The Power of 1-800 Numbers

The 1-800 numbers – they’re everywhere – billboards, storefronts,  advertisements, television, websites, business cards. In fact, it’s  pretty much a given that when you hit the “big time” you’ll need a toll  free number for your business. After all, are you really going to make  your customer foot the bill to contact you to spend money on your  product or service? Of course not.

A toll free  telephone number or free phone number is a telephone number that is  billed for all arriving calls instead of incurring charges to the  originating telephone subscriber. For the calling party, a call to a  toll free number from a landline is free of charge. Toll free numbers  allow callers to reach businesses and/or individuals without being  charged for the call. The charge for using a toll free number is paid by  the called party (the toll free subscriber) instead of the calling  party. Toll free numbers can be dialed directly to your business or  personal telephone line. 

A toll free Number gives a business a more professional appearance  and makes it easier for clients to contact the business and a free  number also provides a company with the potential to increase sales. 

But don’t just get a toll free number because it’s the right thing to  do. Get one because of what it can do for you. And today, that simple  number can do a lot more than you might think. Besides giving your  customers a way to contact you on your dime, here are some other  practical uses to consider: 

Get a toll free number from a toll free forwarding service and patch  calls through to any phone, anywhere, on the fly. Take customer calls on  your cell phone, at the office, at home or at your vacation home. Since  your customer always dials that same toll free number, you’re always  “in the office” as far as they’re concerned. 

Many toll free services provide call hunting and voicemail/fax  services via email at no extra charge. Why mess with a costly PBX phone  system and clunky fax machine when you can access your messages and  faxes from any internet connection? 

Toll free numbers are so affordable today that you can use them to  track the effectiveness of ad campaigns or promotional vehicles. For  example, use one number for your website, one for your yellow pages ad  and one for billboards. Now, tracking the performance of each item is  simple – just check your call logs on your online management page and  immediately see where most of your inquiries are originating from. 

Perception is half the battle when it comes to marketing. A toll free  number projects a corporate image. Many toll free service providers  also offer local numbers, which can be used to help you project a local  image as well. Many people prefer to do business with companies in their  own backyard. Acquiring local numbers from a toll free forwarding  company for each city you do business in (and having them all forward to  your main office) gives you a local presence without having to  physically be there. 

Flexibility is key when you are growing your company. What if you had  the opportunity to move your operations halfway across the country  because it would increase productivity threefold? Halfway across the  world? Having a forwarded toll free number maintains continuity with  your customers even if you’re moving every other month. Simply log onto  your online control panel and switch the destination number. You  wouldn’t even have to change your business cards. 

We all don’t want to think about it, but we need to prepare for it:  disaster recovery. It doesn’t have to be a major catastrophe – even a  small flood or fire could disable your ability to field phone calls or  do business in your office. A forwarded toll free number that’s simply  directed elsewhere ensures a seamless experience for your customer, even  if everything’s coming apart at the seams in your office. 

Although the toll-free number has been a fixture in Indian business  for some time, it has certainly come a long way. Thanks to technology  and innovation, these ubiquitous digits can do more for you than ever  before, at a price that’s a lot more affordable. In fact, why even wait  to hit the big time? Chances are a toll free number will actually help  you get there sooner.