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Getting a freephone 0800 number means that customers are more likely to pick up the phone in these hard times. Failure to do this may mean that the most carefully planned marketing campaigns fails to bear fruit, warns Organic Numbers’ Jenny Forbes.
Although we are officially out of the recession, and talk of a double dip seems premature, the damaging effects are still being felt by many people around the country. The annual rate of inflation was recorded at 4% in January 2011, double the Bank of England’s target rate of 2%. Fuel prices are at a record high of £1.27 per litre, VAT has increased to 20%, unemployment has crept up to 7.9%, the UK has a record budget deficit to pay off leading to unprecedented government cuts, and the threat of rising interest rates is on the horizon for the first time in many months. Businesses need to market themselves, but their lack of funding for promotional strategies is becoming an obstruction to businesses getting back on track financially.
However, Jenny Forbes, Head of Marketing at leading 0800 number provider at Organic 0800 Numbers, feels that it doesn’t all have to be doom and gloom, and believes that small changes to marketing aspects of a company, even if it involves a minimal cost initially, will soon give an incentive for consumers to spend their hard-earned cash. She suggests that one often overlooked solution is a simple 0800 number. “Many businesses do not realise how the cost of making a phone call can often deter a customer from choosing between one company and the next. For many people, every penny counts at the moment, and getting the budget to balance each month is a Herculean task. Many hard working families are balancing on a knife blade, and something as simple as that can potentially send them over the edge. Therefore, even though your marketing strategy has been successful and the potential customer sees that you are providing a service they want, they are put off picking up the phone because of the cost of calling a premium rate number. Companies need to adjust their marketing stance to the needs and circumstances of their target market; otherwise they are essentially falling at the final hurdle despite having invested so much effort and capital beforehand.”
Her proposed solution is for businesses to get a freephone 0800 number. “Freephone 0800 numbers are readily available to anyone and everyone, businesses small or large, and the add-on benefits are invaluable. Not only do 0800 numbers generate more sales with their free of charge appeal, they also enable a company to become more easily available.” This is because a freephone 0800 number can be directed to various phone lines, landline and mobile, always ensuring the customer gets a response. Extra features available to guarantee a better service include fax to email capabilities. This is another cost cutter, saving the expense of printer cartridges, paper and electricity, helping your business to run more efficiently with added concern for the environment.
Ms Forbes therefore concludes that “This one small initial cost could see businesses gain more trade by giving something back to the customer, and consideration for their expense alongside an improved service will certainly boost the rate of customer revisits.”