Why are telephone numbers important for small businesses?

Date: 31/08/2011

Life can sometimes be tough for small businesses. They are constantly competing against larger enterprises and may occasionally struggle to make their presence felt in an already crowded marketplace.

Plus, many could have been hard-hit by the recent recession, as consumer spending dropped and people lost confidence in their finances, job security and the UK economy as a whole.

Enterprises that are looking to boost their fortunes and generate extra income may not instantly think of non-geographic numbers as a way of doing so. However, there are actually several reasons why these digits may be able to bring in some extra cash when it is most needed.

Many less-sizeable firms are likely to have been established by one or two people and, during the early days of the enterprise, they might have used mobile phones and a landline to conduct most of their communications.

However, entrepreneurs may find they can increase their credibility and generate extra business by purchasing non-geographic 0800 numbers. These prefixes present a national image to fellow traders as well as consumers. This allows an organisation to promote itself as a professional and well-established company – something that is bound to encourage a greater number of transactions.

Furthermore, because they are not bound by any regional prefixes, clients may assume businesses can trade up and down the UK, thus bringing in sales from across the country rather than just in a certain area.

The beauty of 0800 numbers is that firms do not have to change their existing digits if they wish to purchase them. Instead, every time someone calls their non-geographic number, the query is automatically rerouted to any current phone lines.

This can save enterprises money as well as potentially generating funds, as they will not have to pay for new stationery, business cards and changes to their website when they adopt the prefix. This applies further down the line as well, as they can keep their 0800 number no matter where in the UK they are situated, thus saving the hassle of informing customers of their new point of contact.

Another reason why 0800 number can boost a company's income is that they are free for customers to call. This means they are unlikely to mind getting in contact because they know they will not be charged to speak to an employee and place an order.

Furthermore, if they feel satisfied with the service they have received, they could recommend it to friends and family, or return with repeat business.

There are also memorable digits that can be a powerful marketing tool if smaller firms decide to invest in a proper advertising campaign to promote their services. After all, a catchy, easy-to-remember number customers can pluck from the top of their head is more likely to encourage people to reach for the phone and make an order that a complicated arrangement of digits they have to search through the telephone directory to locate.

However, these are not the only prefixes that small businesses can use to boost their earnings. If they purchase revenue share numbers they will receive an income every time someone gets in touch, as the pence per minute is paid to them. The digits are also memorable so this may be the perfect way to take advantage of any extra enquiries generated by a well thought-out marketing strategy.

Furthermore, although purchasing these may seem like an extra initial cost for companies trying to cut back wherever possible, they may soon find they are recouping what they paid in revenue.