Despite revolutions in online communications there are people who still prefer the good old telephone. We may be in the age of the Internet but it hasn't yet reached the stage of a computer in every home and also there are still business and personal situations that are much better suited to a vocal exchange than an email or an instant messenger conversation.
This means that companies need to be clever in attracting both the savvy customer with the smartphone, iPad and Bluetooth technology and the person on the end of a line connected via a switchboard. Landline desk phones remain a major device for business communications.
Being noticed in this dog eat dog world is not easy and nor is it cheap. Traditional advertising media is a massive investment. There is, however, a simple solution, which is also cheap. One way to generate attention and increase customer flow is with 0800 numbers.
0800 numbers give businesses credibility. If a customer can contact a company at no cost, there is a greater incentive to make the call. 0800 numbers present the impression of 'largeness' even if the company is small. Free to call from any phone, an 0800 number stands out on a page filled with local or national numbers. It's hard to argue with any logic that says a phone call is free and therefore it has the first port of call over those that entail a cost.
There's no need for market research to point out that given the choice, a person would dial a freephone number over another. For any business that relies on phones for their business, a freephone number is an absolute must.