800response Infoline: February 2009

    Advertising Market Research & Toll-free Vanity 800 Numbers

The proof is in the research!

• Consumers have a 45% higher recall of toll-free vanity 800 numbers over URLs.

• As many as 40% of survey respondents cite “Research the Competition” as the first step they take after visiting an advertiser’s Web site.

• Less than 10% of respondents cite "Contact the Company" as their first step once on an advertiser's Web site.

• Advertisers can expect up to 84% improvement in consumer recall using a toll-free vanity 800 number in outdoor and print advertising vs. a numeric toll-free number.

• Consumers are 9x more likely to recall vanity 800 numbers in broadcast ads vs. numeric toll-free numbers.

• 72% of consumers correctly recalled a vanity 800 number after hearing one 30-second radio ad compared to just 5% who correctly recalled a numeric toll-free number.

• 60% of consumers prefer to dial a vanity 800 number vs. a numeric toll-free to reach a local business.

Read more toll-free vanity 800 number research studies!

    Customer Spotlight: 1-800-NEW-MILK

Dairy farm uses a vanity 800 number to boost calls and orders
for home delivery service:
“We had a numeric toll-free number in our ads for many years, but
it was too hard for people to remember. I knew we had to provide existing and new customers with an easier method of contacting us.”

“Our drivers have seen an increase in calls and orders since
featuring 1-800-NEW-MILK on their trucks."

--Director of Sales

Read the full case study on 800-NEW-MILK and more testimonials from customers and agency partners!

    Strong Customer Service Skills are Key in Today's Market

Strong customer service is a valuable asset, especially in today’s highly competitive marketplace. Here are a few steps you can take:

1. Keep sales and service staff trained:
It doesn’t matter whether a company has two or 200 employees, they must train everyone in the art of customer service. Your customers won't tolerate slow response, inaccurate information, or lack of attention - especially when they can go to the competition and get a better deal and better treatment. A major mistake is not training all employees on customer service guidelines. To hone customer service training techniques, make sure you have call recording software in place to monitor service staff and modify your training procedures. Then you can leverage your polished customer service skills to get ahead of the competition!

2. Be sure someone is available:
If you want to see repeat business, you need to be accessible to your customers. You're letting money walk out the door if it's too difficult for existing customers to get in contact with someone in your customer service department. Having a toll-free vanity 800 number that is easy to remember, and that rings right to the customer service hot line, will help your business avoid missing calls and keep your customers feeling appreciated and happy!

3. Keep good customer records:
If you keep referring to Jean (feminine spelling) Smith as Gene (masculine spelling) Smith you can be sure that she will not continue to do business with you in the future. While any business can make a mistake, misspelling names and similar foul-ups do not encourage regular customers to return. Implementing easy-to-use call tracking reports that come with a toll-free vanity 800 number will capture the names, addresses, and demographic information on incoming callers. You can easily download contacts directly from the online call tracking reports and merge those records into your existing customer database. This will avoid errors and keep your database clean and accurate!

Finally, make sure your team doesn’t forget the basics. "Please," "thank you," "we're sorry for the inconvenience," and others are simple phrases that cost nothing, take little effort, and win big points.

For more information on call tracking, call recording, and toll-free vanity 800 numbers for your business, contact us or call 800response at 1-800-NEW-SALES.