When establishing a new business or a new branch for an existing business, one item that should be near the top of your list is an easy, professional sounding phone number.
When I worked for Qwest the one thing I could do to make a customer happy was to provide them with an easy to remember phone number. I did so for two reasons: I knew that’s what I would want if I was setting up a new business and it added value to the services I was offering.
Back when the phone company was more of a monopoly, you had to pay for an easy number. Qwest charged an upfront and a monthly fee for an easy or custom number. In fact, we were instructed to offer a customer a choice of three phone numbers and then charge them a fee for each subsequent number inquiry.
As soon as I realized there was no way to monitor how many phone number inquiries I made for a customer, I made as many as necessary to secure them a business phone number that they liked.
What’s the best way to secure an easy number for your business phone service? If you’re a small business and are ordering business phone service, here are a few strategies to incorporate:
If you’re a larger business, it’s simple to secure an easy number. If you’re subscribing to a service, like a PRI, that allows the use of DID phone numbers – typically sold in blocks of 100 – order a sequential block. Securing a sequential block of 100 phone numbers guarantees you’ll receive a business phone number that ends with 00.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re shopping for a business phone service:
Establishing an easy phone number for your business phone service doesn’t guarantee anything but it is an important ingredient in the success of your business.