City Spotlight: Birmingham

As a proud Brummie (that’s a resident of Birmingham to our international visitors) and with it being the home to City Numbers HQ, I thought it was only right to kick-off our series of UK city spotlights with Birmingham.

    • The UK’s second biggest city in terms of population, it’s also a thriving business hub, vital to the British economy, and in the next few years is only set to become even more important. So with that in mind, here are a few points you need to know about business in Birmingham…
    • Outside of London, Birmingham had the biggest number of start-up businesses in the UK in 2014 with 18,337 being established in the city according to Start Up Britain.
    • The technology explosion of the last few years has seen the sector expand in most major cities and Birmingham is no exception. It’s estimated by Visit Birmingham that the Greater Birmingham area now employs nearly 40,000 people in 6,000 technology focused businesses.
    • One of Birmingham’s biggest industries is its bling! The Jewellery Quarter produces 40% of the UK’s jewellery and is one of the largest jewellery producing areas on the European continent. It’s been this way for hundreds of year now. [1]
    • Some of Britain’s most famous brands and businesses either originated or have their headquarters here, including Cadbury, Lloyds bank, Jaguar Land Rover and Odeon cinemas.

birmingham

  • Virgin Media recently announced it will create 6,000 jobs as part of its investment in its broadband infrastructure. Nearly a quarter of these jobs will be based here (1400).
  • As its increasing importance as a bustling cultural and economic hub is recognised, the number of transport links that are being implemented to better connect Birmingham to both the North and South of the country increases. Despite the very mixed public reaction to HS2 (high-speed rail link), if it goes ahead as planned in 2017, it will mean people can travel between London and Birmingham in a record 49 minutes; a journey that currently takes on average around an hour and a half. HS2 Ltd’s headquarters are also based in the city.
  • Routes to and from the city’s major airport, Birmingham Airport, are set to increase throughout 2015. Having recently announced that January was its busiest January in history (nearly 600,000 passengers passing through), American Airlines will now fly direct daily between New York’s JFK and Birmingham. Emirates is also starting a third daily flight to Dubai. These routes to major global destinations complement existing ones to European business hubs such as Frankfurt, Zurich and Paris.
  • It was recently named one of the most sustainable cities in the world according to The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index, ahead of places such as Tokyo. The index, which measures the social, environmental and economic aspects of cities, put Birmingham at 18, slightly behind Manchester (14) and London (2). 18 must be Birmingham’s lucky number as this was also its position in a 2014 list of business travel destinations compiled by Egencia.
  • The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is one of Britain’s busiest business conference centres, hosting more than 200,000 conferences every year.[2]

Did you know?

  • Some famous musical acts from the region include Black Sabbath, Duran Duran and UB40.
  • The city’s canal network has 56 kilometres of waterways; more than Venice. [3]
  • It’s the youngest city in Europe with 40% of the population under 25. [4]
  • British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (1937 – 1940) was born in Birmingham and it was where legendary author J.R.R. Tolkein spent most of his early years. Certain areas are said to have inspired his books.
  • There are over 30 other Birmingham’s around the world in places such as America, Australia and Ireland. But there’s only one original!

If your business isn’t based in Birmingham, but you’d like a virtual presence there today by acquiring a local 0121 number, then let us know – we’re here to help.

[1] Birmingham City Council, http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/jq
[2] Birmingham Post, http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/business-news/birmingham-business-facts-20-things-8430017
[3] Visit Birmingham, http://visitbirmingham.com/media-centre/facts-and-stats/
[4] Birmingham Toolkit, http://birminghamtoolkit.com/birmingham-facts/youthfulness

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Money talks, but banks don’t?

Craig Busst - City NumbersAn article on the BBC recently highlighted that two new banks don’t allow for customers to contact them by phone. Durham based Atom, and Fidor, a German bank, are trying to revolutionise the customer and bank relationship by providing communication channels that don’t involve the human voice. Atom is arguing the future is mobile and app based when it comes to talking to your bank (even though it does have a call centre, but one that only takes technical queries). Meanwhile, Fidor believes strongly in the power of social media when speaking to customers, and aims to put the fun back into banking.

Now, I’m all in favour of businesses using the latest technology and innovative techniques to enhance the customer relationship. But when it comes to something as important as money, there’s no way that it’s acceptable to not have a phone service in place for customers to dial, particularly if these are banks that don’t have a bricks and mortar presence on the high street. And what is ‘fun’ about banking?!

Your average punter is fiercely protective of their money and when they need to air a grievance, or need some help getting their finances in order, they often want the reassurance of a human voice at the other end of the line to manage the process. Finance related inquiries can be long-winded, complex and technical with all sort of personal information flying around, and sometimes the phone is the only practical way to have this kind of conversation.

Calling is still a necessity

A recent survey carried out by NICE Systems – which looked at consumer satisfaction with customer service channels – found that if given a choice, 88% would choose to connect with a customer service representative over the phone. I’m not saying don’t have social media and online comms lines, I’m just saying don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

“alienating a potentially lucrative market just seems like poor business sense”

Here’s a scenario for you to consider. Say you use your credit or debit card abroad and suddenly it gets blocked by the bank as a fraud precaution. What happens if you don’t have an Internet connection and the only way you can communicate depends on the Internet? When you consider phone coverage, be it landline or mobile is considerably more comprehensive than Internet accessibility, then only being able to connect with your bank via online chat applications or social media channels, becomes a pretty flawed premise. And you don’t even have to be abroad for this type of thing to happen, some parts of the country still have trouble getting 2G coverage, so what happens there when a telephone is the only way to contact your bank?

Not accessible to the elderly

Not having a phone number in place can also eliminate a whole demographic of individuals as customers. Fair enough if these banks are trying to appeal to a more youthful demographic, but what about elderly people who are only willing to deal with banks via tried and trusted methods? Apart from anything else, alienating a potentially lucrative market just seems like poor business sense.

Are premium rates the problem?

One of my theories about what has caused these new banks to do away with phone numbers, is the usual gripes consumers have about  the use of premium rate numbers by banks and the amount of time customers can be left waiting on the line for an operative to assist them. Many bank call centres have these numbers in place as a way to fund the call centre, but the average customer resents footing the bill, particularly when they may not be at fault for an issue on their account.

Even when premium rate charges have been removed, you can bet your bottom dollar its impact on the customer elsewhere. For instance, current accounts could have higher charges and credit cards higher interest rates.  The mad thing is, social media, apps and online chat functionality also needs to be monitored by similarly qualified professionals, so the bank is unlikely to be saving much by pushing people to communicate only via these channels.

The phone is the key to great customer service

Social media, mobile apps and online banking are brilliant tools for improving the banking experience for customers and making their lives so much easier. But the phone is an absolute must for maintaining the customer relationship. Customer service can be tough at the best of times and there is no end to the public’s frustrations with banks, but by not offering a staple component of the customer relations mix, it’s doing everyone a disservice.

My bank will be pleased to know that until these young pretenders are willing to talk to me on my terms, I won’t be switching my account any time soon.

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Don’t let your business take a battering from the bad weather

citynumbers-snow-carThe weather at this time of year can show no mercy when it comes to your business. Blanket snow across the north and Scotland, along with heavy winds and the icy cold around the rest of the country, can be incredibly disruptive when trying to kick-off the early part of the year with a bang. In 2010 for example, when a freeze hit the UK, the Office of National Statistics stated that the economy shrank by 0.5%.

Retail business models need customers to visit their stores, business deals may be dependent on a face-to-face client meetings at an office; but when Mother Nature decides to give us the cold shoulder, doing either can be impossible.

Of course customers may be able to shop online and clients can pick up the phone, but if it’s your staff who risk having the problem of getting to work, then you might be snookered. Trains don’t run to schedule at the best of times and some of Britain’s busiest roads better resemble a car park at rush hour, but when the snow and ice hit, the country grinds to a screeching halt.

You can’t control the weather, but there’s no excuse for not preparing for every eventuality by putting the correct tools and procedures in place so businesses can continue to function effectively. (despite the conditions). Here are a few bits of advice and suggestions that can come in handy when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

  • Ensure your business has a home working policy in place: When staff can’t reach the office, plans must be there to guide them prior to crises such as bad weather. Whose job will it be to inform suppliers the office won’t be open to accept deliveries? Who will rearrange meetings for days when the weather is better? Points such as these need to be sorted well before the crisis happens. It’s also worth investigating employment policies on severe weather conditions so you can understand legally what is required of employees during these times.
  • Divert your calls: Sleet and snow won’t stop customers wanting to ask questions over the phone or clients wanting to discuss complex business deals. But if you can’t get to the office, how are you going to answer the phone? Simple – use call divert. If you’re forced to work from home you can have calls diverted to any number you like such as your home phone or mobile number, meaning you won’t lose any important orders or business deals. It’s a handy tool to have in place all year round and will ensure you never miss a call. Speak to one of our team about online management and how to divert your calls in an emergency.
  • Audio conferencing: If employees need to hold a crisis meeting to discuss any immediate business concerns or priorities for the day in the absence of being able to be present in the office boardroom, then an audio conferencing service is the way to go in addressing this issue. We offer a secure service available 24 hour a day, so whenever there is a crisis, employees can easily communicate via dialling into the system.
  • A number says everything: Every business should appear an established, polished enterprise and the phone number a company uses can say a lot about it. Local numbers can be used by companies who want to appeal to an area of the UK where they don’t have a physical presence. So if it’s flooded or snowing where you are, that doesn’t mean it is where some of your customers might be. Having that local number in place won’t turn any prospective custom away and will ensure profits can still be maximised even when the areas around HQ are in turmoil.
  • Fax to email: Make no mistake, the fax is well and truly still alive and in some more heavily regulated industries, it’s an essential for legal documents. Internet faxing means you can send and receive faxes via email so your important business documents can be received anywhere, even when you can’t access the office fax machine when trapped away from the office.

The weather in the UK is truly amazing. We experience four diverse seasons and find ourselves talking about the weather every day. On the other hand it can have a major impact on your business. Leaves can stop trains, snow and ice make journeys impossible, rain floods our towns and villages and the sun makes us want to work from the park. Don’t fear how the weather will impact your company – embrace the technology that will allow your business to be flexible and flourish when conditions are extreme. Speak to us today about disaster recovery and flexible routing of your calls.

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Three Mobile Make it FREE to Call 0800 Numbers

One of the UK’s leading mobile phone networks is today (18th March) making it free for its customers to call 0800 numbers.

0800 Numbers Free With Three

Three is leading the way in making 0800 numbers a truly ‘free phone number’ to call. This is well in advance of a scheduled industry change that is being pushed through in June 2015. This offer is available to new customers but don’t panic if you have been with Three for a while as there is a way that you can sign up to this as an existing customer (visit Three’s website for further details). Continue reading

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Are 0800 Numbers Free to Call?



Here in the UK we like to call our toll-free numbers a Freephone number because “Free” is a word we like to hear! Using a UK 0800 number to advertise your business will increase customer response rates and give your company a well-established and trusted reputation. For this purpose, the number range is suited to companies that want to encourage callers; in particular, small start-up businesses. Continue reading

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The Benefits Of Our Online Management Service

What a lot of people don’t realise about City Numbers, is that as well as providing exclusive 0844 and 0800 numbers, we also offer a wide range of additional services to assist your business in monitoring your customer engagement. One of the services we offer is a complete online management system, allowing you to view vital statistics about your incoming calls live, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Continue reading

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Ofcom Still In Consultation Over 0800 Numbers

The Ofcom consultation over 0800 numbers, which we first reported on in our blog last May, is still raging on. The premise is that Ofcom wish to make 0800 numbers free to call from mobiles as well as landlines. The governing body say it is a step towards tackling consumer confusion over call charges. Continue reading

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0500 Numbers Will Soon Die!

If you have a 0500 number as a contact number for your business then you had better take note!

Consultation is currently under way for the withdrawal of the 0500 free phone number range. The 0500 number range is a legacy batch of numbers that were initially allocated to Mercury Communications in the early 1980’s (recently was Cable & Wireless and is now Vodafone). 0500 numbers are classed as free phone numbers and work in the same way as a 0800 or 0808 number. Continue reading

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Non Geographic Phone Numbers Explained

A non-local phone number can give your business added credibility and increase the number of customers who call, but as more and more types of number prefixes become commonplace, business owners are sometimes confused as to which provides the best solution for their needs.

So here’s a quick guide to explain a few of the most common non geographic phone numbers: Continue reading

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Be Prepared With Disaster Recovery

City Numbers ‘Disaster Recovery’ (DR) service allows customers to forward their existing landline, ISDN or NGN number to the City Numbers DR platform. This enables calls to be forwarded to alternative multiple mobile or landline numbers. These can be set to call the new numbers simultaneously, in sequence, round robin, etc. Continue reading

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