From June 2014 companies will no longer be able to provide 0845, 0844, 0870 or 09 numbers for customer services. As this may cause some confusion, we have put together a quick guide on how 084 and 087 numbers are changing.
The new laws are part of “The Consumer Rights Directive”, which states “Post-contract customer helplines must be charged to the consumer at no more than the basic rate for the telephone call.”
As the changes only affect customer service lines, you may wish to continue advertising an 084 or 087 number for sales. This is of course down to your discretion, but this would require you to offer multiple contact numbers for different departments. If you want to maintain your professional image we would recommend you consolidate all your contact numbers into one highly memorable 03 number.
| Which number do you use? | Do I need to make changes? |
|---|---|
| 0845 numbers | Can no longer be provided for customer services. These must be switched to an 03, or geographic 01 or 02 number. |
| 0844 / 0843 numbers | Can no longer be provided for customer services. These must be switched to an 03, or geographic 01 or 02 number. |
| 0870 / 0871 numbers | Can no longer be provided for customer services. These must be switched to an 03, or geographic 01 or 02 number. |
| 0800 numbers | You can keep your 0800 numbers as these are free to call from landlines. Though as they are up to 41p to call from mobiles you are recommended to move to an 03 number if you expect calls from mobiles. |
| 09 numbers | Can no longer be provided for customer services. These must be switched to an 03, or geographic 01 or 02 number. |
As with the numbers listed above, an 03 number is ‘non-geographic’, meaning that you can advertise your services nationwide and not just limit yourself to the local area.
In addition, as they are virtual numbers you can continue to provide call management services, such as call queues and ring groups that you may offer with an 08.
