Latino Communications 

Name: Latino Communications 

Address: 5215 N. O'Conner  City: Irving 

State: Texas   President: Jorge LastraYear 

Products: Telecommunications Founded: 1998

  Dallas-based Latino Communications has developed a telecommunications solution for companies conducting business in Mexico . Connect-A-Mexico is a local toll-free 800 service that easily and affordably connects calls from anywhere in Mexico directly to a U.S. phone line at no cost to the originating caller. Connect-A-Mexico provides both the U.S. company and customers and employees in Mexico with communications tools necessary to easily stay in contact on both sides of the border.

  Companies using Connect-A-Mexico can save in long distance costs by up to 70 percent, drastically reducing what can be a prohibitive operating expense when expanding into Mexico . 

  For customers or employees in Mexico , Connect-A-Mexico provides a convenient and reliable way to call the U.S. companies they’re doing business with. With Connect-A-Mexico, clients, employees and company partners located in Mexico can call the United States directly for free, from any landline, public telephone or wireless phone without operator assistance.  They won’t have to go through an operator or be charged any long distance fees.

  “Connect-A-Mexico meets a telecommunications demand for quality connections, affordable rates and reliable long distance service for calls from Mexico to the United States ,” said Jorge Lastra, chief executive officer of Latino Communications.

  “Latino Communications is truly a NAFTA telecommunications company,” Lastra adds.  “With trade and business relationships between Mexico and the United States continuing to grow, we want to arm any businesses with the necessary tools to efficiently connect with its customers, employees and suppliers.”

  With Connect-A-Mexico calls are billed directly to the U.S. company that has set up the service.  The originating caller in Mexico just dials the local toll-free 800 number from any public or private phone and gets directly connected to the business in the United States .

  Latino Communications, founded in 1998,z owns a large chunk of 800 numbers in Mexico . When a caller in Mexico dials a 1 800 number, the call is automatically routed through Mexico City to Latino Communications’ platform. Other companies offer similar international 1 800 services, but not as cheaply as Latino Communications.

  Connect-A-Mexico can be used in a variety of ways for any type of business that has a need to communicate from Mexico to the United States . Companies serving the maquila/production sharing industry can provide a customer service line for companies in Mexico; insurance companies can offer it to Mexican customers or Americans traveling to Mexico and needing to call about claims or coverage for unexpected incidents; hospitals can offer patients a direct line when needing to make appointments; brokers and financial institutions can provide this service for Mexican clients needing up-to-the-minute financial reports and to conduct transactions; and employees in Mexico can stay in constant contact with the parent company in the United States.

  Latino Communications is a Mexico-U.S. owned, Dallas-based company.  Other services include a line of pre-paid calling cards.

  Although the service and technology provided are not unique to Latino Communications, Lastra says small- to medium-sized companies looking for personal attention would be well-served.

  “This is not new world technology,” he says. “It’s not a novelty on the technology side. It’s more of a marketing thing. We know that a lot of people would like to go in business in a 100 million people market.”

  Among companies Lastra says would benefit are customs brokers, freight forwarders and logistics firms.

  The U.S. economic recession has made business tougher to come by, but is also an opportunity, Lastra says. With money scarce, companies need to trim costs any way possible and cutting long distance is one way to start.

  “It’s been a little more difficult to look for customers,” he says. “People at first are frightened to spend a penny on anything.”

Frequently asked questions

  Who can benefit from using Connect-A-Mexico?

  Any business already doing or wanting to do business in Mexico .  International long-distance telephone pricing can be cost-prohibitive and limit a company’s accessibility to its potential customers, partners and suppliers. Connect-A-Mexico’s affordable rates and ease of use enable businesses to provide enterprise-quality customer service on a smaller business budget.

  How do Connect-A-Mexico rates compare to other telecommunications services in Mexico ?

  Businesses in the United States subscribing to Connect-A-Mexico can receive calls from anywhere in Mexico to the United States for only 50 cents per minute.  In contrast, other collect long distance providers offering similar services charge anywhere from $2 - $10 per minute, plus connection fees.  That’s a savings of up to 70 percent.

  How do customers sign up for this service? Is there a monthly service fee to use Connect-A-Mexico?

  Business customers may call Latino Communications’ customer service center toll-free at 1-877-542-9543 and sign up for the service. Connect-A-Mexico is a service added to your regular phone line. There is a monthly service fee of $4.95.  However, the service fee can be waived if a company uses more than 30 minutes of time per month.  There are no minimum contract term requirements.  There are short- and long-term contracts available, depending on specific business needs.

  When calling from Mexico to the United States , are customers billed for using the Connect-A-Mexico service?

  Calls are billed directly to the U.S. company who set up the service.  The originating caller in Mexico just dials the local, toll-free 800 number and is directly connected to the business’ regular phone line in the United States .

  Is Connect-A-Mexico available to consumers?

  Connect-A-Mexico is geared to the business community.  Latino Communications does offer a similar toll-free 800 service for residences and pre-paid calling card services for consumers under private labels.

  Do businesses have to develop a call center just to respond to calls?  Or does the service only provide one line?

  It depends on the business’ needs.  The designated toll-free 800 number can receive as many calls as the business’ telephone system can handle.