0800 Numbers Or 0845 Numbers – Which Are Better For You?

Regardless of the area your company is, the chances are that you know the basic facts about 0800 numbers. Whatever business you are in, the likelihood is that however many emails you send, a lot of people still prefer to be able to ring and speak to a real person on the end of the line. Often, it can save time and confusion on behalf of both the customer and the business, and, for many, 0800 numbers are a perfect solution to this. After all, they are a long established part of the telecoms network. When a customer sees an 0800 number, they know it will not cost them to call it. From the point of view of a business, it also makes sense; a free number for the customer means enquiries will also increase. If you go with a reputable company then further benefits include the facts that:

• the cost is relatively minimal to take the calls
• people can call your business from anywhere in the UK,
• you have the ability to “point” the 0800 number to a landline or, for a slight increase in cost, to a mobile

The underlying point here is that 0800 numbers work, people are aware of how they function, and, most importantly, they perform well. 0800 numbers encourage customers to ring a business, and businesses all over the UK have been successfully using them for many years. If this is the case, however, one might be inclined to ask as to why 0845 numbers are now outselling 0800 numbers by a considerable amount, often to the ratio of 3 to 1.

The answer, like most answers, is both a simple one and a complex one. The simple answer is that 0845 numbers – sometimes known as “local rate numbers” – are better for some businesses and 0800 numbers are better for other businesses. 0845 numbers follow a similar process to 0800 numbers in some respects in that;

• they are also “pointed” at a selected landline or mobile
• they can be called from anywhere in the UK
• 0845 numbers can automatically follow any diverts you put in place on your landline.

However, unlike 0800 numbers, there are no call charges for businesses (or, more specifically, the owner of the 0845 number). Instead, a reputable company will offer you a one-off set up fee, and an annual fee of a set price. It is free for the owner of the 0845 number to receive calls from landlines, and your customers pay the same costs as a local phone call when they ring an 0845 number.

The fact that 0845 numbers don’t attract call charges is advantageous for a host of reasons. It is much more cost effective for companies that spend most of their time on the phone to other businesses, for example. An 0800 number encourage callers but an 0845 number certainly would not put them off.

0800 numbers come into their own when placed, for example, in adverts and other places specifically designed for the public eye. Even then, however, 0845 numbers have advantages of their own also. This is particularly apparent when one considers the area of telesales. 0800 numbers are often a target for telesales companies who know that phoning these numbers will cost them nothing, which incurs unnecessary time and cost that can often be avoided through the use of an 0845 number. Additionally, there is the possibility of fraudulent usage by an employee’s relatives or friends for an 0800 number. As the number is free, they are more likely to use it to get in touch with the employee, which once again incurs time and cost on the business that an 0845 number would not.

Ultimately, both 0800 numbers and 0845 numbers are wonderful ways to improve communications on behalf of your business, and both have many benefits. 0800 numbers are still widely used because they are an excellent way of communicating with the customer and, significantly, of encouraging the customer to communicate. Yet 0845 are also here to stay, and are likely to remain in vogue for some time because of their benefits. Rather than seeing them as opposing ideas, they should be seen as being different tools for similar jobs, and should be carefully selected according to your needs.

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By: David Clarke

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This article was written by David Clarke, a partner at DBS who offers 0800 Free Number services and 0845 Number Sale.