0900 Numbers. Premium Service or High Abhorrence Rate?
 |
|---|
01.02.2012 15:47:14 - Lately, 0900 Premium Rate Numbers are much discussed. Consumers complain about high calling rates and long call queues. Politicians also interfere and in many European countries are currently discussing possibilities to reduce the costs for Premium Rate Numbers. Companies, on the other hand, are worried about losing income if and when their Premium Rate Numbers can no longer be paid for. Keyword in all these discussions: customer service. TeleForwarding explains why it is this personal contact between customer and business that can help improve customer service and boost a company’s revenues.
(live-PR.com) - Since the rise of the internet, and most notably social media, encounters between people increasingly take place in the virtual world. A famous example is of course the Facebook network. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of this company, has said about the 900 million Facebook members: “The thing that we are trying to do at Facebook is just help people connect and
communicate more efficiently.” But exactly how efficient is this form of communication when people have a personal question or complaint? Facebook, in this case, refers to its helpdesk with lots of information and contact forms. Yet this does not always suffice, for what do you do when the answer to your question cannot be found here? Yes, you try calling! But, Facebook doesn’t have a customer service number. Nor do many other companies.
Companies that do own a customer service telephone number, often do so in the form of a Premium Rate 0900 number. Still, these numbers do not always function perfectly. The Dutch internet magazine, Managers Online, frequently analyzes corporate customer service and only last year published an article containing the greatest annoyances of consumers when calling a customer service number. It were mainly automatic self-service systems, such as complicated menus, long call queues and incompetent customer service employees that made people angry. The consequence of this bad service? People left or discontinued the used service.
Nowadays, even politicians are very busy thinking about the quality of 0900 Numbers. In 2010 TeleForwarding already published an article in which EU commissioner, Neelie Kroes, called for an EU wide telephone number, a single phone number that is accessible throughout Europe and so can simplify European trade. Last year, moreover, the European commission issued new directives regarding consumer rights. These directives have to be established in all EU member states come 2013 and also contain an article concerning ‘Communication by Telephone’. According to new regulations telephone communication can take place only at a basic rate. In other words: even in politics, people are concerned about the consumer and his or her right to freely communicate via media and telephone. By establishing maximum rates and regulating free call queues governments are trying to secure this right 1). (see also: www.teleforwarding.co.uk/en/news).
TeleForwarding supports these measures, but at the same time underlines that the most important thing is to bring back the human factor in communications and put the consumer back into the spotlight. Instead of endless discussions about new rules and regulations for 0900 rates and call queues, this company sees a much simpler solution in the Spanish example: the application of free service numbers. Many businesses might initially shrink back from the word ‘free’, for of course, money has to be made. But the article in the online magazine, Managers Online, referred to earlier in this article, clearly shows that bad customer service, delivered via expensive Premium Rate Numbers, can cost companies over 2,4 billion Euros a year, since it means losing customers and looking for new ones. These numbers apply to the Dutch market, meaning that the much bigger market in the UK will can count on more losses still. And, if 0900 Numbers can cost companies money, isn’t it possible that toll free phone numbers can help them earn it?
In the United States they certainly seem to think so. Indeed, in America almost all customer service contact takes place via toll free, freephone numbers “and why shouldn’t it?”, asks Hans Lasonder, CEO at TeleForwarding, “with a 00800/UIFN ( www.teleforwarding.co.uk/en/uifn) or 0800/ITFN number ( www.teleforwarding.co.uk/en/itfn), companies can be contacted free of charge. Furthermore, these numbers can be visible for customers as one single phone number in one or several countries (International Toll Free Numbers) or even in the entire world (Universal International Freephone Numbers). This provides clarity for the consumer and assures a better visibility for any company, thereby making it easier for its clients to find it.”
TeleForwarding, moreover, has many years of experience delivering and implementing these service numbers. This enables the company to deliver fast telephone scripts through high quality technologies, thereby optimizing the menus of free contact numbers which takes away a lot of the complaints about complicated menus and queues. Furthermore, since (0)0800 Freephone Numbers, or 0800 toll free numbers, ensure better contact with your customers, it will also help your company to quickly detect and solve problems when they do occur. This will make sure your services will continue to be valued and your customers will continue to be loyal. Which means: no losses, but profit!
Is your company currently facing the choice: toll free service numbers, or Premium Rate Services? Please contact TeleForwarding UK Ltd. and let us advise you. The employees of TeleForwarding can help you discover how, with a small investment, freephone numbers can help your business considerably improve its profits. In the current crisis, this must be music to any CEO’s ears; not a typical call queuing music, but the wonderful sounds of increasing growth. Take a look at www.teleforwarding.co.uk to find out more or contact one of our employees, toll free, under 00800 00123456.
Footnote:
1) This can be observed throughout Europe. In the Netherlands, a fixed rate for Premium Rate Numbers is currently under discussion; in Germany call queues have to be free of charge since November 2011; Belgium has decided that Premium Rate phone calls cannot last longer than 10 minutes and in Spain they have gone even further by making free service numbers obligatory.
|
|
Companies that do own a customer service telephone number, often do so in the form of a Premium Rate 0900 number. Still, these numbers do not always function perfectly. The Dutch internet magazine, Managers Online, frequently analyzes corporate customer service and only last year published an article containing the greatest annoyances of consumers when calling a customer service number. It were mainly automatic self-service systems, such as complicated menus, long call queues and incompetent customer service employees that made people angry. The consequence of this bad service? People left or discontinued the used service.
Nowadays, even politicians are very busy thinking about the quality of 0900 Numbers. In 2010 TeleForwarding already published an article in which EU commissioner, Neelie Kroes, called for an EU wide telephone number, a single phone number that is accessible throughout Europe and so can simplify European trade. Last year, moreover, the European commission issued new directives regarding consumer rights. These directives have to be established in all EU member states come 2013 and also contain an article concerning ‘Communication by Telephone’. According to new regulations telephone communication can take place only at a basic rate. In other words: even in politics, people are concerned about the consumer and his or her right to freely communicate via media and telephone. By establishing maximum rates and regulating free call queues governments are trying to secure this right 1). (see also: www.teleforwarding.co.uk/en/news).
TeleForwarding supports these measures, but at the same time underlines that the most important thing is to bring back the human factor in communications and put the consumer back into the spotlight. Instead of endless discussions about new rules and regulations for 0900 rates and call queues, this company sees a much simpler solution in the Spanish example: the application of free service numbers. Many businesses might initially shrink back from the word ‘free’, for of course, money has to be made. But the article in the online magazine, Managers Online, referred to earlier in this article, clearly shows that bad customer service, delivered via expensive Premium Rate Numbers, can cost companies over 2,4 billion Euros a year, since it means losing customers and looking for new ones. These numbers apply to the Dutch market, meaning that the much bigger market in the UK will can count on more losses still. And, if 0900 Numbers can cost companies money, isn’t it possible that toll free phone numbers can help them earn it?
In the United States they certainly seem to think so. Indeed, in America almost all customer service contact takes place via toll free, freephone numbers “and why shouldn’t it?”, asks Hans Lasonder, CEO at TeleForwarding, “with a 00800/UIFN ( www.teleforwarding.co.uk/en/uifn) or 0800/ITFN number ( www.teleforwarding.co.uk/en/itfn), companies can be contacted free of charge. Furthermore, these numbers can be visible for customers as one single phone number in one or several countries (International Toll Free Numbers) or even in the entire world (Universal International Freephone Numbers). This provides clarity for the consumer and assures a better visibility for any company, thereby making it easier for its clients to find it.”
TeleForwarding, moreover, has many years of experience delivering and implementing these service numbers. This enables the company to deliver fast telephone scripts through high quality technologies, thereby optimizing the menus of free contact numbers which takes away a lot of the complaints about complicated menus and queues. Furthermore, since (0)0800 Freephone Numbers, or 0800 toll free numbers, ensure better contact with your customers, it will also help your company to quickly detect and solve problems when they do occur. This will make sure your services will continue to be valued and your customers will continue to be loyal. Which means: no losses, but profit!
Is your company currently facing the choice: toll free service numbers, or Premium Rate Services? Please contact TeleForwarding UK Ltd. and let us advise you. The employees of TeleForwarding can help you discover how, with a small investment, freephone numbers can help your business considerably improve its profits. In the current crisis, this must be music to any CEO’s ears; not a typical call queuing music, but the wonderful sounds of increasing growth. Take a look at www.teleforwarding.co.uk to find out more or contact one of our employees, toll free, under 00800 00123456.
Footnote:
1) This can be observed throughout Europe. In the Netherlands, a fixed rate for Premium Rate Numbers is currently under discussion; in Germany call queues have to be free of charge since November 2011; Belgium has decided that Premium Rate phone calls cannot last longer than 10 minutes and in Spain they have gone even further by making free service numbers obligatory.
| Press Information: |
