I see it every week in the Essex Chronicle when I’m looking at cars for sale. I ask myself, why would you use an 0800 number in a local paper like the Chronicle? There’s no real right or wrong answer to this, I guess it comes down to personal preference. Or does it?
If you’ve been to the doctors or a hospital lately, you may have noticed all the posters dotted around offering help or advice. From things like helping you quit smoking, lose weight or get help with an illness you may be suffering from, most of these posters have a phone number on them.
Whether you like it or not, when you work for a telecoms company you really start to pay attention to phone numbers that you see around. And last time I was at the doctors, there was one thing I noticed about the majority of the posters…
Just last month we were taking a positive look at 0800 numbers and 0844 numbers and we thought it’s something we want to continue. 08 numbers generally get a bit of stick, it’s a wonder anybody buys them. Why do landline users shy away from them (except for Freephone numbers) and mobile users think they’re the anti-Christ? What seems to be the problem? It’s all about perception.
A lot of the time we’re saying negative things about 08 numbers. But they do have a place in your advertising. We also say this a lot: it’s all about picking the appropriate number for your business or the service you provide.