Practical Sales Training™ > How To Connect With Your Buyer > The Freephone / Freepost Effect
The Freephone / Freepost Effect
Nobody likes paying to ask a question. So if a buyer has to spend money just to reach you, some of them simply won’t bother.
What Is It
The freephone freepost effect means letting clients contact you for free. It sounds like a small detail. But it still shapes how willing people are to get in touch.
Why Does It Work
It works because it follows the path of least resistance. Paying to make a call or send a letter always feels a bit odd to the person doing it. In fact, most buyers feel exactly the same way.
So when you remove that cost, you remove a barrier too. It also shows you’re genuinely willing to help, since you’ve made contact easy before they even ask.
How Can You Use It
Think about how your buyers currently reach you.
Set Up A Freephone Number
A freephone number covers the cost of every call. This works especially well if you deal with a lot of phone enquiries, since even small savings add up for the caller.
Offer A Freepost Address
A freepost address does the same job for post. It covers the stamp, so writing to you costs your client nothing at all.
When It Works Best
This works best when your buyers are used to paying for contact elsewhere. If your rivals all charge, even indirectly, then removing that cost makes you stand out fast.
It also works well for support heavy businesses, since frequent contact means the savings matter more to your clients over time.
When It Becomes Dangerous
This can backfire if it invites too much low value contact. A free line sometimes attracts more calls than a paid one, so you need the capacity to handle that volume.
It also loses its impact if buyers never even notice it’s free. So make sure the offer is visible, not just technically true.
Common Mistakes
Hiding The Free Option
If your freephone number is buried on a contact page, most people will never find it. So put it somewhere obvious instead.
Underestimating Call Volume
A free line can bring in more calls than expected. Plan your staffing properly, so the experience stays smooth once people start using it.
The Freephone / Freepost Effect – An Example
HMRC Switched To Freephone Numbers
HMRC moved many of its helplines to freephone 0300 numbers after public criticism. Before that, callers had to pay just to ask about their own taxes.
Most people felt that was unfair. So the switch to free contact lines reduced friction fast, and it also improved how the public saw HMRC as a result.
See also
- Catchall Email
- Memorable Phone Number
- Simple Email Address
- Simplified URL
- Start Here Domain
- Misspelt Domain
- DM Word
- QR Codes
