0845 numbers or 0800 numbers? Which should you pick for your organisation?
0845 numbers and 0800 numbers are accepted telephone numbers for UK businesses of all shapes and sizes. Both number ranges enable businesses to keep one telephone number for life and give them the ability to tidy up their telephone systems with online call management systems, like immediate call re-routing to another phoneline, mobile or even worldwide phone number.
However, there are (many|key} differences between the two numeric codes that organisations looking to change their telephone numbers should think about.
What is the purpose of the number?
If you are looking for a telephone number to use in your marketing and advertising then 0800 numbers are the clear winner.
0800 numbers are totally without cost for your potential customers to phone from a BT landline, this means that you will get 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 build by up to 185%.
The RAC has of late heavily promoted its 0800 telephone number for its ‘Beware the chip on the shoulder’ campaign: 0800 999 5000. It advertised this 0800 number on its vans and in its national newspaper advertising next to its other marketing campaigns.
For businesses searching for a main contact number, then an 0845 number could be the ideal solution.
Whereas 0800 numbers actively encourage customers to call, 0845 numbers are not without cost to ring so may not have the same impact but 0845 numbers are in fact the United Kingdom’s most used number range. A speedy look through the Yellow Pages or online will prove this.
When they were first introduced, 0845 numbers were known as ‘local rate’ numbers, though this is not strictly the reason anymore with the success of all in call packages offered by mobile and landline providers, where 0845 numbers are frequently not incorporated.
However, BT has just made 0845 numbers without cost to call for its 16 million residential landline customers, which is superb news because the cost barrier to your enquirers has been removed for many consumers.
How much do you want to pay?
With 0800 numbers, a single initial connection fee is necessary. This cost depends on how easily remembered the number is, although it can be as little as £25 with some reputable businesses. After this first fee, companies then pay a monthly service charge (e.g. £14.99) and, because 0800 numbers are without cost to call, the business that owns the number pays for all the incoming calls. E.g. 4.5 pence per minute.
The rise in calls and sales that companies receive backs up this cost to them, although there are number suppliers that offer free inbound minutes to the numbers (e.g. up to 1000 free minutes).
With 0845 numbers, a link up fee is still needed and a monthly service charge and if you are smart you can seek out providers that give you unlimited inbound minutes.
In all, it is clear that both 0845 numbers and 0800 numbers are brilliant ways to better business communications. Both number ranges provide organisations more control and flexibility over their call systems and each has its own reward. Rather than seeing 0845 numbers and 0800 numbers as complete opposites, they are in reality different tools for very similar jobs and should be carefully chosen to suit your companies needs.
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