CHENNAI: Earlier you dialled to find out the cinema hall's number and grab your tickets well in advance.

Now you call to figure out where exactly you can find that particular courier service while stranded in the middle of nowhere. Operator-assisted telephonic search options, better known as 28476666 or 26444444, have come of age in the city.

Homemaker Asha. M still falls back on one of the helplines to book movie tickets. "This is much simpler. Who will go in search of a telephone directory?" she asks.

Elizabeth. J, a professional, recalls how she called up a helpline to figure out whether there was a courier company to shoot off her resume as soon as possible. "I was on the road in Adyar. I didn't know whom to ask." So she picked up her mobile phone and asked for courier companies in that part," she says.

According to T. S. Narayanaswamy, managing director of Call Chennai (24444444), the telecom revolution is spurring helpline services to expand and come up with more value-added services.

"If you look at Chennai's population, out of 80 lakh, nearly 50 to 60 lakh have phone connections, either landline or cell phone."

Now who would want to pore over bulky telephone directories to get one number when the information is just a call away. This tried and tested service is branching out into giving more to the callers.

Call Chennai, a relatively new entrant, has already launched Call Hyderabad and will soon move on to Call Bangalore.

"One year down the line, our tele-information service will start transactions including movie ticket sales," Mr. Narayanaswamy says.

The revenue model is simple: the service provider who pays an annual subscription to the company would get to call the customer who uses the Call Chennai facilities.

Companies listed in the premium section will pay a higher rate than the ones listed in the ordinary category, explains Mr. Narayanaswamy.

Chennai Helpline's (28476666 and 55222222) deputy general manager R. Srikanth says they are in the process of promoting their new all-India number 44444444.

"It is again a 24-hour helpline. You will get information about products and services in Chennai from anywhere in India," says Mr. Srikanth.

"With at least three phones per home, particularly mobile phones, there is more scope for growth. We already get 7,000 calls a day on both our numbers," he adds.

According to Ms. Asha, helplines are worth a call though at times the information is outdated.

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