The first month of the year can be a slow month for the UK business community and the current economic downturn is likely to amplify this to a greater degree.
Many organisations are now looking at various cost effective means that they can focus the number of questions they are sent and in turn, produce greater sales.
A very well-liked way of companies reaching this objective is to offer their enquirers a completely free telephone experience.
0800 numbers cost you nothing to call to call from a landline and many organisations that use them get a vast rise in the amount of calls they get. In fact, studies by the Institute of Direct Marketing has surmised that a company that uses an 0800 number can boost their number of enquiries by in the area of 185%.
Just one advantage that many United Kingdom organisations are gaining by applying 0800 numbers to their business.
Here are 7 more:
1. 0800 numbers are non-geographic - which means they are not area anchored like normal landline numbers. Thus, businesses can attract a greater amount of business outside of their physical vicinity as they won’t be restricted by their area.
2. Provided with the choice, 63% of people say that they would always ring a freephone number first (Teleculture 2000).
3. The Henley Research Centre surmised that 68% of the public get the impression that businesses that offer 0800 numbers care more about their callers.
4. 0800 numbers, like all non-geographic telephone numbers, enable businesses to immediately tidy up their phone systems with online call management features - such as welcome messages and call divert.
5. Online call statistics systems allow business owners/managers/marketers to evaluate the location of enquirers to their 0800 number, number of unanswered calls and busy periods in order to help with marketing/customer services and planning staffing more effectively.
6. Companies can control where they want to receive their calls (e.g. out of hours and in an emergency). Their 0800 number can be redirected to any United Kingdom landline or mobile with Call divert features
7. All calls to 0800 numbers can be put in a queue when used with online call queuing systems. allowing businesses to answer more calls and not miss out on potential business.
It seems evident that basically by providing a freephone telephone number, businesses can increase the amount of enquiries they receive, deal with their callers more effectively, organise staffing efficiently and stand out from those in the same field of enterprise - all factors that are crucial in business and vital for organisations to thrive in these times of economic uncertainty.
For business owners, a simple change of telephone number could be the most important resolution that they make in 2009.