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UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: gort on July 13, 2006, 05:38:40 pm

Title: Phone numbers
Post by: gort on July 13, 2006, 05:38:40 pm

Hi Has anyone any experience of how to use a telephone number when you live out of the STD code area that the number is in.

Thanks Rob

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: cleanability on July 13, 2006, 09:10:06 pm

Dont understand the question.
 Chris

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: Mike Halliday on July 13, 2006, 09:28:21 pm

you can have a virtual address at the exchange so you can have an area code number which is different from your home address number

Eg: I live in Hull (area code 01482 222675)

I can have a number in Hornsea (area code 01964 3423876) but this number is redirected to 01482 222675. the caller has no idea the call is being redirected

contact BT

hope this is what you are asking ;)

Mike

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: the red carpet on July 13, 2006, 09:32:18 pm

Im sure theres a cheaper way of doing it than through bt, i think there quite dear
theres agencies that give you a number for £15 and then £3 a month but i cant remember there name or find a link, it was spoke about on here not to long ago

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: john rees on July 13, 2006, 09:38:31 pm

try these http://www.buzznetworks.co.uk/  I find them great for my freephone numbers :)

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: craigp on July 14, 2006, 07:43:21 am

just like to warn people im currently changing provider of a free phone number cus of really bad line all the time custys can hardly hear me some times >:(

apparently some of the cheap en's use a internet connection for part of the call to save money thats what gives a poor line,

so make sure they dont do this before going with them.

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: craigp on July 14, 2006, 07:45:28 am

oh the bad ones are call08.com

im moving to planet-numbers.co.uk hopfully ill hav good line connections then.

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: gort on July 14, 2006, 09:30:02 pm

Hi mike what package do i ask for from bt. I know you can have call divert but you can have to have an address in the area to have the telephone box in i am not too sure about the exchange. If i know what it is called i can ask for it

thanks rob

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: Mike Halliday on July 14, 2006, 09:47:23 pm

Rob, to be truthful I can't remember, we did it years ago. I now use 0800 numbers diverted to my home number.

if you want to advertise out side your own area but look like a local company the use a 0800 number but underneath say

" we are a local family run company, we like  use a 0800 number because it allow us to pay for your call, this lets us take our time to give you all the information you need to chose the correct company to care for your carpets"

sounds a bit cheesy but it helps portray a professional image

Mike

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: the red carpet on July 14, 2006, 10:42:46 pm

Gort, i think you will find there called ghost numbers thats what i have heard them refered to in the past

I think you have three options

find someone in another area willing to connect a phone line for you in there house and then just divert the calls, you will have to pay line rental though wich i think is about £15 a month.

ask bt for the ghost number thing, but i was told its only for buisness users and costs around £500 to set up

or just use one of the forwarding agencies theres loads about do a search on google or somthing, as i say i think the going rates about £15 set up and then £3 a month plus call costs, by far the cheapest option

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: Andy Foster on July 14, 2006, 11:25:19 pm

You could try looking at www.skype.com (http://www.skype.com) and see their 'SkypeIn' product.  This allows you a landline number (limited areas at the moment though) and you can forward the calls to UK landlines or mobiles at very competitive rates.

Its something I am looking at as I expand into Birmingham... always good to appear to be local.

Just a thought.

Andy

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: carpetcleaning4u on July 14, 2006, 11:59:49 pm

Quote from: mike_halliday on July 14, 2006, 09:47:23 pm

Rob, to be truthful I can't remember, we did it years ago. I now use 0800 numbers diverted to my home number.

Mike

Hi Mike,

do you then have the (0800 number divereted to your home) then diverted mobile ? If so what are the costs  8)

Doug

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: Mike Halliday on July 15, 2006, 08:38:34 am

the divert to my home number is free the the divert to my mobile is the normal cost of calling a mobile from a land line, don't know what that is but its not an horrendous amount.

Mike

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: Neil Grainger on July 15, 2006, 09:55:12 am

Mike

who are you with ?

I use BT a moment but servie is still the best and never have problems but they are expensive compared to others.

Cheers

Neil

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: darren_metcalfe on July 15, 2006, 10:14:47 am

Hi,

I have just had experience of this as just moved from a local exchange.  I only moved 3 miles but it was a different exchange.  The cheapest and best from a customer service point of view (IMO) was to do the lot with BT.  I have a message on my old number which gives out my new number not ideal but this only costs £30 a quarter to divert the calls to new number was going to cost around £130.00 a quarter.  This message can be stopped at anytime.  It has saved me a few customers.

To stop this happening again (incase we move) I set up a freephone number (£30 a quarter).  I then have this diverted to a new landline number.  When I advertise I use the freephone and mobile and as said above let customers know you are local.

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: Mike Halliday on July 15, 2006, 10:40:33 am

Niel, the 0800 number is with Alphatalk, I might have not been clear about the cost,I pay  a set amount a year ( £175 I think) I  get so many minute free, I have never gone over these minute so after paying the yearly fee I paying nothing more so my call are 'free' ( although I've paid a yearly fee) hope this is clearer 8)

Mike

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: stevegunn on July 15, 2006, 10:53:10 am

Try these

http://www.smartnumbersuk.com/index-0800.asp

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: the red carpet on July 15, 2006, 09:41:20 pm

If i do repeat a y/p add next year allthough i doubt i will, i will definatley get one of these numbers.

every single job i have got of y/p has said that they rung me because i was local, there is two different area codes for my book so if i had a number with the other code in the add aswell in theory i would get double the calls.

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: David_Annable on July 15, 2006, 09:48:33 pm

Hi

IN YP if you have a local area code which is outside the area you actually live in they will still insist that you have you address in.

Wont they.

Dave

PS i have seen PO boxes used, but thats not fooling anybody is it.

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: the red carpet on July 15, 2006, 09:55:26 pm

Yeah your adress will be there at the bottom in small writting, but most just scan the page for a local area code and call, there not gonna read all the small print.

Also you put in your add the names of a few local towns with numbers underneath and then before you address you put "head office" so it apears to anyone reading the add that your a large established firm with a few branches

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: lynngc on July 17, 2006, 05:06:39 pm

could not resist this one guys

Title: Re: Phone numbers
Post by: stains-away on July 17, 2006, 11:47:56 pm

I use an 0800 from smartnumbers, tenner a month plus vat, 100 minutes of free calls a month, just put it out on a local directory with my local number in the small print underneath and checking through the call log more people have called the local number, early days yet but I'm monitoring it closely over the period of the ad, Andy