Freephone numbers have an 0800 or 0808 prefix and are free of charge to the caller. This means that your business pays the cost of all the calls. If paying for your customers to call you means that you can develop a substantial number of sales leads and drive up your profits, then a freephone number is definitely worth the investment.


In any sales environment it is hard to stand out from the crowd, especially if you want to stay ahead. Freephone numbers are one of the most powerful sales and marketing tools available to your organisation - in fact, freephone numbers can generate up to three times more business than conventional numbers.
"Inclusion of a Freephone telephone number can increase response by up to 185%"
(source: Institute of Direct Marketing)

Benefits
• An 0800 freephone number gives your company a national image with the advantage of not being geographically specific
• Gives you an advantage over your competitors
• Conveys a more professional image
• Offers an incentive for customers to call more often, meaning that you can build a lasting relationship as well as it is the first step to make a sale.
E.g. Research shows that 61% of UK consumers are more likely to call a company with a freephone number in preference to a comparable competitor without one.
• 0800 number offers a proven way of increasing business and developing customer loyalty.
• Increase your advertising response and attract new customers
E.g. Research suggests advertising responses increase by between 50% and 300% when a freephone number is used.
• Keep track of your advertising response rate. By using separate 0800 numbers on each of your advertisements, you can monitor the effectiveness simply by looking at your call statistics sent to you each month. Thus, you can save money by choosing the adverts that produce effective results based on your call statistics.
• Customer Care - an 0800 number gives the impression to the customers that someone wants to listen to them. It is a fact that a customer who has made a complaint and had it satisfactorily dealt with is likely to be more loyal than someone who has never complained.
"Consumers see an 0800 freephone number as a sign that a company wants their business. Potential customers will always ring an 0800 freephone number first in preference to a standard number. They also see a company who is willing to remove the hassle of cost and contact." (Source: Henley Centre Telebusiness Survey)
• Save money - in almost all cases it is cheaper to have a customer to call you on your 0800 number than it is for you to call them on their number (especially if they give you a mobile phone contact number). It is also far more likely to result in a sale if they call you when they want rather than you cold calling them.
• Inspire Confidence - the most important thing you can do for a prospective customer is inspire confidence in them enough to contact you - nothing does that better than 0800 numbers.
• Your 0800 number is portable and will never change- no reprinting of stationery and signs etc
• No installation - numbers work on landlines and any phone system, they are connected over your existing lines and can be diverted your 0800 number to any UK landline
• Continued use of existing number - 0800 numbers sit on top
• Customers associate 0800 numbers with large, quality companies

A few statistics:
- "89% of people become frustrated when they call a company and are held in a queue while the call is costing them money"
- "73% of people have actually hung up a call to a company rather than run up a peak rate phone bill"
- "50% of UK press advertisements offer a normal telephone number for customers to respond, compared to around a third with a Freephone number" Direct Marketing Association Census
- Teleculture 2000 say that 63% of consumers prefer doing business with companies offering an 0800 freephone number.
- The Henley Research Centre says that 68% of people feel that companies who offer 0800 numbers care more about their customers.

 
To qualify for a Freephone number all you need is:
1) A recognised UK landline or mobile number
2) A bank account (for direct debit)
3) A desire to increase your sales and/or customer satisfaction


The 0800 and 0808 numbers are free to set up and free to rent.


Charge for each incoming call to UK landlines:
Peak: 5p/min
Off-peak: 5p/min
Weekend: 5p/min.


Please contact me on stratups.co.uk or email me on info@novotronix.com if you need more information.
Best regards,
Zsuzsi