0800 NHS and GP Surgery Numbers

Make it easy & free for callers to contact you by using a 0800 number

The Department of Health concluded a consultation on a proposal to ban use of expensive telephone numbers in the NHS. In response to the consultation, which ended in March 2009, The Department of Health ruled that patients should not have to pay more to call their GP or other NHS services than they would to call a geographic (01 or 02 or 03) number. Many GP surgeries and PCT numbers continue to operate 0844 numbers which can be costly for the general public when calling on a mobile phone.

0800 Telephone Numbers and Customer Service

The public prefers to call free phone 0800 numbers when making sales enquiries, complaints and so forth and by offering them a free call you can get them onside much more easily than you would were they to be left wondering how much it is costing them to call you. This makes customer service a much more straightforward task, and with professional call management features such as call hunt you can make sure that they are connected to an available agent as quickly and efficiently as possible which serves to further streamline their experience. Other features such as interactive voice response are useful both for out-of-hours calls or when the customer can find the information they need simply by typing into their phone or answering automated questions about their query.

There are a range of options available to reduce call costs for your service users. Ofcom has proposed changes to 0800 numbers which will eventually make them free to call from a mobile as well as from a landline making this number range a much more attractive choice. The 03 number range has also been introduced as a number service aimed specifically at public bodies and not for profit organisations with calls costing no more than a call to an 01 or 02 number even from a mobile.

It is also possible to convert your geographic landline number starting 01 or 02 into a virtual number that offers all the professional call handling features of an 08 number and costs your callers only the rate of a local call. This offers GP Surgeries and PCTs a number of choices that provide service users with a cost-effective means of contact. One of our telecoms consultants will be happy to talk through the pros and cons of these with you.

Using an 0800, 03 or virtual 01 or 02 number with 08UK you automatically then have the ability to apply call handling packages onto your number giving you a range of incredibly useful 'virtual switchboard' services. It's all about giving your service users the most professional service when they take the trouble to call you. Useful features include automated greetings and out-of-hour diversion to mobiles, ensuring that you never miss important calls.

08UK services include:

1. Welcome Message, Greet every caller with a message and routing options.
   
   
2. Time of day handling: divert calls to different numbers depending on the time of day.
   
   
3. Simultaneous call handling: deal with multiple inbound calls simultaneously
   
   
4. Customisable online call data reports: see at a glance where your calls are coming from
   
   
5. Emergency or out of hours divert to mobile facility: divert calls, never miss an important call
   
   
6. Route calls to multiple destinations by % Ratio: eg 10% to one number, 90% to another.
   
   
7. Divert calls to international destinations
   
   

Call 0800 692 4444 to speak to a UK business telephone number consultant. If calling from a mobile you can use 0330 30 31 444 for a local rate call, or email new@0800uk.co.uk

Find out why we only use tier one carriers to deliver your 0800 calls here

0800 Numbers
Features & Benefits

• Non-Geographic National Presence
• Route calls anywhere in UK or abroad with 0800 numbers
• Unify & Control Caller Experience
• Disaster Recovery Plan Automatically Route Engaged & Unanswered Calls
• Promote 0800 Calls Monthly
• Free for Caller from UK landline

How to Get a New
0800 Number Live Today

• > Choose your 0800 number
• > Give us your details
• > We send/email you agreement
• > You fax / post back today
• > We connect your 0800 today
• > We set up web portal

0800 Numbers

• Standard Free Set Up
• (Fees for Gold 0800 Numbers)
• Zero Monthly Rental
• Minimum charges do apply


• Pay from 3.75p/minute, 30 day term
  (Equivalent to £2.25 Hour/line)

• Welcome / Out of Hours Message

• Route to Multiple Destinations