0800 – the UK version of 1-800
Nothing invites customers to call more than an obviously free call. That is clearly signaled here in North America by the 1-800 number. Although there are an increasing number of other free long-distance telephone numbers, not everyone will recognize them. In the same way, in the UK an 0800 number signals that certainly from a landline your call will be for free.
Even though people are becoming more used to online chat lines or messenger services or even communicating with companies via Twitter, there is nothing better than talking to a live customer service representative. The Henley Research Centre concluded that 68% of people feel that organisations which offer 0800 numbers care more about their callers.
Now BT has recently announced that 0800 numbers will soon be free to call for its mobile customers as well. BT Mobile is the first mobile company in the UK to make mobile calls to 0800 free to dial.
0800 numbers are a popular choice of telephone number for many organisations in that they help to attract more calls. Research by the Institute of Direct Marketing showed that companies with an 0800 number can increase their response rates by up to 185%. A number of companies provide 0800 numbers and the best will provide additional functionality that may include fax to email, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), call whisper (a voice message to the receiver of the call identifying the source) and other value-added services.
Perhaps the most visible value-added service that such a company can provide is memorable 0800 numbers. With the right combination, callers will be able to remember the number without needing notes. It will always be a matter of individual choice as to what works best, but repeating numbers like 056 7444 or 068 8866 certainly look like winners. In some cases, particular combinations of numbers may even be interpreted as a sign of good fortune in some cultures. Now that is clearly value-added.
Related articles by Zemanta
- BT puts the ‘free’ back into ‘freephone’ (theregister.co.uk)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4372708d-f3ce-47ad-80fa-e592f7476c08)
Go To Top
BPWrap
April 14th, 2009 at 3:14 am
Great post. I agree – the more memorable a phone number, the more likely your customer will give you a call. They might cost more to buy at first but the number of people calling you will go up meaning you’ll make more money.
Plus, with this recession, people are looking at any way they can to save some money. They are much more likely to call you if they can do it for free rather than paying over the odd prices for 0845 numbers.
Thanks for this article. It’s an interesting topic