0845 Numbers on the Way Out

There has been a 7% decrease in the number of contact centres using 0845 numbers since new regulations were introduced in June 2014.

According to new research by Call Centre Helper, sponsored by NewVoiceMedia, the percentage of contact centres using 0845 numbers has fallen from 18% to 10% between 2014 and 2015.

The survey of over 600 contact centre professionals also revealed notable decreases in the use of 0844, 0870 and 0871 numbers.

This has largely been driven by the change in the law on 13th June 2014 – from which date it became illegal to provide an 0845, 0870 or similar number for a customer complaints line.

There has also been an increase of almost 7% (in the same timeframe) in the number of contact centres using 03 numbers.

This visible correlation may be caused by one of the core methods for compliance, namely switching 0845 numbers to their 0345 equivalent. In most cases, the legal owner of the 0845 number already owns the 0345 equivalent by default.

More companies are expected to make the switch in 2015

This shift is expected to continue throughout the year due to new Ofcom regulations which came into effect on 1st July 2015. The regulations state that companies using 084/087/09 numbers have a duty to their callers to declare the level of service charge that they have chosen to impose.

It is likely that many more companies will switch across to 03 numbers to avoid facing the poor publicity which will likely be associated with declaring high service charges.

Download ‘What Contact Centres Are Doing Right Now (2015 Edition)’ to find out more.