Non-geographic numbers
Using non-geographic numbers such as 0800, 0870, 0845 and so on for inbound calls
can provide a range of business benefits. They are ideal for disaster recovery,
for situations where you do not want to disclose your geographic location or if
you want to encourage people to call at little or no cost to themselves. They are
also useful for marketing campaigns so that you can track response, as well as enabling
you to route incoming calls based on time of call or on the number dialled, so that
they can be handled more efficiently and also reported on more effectively. Benefits
include:
- Increase the perceived size of your company
- Keep the same number even if you move, saving money on advertising costs
- Route calls to up to five numbers in sequence - e.g. from your office, to mobile,
to home, to ensure that you never miss a sales call again
- Earn revenue on some numbers
- Receive prompt number allocation and activation
- Configure a voicemail box to each number
- Analyse inbound call data, to enable you to monitor the response to marketing campaigns
and the volume of inbound calls, without the need for expensive phone systems
- Control your non-geographic numbers and routing plans yourself on a minute by minute
basis
Options available include:
- 0800 Freephone – the caller pays nothing and you pay the full incoming call cost
- 0845 low rate – the caller pays a rate which is lower than the national charge and you pay nothing
- 0870 - as from 2008 you will be charged per minute and the caller will
pay local charge
- 0871 National Rate – the caller pays a higher national rate and you pay nothing,
but you also generate a revenue on every call received
- 090xxx Premium Rate – the caller pays a fixed tariff and you benefit from a higher
revenue stream