Companies have traditionally preferred to advertise non-geographic numbers for customers and prospects to contact them. Read why this is now changing:
- From June 2015 anyone advertising 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers will have to declare how much it costs to call them. This means changing stationary, web sites and the announcements callers hear when they dial the numbers.
- Many call packages from mobile and landline companies include free calls to mobile, 01, 02 and 03 numbers but specifically exclude 084, 087, 09 and 118 prefixes. Both business and residential customers are becoming increasingly aware that they are being charged a premium for calling these numbers. Companies that advertise them are perceived negatively.
- Companies that want to portray themselves as national now have other alternatives. Some are switching to 03 numbers which were specially designed for not-for-profit organisations, charities and public bodies to offer consumers a single point of contact nationally. Calls cost no more than calls to geographic (01 and 02) numbers and must be included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way. Others are taking the opportunity to review their business telephony and are moving to cloud-based telephone systems where they can advertise multiple geographic numbers answered centrally.
Companies don’t want to break the law and they also don’t want to put off customers and prospects. Since they would have to re-print web sites and stationary anyway, many are taking the opportunity to review all of their company’s communications. They are finding that things have changed dramatically since their last review and they can get far more productive solutions for a lot less money.
To get a quick review and list of options via email from Jola click on the link below:
