That's when I realized we sometimes still live in the past. A time when you could get your business name or a clever phrase spelled out with what us old telecom geeks called "a vanity number" (think 555-SALE or 8XX-MY-HOME). Finding the perfect set of words would make us think we were the cat's pajamas. But don't waste your money - those days are gone! And here's why:
- More than ever people are turning to smart phones (think iphone, droid, blackberry). Although there are shortcut keys around this - callers want numbers, not words.
- Many users are opting to bypass the traditional land line all together in place of mobile phones only and using Internet calling tools like Skype.
- If we do happened to be at home, who has the time to do the K=5 spelling? Your customers would much rather dial than play the hunt and peck game.
To help ensure your customers can easily reach you I suggest the following:
- Prominently display your numerical phone number on your home page as well as the contact page of your website (and if the layout can support it - on every page!).
- If you still dig/own a vanity number that's cool - just make sure you display all of the numbers below or next to the vanity number so customers have a choice as to which way to dial.
- Make sure your numbers are visible enough for the small hand-held laptops, notebooks and mobile devices on which they will be seen.
