as normal, albeit without being billed. A pledge was made to do this sooner should an outage ever occur again. Parts of the website were also unavailable and meant that users were unable to access their phone settings.

In June 2012, Giffgaff were named Best MVNO in the Mobile Industry Awards 2012.[9]

Products and services

SIM card

File:Free-giffgaff-sim.png
Giffgaff SIM card

The core product is a SIM card, which supports all standard 2G and 3G services. It can be obtained in two ways, either ordered directly from the website or as a gift from an existing member (the "member get member" scheme). A card ordered from another member has an additional £5 airtime added when it is activated by the recipient and topped up with a minimum of £10. Further top up payments can be added through the website either using a UK credit or debit card or by redeeming an eVoucher purchased from a payzone epay or PayPoint.[10]

The member needs to have an unlocked mobile phone in order to use the SIM, although phones locked to the O2 network (except Tesco mobile) will also work,[11]. The terms and conditions prevent the use of tethering, where the SIM has an unlimited data plan enabled. As of 6th November 2012, the £10 goodybag now permits tethering, as in common with the gigabags it comes with a defined amount of data. The existing rule of no tethering on unlimited data plans still stands[12].

On 15 April 2010 the first major new tariff product was launched called goodybags. These offer bundles of text messages, mobile internet and voice minutes from a varying price range, which last for one month at a time. Goodybags may be purchased from the prepaid account balance or by credit or debit card at any time. On 25 June 2012, a feature was added to allow goodybags to be automatically re-purchased and added to the account each month if desired.[13]

In June 2011, the Hokey Cokey product was launched, which combined a £5 goodybag with free extra minutes for every minute of Incoming calls. This was followed on 17 October by data only bundles called Gigabags. Gigabags allow a giffgaff SIM to be used in USB modems or other data only devices such as the iPad.[14]

BlackBerry services were launched on 1 February 2012, available with selected goodybags for a monthly fee.[15] On 17 May, dual format SIM cards were also introduced, allowing them to be used in both standard GSM phones and also those that support Micro SIMs.[16]

An iPhone app was released in October 2012 to help users manage their account from their phone. This was developed by a community member who was then employed by Giffgaff to produce the official version.[17]

Customer service

The main method of customer service relies on members of the network providing answers to questions raised by others. There is also a small customer service team which provides further support when issues cannot be resolved directly by members, for example credit card issues. A forum on the website has an active community where these questions are raised, but answers may not always be definitive. Integration with Facebook and Twitter was introduced in October 2010 to provide other channels for customer support.[18][19]

Giffgaff labs

New product ideas are tested initially in Giffgaff labs, available to all members for a short period.[20] If they are popular, they may be incorporated into the main product and are withdrawn if not. The labs' products are also beta tested by selected community members before release.

The first product from Giffgaff labs was introduced in September 2010. It provided calls for 2p and texts for 1p in return for a £5 monthly payment. This product was withdrawn after the trial period.

The second labs product, nicknamed "Hokey Cokey", was introduced in December 2010. For £5, the customer got 60 minutes, 300 texts and a free extra minute for every eligible incoming minute.[21] This product left the labs in June 2011 and became an official product.

BlackBerry services were also tested in the labs before their launch in February 2012.

Community provided applications

In July 2010, two iPhone apps and a Nokia app were released to help users manage their account and access the forums.[22][23] A notable part of these announcements was that the apps were produced by members of the giffgaff community rather than the company itself.

In May 2012, Giffgaff accepted a community generated idea to create an official app that would provide users with an alternative way to top-up and buy goodybags. This was released in October 2012.[24]

Payback

Giffgaff allows members to earn points in different ways:

  • When a member gives a SIM to another member, the original member gets 500 points after it is activated. The new member also receives £5.00 credit immediately.
  • By contributing to the Giffgaff community on the forums, a monthly points allocation is awarded in proportion to the effort spent.
  • occasional schemes allow members to earn points in return for marketing promotions[25]

Each point is worth one penny and can be redeemed every six months in one of three ways: either as airtime credit, as cash which is sent directly to a PayPal account, or as a donation sent to a community-nominated charity, the value of which is matched by Giffgaff.

Redemption dates are 15 June and 15 December. The first payback was made on 15 June 2010 and on the most recent payback in June 2012 Giffgaff paid out over £1.1 million to its customers.[26]

References

  1. ^ Giffgaff.com The Team
  2. ^ "The team | giffgaff.com". Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  3. ^ Bradshaw, Tim (3 January 2010). "Original ideas suggest customer knows best". Financial Times. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
  4. ^ "The giffgaff manifesto". Giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  5. ^ giffgaff embrace prestigious social media award. "Forrester Groundswell Award". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  6. ^ giffgaff: winner of Most Innovative Community award (20 May 2010). "Social CRM Excellence award". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  7. ^ "2010 Marketing Society Brand of the year finals". Brandrepublic.com. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  8. ^ "giffgaff Community forums - Problems with the service 16/03/2012". 16 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Mobile Industry Awards 2012 winners". 14 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  10. ^ "eVouchers roll out plan". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  11. ^ "Giffgaff sims in o2 phones". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  12. ^ "Tethering: A Nice Easy Guide on Permitted Tethering Options". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  13. ^ Recurring goodybags are here
  14. ^ "Giffgaff Data Goodybags". giffgaff.com. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  15. ^ "Blackberry... the wait is over". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  16. ^ Launching...Micro SIM
  17. ^ Meet the official giffgaff iPhone app
  18. ^ giffgaff Facebook integration (5 October 2010). "announcement about facebook integration". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ Integrating Twitter and the community. "announcement about twitter integration". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  20. ^ "launch of giffgaff labs". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  21. ^ "What is the giffgaff labs". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  22. ^ Our first giffgaff iPhone apps (20 July 2010). "Launch of first iPhone apps". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  23. ^ First giffgaff app in the Nokia Ovi Store (30 July 2010). "Launch of app in Nokia Ovi store". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  24. ^ Snell, Gregory (14 April 2012). "giffgaff App Developed or Endorsed by giffgaff". community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  25. ^ Giffgaff tool hire
  26. ^ giffgaff blog (6 June 2011). "£1.1 Million Paying Back". Community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

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