What difference does a phone number make to your business? | The Communication Blog

Saturday, June 18, 2011

What difference does a phone number make to your business?

By Larry Bosworth


Often, businesses are unsure about what kind of phone number will make the most commercial sense. They can choose to have a single number for all enquiries, or multiple numbers for different things. They may also need to decide whether to go with a Freephone number, a geographic number, or a local rate number. When it comes down to it, the needs of all businesses are unique, and different solutions will work for different organisations. One thing that is becoming increasingly popular, however, is geographic numbers.

Geographic numbers are popular as they serve to give businesses a local identity, which will encourage customers and clients to place their trust in the organisation more readily. Furthermore, people are often loath to call 08 numbers, especially if they're using a mobile phone.

For these reasons, many firms are thinking about scrapping their 08 sales numbers and simply reverting to the standard landline number assigned to them by their local exchange. The options, however, are far more diverse than this. Virtual local area numbers, which enable companies to choose memorable numbers, can be assigned and connected by specialist business phone line providers. This also allows a Newcastle number to be diverted to New York, for instance.

Other services specialist firms can set up include call recording, call forwarding and automated menu systems. The they can also put systems in place that allow you to track calls and collect statistics on them, which can be a real advantage for sales and marketing teams, as this data can be used to establish what's working and what isn't. Businesses can even list separate numbers on different pages on their websites so that they can get data on the search terms that are driving leads or sales. Additionally, companies with a nationwide client base that don't have physical offices all over the country can even set up unique local area numbers for numerous locations, making them seem less distant to customers.

Once objectives have been established, a business phone line specialist can implement a range of measures that can give companies a significant and quantifiable return on investment.




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