0800 numbers 'memorable and free for customers'

Date: 13/05/2011

With the economic climate starting to improve in the UK, plenty of businesses may be looking to spend some money on boosting their sales and marketing efforts.

Furthermore, they could be keen to enhance their enterprise and get more customers on board to ensure they take advantage of Britain's recovery and increasingly positive attitude.

There are plenty of options to choose from, but one that UK firms may find particularly suitable for their needs could be a 0800 number.

This is because 0800 numbers are classed as freephone, meaning they benefit both parties. Under the Ofcom National Telephone Numbering Plan, these are considered to be any numbers that can be reached free of charge, except where the end user is notified of any payments at the start of the call.

As a result, people are unlikely to be disgruntled about having to contact the enterprise and there could be a greater chance of them remaining loyal, thus generating plenty of revenue.

They are a powerful marketing tool for enterprises and are very memorable - two qualities businesses are bound to be looking for from their numbers if they want their phones to be ringing off the hook.

For call centres in particular, freephone numbers can be beneficial as they are ideal for use in marketing and ad campaigns.

After all, a complicated collection of digits could cause confusion for those calling them and also lead to errors when people are imputing the figures.

What is more, the fact they are free to call means firms may outshine their competitors by demonstrating their commitment to customer service and keeping prices low.

A national presence is provided by 0800 numbers, meaning a firm is unlikely to be dismissed by potential clients if they notice it is not based in London or one of the nation's bigger cities.

This could lead to an increase in the number of enquiries - without the need for a lot of money to be spent - as well as helping to spread the word about the company up and down the country.

There are a huge selection to choose from and, if purchased from Commsready, they come with between 500 and 5,000 inclusive minutes per month.

Numbers are categorised by how memorable they are and separated into three options - standard, gold and platinum.

If businesses choose the standard deal they receive 500 minutes, while the gold option provides 1,000.

Alternatively, firms looking to get truly memorable numbers that clients are unlikely to forget could pick the platinum package, which comes with 5,000 inclusive minutes.

Another benefit of taking out 0800 numbers is that they work well with call management packages, such as those available from Commsready.

This technology allows businesses to assess the call traffic they receive - something that could be especially useful if they are just getting started and want to analyse customer figures.

As well as monitoring how many calls have been taken, the system looks at the amount missed and reveals the peak hours of the day for traffic.

Enterprises can get a one-month free trial of the Commsready call management system so they can easily manage any incoming enquiries and potentially divert them to any additional phone numbers they purchase.

If companies like the sound of 0800 numbers, it seems now is the time to make a purchase as the amount of available figures is starting to run out.

However, as a result of this Ofcom has introduced 0808 alternatives, which are also freephone options. The choices on offer from Commsready are divided into the same packages are their 0800 counterparts.

With such a large variety of numbers and packages to choose from, enterprises are bound to find something perfectly suited to both their needs and budget, while keeping their customers happy with freephone calls.