0845 numbers or 0800 numbers? Which should you pick for your business?
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
0845 numbers and 0800 numbers are accepted telephone numbers for United Kingdom businesses of all proportions. Both number spans allow firms to keep one telephone number for life and give them the ability to tidy up their telephone systems with online call management systems, like instant call re-routing to another landline, mobile or even international phone number.
However, there are (many|key} differences between the two number codes that businesses thinking about changing their telephone numbers should think about.
What you want to use your number for?
If you are searching for a telephone number to employ in your marketing and advertising then 0800 numbers are the sure winner.
0800 numbers are totally without cost for your potential customers to call from a BT landline, this means that you will receive more enquiries to the 0800 number that you have used on your marketing. In fact, studies by the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) has found that enquiry rates can be increased by up to 185%.
The RAC has of late heavily marketed its 0800 telephone number for its ‘Beware the chip on the shoulder’ campaign: 0800 999 5000. It promoted this 0800 number on its vehicles and in its United Kingdom newspaper advertising next to its other marketing campaigns.
For companies looking for a focal contact number, then an 0845 number could be the ideal solution.
Whereas 0800 numbers vigourously encourage enquirers to call, 0845 numbers are not free to call so may not have an equal impact but 0845 numbers are in reality the United Kingdom’s most popular number range. A speedy browse through the Yellow Pages or online will prove this.
When they were initially introduced, 0845 numbers were seen as ‘local rate’ numbers, though this is not strictly the reason anymore with the popularity of inclusive call packages offered by mobile and landline providers, where 0845 numbers are frequently not incorporated.
Nonetheless, BT has just made 0845 numbers free to call for its 16 million residential landline customers, which is fantastic news because the cost resistance to your callers has been taken away for many consumers.
What amount do you want to pay?
With 0800 numbers, a single initial connection fee is necessary. This charge depends on how easily remembered the number is, although it can be as little as £25 with some good companies. After this initial fee, businesses are then charged a monthly service charge (e.g. £14.99) and, because 0800 numbers are free to call, the business that owns the number pays for all the incoming calls. E.g. 4.5 pence per minute.
The increase in calls and sales that companies receive backs up this cost to them, although there are number providers that provide free inbound minutes to the numbers (e.g. up to 1000 free minutes).
With 0845 numbers, a link up fee is still required and a monthly service fee and if you are smart you can search for providers that give you unlimited inbound minutes.
In all, it is clear that both 0845 numbers and 0800 numbers are great ways to improve business communications. Both number ranges provide organisations greater control and flexibility over their phone systems and each has its own reward. Rather than seeing 0845 numbers and 0800 numbers as total opposites, they are in fact different tools for very similar jobs and should be carefully chosen to suit your companies needs.