Your view on 0861 numbers?
by Shane on 09/09/08 at 2:34 pm
11 comments
Here’s a little poll for the day.
Recently at the office we have been having a discussion around the perception of 0861 numbers vs. normal landline numbers – particularly in the context of e-commerce customer service.
With 0861 numbers (the caller pays for the full call at 65c per minute) and for customers in the know this can appear a bit ‘cheapskate’, but on a normal landline number customers would pay for the call anyway (depending on package).
At the end of the day it all comes down to perception.
An 0861 number may give the perception that you are phoning a call centre (everyone hates call centres). An 021 number can appear like you’re “small”, which could translate to “intimate”, or it could translate to, “can they cope with my order?”, and “do they deliver to JHB?”
So, what do you think?
(0860 numbers are also an option, but we’ll leave them out of it for now as its a pricy route to take.)
[The 0861 Ideate number doesn't exist by the way...give it a try though, you may get through to Zuma's personal residence.]
Shane Dryden is the 'Maven' at Ideate. The driving-force of Yuppiechef, Shane loves to write on advertising and innovation. He spots the non-obvious stuff behind the obvious, which seems obvious, but isn’t really that obvious (obviously). View more articles by Shane.
Fred
Sep 9th, 2008
I think that it’s the way to go…
1. you can move office without the stress of changing all your marketing materials
2. it’s convenient for people to remember
3. it gives impression that you plan to be around for a while (and go national)
We (World Wide Creative) have had 0861 WEBCAN for 2 years now, and it’s really handy. We’ve moved twice and it’s a load off not having to frantically reprint business cards each time.
I’ve only had one person moan about it – my brother – because he thought that he had to pay extra to phone me.
Andrew Smith
Sep 9th, 2008
If your brother is phoning from the same city as you he would be paying more for the call than if he had dialed the 021 number. There is a fixed cost to an 0861 number for the caller, regardless of the distance, and it is about the same as a national call, even if you are local.
It’s not a massive difference, but the perception (for those in the know) is that you are asking your customers to fund your fancy marketing number and convenience when you move.
This can be overcome by advertising your local number along with the 0861 number, but that dilutes the affect of looking national.
The alternative is an 0860 or 0800 number, but if you receive a lot of calls your phone bill will be big. However, it could be argued that you should cover the cost of a customer phoning you for a potential sale?
naeem
Sep 10th, 2008
How about having 011, 012 & 021
With number portability, I’m sure this could be possible – Makes you look big and established already!
Back here, we stick to our 011 & 031 for our Jhb & Kzn stores respectively.
However, in coming months, we will take out an 0861 number dedicated to a 12hour shift call centre.
JP van der Spuy
Sep 11th, 2008
I recently registered an 0861 number. Now you get a normal 0861 number and a Golden Number which basically means the number is setup to your taste, your company (customized 0861 number).
The thing is your options are pretty much limited. As you’ve mentioned, 021 just sounds very small and unprofessional, 0861 sounds like a call center and 0860 (pretty much sounds like a call center as well).
0860 is the expensive route (VERY) and 021 is definitely a no-no, unless you are a medium enterprise.
My definite choice would be 0861 with a golden number. Our current number being activated for http://www.mytrade.co.za is 0861 MyTrade just to give you an example of a Golden number.
Ultimately the reason for this post is that you want to move away from 021 and 0861 would be the best option then.
Theunis
Sep 13th, 2008
I think it is great that you can use a single number and redirect it to an area as needed e.g. Gauteng, KZN or whatever.
We got it as a very small company – with the nice word version – the only bother is that Telkom hits you hard on this services getting the ‘Golden’ number not only costs more when ordering (which I can somewhat understand) but also double each month.
Johan
Sep 22nd, 2008
Hi
This is an interesting conversation. The nice thing about a word number is that you can opt for a generic word number. For example; if you’re a florist you can choose 0861 Florist, if you’re a plumber you can choose 0861 Plumber.
You can choose this word number for your town, for your province or for the country.
This should make it less expensive if you only want it for your town.
A generic word number becomes a simple and effective branding tool. If you have a number, like 0861 Plumber and your opposition does not then you have the advantage.
Ok. I know that a generic word number is the way to go but it’s not the only way. Have a word number (relevant) is critical.
To add to this: The Americans has dubbed a new marketing triagle: The “Golden Triangle of Marketing”.
This is when your Phone Word Number matches your Company or Main Product Name AND your web site name. Let’s assume you are called InterFlorist, your word florist phone number is 0861 Florist and your web site name is http://www.InterFlorist.co.za. Now you create credibility.
The real strength is obviously memorability, portability but the fact that you can relay a word number to 180 unique destinations is significant for large businesses like motor car dealers and franchisors. I know of only one South African company that can do this. This company has also bought more than a 1000 generic word numbers.
Unfortunately most of the software at the moment only allow you 8 destinations. Telkom will then dump a call on the store in that area on a random basis.
Theunis
Sep 22nd, 2008
A quick observation – we trade in music so we picked 1 number + MUSIC – which makes it possible for someone to still get a MUSIC with another start number
but it still worked out quite well since our area code for the last 10 years was 012 we just made it 08612 which worked well in the end
and although a number alone won’t help a company with service levels – it is a step in the right way to make it easier for clients, just as a simple software helpdesk system helps
Theunis
Sep 22nd, 2008
posted too quickly
wanted to say that some of the examples was nice but won’t work since you sitting with a 6 digit/alpha limit
Mark
Oct 5th, 2008
Hi All,
Just a few other benefits of 0861 “Word” Telephone Numbers.
Word Numbers are 14 times easier to remember than regular phone numbers because people remember words much better than they do numbers. This means that you get the call rather than your competitors. Case studies have shown that using Word Numbers instead of phone numbers can increase advertising response rates by 290%.
Once someone knows your Word Number, he or she no longer needs to look you up, and your competitors will lose the opportunity to divert business away from you.
People are far more likely to remember your number than that of a competitor’s when asked for a recommendation by a friend or a family member: “Hey, I got great service from a company called ABC Plumbers the other day. You should give them a call! Just dial 0861-PLUMBERS.”
As advertising response rates rise, the cost of generating each lead drops. If you double your advertising response rate, you’re halving the cost of generating each lead. When people remember your Word Number after seeing an ad, they’re more likely to call.
As consumers become more aware of Word Numbers, many simply guess a company’s Word Number when they need a certain type of service. This is called ‘presumptive’ dialing and has been proven to generate leads and sales long after an advertising campaign has ended.
Every time someone dials a Word Number, they’re dialing word that describes the goods and services they’re looking to buy and it is your organisation that they will associate with that service.
Ian
Mar 27th, 2009
Obviously Mark works for word number provider!
Gavin
Jan 30th, 2011
There is nothing wrong in my mind with the credibility of 0861 numbers. Its much better then a cell number. The problem is that many people cannot dial 08 numbers on there switch board, or in our office this is true. If we wish to call an 0861 number we must ask the receptionist. If we are buying non work related items that could be a bit embarrassing.