Getting an 0800 number...

[lolage]

Hey

Going to be starting up a small web design company soon, just doing a bit of research and planning.

Is it a good idea to get a 0800 number? They don't seem overly expensive and may encourage potential customers to ring up. May also give a more proffesional look than a mobile phone number for example.

Any opinions on this?

Thanks

 

[AndyL]

Hey

Going to be starting up a small web design company soon, just doing a bit of research and planning.

Is it a good idea to get a 0800 number? They don't seem overly expensive and may encourage potential customers to ring up. May also give a more proffesional look than a mobile phone number for example.

Any opinions on this?

Thanks

Correct spelling often looks more professional than a phone number.

Also, you do realise that the net is coming to an end and the chances of actually making any money from web design is pretty slim indeed.

 

[lolage]

Correct spelling often looks more professional than a phone number.

Also, you do realise that the net is coming to an end and the chances of actually making any money from web design is pretty slim indeed.

Thanks for correcting my typo and giving me your opinion on making money from web design.

 

[Creatania]

Also, you do realise that the net is coming to an end and the chances of actually making any money from web design is pretty slim indeed.

There are more and more web designers and competition is high but the need for a website is still going to go on, people will continue to need websites for the forseeable future. To say that the "net is coming to an end" is a tad silly.

 

[AndyL]

To say that the "net is coming to an end" is a tad silly.

Really?

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/363664/yahoo-to-lay-off-5-of-staff


http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=461462

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/26/bbc-strategic-review

 

[Mike W]

Really?

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/363664/yahoo-to-lay-off-5-of-staff


http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=461462

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/26/bbc-strategic-review

lol. What on earth does any of that have to do with the end of the web?

I bet you thought when Woolies closed that all shops were doomed.

ps. How is Captain Mainwaring?

 

[lolage]

Really?

So your justifying this by posting useless links? After all everything on the internet must be true - right? While were at it lets start linking useless wikipedia articles.

At the end of the day, as I stated in the first post, "Going to be starting up a small web design company". I doubt yahoo having to lay off 5 staff means that I will not be able to find any work.

 

[Creatania]

Really?

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/363664/yahoo-to-lay-off-5-of-staff


http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=461462

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/26/bbc-strategic-review

http://www.boston.com/business/tech...ridge_office_included_in_global_hiring_spree/

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2010/11/05/twitter-hires-former-senate-staff-first-dcbased-employee

Yahoo and Myspace have been arguably overtaken by the likes of Google and Twitter or Facebook etc. Trends. Thats an extremely small sample of online companies and pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things

The internet is not coming to an end

 

[BizGurl]

Sounds like someone has chip on shoulder

 

[AndyL]

So your justifying this by posting useless links? After all everything on the internet must be true - right? While were at it lets start linking useless wikipedia articles.

At the end of the day, as I stated in the first post, "Going to be starting up a small web design company". I doubt yahoo having to lay off 5 staff means that I will not be able to find any work.

You won't make any money from starting a web design company... FACT!

Especially when you can't even spell

 

[AndyL]

Thats an extremely small sample of online companies and pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things

Might be a small sample but they are huge companies, if they are laying off people...

 

[lolage]

You won't make any money from starting a web design company... FACT!

Especially when you can't even spell

wow stop being a massive troll - how old are you?

Your points are absolutely ridiculous making you look like a complete idiot. Also regarding my spelling - I'll make sure my future forum posts have top notch spelling just for you.

 

[No Missed Calls]

Hi

If you're going to be targeting businesses local to you, I would say you would be better off with a geographic number (01/02).

If you want to portray a national presence, then an 0800 or 03 number would be ideal.

As 0800 numbers generally aren't free to call from mobiles anyway, why not have both (geographic and non-geographic) so customers can choose which number they use to contact you?

 

[lolage]

Hi

If you're going to be targeting businesses local to you, I would say you would be better off with a geographic number (01/02).

If you want to portray a national presence, then an 0800 or 03 number would be ideal.

As 0800 numbers generally aren't free to call from mobiles anyway, why not have both (geographic and non-geographic) so customers can choose which number they use to contact you?

Thanks for your reply. Getting hold of an 01 number may be tricky due to living w/my parents. Wouldn't want a potential client to be talking to my mom beforehand - looks even more unprofessional. Unless there was a way to get 2 lines in the house.

Could just have a mobile number I guess?

 

[cjd]

Hey
Is it a good idea to get a 0800 number? They don't seem overly expensive and may encourage potential customers to ring up. May also give a more proffesional look than a mobile phone number for example.

Any opinions on this?

0800 are ok, most people know what they are and know they're free to call. The problem is that a lot of people now use contract mobiles and 0800 numbers aren't included in their package, so it isn't a free call.

If you sell to business, the call cost from a landline (which these days is very low anyway) isn't normally a consideration for the caller.

I generally recommend using an ordinary 01 or 02 number these days - they can be dialled by anyone anywhere and everyone knows what they are.

If you want to get people to call you for free, you can also use a 'call me back' button on your website - cheaper than an 0800 too.

For info, we do:

1. 0800 at £5 per month with an inbound call charge of 3p per minute.
2. 01 & 02 at £2 pm

Call me back is free or the pro version is £2pm
https://www.voipfone.co.uk/PB_Call_Me_Back.php

 

[cjd]

Thanks for your reply. Getting hold of an 01 number may be tricky due to living w/my parents. Wouldn't want a potential client to be talking to my mom beforehand - looks even more unprofessional. Unless there was a way to get 2 lines in the house.

Could just have a mobile number I guess?

Use VoIP, then you can have any number you like and answer it on your own phone - you don't need another telephone line.

Don't use a mobile number - it screams 'one-man-band just starting out'

 

[No Missed Calls]

Thanks for your reply. Getting hold of an 01 number may be tricky due to living w/my parents. Wouldn't want a potential client to be talking to my mom beforehand - looks even more unprofessional. Unless there was a way to get 2 lines in the house.

Could just have a mobile number I guess?

Hi

You don't need to get lines installed in order to have an 01 number.

Use Voip or use our service

We can provide you with an 01 number, answer calls in your company name, take messages and pass them on to you by email and SMS.

Emma

 

[AndyL]

Don't use a mobile number - it screams 'one-man-band just starting out'

Yeah or Sidney Sad Sack who still lives with his mum

 

[AndyL]

I doubt yahoo having to lay off 5 staff means that I will not be able to find any work.

If you are going to comment at least read first. Yahoo are laying of over 600 of their staff, myspace are laying off around half their staff which is around 1,000 employees and the BBC are laying off 100's as well.

Come back in a years time and if you are making a living from web design I will eat my hat.

 

[I Love Spreadsheets]

Having an 0800 number for the past 6 months seems to have worked against me. I ditched a couple of weeks back and the number of telephone enquiries has shot up, especially from abroad.

There are a couple of problems with 0800 numbers that may hold you back

(1) The cost of calling them from mobiles

(2) They seem to make you too anonymous and a bit faceless

If your selling directly to consumers i.e. if you were a retail operation, then I suspect it would be a different story

 

[popunder]

Plenty of providers offer 01 numbers you can divert to your mobile, some also have "whispers" so you can tell if a call is business or just one of your mates.

Calls from mobiles will probably overtake calls from landlines in the next couple of years (I see 45% mobile calls to my small business clients) so you don't want to put barriers in the way of mobile calls, which 0800s currently do.

 

[Call Tracker]

Try a local or 03 number and route it to your mobile number. It certainly looks more professional than a mobile.

 

[Y11URS]

Ok mate


If i was you... Go To TTNC...

Get a 0800 number and a Local geo number for your area...

That way your giving your customers 2 options, and just route them to your mobile number.


I would ring a 0800 number from a lndline cos its free

If i was on my mobile, i would ring the 01 geo number as its easier than removing the 0, on pre linked numbers off my iphone....

TTNC for the WIN!

 

[JEdge]

To be honest the market is far to saturated.

 

[Y11URS]

A good Web designer is worth their weight in GOLD....

Go out and try it...

 

[solopreneur]

Hey

Going to be starting up a small web design company soon, just doing a bit of research and planning.

Is it a good idea to get a 0800 number? They don't seem overly expensive and may encourage potential customers to ring up. May also give a more proffesional look than a mobile phone number for example.

Any opinions on this?

Thanks

My opinion, for what it is worth, is that it is probably not worth getting an 0800 number for this. If you are offering a (generally) b2b service, businesses dial on a normal rate number without further thought. Lkewise, they dial mobiles without further tought.

On b2c, there may be some merit using an 0800- it might encourage a few extra customers to call you. But, (in my opinion) they date from when nobody had free mobile minutes. People call mobile to mobile or mobile to landline without thinking, and an 0800 number from a mobile is chargable. The only time that I think that I would give preference to a company with an 0800 number is if I expect to be on hold for ages and am calling form a landline (in which case I would prefer to use another company).

Mark

 

[TimeAssistant]

I would recommend an 0845 number. Its much cheaper, and still gives the impression of a bigger company that you might be.

In my personal opinion I wouldn't recommend advertising a mobile number for the type of business you are.

If it helps my company Time Assistant can provide you with an 0845 number, plus 15 free calls a month for only £25.


Thanks

 

[cjd]

Please don't use an 0845 number. They are only recommended because the owner gets a revenue share from them. They are not understood by consumers and they are not included in mobile calling packages.

Use an 01 or 02 number, everybody knows and trusts them.

If you really need customers to call you, 0800 can work, but have their downside because of their exclusion from mobile deals.

If you need to project a national image (very rarely necessary) use an 03 number. (Downside is that not everybody knows what they are.)