Telephone numbers are all designed for different purposes. Telephone companies talk of them as products they are not all equal.
Telephone numbers are also perceived differently by consumers. How they feel about a number and what they think it costs them to dial it, can radically affect what they think about your company and whether they will call you or not.
In short, they are part of your brand and image and they are not easily changed once chosen, so its important you consider the type of number to use carefully
Ofcom research tells us that:
1. Consumers know what 01 & 02 numbers (geographic numbers) are and believe them to be the cheapest number to call
2. 64% of consumers know that 0800 are free to call
3. Consumers think there is little difference in cost of calling 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871
4. Consumers always overestimate how much all types of calls cost.
5. Consumers are less likely to call numbers that they perceive to be more expensive to call and/or are unfamiliar to them.
6. 65%-78% of consumers either wont call, are unlikely to call, telephone numbers used in adverts - even for products they are interested in - if they use these numbers: 0845 (65%), mobile (70%), 0870 (73%), 0844 (76%), 0871 (78%).
Source:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/numberingreview/research/
If you read no further than this; normally, its best to choose an 01 or 02 number for your business. Additionally an 0800 should be considered if you actively need customers to call you or are running advertising campaigns.
Unless you have a specialised reason for choosing any other type dont.
01 & 02 Geographic the normal, general purpose, everyday telephone number. Geographic numbers show your location; 020 7, 020 8 and now 020 3, is London, 01273 Brighton, 0151 Liverpool etc. Calls to these numbers from BT landlines used to be charged at either local or national rates depending on where the caller was but now its one charge, 3p per minute (day), regardless.
These numbers are universally understood and should be your first choice for a normal businesses number. Their sole disadvantage is that they cannot be taken with you if you move outside the area of the telephone exchange they are connected to. (However, this is no longer a restriction for VoIP geographic numbers which can be taken anywhere without needing to tell your provider; even abroad.)
They are the only type of number that can be reliably dialled from anywhere in the world.
Importantly, 01 and 02 numbers are included as free to dial in mobile contract packages.
0800 Freephone numbers are used for marketing or for sales lines where the strategy is to attract customers to call you. Most people (64%) know they are free to call so they are a good marketing tool. They are often used for short term marketing campaigns; different numbers can be used per advert to help tracking and calculating the relative success of different campaigns.
Costs to you. The numbers retail at a range of prices from £5 per month upwards. Look out for set-up charges and minimum usage charges. As the call is free to the caller, the number owner gets charged for the incoming call usually between 3p and 6p per minute.
0800 is a well understood number but because it is non-geographic ie not tied to your local telephone exchange, you can take it anywhere in the UK when you move. For this reason it is sometimes marketed to you as a number for life.
A major downside is that they are NOT free to call from mobiles and may not be called from outside the UK.
0808 numbers are the same as 0800 and introduced because the 0800 range is running out these are less useful as people dont necessarily know they are free to call.
0845 was introduced as a Lo-Call number as callers are charged at local rates (when called from landlines) no matter where they are. Unfortunately, there is no longer a different charge for local and national calls to ordinary geographic numbers so the marketing distinction has been lost.
They are however cheaper to call than geographic numbers 2p rather than 3p pm (day). I doubt that anyone knows this did you?
Ofcom research tells us that they are generally thought to cost the same as dialling 0870.
BT no longer really promote these numbers and they have been undermined by the growth of mobile as they are not included in mobiles inclusive calling minutes and charged for at various rates, always more than a national call.
Being non-geographic they have the advantage of moving with you if you move. They are often not dial-able from abroad.
0844 is a revenue sharing number ie the owner of the number - usually the service provider gets a small proportion of the income generated from the call.
They are a confusing number group as it is necessary to know the 5th digit to know what the call charge is.
Unless you have a specialised service, dont use them.
0870 were introduced as low cost, revenue sharing numbers for companies providing a service to their callers such as a help line.
In January 2008 the revenue share element will be removed by Ofcom and the call charge to the customer reduced to the cost of a standard national call rate..
As a result, 0870, which was often offered as a free number to small businesses will be abandoned by the industry.
0871 is similar to 0870 but with higher call charges. They pay a revenue share too but are now regulated by ICSTIS and if you use them you are obliged to notify the customer of the cost of the call which rules them out for normal use.
As true value added services though, they have their place but please do not even consider them as a normal contact me number.
They are non-geographic so can move with you but often cant be called from abroad. Calls from mobiles can be charged at any rate at all.
09xxx are real premium numbers with rates that can be £1+ per minute and are designed for valuable information services like pornography. To get one you need to apply the ICSTIS.
Useful web sites:
http://www.icstis.org.uk/
www.ofcom.org.uk
Cost of calls to specialised numbers:
http://www.downloads.bt.com/pricing/SpecialisedNos.pdf
Area code look up table
http://www.ukphoneinfo.com/section/home/introduction.shtml
International Telephone number wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_dialling_codes
How to get a telephone number for your business
http://www.voipfone.co.uk/How_to_Get_A_Telephone_Number_For_Your_Business.php
