Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost?
We charge a flat rate 99p per call received and the more you use us the lower we go. There is a minimum monthly account spend of £5.00. As long as your call charges are more than the minimum it's fine. If we had only received 3 calls @ 99p = £2.97 they would be charged an extra £2.03 up to the minimum monthly service spend.
Who will be answering my calls?
When you sign up you will be assigned to a small team of 4 people who will primarily be responsible for your calls. If they are all busy your call would overflow to another group, but typically the same four people will be answering your calls. We find this approach works much better than anyone of 100+ handlers answering because it provides a more intimate relationship with account. Your clients, suppliers and key contacts will be typically speaking to the same people and we truly become an extension of your team.
Do you charge VAT?
No. As a business we have been quite creative in our structure to avoid charging our clients VAT. Our input tax is minimal and the effect of adding an output tax on to our small business customer's fees would be dramatic as many are not registered.
What hours are available?
We operate 24-7. Our standard hours service operates 9-5pm, Monday to Friday. Any calls taken outside of normal working hours are charged at advertised rates.
Can messages be sent to different people?
Yes. You can set up multiple contacts i.e accounts, sales, etc. Each one can have different forwarding and messaging instructions.
What are the payment terms?
We operate a pre-pay service to avoid the costs associated with chasing smaller users for money. Top up payments can be made through our website or via bank transfer. Our system notifies by email when funds are running low.
How do I set up?
Use our online form to register as a client and set up your service information. It takes about 2 hours to become operational. We will forward the telephone number to use for calls, as soon as we have logged your details onto our system and performed necessary line & email tests.
I already have an advertised 08XX number, will this work?
Yes we can provide you with a number to route your 08xx number to either for all calls or just on busy and no reply.
Can I have a local 01 or 02 number to divert to?
Yes we can provide a standard number on almost any UK dialing prefix. However we charge a monthly fee (£5) for these lines because of the increased cost to us. Low volume users are usually better suited to diverting to the standard 0844 number provided.
Is there any contact period?
No. You have the freedom to leave the service at any time. We're sure that if we do a good job you will be happy to continue the relationship over time.
Can this be used just for holiday cover?
Yes. This can be used for any short term cover, although we do charge an additional setup fee of £25 plus calls which covers the administration cost. We do not charge this for our regular service because we recover the cost from ongoing revenue over time, which can not be achieved on short term contact.