5 things to look for when choosing a 1300 number

Many people who are new to the business world, specifically to the Inbound telecommunications world ask me what to look for when choosing a 1300 number for their business.

There are a few key points I always suggest, lets go through them now.

1. Work out your budget.  If you have no budget – your restricted to selecting a standard number from the public list.  This list has 2000+ numbers on it and you probably won’t find any numbers making words.  You will find some good numbers that rhyme, or have repeating numbers or sequences of numbers.
2. Smartnumber or not? Smartnumbers is a branch of the ACMA. It is their job to sell the premium 1300, 13 and 1800 services to the public.  They do this through auctions, and the reserve starts around $250.  This questions really ties back to Question 1 – do you have a budget.  If you have a budget and time to wait for the auction to finish (3-4 weeks) then go for it.  They look impressive and definitely have some hype attached to them in the market place.
3. Are some suppliers better than others?  Of course! Each different supplier has their selling points, but its likely they all use one of the main core networks.  I’m aware of Telstra, Optus, AAPT, Primus and GoTalk.  Some networks are based on VOIP, some aren’t. These are questions you should direct at your supplier.  My company focuses on high quality services, simple setup and explanations and personal service – these are the main selling points.
4. Why should I go 1300 over 1800? Well 1800 services are “generally” associated with community services and feedback services.  Also 1800 numbers are outside of most mobile cap plans and actually cost alot more to the caller than a 1300 service does and 1300 numbers generally work out to be slightly cheaper than 1800 numbers if your making use of the free time options for local callers to fixed line answer points.  There is a unsaid standard in the Australian marketplace that automatically associates 1300 numbers with business.
5. Hidden terms and conditions.  Unfortunately, there are some suppliers out there that will charge you for everything they possibly can.  Have a good read through the terms and conditions before you signup.  Being charged for invoices, charged for answer point changes or charged extra for normal included extra facilities on 1300 or 1800 numbers are the things to look out for.  It is quite normal for suppliers to have a direct debit requirement and penalties for late payment and direct debit dishonours as this is a general standard across Australian business.

Well I hope that has given you some food for thought. Please post any comments below – I would love to hear from you.