All businesses please change your phone number!!!!

Found that artical! : -
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=46850

Good point. I was speaking to some one the other day who said a local number increased his trade for his national company.

I use 0845 numbers unless i target locally, but in a new national business i will offer both, maybe just a local number.

I think one of the problems with 0845 numbers is that many people (me included) cant remember what the rate is, so as a result are wary of any number which in non geographical.
I have just signed up for my first contract mobile and have just discovered (after phoning my sister at work) that any 08 number, 0845 included, is not allowed in my calling allowance so even though I have only made a few calls and am well within my allowance I have to pay 15p extra on top of my monthly bill this month. I know its not much but it is annoying and now when given the choice between phoning two companies I would phone the one with the geographical phone number.

Paula

For websites its simple enough to put both on - we have our 0800 and local number listed and people can choose which one to use. Unfortunately, the bigger companies get the harder these small things seem to be.

I am really not familiar with VOIP set.

Richard Head said:

It's not actually a new member, it's a piece of software that digs up threads and replies to them, usually using yahoo answers. It's purpose is two fold, one to make a forum look busy when its not (hence they often work in the small hours), and secondly to stimulate real members when things go quiet.

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Why on earth would sift want bots digging up old threads? I don't think you should believe everything you read on the interwebs.

Richard Head said:

It's not actually a new member, it's a piece of software that digs up threads and replies to them, usually using yahoo answers. It's purpose is two fold, one to make a forum look busy when its not (hence they often work in the small hours), and secondly to stimulate real members when things go quiet.

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Didn't you leave out 'and activate the webcams which check the tinfoil hat is being worn'?

It's common practice on forums that rely on advertising revenue.

And I'm not the fool talking to a piece of software

And anyway, tin hats are useless, you need lead lined one's with blue lights on.

The Byre said:

01 and 02 is free, so how can 0845 be cheaper? Or are you giving them money back?

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01 and 02 are not free. They are charged for.

It can be argued that if a company really wants to go down the national number route then choose an 0800 number, but the problem is that a lot of mobile phone plans don't cover 0800 calls, much like 0845/44 and 0840 calls so you're limiting inbound calls. If you want to provide a nationwide service then go with an 0203 or 0208 number, since it's nationally recognised as a London number it's the best way to represent yourself than the above alternatives.

On a not entirely unrelated note, there's nothing wrong with having a local number, for example my client provides a worldwide service and they have a Leeds number and find themselves to be busy with the phone practically going non-stop. They make it clear on their website that they cover a worldwide area and use the full international dialling code. However recently they bought a US, Australia and Spain number that they added to their contact page for customers in those countries.

TMGG said:

01 and 02 are not free. They are charged for.

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Depends what calling plan is being used, but in most cases they are included in the plan. So not entirely free, since a plan needs to be bought, but are included in most plans.

When arranging deliveries we have to leave a lot of answerphone messages with people who cannot (or will not) answer phone calls from numbers which they don't recognise... Being able to leave a fairly easy to recognise and remember number helps to get a prompt response.

If you are selling anything via the web you legally have to have your business address on your website. So why the small businesses think it's clever to use a 08 number to make them look multinational is beyond me when their address is 26 Arcacia Avenue, Littlehampton.

Also I never phone 08 numbers as they cost a lot from mobile and I don't have a landline. I simply go elsewhere to a genuine company that's not pretending to be something it's not.

Let's face it, there's nothing wrong with a local number, it just shows you are a real business and where your head office is based, it has no bearing on whether you operate nationally, internationally or locally.

Newchodge said:

Non BT landlines and mobile phones offer free calls, but charge for 0845. That is the point.

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It's quite simple - 01 and 02 are not free

They can be inclusive/free for certain times on certain telephone plans but they are not free as is. At the same time 0845 numbers and mobile numbers can also be depending on the plan. 0845 is inclusive on my TalkTalk plan along with any UK number.

Richard Head said:

If you are selling anything via the web you legally have to have your business address on your website. So why the small businesses think it's clever to use a 08 number to make them look multinational is beyond me when their address is 26 Arcacia Avenue, Littlehampton.

Also I never phone 08 numbers as they cost a lot from mobile and I don't have a landline. I simply go elsewhere to a genuine company that's not pretending to be something it's not.

Let's face it, there's nothing wrong with a local number, it just shows you are a real business and where your head office is based, it has no bearing on whether you operate nationally, internationally or locally.

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It's probably law for ltd companies but i don't think it is the law for everyone.

Although i think the rules state that there must be some sort of contact info, of which an email address suffices.

Can't be arsed to google to check but think i am right.

Sorry Massey,
this time you are wrong.
(This doesn't make you the same as The Ancient Knob, just human like the rest of us).

There must be an address but there doesn't have to be a phone number (tho' obviously there really should be one if you want peope to feel confident about buying from you).

BUT if you do use a phone number, it can no longer be an 08 one (except 0800).

There seems to be some confusion over the joys of 08 numbers, costs and who can use them so I will attempt to clarify things.

1) Why would businesses want to use any number other than their local 01/02 one?
From my experience this is partly down to image and cost. Many don't actually have a local presence everywhere and want to encourage customers to contact them, thus they would traditionally have gone for an 0800 (freephone) number. Others don't want to have to pay for people to call them (an 0800 number will cost them to receive calls) and they may want to recoup some of the costs of providing a service. As such they might go for an 0844 number which will give them a rebate on calls received.

2) Are businesses allowed to use 0845 numbers?
The short answer is yes, however as of June 2014 legislation came in to effect that meant that the business could be liable for the additional cost to the consumer. This short article helps clarify things: http://www.tptele.com/blog/2014/06/02/084-087-numbers-must-not-be-live!/

3) Why are 08 numbers so expensive to call from mobiles?
The cost to deliver calls from a mobile are basically the same as they are from a landline nowadays so it is down to making money to pay for development (4G and 5G licenses). The good news is that as of July 2015 calls to 0800 numbers from mobiles will be free! In fact if you took out a mobile contract in the last 9 months they are probably free already. This is great news for everyone.

4) How much does it cost to call an 0845 number?
As of July 2015 anyone who uses an 08 number needs to state the cost involved in calling their number. This should be in the format of "Calls to this number are priced at Xp per minute plus your providers access charge". The "providers access charge" is how much the callers phone provider (BT, Virgin, TalkTalk, etc.) charges to connect to the 08 number. The "Xp per minute" is specified by the range holder for that specific number. A "range holder" is the company who were allocated that ranger of numbers (0845 XXX) by Ofcom.
Unfortunately this means that it could be anywhere from 2 - 7 pence per minute plus the access charge.

5) What are 03 numbers?
03 numbers have been around since 2007 and are used by organizations such as the BBC and Comic Relief. They were designed to solve the issue of mobile users not knowing how much an 08 number will cost to call from a mobile. Basically an 03 number is a national number that must be treated the same as an 01 or 02 number when it comes to packages / inclusive minutes. Normally making them free to call from mobiles since they are included in the inclusive free landline minutes.

My advice to any business when selecting a number is think about your customer; who they are, what are they going to be calling you from (landline or mobile) and how much are they worth to you.

From July 1st 2015, calls to 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers will be made up of an Access Charge (the charge made by the phone company you make your phone calls with) and a Service Charge (this is the charge collected by your phone company and is passed to the service provider of the NGN you’re calling).

This is supposed to make it easier for consumers to understand the cost of calling non-geographic numbers. It looks like its making it more expensive to call these numbers though IMO.

Here's a list of charges the phone operators are charging as their access fee from 1st July for calling these numbers:

Residential Access Charge Rate per minute (inc VAT)
3 Mobile 25p
Asda Mobile 8p
BT Retail 9.58p
BT Mobile 30p
EE Home Phone 11p
EE Mobile 44p
GiffGaff Mobile 15p
John Lewis Broadband 9.58p
Kingston Comms 7p
Lyca Mobile 23p
O2 Mobile 25p
Phone Co-Op 7.2p
Phone Co-Op Mobile 21p
PlusNet 9.58p
Post Office To Be Confirmed
Post Office Mobile 30p
Sky 9.5p
SSE Energy 6.9p
Talk Mobile 15p
TalkTalk 5p
TalkTalk Mobile 20p
Tesco Mobile 25p
Utility Warehouse landline 9p
Utility Warehouse mobile 20p
Virgin Media 10.25p
Virgin Mobile 36p
Vodafone 23p to 45p
Zen 8p

In another change happening at the same time, all calls to 0800 numbers, including calls from all UK mobiles will be FREE.

This will mean more calls to 0800 numbers, as consumers drop the barrier of calling 0800 numbers from their mobiles, now they're not going to be charged 20p a minute for the privaledge.

As a result, businesses will benefit too, as the barriers are reduced to make that call. More enquiries will mean more new business.

At Planet Numbers, we are currently offering a 30 day free trial on our 0800 and 0808 freephone numbers - click here to find out more: https://planet-numbers.co.uk/numbers/0800-and-0808-numbers/grow-your-business-with-an-0800-number/