Author: Direct Numbers Team

Direct Numbers are specialists in providing quality numbers and virtual call handling services to businesses of all sizes in the UK. Our numbers and services are all hosted in the cloud so this means no expensive in-house kit is needed.

You can access all our cloud services by using our online management tool to give you full access to your numbers, services and call stats. Take control of your customer calls today.

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Direct Numbers

Freephone Numbers – Free At Last!

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Businesses have thought for a long time that having a freephone contact number is a great way to entice people to call them.  It’s certainly more attractive to the consumer than calling a service charge number, like 0871 or 0845, and also as its a non-geographic number, it can help your company appeal to a national audience.  The only downside to this is that most members of the public generally tend to make calls using their mobile phones, and the network providers have been charging quite a large sum in order to call a number which you have intended to be free.  This has seen the emergence and the success of 03 numbers.  They are charged at a local rate from landlines, and are covered as part of the free minutes packages that are included in bundle deals and mobile minutes packages.

However, from July 1st 2015, the regulators of the industry, OFCOM, have announced that
free will finally mean FREE.  0800 and 0808 numbers will be non-chargeable to the customer when they call from mobile phones.  This is great news not only for your customers, but also for businesses that may have suffered from a loss in calls due to people not wanting to use their mobile to enquire about their services.  This change should encourage more companies to use freephone numbers.  Not only are they now completely customer friendly, but virtually hosted 080 numbers can provide a plethora of call handling services, such as IVR, call queuing, call whisper, as well as being able to manage this all online with a dedicated portal.  These features can give your business a professional appearance, as well as providing you with an easier call management system, especially if you are advertising your business with a mobile phone number.

For more information on 080 or 03 numbers, please visit www.directnumbers.co.uk.

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Direct Numbers

B.Y.O.D: A Growing Initiative

Given the time of year, you could be forgiven for turning up at work with a nice bottle of red having misheard someone in the office telling you to B.Y.O.D. in to work tomorrow, however give it a few months and this acronym might be a policy heard commonly in the workplace.  B.Y.O.D. stands for “bring your own device”, a new initiative being implemented by some companies across a number of industries.  It allows employees to use their own laptops or phones in the workplace to access company data or receive emails to their iPhones.  Given the rate in which our technology improves, most people usually have better equipment at home than they use in the office, and of course are more comfortable using it.

Of course, this initiative has divided opinions; on the one hand you have the company security and data protection to consider, and on the other this resourcefulness will save companies a tidy sum on their technology overheads.  The general consensus about the idea as a whole is that it IS going to happen, and governing bodies have already started issuing guidelines, as well as informing enterprises to put B.Y.O.D. policies in place.  A balance of cost efficiency and security could be hard to find.

Seeing as this is a blog from Telecoms company, it was inevitable that we would end up talking about something industry specific eventually, but a good example of the equilibrium can be found in FMC technology.  Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) is a feature of the N-Connect VoIP phone system that allows employees to use their mobile phone as a device coupled to their office phone extension.  Handy if you are out of the office or working from home, but more applicably it can provide the sense of balance companies need when considering B.Y.O.D.  It saves money, as colleagues trying to reach an employee at home don’t have to call mobile numbers; they simply dial the internal office extension number for that person.  There is no need for a company mobile phone, as the employee is using their own smartphone, and calls made through the application are charged through your main office VoIP system.  The application is also voice encrypted with Secure Real Time Transport Protocol (SRTP), meaning that it is safeguarded when transferring multimedia content via network structures, as well as an ever changing cryptography key when making calls.

Well, we did say it was a good example!  For more information regarding the N-Connect VoIP phone systems featuring FMC, please visit our new website, at www.directfromthecloud.co.uk

 

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Direct Numbers

Olympia Business Show – A Thank You

So, the exhibition season is over for 2014, and it was definitely a lot of fun as well as hard work!  The final leg of the ‘Direct Numbers On Tour’ expedition saw us arrive in Olympia on Wednesday afternoon to set up our stand and get a sneak preview at what everyone else was doing, and once we were done we could not wait to get started the following morning.  The Prysm Group had certainly put a lot into the organisation of this huge event which attracted over 25,000 visitors over the 2 days, including the very successful “speed networking” and “tweet to meet”  functions which culminated in meeting some wonderful likeminded people.

Direct Numbers would like to thank everybody that came to visit our stand, and all the people involved in making this a very successful business show.  We are pleased to announce that we have a winner of the Kindle HD Fire raffle that we held, and of the hundreds of business cards that we took away with us, it was lucky Deborah McPhilemy of Teddys Inc that was selected to receive the prize.  Well done and congratulations.

We hope to see you at more exhibitions at Olympia in the future.

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Direct Numbers

Flexible Working: Happier Staff Could Mean Higher Costs

Good news for employees with hectic schedules!  You are allowed to ask your boss for a flexible working programme to help give a better work life balance under a new legislation that came into play on June 30th 2014.  You have to have been employed for longer than 26 weeks at the company you work for, and as long as your request isn’t a detriment to the business objectives then there should be no reason for your request to be declined.  Of course, if you are business owner, then you will need to evaluate some of the long term changes this may have on your investment.  A big example* that has been written about recently is the rise in telephony costs due to employees who now have to contact colleagues by calling their mobile numbers.  It’s a problem that a lot of small businesses have not planned for long term, and certainly not something that would have been planned for when making the flexible work agreement with their employees.

So, what can we do about it?  Well, in the telecoms industry, voice over IP (or VoIP as it’s more affectionately known) telephone systems are really beginning to gather huge momentum.  Hosted in the cloud, these telephone systems put your business firmly in control of it telecoms, and one of the great features that exists is the Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC).  This allows your employee to add their smartphone as a registered device on their personal extension.  They can then make and receive calls from their own DDI as if they were sat in the office.  All external calls would go through the phone system as normal, but all internal calls from other colleagues would be free, just like they normally would in the office!  All that is needed is to download the app and you are away!  VoIP systems can generally save you money on your phone bills anyway, but additional savings on calling colleagues on mobile networks is a great long term solution if you are thinking of granting your employees the flexibility you both need for a greater work life balance.

 *Source: http://bit.ly/commsdealerarticle

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Direct Numbers

Phoning The Dentist Doesn’t Have To Be A Pain

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For most people, a trip to the dentist is usually synonymous with fear; a big drill going towards your mouth, days of pain to follow, and unless you are going through the NHS, an empty bank account to boot.  Doctors surgeries are a similar example in terms of what patients experience when they go there.  Some of the frustration for patients is the difficulty in getting an appointment in the first place, and this is where a good phone system can really help.  Quite a few of our customers are surgeries, both doctors and dental, and what is even more interesting is that they all seem to use our product in the same way.  They have all elected to choose a local geographical phone number, and not too surprisingly they are configuring their cloud based phone systems in the same way, using almost identical features.

 

Now, we all know how difficult it can be to call your doctors surgery to try and arrange a visit, especially first thing in the morning.  You either get the ringing tone for what seems like an eternity, or even worse than that, the dreaded engaged tone which results in hanging up and hitting redial button furiously until you hear actual ringing.  The interactive voice response system (IVR) allows patients to be greeted into a virtual waiting room, and are given a number of options, one of them usually being appointments.  Pressing this will then activate the call queuing feature, which allows you to tell your patients where they are in the queue, expected waiting time, as well apologies for the delay in answering.  You can even play some music instead of the ringing tone, and all of this can be uploaded from a PC or laptop.  You get to choose how to welcome your patients and customise their experience, and it is no surprise to see this trend flourish in this segment of our customer base.

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Direct Numbers

Should You Move To The Cloud?

Tablet in a cloudIf you are completely fed up with blinking error lights and being on hold for technical support services, it could be a sign that you are ready to move your phone server to a cloud solution. No more bulky and expensive equipment taking up space in your already crowded IT room, which only ever breaks down when the technical personnel are on annual leave, and the freedom to expand and edit when you need to. You don’t have to wait until you are at the end of your tether though, here are some other signs your business is ready to move into the virtual world:

Business is booming and customer traffic is increasing: The phones are ringing and your staff are rushed off their feet, which is great news, but making sure you optimise these opportunities is vital. With a hosted phone system, you can add departments to an IVR, extra extensions, time of day routing requirements and call queuing options all with the click of a mouse. Augmentation of these services is all in real time, which will mean no costly downtime for your business.

You have multiple offices, or you are moving location: Ever spoken to a company with numerous offices and found that one was more organised and helpful than another? It’s not a good reputation to have as a company, and you would rather your customers and suppliers have the same experience no matter where they called. Through just one number you can route your calls to wherever you like, with the same intro message, and no one will be any the wiser. If you are moving premises then this is the perfect time to move your phone service to the cloud. The facility is fully scalable, so adding users in the future is free and easy and saves lots of money on new onsite equipment.

The contract for your onsite system is close to expiry: It won’t be long until the highly talented sales team from you current provider comes calling, fully armed with an arsenal of retention statements and charming witticisms. If you haven’t already started to look at another solution, chances are you’ll be tied in to a new contract before you know it. The monetary value of moving to the cloud can be judged by how easy and malleable it is to use, how cheap it is to run, and how simple it is to expand your network when you need to; not to mention that this is normally free to do.

Most modern businesses are now using cloud based servers for phones, data storage, video conferencing and even sharing calendars between offices. It is fast making onsite servers a thing of the past, and saving businesses plenty of money. A move to the cloud will help any size business become more connected, more flexible to growth needs and hopefully more prosperous as a result.

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Direct Numbers

Are Consumers STILL paying more to speak to customer service?

Most people are now aware that in June 2014, The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) enforced a change to stop companies charging consumers to call customer service lines beginning with 084/087.  Most companies have done this already, and some are still in the process of the switch over, but have the changes been misinterpreted?  Sales lines are still permitted to carry an 084/087 prefix, as are technical support lines and even business to business calls.  So why do some companies still have these numbers for post sales enquiries?

Let’s use British Airways as an example.  They are continuing to use 084 numbers for their customer relations department, for changing details on already paid for tickets and even for help with your delayed luggage.  In fairness, there is still some discrepancy as to how the BIS rule changes completely effect certain industries; travel being one of them along with the financial sector that don’t have to fully adhere to these  conversions.  However, you would think in a corporate world of global brand recognition and a huge consumer client base that companies such as these would use the eradication of these lavish numbers as a selling point.  One thing we do know is that with the power of social media and the internet, it will not be long before the collective voice of the consumer tests the moral fibre of the big businesses.

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Direct Numbers

Retail: What Does Your Phone Number Say To Your Customers?

Retail
Let’s be honest; we’ve all done it.  We have all sat on the phone for an inordinate amount of time, bemoaning the cost of the call to whichever particular retail outfit just so happened to have supplied the appliance which is now spewing water all over your new kitchen floor.  Hearing how important your call is at that moment in time…well, l’ll let you choose your own metaphor to depict the furious anger you feel as a customer.  But what about your thoughts as a retailer?  How can you make the whole experience better for the end user?  Well, it all begins with the phone number…

Most retailers are now aware of the change in regulation regarding 084/087 numbers.  No longer is it permitted to have these prefixes for customer service lines, meaning consumers are only ever upset about the actual problem they are calling you about and not the additional cost to them.  Already a better starting point.  As a result of this regulation change, a lot of businesses have begun the migration to the 03 prefix, notably most of the big high street banks.  03 numbers are the same price to call as 01/02 numbers, so therefore are covered in most free minutes packages from the mobile networks.  So why the big fuss about 03?

As well as saving your customers money on the cost of their calls, 03 numbers are not just the starting point for contacting your organisation.  These virtual numbers route your calls to any UK number you want, and they come with cloud based telecoms services!  It seems the days of having the big phone system bolt on that sits in your server room until it needs an expensive service, or replacing for twice the cost of the first one, has been finally been eradicated.  Now you can pick your own phone number, and using just your computer, are able to log in to an online portal where you can manage everything from how long the phone rings to setting up advanced Interactive Voice Response systems.  The best bit?  Most of this cost is covered in your monthly rental!

To give you an idea, these services come with the purchase of an 03 number:

  • Call Queuing
  • Call Whisper
  • Fax to Email
  • Hunt Groups
  • IVR Call Handing
  • Multi Outdial
  • One to One routing
  • Time of Day Routing
  • Online Management
  • Call Recording (£10 + VAT per month additional cost)
  • Audio Conferencing (£10 + VAT per month additional cost)

You can record all of the messages you want your customers to hear, and upload them in seconds.  The result is a real time phone management system that can only improve customer experience and keeps frustration down to a minimum.  The reporting tool can also be used to drill down to the finest detail; so you will be able to confirm exactly how many times Mrs Brown has called you today to let you know she is really not happy with the way the delivery driver closed her gate.  Your phone number, your introduction message, your hold music; it’s the very first point of contact anyone has with your business.  It makes sense to have total control.  03 is the magic number for 2014 in the retail sector.

 

 

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Direct Numbers

Still Advertising Your Business With a Mobile Number?

As a telephone number provider, we come across a lot of small businesses that use a mobile phone number as their main point of contact.  Usually this pertains to the trade industries such as plumbers, electricians and aerial engineers, but can be as diverse as mobile hair or nail salons and even children’s entertainers!  ! Whatever your business may be, advertising your business with either a local  geographical number, or a non-geographical business number (03/08) can be very advantageous in comparison to your mobile phone.Mobile Phone For Business Here are a few reasons why:

The Look

If you are a small business and all of your customers are local, then most people when flicking through a search engine for your services will generally call a local land line number.  It’s the same if you are appealing to a national audience; mobile phone numbers just don’t look national.  The look of your number can really affect how many calls you receive.  Some older generation customers who call from landlines will be more willing to call a business number to save on cost; just look at BT’s rates.  It also gives the image of a company who have been in business for a while, which is great for new businesses and important during these times of economic instability.

Bringing a touch of 21st Century 

Maybe the biggest benefit of routing your calls through a business number are the cloud based services you have access to.  It’s not just the look and feel of a large business, or the local appeal to your customers (depending on your demographic), but did you know these numbers come with free services such as call queuing that lets your customers know when you are already on a call or you are busy?  Pretty handy when you are up a ladder or in the middle of blow drying somebodies hair!  You can choose to use your own voice, a friends, or even let us do it for you.  All of these options are stored online in “the cloud” where you have full control and access to them.  All the calls still come to your mobile phone, and the call whisper feature will even tell you that it’s a business call before you connect to your client.

All in all, making a simple change from advertising your mobile number can bring additional calls, revenue and efficiency to your small business.  Using innovative cloud based services with dedicated account managers and customer service could help revolutionise the way your company is perceived by your customers.

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5 Benefits of using a 03 Number

2014 growthThe new UK Wide non-geographic 03 numbers are a great choice for your business, charity or government organisation. These numbers are definitely here to stay and have become the number of choice. So why should my organisation switch to 03?

 

1)    The EU Consumer Directive states that from 13th June 2014, the majority of companies using 084 and 087 numbers for their customer service and complaint helpdesks will need to switch these numbers to a number that charges no more than a 01/02 geographic landline number. 03 numbers are the popular alternative to take over from 084 and 087 numbers.

 

2)    03 numbers are consumer friendly and the best number for your customers to use to contact you as callers are charged the same as calling an 01/02 number. Meaning that if you currently get free minutes to call a geographic landline then the 03 number will be included. So no high call costs on your landline and mobile phone bills.

 

3)    03 numbers are not fixed to any geographic location giving your customers a UK wide number to replace the more expensive to call 0845 number.

 

4)    A number that is here to stay and that will grow with your business. 03 numbers are permanent and you can use them to divert your calls if changing office, telephone number or setting up further phone lines as your business expands. Like a mobile phone number you can take it with you!

 

5)    Get more than just a number with Direct Numbers. All our numbers come packed with Call Handling features designed to professionalise your business. Use our portal to monitor your call stats, change where your number targets or set up advanced services like IVR (Interactive Voice Response) or Call Queuing.

Direct Number Customer Support Team