Geographic and non-geographic phone numbers
It’s a well known fact that the easier your phone number is to remember, the more likely customers are to call you. But did you know that you can also use telephone numbers to
- make it easier for customers to get in touch with you
- appear as though you are a bigger company than you really are
- give the impression you are in a different location to where you really are
This is all achieved by using telephone number diverting, which means you can have a business telephone number that works to enhance your business without having to rent extra lines or buy new equipment.
You can continue receiving calls on your original number as well as the new number so your old clients will not be inconvenienced, and your outgoing calls will not be affected.
If you use a telephone answering or virtual office service your supplier will usually provide a range of business telephone number choices as part of their service.
A look at the main types of business telephone numbers
Getting an 03 phone number
With the advent of mobile phones and inclusive phone packages on landlines many callers do not get the intended benefits of 0800 free phone and 0845 local call numbers. This is because mobile phones are charged for making calls to 0800 numbers and most of the land line ‘all inclusive’ call packages only include STD code numbers and not numbers starting ‘08’
But now you can have an ‘03’ number which is
- Free to your callers
- cheaper for you to receive than 0800 calls
- included in inclusive monthly calls tariffs on home phones and mobiles, just like calling numbers with an 01 or 02 code.
More information or buy an 03 number
Getting a local area number
Your business can appear to have a local presence in one of the UK’s major towns or cities by using a local exchange code STD phone number without you having an office there. Calls to this number can be diverted to any landline or mobile number you choose.
More information or buy a local area number
Getting an 0800 freephone number
Purchase an 0800 number freephone number and callers pay nothing to call you. Over 80% of people know that 0800 numbers are free to call and market research has shown that advertising an 0800 Freephone number results in response rates increasing by up to 300%.
Calls to 0800 number will be redirected to whichever phone number you have specified, even a mobile number (although this will incur extra charges) and you will usually be charged a set fee per minute to receive these calls.
More information or buy an 0800 number
Getting an 0845 ‘local’ number
Callers to these numbers pay a local call charge so using an 0845 number gives you a local presence on a national scale.
Calls to your 0845 number will be redirected to whichever phone number you have specified. Calls diverted to mobile numbers will almost certainly incur a charge and some suppliers, but not all, will also charge you to receive 0845 calls to a landline so look carefully at the price list.
0844 numbers work in a similar way but are more expensive for your callers so the price structure from your supplier is likely to be lower to reflect this as they are making more money on the calls.
More information or buy an 0845 or 0844 number
Getting an 0870 Number
0870 numbers are redirected in the same way as 0800 or 0845 numbers to any number of your choice. The difference with 0870 numbers is that the caller will pay a higher call charge to phone one of these numbers. Interestingly, some research suggests that the extra cost of an 0870 call vs Freephone or 0845 can actually help generate better quality sales leads by deterring the timewasters.
These numbers are typically used for revenue sharing purposes where the profits of the increased cost of the call paid by the caller are shared between the supplier and the owner of the 0870 number. The structure of this revenue share varies and some suppliers will pay you an amount per call you receive and some will offer a reduced purchase or rental fee on these numbers compared with 0845 and 0800 numbers.
Be aware that from Feb 2009 Ofcom ruled that revenue sharing will cease on all 0870 numbers, and the cost of calling 0870 numbers will be the same as dialling an 01 or 02 number.
More information or buy an 0870 number
OR
Get an 0871 number and recieve a rebate of 4 pence per minute when someone calls your number
Getting an international freephone number
If you’re based in the UK but have customers in other countries they can still call you free of charge if you get a 1800 international freephone number. These work in the same way as a national freephone number but the charges for receiving the calls are likely to be higher.
More information or buy a 1800 international freephone number
Geographic and non-geographic phone numbers
It’s a well known fact that the easier your phone number is to remember, the more likely customers are to call you. But did you know that you can also use telephone numbers to
- make it easier for customers to get in touch with you
- appear as though you are a bigger company than you really are
- give the impression you are in a different location to where you really are
This is all achieved by using telephone number diverting, which means you can have a business telephone number that works to enhance your business without having to rent extra lines or buy new equipment.
You can continue receiving calls on your original number as well as the new number so your old clients will not be inconvenienced, and your outgoing calls will not be affected.
If you use a telephone answering or virtual office service your supplier will usually provide a range of business telephone number choices as part of their service.
A look at the main types of business telephone numbers
Getting an 03 phone number
With the advent of mobile phones and inclusive phone packages on landlines many callers do not get the intended benefits of 0800 free phone and 0845 local call numbers. This is because mobile phones are charged for making calls to 0800 numbers and most of the land line ‘all inclusive’ call packages only include STD code numbers and not numbers starting ‘08’
But now you can have an ‘03’ number which is
- Free to your callers
- cheaper for you to receive than 0800 calls
- included in inclusive monthly calls tariffs on home phones and mobiles, just like calling numbers with an 01 or 02 code.
More information or buy an 03 number
Getting a local area number
Your business can appear to have a local presence in one of the UK’s major towns or cities by using a local exchange code STD phone number without you having an office there. Calls to this number can be diverted to any landline or mobile number you choose.
More information or buy a local area number
Getting an 0800 freephone number
Purchase an 0800 number freephone number and callers pay nothing to call you. Over 80% of people know that 0800 numbers are free to call and market research has shown that advertising an 0800 Freephone number results in response rates increasing by up to 300%.
Calls to 0800 number will be redirected to whichever phone number you have specified, even a mobile number (although this will incur extra charges) and you will usually be charged a set fee per minute to receive these calls.
More information or buy an 0800 number
Getting an 0845 ‘local’ number
Callers to these numbers pay a local call charge so using an 0845 number gives you a local presence on a national scale.
Calls to your 0845 number will be redirected to whichever phone number you have specified. Calls diverted to mobile numbers will almost certainly incur a charge and some suppliers, but not all, will also charge you to receive 0845 calls to a landline so look carefully at the price list.
0844 numbers work in a similar way but are more expensive for your callers so the price structure from your supplier is likely to be lower to reflect this as they are making more money on the calls.
More information or buy an 0845 or 0844 number
Getting an 0870 Number
0870 numbers are redirected in the same way as 0800 or 0845 numbers to any number of your choice. The difference with 0870 numbers is that the caller will pay a higher call charge to phone one of these numbers. Interestingly, some research suggests that the extra cost of an 0870 call vs Freephone or 0845 can actually help generate better quality sales leads by deterring the timewasters.
These numbers are typically used for revenue sharing purposes where the profits of the increased cost of the call paid by the caller are shared between the supplier and the owner of the 0870 number. The structure of this revenue share varies and some suppliers will pay you an amount per call you receive and some will offer a reduced purchase or rental fee on these numbers compared with 0845 and 0800 numbers.
Be aware that from Feb 2009 Ofcom ruled that revenue sharing will cease on all 0870 numbers, and the cost of calling 0870 numbers will be the same as dialling an 01 or 02 number.
More information or buy an 0870 number
OR
Get an 0871 number and recieve a rebate of 4 pence per minute when someone calls your number
Getting an international freephone number
If you’re based in the UK but have customers in other countries they can still call you free of charge if you get a 1800 international freephone number. These work in the same way as a national freephone number but the charges for receiving the calls are likely to be higher.
More information or buy a 1800 international freephone number