While the advantages and disadvantages of Freephone 0800 numbers for large businesses are well-documented and often intuitive, many freelancers and small business owners may wonder how a Freephone 0800 number could help them. Read on to find out more about how an 0800 number can benefit even small-scale companies and organizations!
If you are a freelancer or small business attempting to project an established, large-scale image, a Freephone 0800 number may be useful. Given the fact that 0800 numbers are recognized throughout the UK, redirecting calls away from a regional dialling code to an 0800 number can help your small business or freelance work appear national in scope. In our contemporary, high-tech economy, many small businesses and freelancers can and do provide services to those well outside of their regional dialling codes. In this sense, acquiring a Freephone 0800 number may simply be a way to reach more potential customers.
If your business or freelance work relies on requests or calls from potentially interested customers, buying an 0800 number is a quick and easy way to increase the volume of calls you or your company receives. According to startups.co.uk, research implies that “providing an 0800 number to your customers can increase enquiries by as much as 175%,” and other sources argue that companies can expect up to 300% boosts in calls. Freephone 0800 numbers are free for all callers to call, including mobile callers and conventional landlines. In much the same way that many types of businesses offer free consultations, assessments, or first appointments, it can be attractive to potential customers to allow them to inquire about your goods or services at no cost.
Similarly, many freelancers and small businesses rely on close relationships with repeat customers. One potentially unexpected benefit of acquiring and using a Freephone 0800 number lies in the fact that 0800 numbers are widely seen as signifying professionalism and customer service. Most people in the UK recognize 0800 numbers, and one blogger cites the Henley Centre’s 2004 report “Back to the Future,” which argues that 71% of consumers believe that businesses with a Freephone 0800 number care about their customers – a higher number than those with regional or other kinds of calling codes.
Freephone 0800 numbers can also be a way to distance your work from your private life. Many freelancers and small business owners use their real names to advertise their companies, and many experience understandable hesitations about publicizing private, potentially sensitive information such as their phone number. If you would like to avoid advertising your home or mobile phone number, but would also like to avoid the hassle (and expense) of keeping track of two separate cell phones or landlines, a Freephone 0800 number that redirects calls to a personal line may be beneficial for you.