Say No to 0870!

MSE_Martin · 6 June 2004 at 4:51PM

This thread is specifically to discuss the content of the

Say No To 0870 article

To discuss or ask a question about this article: click the reply button.

Milarky · 6 June 2004 at 5:31PM

OneTel's site is full of information about these non-geographic call rates - look at this!

I assume every other telco will charge slightly differently for these - but it's gobsmackingly complicated [apart from the advice to boycott 0870/1 or 0844/5 numbers in the first place!] ::)

System · 7 June 2004 at 3:14PM

We have just changed to Sky and they have an 0870 number, how can we bring change to such a big organisation, as you say they can earn a lot of money from this. Is is better to email.

Please advise

Margaret Jones

System · 7 June 2004 at 7:02PM

Margaret,

I would suggest that the best way to contact companies who insist on using 0870 numbers is to write to them. They tend not to like this since it costs them much more to deal with customers by letter, but that in itself is a way of getting your own back! If they give an e-mail address then you can use that, but that does not cost them quite so much, so it is not such good revenge! if they use a web-based type of e-mail or a web ticketing system that costs them even less than normal e-mail.

The best thing surely is to avoid doing business with any company which only gives NGNs for contact - that's what I do?

System · 7 June 2004 at 7:47PM

Sorry Martin,

But having read your article referred to here, I must point out as in my previous post in the original thread that some agents are now paying just over 4 p per minute revenue for 0870 calls, not up to 2.5 p per minute as you state! See http://acommworld.com/ as one example.

pennymakespounds · 7 June 2004 at 8:07PM

a very fair point !!
If , as we know through people like 18866 that a minutes' landline call can sell at 1p per min (and they're making a profit out of that !) .... then for companies using 0870 .. at say 7p min ... where does the rest of the money go.... even if the retailer gets 2.5p or even 4p ?...who's making the rest of the money ?? ??

Dukes_of_hazard · 7 June 2004 at 9:15PM

I have just needed to speak to Sky customer services. I decided I would put the number found on https://www.saynoto0870.com to the test. I held for 13 minutes before I gave up and rang the 0870 number. My question was dealt with in under 1 minute !!!.
My point .... The number may still be available but they dont have to answer it !!!

I hope the next time I try a number from the site I have better luck.

Ross

theloft · 7 June 2004 at 9:29PM

drrdf 3 - guest This is a good idea but it doesn't work! These companies just do not bother to reply. I have even addressed letters to the chairman of some companies and still failed to get a response. Unfortunately they are all out to maximise profits in every way possble and 0870 is just another example. What is really annoying is when you get through on one of these numbers and you get all the preamble for about a minute and then you get 6 choices and then 4 more and sometimes even more after that. Then find you are only through to a call centre! The trouble is if you are already dealing with a company, Sky TV for instance, how else can you contact them if the alternate numbers don't work. That's why I use e-mail whenever I can, but this sometimes fails to get a response as well!
Any bright ideas anyone

??? >:(

System · 7 June 2004 at 11:49PM

Oh dear oh dear.

0870 numbers change frm company to company. Some companies go for revenue share, some just want low costs.

To get revenue share companies in general get at least 10,000 minutes of call per month.

Why do they go for non geographic numbers?

The reasons are varied -

for sure some like the idea of a small revenue - it helps them pay for a service most peopl expect "free" (computer help desks for example)

some wnt to be seen as a bigger company they are - if a phone number is lets say sheffield and you are in cornwall would you REALLY expect them to cover your area?

some want to use them for call distribution - call priority for good clients (the 80/20 rule) or call distribution in distributed call centres - so you get answered quicker.

They are also a good way to report quickly on how successful a campaign is.

And IN GENERAL you pay for a national call. Big deal. Anyone that can "save" £120 a year needs to get out more.

AND if someone has set up the client facing department correctly anyone that tries to ring the standard number will be sitting in a queue for a long time OR asked to ring on the contact centre number. This is because unless a call is place in the CC pilot group the stats get totally mucked up which is slf defeating for you the punter because they cannot schedule or respond to client demands.

So I realise that you may not want to pay for ANYTHING, and see no long term value in getting the cheapest rather than the best value but this whole article is self defeating.

Bttom line - bottom line costs are increasing and consumer demand getting higher with costs being suppressed. You have to pay one way or another. And 0870 numbers in the grand scheme of things is very very small.

Mra

PS - I sell call centre solutions by the way.

System · 7 June 2004 at 11:57PM

Okay - Auto Attendants as they are known. Very annoying when ot set up correctly but they can be effective for Contact centres that route calls based on agent skill.

Now available are speech attendants - so you ask for the name of the person or department. If you rang a cinema for example rather than go through the whole options you would just say "time for XXXX film" the times wouldbe read back then at anytime you could say "book 2 tickets for friday 7.30 showing of XXXXX film" it would then confirm the request and then ask for you credit card - superb !

Companies are startngto use this technology for staff to dial out as well as clients dialling in.

As regards new media interaction (or lack of it !) - the problem has been that whereas voice can be distributed on a number of perms. email and text chat has been a bit of a second class citizen. Modern Contact Centre will put new media correspondance into the same queue as voice so service should improve over time as this is adopted.

Hope that helps

I would add that companies have to earn a profit somehow !!!!

mra

Milarky · 8 June 2004 at 10:54AM

Mr A

Why should an 0870 call cost more than a geographic call? - that's the issue really.

Also, people do like to know what a call actually costs. Introducing two new codes 0845 and 0870 complicates the cost of phoning since the number of premutations rises from 6 to 12 (local, national, 0845, 0870 - daytime evening and weekend). 'Inclusive' packages sound attractive at first, but are really being sold on a false prospectus if non-geo numbers are excluded.

Businesses (et al) have a choice - the customer does not. If we follow your logic (the superficial attractions of having a non-geo number to look like a 'big' organisation to your customers) then why not just offer these '0870' numbers 'at cost' - but otherwise leave it to the business to decide how to respond to the calls?

No, there is no real justification for the 'creeping' introduction of these numbers - only rationalisations for the supposed 'benefits' to the customer. The price disparity is an issue - which is has been unaddressed by our regulatory system - but it won't go away. Businesses can (and should) absorb the cost of customers contacting them in non-revenue generating ways.

Say No to 0870!

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free