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.
Just a quick post from us on Christmas Day. After all, whether it’s your day or not, it’s at least an opportunity for you to stop and spend a bit of time thinking about other things besides work and telephone numbers. If not, here’s a quick look into 2013.
We’ve recently written about the benefits of Local Numbers and how they can get you more calls than 08 Numbers. We’ve also written about the popularity of 0844 Numbers and how they can simplify explaining costs to your callers (from UK landlines) whilst you benefit from free forwarding.
Well, this brief article is just to put forward the idea of combining the use of different number ranges and presenting more than one to your customer. It’s something we do, so lets use TTNC as an example.
On our website you’ll see an 0203 London Number and an 0800 Number. Why? This is our thinking behind it:
The 0203 Number
First and foremost this is for those who want to call us from their mobile. If they’ve got inclusive minutes, the call will be included in them, so the call is effectively free.
Secondly, having a Local Number is better for international callers. There’s no guarantee that calls to a Non-geographic number from overseas will get through, so the London Number solves that.
Lastly, it gives us a location. We actually work out of a few offices (London, Essex and Stockholm, Sweden) but for some callers, it’s important to at least have some idea of where they’re calling.
The 0800 Number
This number is free to call from any UK landline. That’s primarily why we use it. This factor is why 0800 Numbers still remain a strong favourite for advertisers.
Also, it’s Non-geographic which means that we give the impression that we serve the whole of the UK so no matter where our customer is, we can provider a service for them.
Hopefully you can see from this brief run down why this is so useful. Using the 2 different number ranges allows us to offer the best of both worlds to our customers, so pretty much anyone can call us for free. It also helps develop the message about us as a company, we’re based somewhere but able to help businesses nationally (even internationally).
Give us a call if you ever want to talk through your business set up and what number range (or ranges) will suit you best.
Ofcom has today published the results of research as part of its consultation on simplifying non-geographic numbers. The research looked into different ways of presenting call charge information for non-geographic numbers to consumers.
People use non-geographic numbers to contact a range of organisations including businesses, government agencies and charities for many reasons including getting information about events, buying services and voting on TV shows. This research is part of additional evidence that Ofcom is gathering as part of its review of these phone numbers.