What type of telephone number do you use for your business?

[AlphaTalk]

Hi all,


I was wondering if I could ask a couple of simple question of the business owners and entrepreneurs of this fine forum:

• What kind of telephone number do you use for your business?
  (e.g. An area number? An 0800 Freephone? An 0845 or 0844 perhaps?)

• If you use a non-geographic number, such as an 0800 or 0845, how has that worked out for you?
  Do you think it has increased the number of enquiries your business recieves?

• If you use a non-geographic number, are you happy with the service offered by your number provider?
  Do you have any specific concerns or gripes with their service?

• How do you publish the number?
  Do you publish your number on your website/stationery/vehicles etc.?

We'd be very interested to hear of your experiences, and if required, perhaps offer our advice?

Thank you for your indulgence!

Have a good weekend, all.

 

[Dawg]

1. 0800 number
2. BT geog numbers
3. Skype, (bleaugh), number
4. VOIP with geog number
5. Mobile.
6. and of course

1,2 published most everywhere
The rest, here and there.
Happy with providers, or most of them in a CBA way.

 

[runtrp]

i think landline phone numbers good for business

 

[JohnNash]

We use a local number for two main reasons:
- It shows we are local
- It is free to call from mobiles!

 

[Lex87]

We use a toll free service and it's the same last digits as our local so it's easy for everyone to remember.

Too many people scammed by Skype to endorse them. Did I include the word "scam" close enough to "skype"? The audio quality is also frustrating and wastes our staff time.

We do have VoIP for outgoing also, and some of our customers call us on MSN/Google Talk.

Lots of options out there to be sure!

 

[british steve]

We use 0800 numbers and a geographic number for mobile users. The 0800 number brings in a lot of extra custom because people are happy to phone and talk knowing the the call is free. I would recoment all businesses to have an 0800 number - it makes a difference.



Please do not PM me with offers of telco service as amongst other things we own a telecom company.

 

[Kingdingle22]

What do people think of 0845 and 0843 numbers?

 

[Jaytag Computer]

I specifically avoid calling any company with an 0870 or 0845 number. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[Tom McClelland]

I specifically avoid calling any company with an 0870 or 0845 number. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

We offer both an 0845 number and an 01 number, specifically because of some people having this attitude to 0845 numbers, but I'm always slightly baffled by it. Is the call cost of an 0845 (usually 4p/minute unless your telecoms provider is ripping you off) really such a big negative issue?

(Indeed I note that you quote an 0800 number for your business. Most serious objections to 0845 numbers would apply equally to 0800 numbers)

 

[paultnl]

We offer both an 0845 number and an 01 number, specifically because of some people having this attitude to 0845 numbers, but I'm always slightly baffled by it. Is the call cost of an 0845 (usually 4p/minute unless your telecoms provider is ripping you off) really such a big negative issue?

(Indeed I note that you quote an 0800 number for your business. Most serious objections to 0845 numbers would apply equally to 0800 numbers)

For people with inclusive dialing plans these numbers are the only ones that show on thier bill as costing anything.

 

[visagephoto]

1) 0800 freephone. mostly called from land lines.
2) Voip with regional. mostlly called from land lines & mobiles.
3) Mobile. mostly called from mobiles.

I've had the 0800 for a number of years now and can't say it's really made much difference to the number of calls I receive, but it's worth the £5.00 per month to convenience the odd customer who may not have a suitable call plan etc.

 

[dagaul101]

An 0845 prefix would be ideal

 

[Kingdingle22]

I agree that some people are funny about 08's.


I want to use an 08 on a website for my Dad (he's an IFA) because we don't want to appear to 'localised' geographically. Do you think if I offer a 'request a callback' option it will cover the risk of losing business (albeit a tiny percentage) due to 08-craziness?

 

[cjd]

I want to use an 08 on a website for my Dad (he's an IFA) because we don't want to appear to 'localised' geographically. Do you think if I offer a 'request a callback' option it will cover the risk of losing business (albeit a tiny percentage) due to 08-craziness?

Most consumers - generally over 70% - won't call an 08xx number, even if they're interested in the product. (Ofcom research).

(0800 is an exception.)

03 is the one to choose if you want a non-geographic number that doesn't cost you if people call it. Their only downside is that it's unlikely that people know what it is yet. (Too new for decent evidence yet.)

 

[MASSEY]

I just use local numbers and mobiles and get plenty of calls. I know multi million pound companies that just use their local area code number.

I can not be bothered with 0800 it charge's mobiles, so you also put people off.

 

[roydmoorian]

We have used 08452 303 021 as our main contact number for over 8 years. We find that it is an easy number to leave on an answerphone message when we are planning distribution runs. We have moved premises to a different STD area without needing to re-issue our contact details and we are able to divert that number anywhere in the world within about 45 seconds, very useful when you are in a service business which prides itself on being available 24/7/365.

We do not feel as though we are taking the P*** with regard to call charges although some on here seem to think that it may be so.

Quite frankly if someone objects to paying a local rate call fee to ring us I doubt very much that they seriously wish to use a sameday courier service

 

[cjd]

We do not feel as though we are taking the P*** with regard to call charges although some on here seem to think that it may be so.

You're not taking the P - 10 years ago 0845 numbers were a good deal for the customer but these days the customer has no clue what they cost and thinks they're like 0870 numbers used to be; a rip off.

They can't be called at 'local' rates from a mobile - and there's no such thing as a local call anymore anyway (0845 just have a lower charge than a normal call to an 01 or 02 number) so they're pretty much defunct.

Now that VoIP is available, any number can be anywhere anyway so the big advantage of non-geographical number - that you can take them with you when you move - isn't a big deal anymore.

I advise people to use 01 or 02 numbers for all their uses these days. If they really do want to project an 'national' image, use an 03; if they need a freecall sales line use 0800. All the other numbers are best avoided.

 

[AlphaTalk]

Thanks everyone for your input so far. Really chuffed to come back after the weekend and see 2 pages of constructive, useful feedback!

We use a local number for two main reasons:
- It shows we are local
- It is free to call from mobiles!

Both are very good reasons to use a local number. Are you aware you can get 'Virtual' local numbers too? So, suppose you're in Birmingham (0121) but you want to appear to be local to customers in Wolverhampton (01902) too... you can get a Wolverhampton number and connect it to your Birmingham office.

We use a toll free service and it's the same last digits as our local so it's easy for everyone to remember.

This is a neat idea, and not one I've heard before either!

The 0800 number brings in a lot of extra custom because people are happy to phone and talk knowing the the call is free. I would recoment all businesses to have an 0800 number - it makes a difference.

Just to add to this, a lot of small companies think an 0800 would be too expensive for them, but that's often not the case. It doesn't cost as much as you might imagine, and can give an air of professionalism to your company stationery, advertising, etc. - helps to make your company appear larger than it is.

....

A number of posters point out the problems with 0845 and 0870 numbers, principally that callers often think these calls cost too much. This is borne out by the popularity of websites such as saynoto0870 which advise people on alternatives to companies 0870 numbers.

03 is the one to choose if you want a non-geographic number that doesn't cost you if people call it. Their only downside is that it's unlikely that people know what it is yet.

CJD is quite right on this. 03 numbers are the new 'alternative' to the 0845 problem. Calls to an 03 number always cost exactly the same as a local call - to an 01 or 02 number. This means that if the customer can call 01 or 02 numbers for free (because of an inclusive allowance) they can call 03 numbers for free, too. If the customer pays 1p per minute for a local call, then that's what they would pay for a call to an 03.

The only problem at the moment is that callers are often unaware of this fact, but awareness is slowly growing as some companies and public bodies switch to 03 (a large proportion of NHS establishments are switching to 03 at the moment).

In addition, because this number range is brand new, if you struggled to get a decent memorable number in the 0845 range you're unlikely to have the same problem with an 03 number!

Thanks again everyone for your input.

 

[roydmoorian]

So we have 08452 303 021, How much would it cost for us to have 03452 303 021 as well ?

 

[cjd]

So we have 08452 303 021, How much would it cost for us to have 03452 303 021 as well ?

Check you own provider - sometimes they were clever enough to get matching number ranges (but mostly with 0870 which 03 were brought in to replace).

The records have it as being on Windsor Telecom's network.

 

[Cheapest Printing]

We have always used local numbers for our business and have found that it gets us a good rate of enquiries.

We have tried 0800 and 0845 numbers but have not had as many calls as we do with our geographic number.

Matt

 

[visagephoto]

a lot of small companies think an 0800 would be too expensive for them, but that's often not the case. It doesn't cost as much as you might imagine, and can give an air of professionalism to your company stationery, advertising, etc. - helps to make your company appear larger than it is.

Exactly, I've had an 0800 number for a number of years now, costs £5.00 (+ vat) per month which includes 500 minutes of incoming calls, It's ok if you keep it directed to a fixed number but can be expensive (£12.00 + vat, I think) each time you redirect it to a new number.

 

[AlphaTalk]

So we have 08452 303 021, How much would it cost for us to have 03452 303 021 as well ?

Check you own provider - sometimes they were clever enough to get matching number ranges (but mostly with 0870 which 03 were brought in to replace).

The records have it as being on Windsor Telecom's network.

Indeed, you will need to get the 0345 from the network which owns the 0345 230 prefix. In all probability, this is Windsor Telecom, or a Windsor Telecom reseller.

 

[AlphaTalk]

Exactly, I've had an 0800 number for a number of years now, costs £5.00 (+ vat) per month which includes 500 minutes of incoming calls, It's ok if you keep it directed to a fixed number but can be expensive (£12.00 + vat, I think) each time you redirect it to a new number.

That £12 redirection charge is very steep - we, for example, charge nothing for redirections. In most cases a redirection is a 2 minute job - we don't think it's reasonable to charge for that.

 

[cjd]

^^^ These days you should have an online control panel so that you can do it yourself anytime you like.

 

[AlphaTalk]

^^^ These days you should have an online control panel so that you can do it yourself anytime you like.

Indeed. Of course we offer that too. But you'd be surprised how many people prefer to do it over the telephone with a real human being!

 

[RainbowWeb]

Hi all,


I was wondering if I could ask a couple of simple question of the business owners and entrepreneurs of this fine forum:

• What kind of telephone number do you use for your business?
  (e.g. An area number? An 0800 Freephone? An 0845 or 0844 perhaps?)

• If you use a non-geographic number, such as an 0800 or 0845, how has that worked out for you?
  Do you think it has increased the number of enquiries your business recieves?

• If you use a non-geographic number, are you happy with the service offered by your number provider?
  Do you have any specific concerns or gripes with their service?

• How do you publish the number?
  Do you publish your number on your website/stationery/vehicles etc.?

We'd be very interested to hear of your experiences, and if required, perhaps offer our advice?

Thank you for your indulgence!

Have a good weekend, all.

The charity that I used to work for had an 0845 number which is supposed to cost callers less but we had complaints that it actually cost people more to call so in the end we had to show both our landline and the 0845 number. We also found that part way through the rules changed and we had to start paying every month for the 0845 number too!

I've just set up as a freelance web designer and I'm sticking with my landline number - I think people trust you more when they know you've got a landline listed rather than a generic number than can be directed to anywhere.

RainbowWeb

 

[Cheapest Printing]

Completely agree...people like to see a number that they can call which is a real number and not a number which can be pointed anywhere....transparency is key!

Matt

 

[daniel181]

Happy new year guys !!

 

[numbergroup]

I think whatever you use, don't be a mug by paying for any numbers or services !

IMO 0800 and 01/02 local area codes work best


We have a few thousand available for nothing

 

[No Missed Calls]

We allow our customers to choose a phone number with any UK dialling code they want, something many of our competitors don't offer.

Most of our customers go for a local number.

 

[NWBUS]

If you are B2B I wouldn't worry, anyone complains then tell them the local number. We use 0845 and in 5 years of trading we have had no complaints.. None whatsoever

 

[iworkfromhome]

We use an 0845 and a skype too for ours.

 

[Consultant sea]

We use 0845 but usually we call them after they supply their info and a preferred time for us to call. Use VoIP for outgoing tonteduce costs due to international calling.