Your thoughts on a phone numer please...

[crazihos]

We have a new site launching soon that will be marketed by a PPC firm, we are wondering how much customer confidence having a big 0800 number on the homepage will bring.

If we can get away without a number it would be better for us as we could do without the staff issues but do you think not having one would affect our online application numbers (we would still have a 0800 number on the contact us page but this would be for enq's only rather than an application line).

I would hope most people would ignore a phonenumber when there is a short application form below it. http://www.inspiredfinance.co.uk

Id love to hear your thoughts on this as I know phone numbers are an issue for affiliates so you prob have some interesting views?

Cheers

Russell

[Itchy]

Sales Phones numbers being displayed by a merchant is a big pile of pants IMO
affiliates work hard to send traffic to a site, some even pay to send them to a site so to see a large or even small phone number saying sales hotline ring us on blah blah blah and we'll save money by not paying commission to the affiliate or the affiliate company.... just takes the p*ss ...... but there are some exceptions

The only time I use merchants with numbers displayed is if they have good deals on products but merchants who live in cloud cuckoo land trying to flog same products at a higher price whilst displaying a number then that don’t get a lar la lar la lar lookin

and i havent even gone into the other things that gets me to go Grrrrrrr

[crazihos]

LOL - cheers itchy,

I know thats the affiliates point of view but I'm not having an affiliate program on it just yet (if I do the 0800 will go).

I'd like opinions based more from a consumers point of view if possible - will the 0800 number make much of a difference to our online apps or will it just give people more confidence to apply online?

[brendanfernandes]

The problem is that if a customer needs to contact you - for example, about a faulty item - then it's bad and wrong to make them pay for the call.

The real issue is whether customers are encouraged to order by phone. I think that this is what Itchy is referring to, and not the general principle of having an 0800 number at all.

There's a happy medium, which is to have an 0800 number but put it on the "contact us" page only. This way affiliates still get their fee, and customers with genuine queries or problems are not discouraged from calling.

[Itchy]

Originally Posted by brendanfernandes There's a happy medium, which is to have an 0800 number but put it on the "contact us" page only. This way affiliates still get their fee, and customers with genuine queries or problems are not discouraged from calling.

This i have no problem with its the sales number hotline bit i have a problem with

[pistol101]

You'll always have people who wont or can't order online. They will find the contact us page and a phone number. You really should allow people to purchase through it.

[thetafferboy]

the company Entacall offers very good priced marketing numbers. there is an option on there to have a free national rate call numbers, which you get paid for when customers ring you. you are allowed unlimited numbers, so you could set up a number for an affiliate and have that displayed on your site when the visitor comes from their url. you can then pay the affiliate the money you recieve from the phone enquiry. perhaps an 0800 number for only after sales enquires?

that's my incredibly long-winded solution

[brendanfernandes]

Originally Posted by pistol101 You'll always have people who wont or can't order online. They will find the contact us page and a phone number. You really should allow people to purchase through it.

Indeed, we just have a general 0800 number where customers can talk about anything they like. I'm always suspicious of companies that have seperate "sales" and "support" numbers. They often under-staff the "support" number.

In general, though, I feel that in most cases, it's a webmaster's job to minimise the number of calls they receive. If a site is easy to use, contains enough information, looks like a professional site, and service is good, there is little need for anybody to phone at all. Plus if it's an 0800 number then we're paying for the call, and the more the phone rings the more you have to pay staff to answer the phones.

[brendanfernandes]

Originally Posted by thetafferboy the company Entacall offers very good priced marketing numbers. there is an option on there to have a free national rate call numbers, which you get paid for when customers ring you. you are allowed unlimited numbers, so you could set up a number for an affiliate and have that displayed on your site when the visitor comes from their url. you can then pay the affiliate the money you recieve from the phone enquiry. perhaps an 0800 number for only after sales enquires? that's my incredibly long-winded solution

That would still irk customers, partly because all enquiries should be free, and partly because a single phone number gives customers the confidence that once you have their money, you would not become a second-class phone-citizen.

I think affiliates will understand the need for a discreetly-placed 0800 number. It is only right that a merchant should allow its customers to call them for free. No sane affiliate would demand poor customer service from its merchants!

[Gavinio]

Personally, i don't think it needs to be an 0800 number. Geographic numbers give me much more confidence as a consumer, plus if I'm calling from a mobile (or even, dare I say it - from work!) then an 0800 number costs the same to call as a landline.

An 0845 is a happy medium for you. 0800 = more calls = more staff costs.

Think of Ikea - make it easy for the customer to service themself, but if they really need you, you're there.

[mindblend]

Originally Posted by Gavinio An 0845 is a happy medium for you. 0800 = more calls = more staff costs.

i would agree with Gavinio on this, although it depends on how much customer response you are after for your money, and what your budget is.

Tafferboy's idea is also good. If you do ever sort out an aff program, giving your bigger affiliates a phone number, through which you can then track calls is feasable.

Drop me a line if you need any help with this.

Mike