101 Non-Emergency Number Loses Funding

You may be aware that the government has abandoned direct funding for the Nationwide 101 Non-Emergency Number.

The 101 phone number was being piloted in certain areas around the UK to complement and take the pressure off 999 emergency services.

Around 10 million 999 calls to the police were made in 2004, yet an incredible 70% of these were not for genuine emergencies.

According to www.101.gov.uk not all problems need an emergency response, but many people call 999 because they don’t know what else to do.

Clearly the loss of the 101 phone number will impact heavily on our local communities and most emergency services are now adopting alternative non-emergency numbers to maintain public confidence and continue to take the pressure off 999 emergency services.

Many are turning to the new 0300 numbers, which have recently been released by Ofcom exclusively for government services. 03 numbers have already been widely acclaimed by many, including the national media and other key stakeholders, as the preferred phone number for the public sector.

This is reflected in Sir David Varney’s 2006 pre-budget report on transforming public service delivery, when he stated that;

“The launch by Ofcom of the new 0300 number range in 2007 presents government with a unique opportunity to implement a single number range to simplify access to government services. Reducing the number of published numbers and implementing a clear numbering and tariffing strategy across government would make access to public sector services less confusing to citizens and businesses and would be more effective for the taxpayer”.

The popularity of 03 numbers among the public sector is largely thanks to:

• The fact that they are so easy to remember. For example, Windsor Telecom hold the ‘0300 999’ range, so currently offer phone numbers, such as 0300 999 9999 or 0300 999 0000 etc.
• They cost the same to dial as standard 01 and 02 numbers and are easy and inexpensive to dial from mobile phones. Did you know that in 2007 35% of all calls made in the UK were on mobile phones? (Ofcom 2007).
• You can differentiate yourself from commercial companies, so the public are confident in who they are calling.
• They enable you to provide an efficient and cost effective service with internet based call management.
• 03 numbers also allow for call statistics to be produced so you can measure their success in terms of marketing and usage.
  

Watch this space for more information on non-emergency numbers in your area and learn more about 0300 numbers here.