Getting started with servicenumbers This free ebook is produced by Call Factory - Europe's specialist in Premium-rate and Freephone telephone numbers
Welcome You are about to join an increasing number of organisations who are getting more out of their customer contact because they use national, freephone or premium-rate telephone numbers. We have seen a tremendous increase in interest in these servicenumbers over recent years. This has led to more frequent questions about what these numbers are, how they differ from regular phone numbers, or how to register and set up your own service phone number. In this ebook we will answer these, and many more of the most frequent questions that new and future servicenumber owners have. After reading this ebook, you will know what types of numbers exist, which type is best suited for your organisations' needs, how to find and select the ideal number for your organisation, where and how to register the number of your choice and how to set it up. If you have any questions that are not covered in this ebook, or would like to talk to a specialist about registering and setting up your own service telephone number, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service desk. We can be reached by email at post@callfactory.eu or by phone at +31 70 7709050.
What is a servicenumber? The simplest possible answer to that question would be that servicenumbers are telephone numbers, which are used to provide some sort of service. What service is provided with a particular number, depends on who the owner of the number is. Callers can, for example, get answers to questions about products or services, place an order or access their bank account. These are just a few examples of the types of services that are provided using servicenumbers. An important benefit of servicenumbers is that they are virtual telephone numbers. That is, all calls to these numbers are routed to your existing, regular telephone. This routing happens extremely fast so callers do not notice it. Service telephone numbers work with your existing telephone setup. So you do not need to get a new telephone line or new, special telephone hardware to get started. All you need is your existing landline or mobile telephone. Another benefit of virtual numbers is the extensive set of extra features that are included. As a number owner, you can use pre-recorded messages to welcome callers, but also a virtual receptionist, call recording, voice2email and much more. These extra features are made possible by our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. This same IVR system allows us to build intelligent routing solutions. As a result, callers reach the right person within your organisation faster and more efficiently than ever before.
BELSERVER 1 1 2 2 3 3 BELSERVER BELSERVER 4 Exactly how the IVR handles an incoming call depends on many factors: the day of the week, the time of day, where the caller is physically located, and much more. The Call Factory IVR can be configured completely according to your needs, ensuring that every call gets handled exactly as you want it to. In short, a servicenumber is actually a kind of telephonenumber-plus, allowing you to completely customise the way it works according to your own needs. Did you know that you can turn almost any telephonenumber into a servicenumber? In the next chapter, we'll look at what types of number there are.
Types of servicenumbers In the early days of telephony, many countries used special three-digit codes for certain services. There was one code you would dial for emergencies, another would give you the exact time and a third one would tell you the weather forecast. As more and more organisations showed interested in registering such codes to operate their own services, specific number ranges had to be reserved. And that is how we now have national number ranges, freephone number ranges and premium-rate number ranges, among others. For historical reasons, the exact ranges that are used for these types of numbers differ slightly from country to country. This makes it practically impossible to "just get the same number in every country". How do you know what type of number is most suitable for your needs? In the following overview, we will explain the most important differences between the most-used number types and why you might choose one over the other.
Freephone numbers Freephone numbers are extremely popular with callers because calls are always free of charge to the caller. This keeps the barrier to calling low, guaranteeing you get the maximum number of calls. Consequently, this type of numbers is most used for situations in which it is essential for the number owner to take away as many obstacles for callers as possible. Sometimes this type of numbers is also used as a loss leader: think of a free number to order pizza or a taxi, for example. You can find more information about freephone numbers on our website. Premium numbers Different from freephone numbers, which are always free of charge to callers, premium-rate numbers have a call tariff that is set by you, the number owner. Some number owners choose to use a low tariff, comparable to a normal call rate. Others use a slightly higher rate to cover operating costs of the servicenumber, while again others use a tariff that lets them make a profit on the service they provide. Tariffs can be set per call or per minute. Every month, after deduction of fees and expense, any remaining income from calls is transferred to the number owner. The maximum tariff that can be charged is different from country-to-country. Our specialists can tell you more about what tariffs are possible in the country or countries you are interested in. More information about premium-rate numbers can be found on our website. National numbers Depending on the country, there may be several types of national numbers you can choose from. Some types of national or nation-wide numbers have prefixes that resemble a freephone or premium-rate number, while another type resembles local telephone numbers. What these two types have in common is that these numbers are not connected to a specific geographic region, and that callers never pay more than the rate for a regular, local telephone call. This combines a low barrier to calling, with lower operating costs. National numbers are very popular with webshops, freelancers, start-ups and other small scale organisations, but also with larger organisations. You can find more information about national numbers on our website.
Local numbers We already said that almost any telephone number can be used as a servicenumber. Even telephone numbers with a regular prefix can be used as a virtual number. This creates a bond of trust with your callers because you are part of their local community, and at the same time you can make use of all the extra features that servicenumbers enjoy. Call Factory can provide local numbers in many larger cities in most countries around the world. Please visit our website if you would like to know more, or contact one of our experts. Numbers abroad Do you do business abroad? Having a local service telephone number is one of the first steps to establishing a successful business in a new market or country. Having a local service phone number makes it cheaper and easier for potential customers to call you, and lets you show just how much you appreciate their business. Call Factory offers a choice of numbers in all of Europe as well as around the world. Please contact one of our experts if you would like to know more about numbers abroad. As you can see there is a wide variety of types of numbers that can be used as a servicenumber. What all these numbers have in common is that the Call Factory provides these with an extensive package of extra features.
Compare number types On our website we have provided a clear overview of the different types of telephone numbers that we have mentioned so far. There, you will find a table that displays the similarities and the differences between these number types very clearly. You can find the number type overview at: http://www.call-factory.eu/compare-numbertypes Now that you've made your choice What you'll need to do next depends on the type of number you have chosen. If you decided that a local number is the most suitable type of servicenumber for you, than you can skip straight ahead to the chapter on registering your number. With local numbers it is, unfortunately, not possible at this point to select a number from a list of available numbers. More on how to file the application for your number, you'll find in the chapter Registering your servicenumber. If you have decided that you want a freephone, premium-rate or national number, than the next step is to select the actual number you want. When making your choice, it is important to select a number that is, above all, memorable.
Finding a memorable number The importance of choosing a memorable number can not be over-estimated. Often, callers are not at the phone when they see or hear a number, so being able to recall a number greatly helps callers once they start dialling. Also, having a telephone number that is easy to remember re-enforces a positive connection to your organisation and brand. This reflects in caller's attitude towards your employees during the call. We can distinguish two different types of memorable numbers: so-called beautiful numbers and vanity numbers. In the next section we'll talk about the difference between these two and how to decide which one is best for you.
Beautiful numbers Beautiful numbers are what we call telephone numbers where the numbers form repeating patterns or sequences that are easy to recognise. This greatly helps to make a number memorable. Some examples are 0800-09 99 099 or 0900-11 11 234. For many countries around the world, Call Factory can provide these beautiful numbers. Please contact one of our experts if you are interested in registering a beautiful number for your organisation. Vanity numbers This is really big in some countries, including the U.S., but not so well known yet in many European countries. Vanity numbers or "name dialing" as it is also sometimes called, allows you to convert a phonenumber into a word. And so the caller only needs to remember the word. Name-dialing works by mapping every key on your telephone to three or four letters. Pressing a key is like typing any of these letters. Together, the digits dialed form a word, brandname or slogan. Since words are easier to remember than strings of digits, vanity or namenumbers create easy to remember telephone numbers. You can read more about what vanity numbers are and how it works in this article. The Call Factory can provide vanity numbers in many countries worldwide, If you are interested in registering a vanity number for your company, please contact one of our experts.
Registering your servicenumber Now that you have made a choice of the type of servicenumber that is most suitable for your organisation and have maybe even picked a specific number, you are probably wondering how to register your preferred number. There are two ways to do this: the hard way and the smart way. In this section we'll walk you through both methods.
The hard way In most countries, anyone can register his or her own servicenumber. This will not be any cheaper than letting Call Factory handle the registration for you, but you will have to do a lot of extra work and, due to the complexities of application procedures in many countries, the risk of running into needless delays can be quite serious. This is why, under normal circumstances, we do not recommend handling your own application. If, despite these warning, you still want to go ahead, here's what you'll have to do. 1. Each country has its own national registration agency, normally run by a relevant government organisation. You will need to contact the relevant organisation in the country where you would like to register your number. Most of these organisations have a website where you can download the application forms. 2. The application forms will ask for quite a bit of information you are expected to provide to get your application processed. Pay close attention to what is asked and be thorough in answering. Providing incomplete or the wrong kind of information can cause your application to be returned to you with more questions, leading to a delay in getting your registration processed and your number assigned. 3. In most countries your registration should take three to four weeks to be processed if everything is fine. Once your number has been registered, you will need to find a provider to connect your number and make it accessible for callers. This usually takes about a week. Does that sound too slow to you? Some countries provide urgent or fast processing procedures, but be prepared to pay heavily for these. Hundreds of euros just to get your application processed a few days faster is not an exception. It is easy to see how a tight planning and a few minor oversights when filing your registration can cause a considerable delay, a lot of frustration and can end up costing you real money.
The smart way As we have seen, handling your servicenumber registration by yourself is not impossible, but you should be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort. You can, of course, save this time and effort, and spare yourself the frustration by letting Call Factory handle the registration for you. Call Factory provides this as a free service to its customers, and our experts will make sure that your registration is filed and approved as quickly as possible. Registering your number through Call Factory is easy and quick. All you have to do is let one of our experts know what type of number you are looking for and in what country, and we ll let you know what is available. When you ve made your choice, one of our experts will work with you to prepare the application. We will do all the heavy-lifting for you and file the application on your behalf with the relevant number registration authority. Years of experience in preparing and handling number registrations means that our experts get registrations approved at the first try, saving you time, money and frustration. While your registration is being processed by the registration authority, we will make sure all extra features are set up correctly. That way your number will function perfectly from the day it is activated. If you have any questions about registering your servicenumber, please don't hesitate to contact us.
After the registration has been filed Now that your registration has been sent in, it is time to start thinking about how you'd like to have your number set up. We will look at some of the most important decisions to make in this chapter.
Setting up your servicenumber Who will be handling incoming phone calls? What extra functionality are your going to need to route all incoming calls perfectly? Will you use extra features like call queueing, voice2email or callrecording? We have dedicated an entire ebook called Making the most of your servicenumber to these questions. Download your free copy here. Marketing your numbers You are about to start using your new service telephone number and, of course, you can't wait to tell the world! Out advise, however, is to wait until the registration has been formally confirmed and the number is registered in your name. After all, you do want to communicate the right number, don't you? Now is a good time to plan your communication of the new number. Where should the new number be mentioned? Do you need to have new business cards or letterhead printed? What about your website and the signature of your email? On our website you will find articles where we provide tips about these and other, related questions.
Conclusion We hope that after reading this ebook, you have enough information to chose the right service telephone number for your organisation. If you have any further questions or you would like to go over the registration with one of our experts, then please don't hesitate to contact us. You can call us on weekdays, between 8.30 and 17.30 CET on +31 70 7709050. We thank you for your time and interest and look forward to welcoming you as a customer at Call Factory.