MORE CUSTOMERS
How would you like to double or even triple the response to your marketing? After all, more replies gives you the chance to convert more customers!
Assuming that your marketing message and media are working, the best known way to get more prospective customers to call you is to use a 0800 Freephone Number for your marketing. Research has repeatedly shown that a freephone number can increase response dramatically. What’s more, by “keying” different marketing pieces with different freephone numbers, you can more accurately gauge the response to each campaign.
Sales Order Line
By using a Freephone Sales Order Line, you can also encourage existing customers to buy more from you.
A Freephone number allows customers to call you free of charge, you pay for the call. Freephone numbers begin with either 0800 or 0808, (some older ones begin 0500 but they are being phased out). A Freephone number simply attaches to your existing telephone line (so no new lines or equipment are needed). Your freephone number is in addition to your existing telephone number – it does not replace it. This means that you can use it selectively to bring in new business.
RAISE YOUR PROFILE
Linctel has a number of services to help you to raise your profile in the market place:
0845 Business Number
This works in a similar way to Freephone, the only difference being that the caller pays a set rate to call you from anywhere in the country. Linctel makes no charge to you for receiving calls, you just pay a modest annual fee for unlimited calls.
0844 Business Number
Used by many companies and some media to replace the less popular 0870 numbers, more and more smaller businesses are now adopting 0844 numbers to give themselves a National Profile.
IMPORTANT! From 1 July 2015 there are important changes to the way call costs to the caller are portrayed.
See http://www.ukcalling.info for more information.
BEAT THE COMPETITION
If you want to beat the competition, the best way is to ensure that customers call you first and then give them great service! Use a Freephone number to get them to call you first, research (and our own experience) has shown that up to 80% of people will call a freephone number in preference to a normal one. If you have a freephone number and your competitor doesn’t, who will get the call? Use your freephone as a sales order line too to increase sales.
BOOST CUSTOMER RETENTION
How long does your average customer stay with you? We all know how fickle customers can be these days – customer loyalty is no longer guaranteed!
Just delivering on your promise doesn’t do anymore, you have to exceed their expectations. No more so than in the area of customer service. One way to achieve this is by using a dedicated Customer Service Line – then making sure your customer service people treat the customers like gods!
Most good businesses use a dedicated number for their customer service line. You may wish to use use a freephone if your customers are really valuable to you.
LOWER PHONE BILLS
Everyone wants lower bills these day, after all one of the best ways to increase profits in business is to cut costs – we all know that. But you also know that cutting costs can affect quality and service. The real trick is to find ways of cutting costs while at the same time getting the same (or better) quality and service. Within the telecommunications industry there are a number of ways of achieving cost reductions:
Cram more calls down the same lines – known as compression – which inevitable leads to lower voice quality
Work your lines to full capacity, even though it means that often customers won’t be able to access the system. A bit like overbooking flights or hotels!
Negotiate volume discounts with larger well established national and international carriers
Invest in the latest technology to give increased quality at lower cost
Obviously the first two methods are going to lead to poor quality resulting in lots of calls to customer support, which leads to harrassed operators and customers with overall poor customer service as a result!
The second two methods result in lower operating costs, very high voice quality, wider variety of added value options, fast & seamless connection of calls leading to happier customers and considerably better customer service.
Surprisingly, there are still quite a few ‘cut price’ operators who have opted for the first two methods!!
Linctel, however, have applied the second two, We partner with some of the best carriers in the business who have invested billions of pounds in new telecoms networks to give the best possible quality of service. At the same time we use the combined purchasing power of all of our customers to get the kind of discount often only available to large mult-national corporations.
OUTSTANDING WEBSITES
A website is like a shop. It has to look good and be well laid out, it has to attract the customer in and it has to be easy for the customer to find what they want when they get there. You also have to advertise and promote your shop to make sure the customers know where to find you!
Anyone can produce a website using simple software and templates, just as anyone can decorate and stock a shop. However, when you look at the difference between a shop designed by an amateur and one designed by a professional shop designer – the difference stands out a mile. So it is with a website. Good design and layout, easy navigation and a sales message with impact are essential if your website is to be a true asset to your business.
Marketing your website is even more important than with a shop. A shop is at least visible to passers by! A website is less easy to discover by accident. Professional website marketing is essential to ensure that your investment in the creation of your website is not to be wasted.
Buying on-line is the target for many businesses. This involves the integration of shopping basket software, credit card services and secure data transmission – all must work perfectly if customer confidence is to be maintained. Don’t forget to display your freephone number on your website.
Whatever your Telecom needs, Linctel can provide the solution. Why not call us free on 0800 883 0663 to see how the “Linctel Effect” can significantly boost your business!
If you have any questions please call 0800 652 3200 and ask for Simon or contact us online.