You may have read in the news that from 1st May, T-Mobile is to introduce a flat-rate charge for its customers to call most 08 numbers. The numbers affected include 0870, 0871, 0872, 0843, 0844 and 0845 numbers and they will all cost 40 pence per minute for T-Mobile's customers.

Many organisations use these 0843 numbers to spain in order to smarten up the way they deal with their calls. Call management features like 'welcome messages' allow businesses to create a professional impression from the outset, whilst 'caller options' enable people to choose the department or person they would like to speak with e.g. "press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts" etc.

08 numbers also allow companies to keep one phone number for life as they can be re-routed to any landline or mobile. This makes them very popular for businesses when they relocate as it means they don't need to change stationery, letterheads etc. with their phone numbers on.

So, for companies that want to keep all of the benefits that 08 numbers offer AND offer all of their mobile callers great value - many are opting to use the new 03 phone numbers.

03 numbers were launched by Ofcom in 2007 and are exactly the same as 08-type numbers - apart from the cost to call them.

Here are 7 reasons why 03 numbers are so popular:

1. They cost the same to call as 01/02 numbers - even from a mobile (40% of all UK calls are from mobiles - Ofcom 2008). These transparent call costs mean they are ethical and trusted phone numbers.

2. Organisations can control where they receive their calls, by rerouting calls to their 03 numbers to any UK landline or even a mobile phone easily via the web/phone. This means they won't miss out on important sales calls and enquiries.

3. 03 numbers can easily move with the organisation if it relocates.

4. There is an extensive range of easy to remember 03 numbers available.

5. It's possible to see the geographic location of callers and the busy periods of the organisation using online call statistics packages.

6. Callers can be queued, meaning that all important calls will be answered.

7. They can often be inexpensive to run if you seek out the provider with the most competitive offering in the market.

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