Businesses dupe customers with area codes, says research
More than one in three businesses masquerade as having a presence in a city they are not actually located in – by having a different dialling code.
Research shows that 38% of numbers sold in 2009 by telephone answering service, Heart Communications had no relation to the actual location the company operates in. It sold 960 geographic numbers, with 364 having no relation to the actual relation of the company.
Heart said overseas businesses set up a UK telephone number but have no physical presence in the country. Other businesses also buy geographic numbers to test demand in other cities, without the risk or cost.
Its findings also found that many start-up businesses ask for a London ‘020’ dialling code, to give their brands credibility.
Bradley Vincent, Heart Communications operations director said: ‘We supply lots of 0207 numbers to small businesses that have set up in the countryside. As far as their customers are concerned, they’re dealing with an established company in the middle of the capital.
‘It sounds like a small thing, but having a central London telephone number inspires a great deal of confidence. For an increasing number of businesses the telephone number is merely another marketing tool.’
Tags: Call Answering, Call Centre, Call Centre Focus, Call Handling, CCF, Heart, Heart Communications, Message Taking, Telephone Answering, Virtual Reception, Virtual Receptionist