Every business, in this modern world, has a customer care centre that is incomplete without the use of a telephone number. It provides them with a direct way by which their clients/customers can communicate with them.
Most of the businesses located in the UK have now started to use international premium numbers in place of regular numbers. The popularity of premium UK numbers has surged up in the recent past because of the numerous benefits they offer. Due to the rise in their popularity, plenty of companies have surfaced as well that offer these premium numbers.
Wondering how these numbers differ from the regular ones and what benefits do they offer? This post has the answers to all your questions. Continue reading!
What is a Premium Rate Number?
A premium rate number is used for a telephone call with added features. The charges of calling this number are generally higher than normal numbers people have in the country. Another factor that sets these calls apart from normal calls is that the service provider receives a part of call charges.
Simply put, premium rate numbers work the same way as normal calls but their billing is different and they offer advance features to the users.
Benefits of Premium Rate Numbers
Now that you have understood what premium rate numbers are, let’s shed a light on some of the benefits they offer:
A Source of Revenue for Business
As stated above, every business entity has a telephone number as a way to keep in touch with their existing and potential customers. With a premium rate number, a telephone number of your business can prove to be a source of revenue. In most of the cases, apart from the initial cost, it requires no extra costs. Every time a customer/client calls a business, it adds to its revenues as the charges of making a call to a premium rate number are higher. Due to this high interconnection fee, a premium rate number can prove to be a viable source of revenue for the business.
Customization Options
With a premium rate number, you can get plenty of customization option. However, these options greatly vary with respect to service providers. Some companies allow the premium rate number solution to be installed on the server you own to run and manage your business. This way, extra features can be availed for its enhanced performance. The customization options can be enabled or disabled on the online portal the service provider will give you.
Some companies also provide customization options in term of pricing. You can either buy this solution by paying a one-time cost or on monthly basis, depending on your feasibility and whether the company offers this option or not.
Up to Date Information
Once a company has gotten a premium rate number, it can easily access up to date information related to the use of that number and its effectiveness. This is possible due to the live call reporting feature of this solution. Right from the number of calls to their duration and other vital information, you can get everything easily if you have a premium rate number in place from a reliable service provider.
It is to be noted that the information available differs from company to company. Therefore, it is advised to get know about all the information and features a premium rate number from the selected service provider will give you.
Professional Customer Care Services
For business entities, having a customer care centre has become inevitable in today’s times. If there is any query, the customer or client directly gets contacts the business via its customer care centre. Therefore, the quality of the services of every business’s customer care centre must be top-notch.
Not many people are unaware of the fact that a premium rate number can actually help their businesses in improving customer care services. Some business entities, due to budget constraints, are unable to invest in their customer care services. However, this issue can be resolved by having a premium rate number in place.
The extra revenues earned via this solution can be used for the purpose of improving the customer care centre and its operations. Thus, every time a potential customer will contact you with their questions, there will be high chances that they will turn into your regular customer. The ultimate result will be lead generation and increase in profit.
A Way to Market your Products/Services
Marketing, in today’s world, is important for every business to survive and thrive due to the cut-throat competition. Without marketing and branding, it can prove to be difficult for a company to sustain as it helps a company to spread its name.
Marketing campaigns, especially those conducted on a large scale, can prove to be quite expensive. This is mid and small-sized businesses often lag behind. If your business also falls in the mid or small-scale category, you can use a premium rate number for marketing purpose. With such a solution in place, there will be an added element of professionalism and authenticity to your company since premium rate numbers depict these elements.
This number encourages more and more people to inquire about the services/products a company offers. Therefore, not only the revenue will generate but marketing opportunities will be created as the customer care representatives can provide the clients/customers with vital information related to the products/services and other lucrative offers your company has for them.
Suitable for Every Type of Company
This solution has emerged out to be quite popular in entertainment, retail, education, and tech support industries and others. Thus, any type of company you own, belonging to any industry, a premium rate number can prove to be suitable for you.
It isn’t mandatory for a company to be large scale to have this solution. It is immensely beneficial for small and mid-sized companies as well.
It can specifically prove to be financially beneficial that receive a high number of calls per day. For example, companies that provide information related to the weather forecast, voting information related to TV shows etc.
A National Presence of the Company
Apart from adding an element of a professionalism to a company that has a premium rate number, it also gives it a national presence. In case of UK numbers, the location of the business is masked and they appear to have a national presence. Instead of having regular phone number starting with 01 or 02, a premium rate number in the UK begins with 08 and 09.
Customers/clients tend to trust such companies for buying products/service they require that has an authentic presence. Hence, your company will receive more calls due to a premium rate number and, as a result, more revenues will generate. Some companies can also have an international presence with the help of a premium rate number.
Availability of Advanced Features
A telephone number, in case of a premium rate number, becomes much more than merely being a channel to connect to a company. It can offer various advanced features that can help a company in various aspects. For example, some service providers offer a client web interface that can provide you with an overview of the service you are using and vital information related to it.
This interface also allows the user to administer their service. They can add, edit or remove certain numbers in case call routing option is enabled. Furthermore, if a company has fixed opening and closing hours, users can set the interface to receive calls only during a particular time frame, provided their service provider offers this feature.
No Technical Changes Required
Whether it is a premium rate number or a regular number, calls are routed in the same way. Thus, no technical changes are required if you are switching to a premium rate number for your company. The number also remains the same in case you ask yourself “Whose number is this ?”. It can either be mobile or a landline number. Any call made to this number, will be automatically delivered to the mobile/landline number you have. Furthermore, you can make calls from your number easily as well.
A Viable Way to Fund your Business
To sum it up, a premium rate number can be termed as a way to fund your business. Revenues generated via this method can be utilized for the growth of the business and to meet its certain financial requirements. However, for this to happen, the company for getting a premium rate number must be selected tactfully.
A Final Word
As stated above, the features and customization options vary from company to company. Thus, if you are planning to get a premium rate number, it is firmly advised to check in detail the perks various companies offer, limitations it has, and make the final selection accordingly. It is also important to note that the cost model also varies from company to company and the features they offer. This is the major reason why it is recommended to do some research in advance prior to finalizing on a particular company and getting a premium rate number for your business.