As the market is getting more competitive, businesses of all sizes implement new marketing techniques and strategies. Getting toll-free numbers for businesses has become an important option to keep the businesses adapt and sustain in the market.
All businesses require some form of communication channel that helps them communicate with their customers. Toll-free numbers can be very effective and valuable to businesses, which can be a medium of communication and an efficient marketing tool.
But what exactly is a toll-free number and how can it benefit your business? Also, how to get a toll-free number for business online and what are the things to consider while buying it? Stick till the end to get all the answers.
What is a Toll-free Number?
It is a type of phone number in which you can call without any charge; instead, it charges the people who have provided the service. For, e.g., if you call a company’s toll-free number, you will not get charged; instead, the company you are calling will get charged.
Businesses use it as customer service and for other few purposes. Toll-free number service will provide you potential customers and will make a convenient way to contact your business. It usually starts with code 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, or 833.
What are the benefits of using Toll-free Numbers?
There are several benefits of toll-free numbers can help you grow your business. Some of the reasons to use a toll-free number are:
1. Effective for a Larger Audience
A toll-free number can get you potential customers beyond your local area. It is excellent for businesses to expand their business with toll-free numbers. Providing customers with phone numbers that are not local or ordinary broadens the appeal of the brand.
2. Looks Professional
It makes your business look professional and well-established. As your company gains more customers, having a professional phone number will be very important. It makes your company look more dedicated to serve the customers.
3. Easy to Memorize
Toll-free numbers with area codes are more accessible to memorize than ordinary phone numbers. It will be easy for audiences and customers to remember the phone number of your company.
4. Credibility
A toll-free number is usually linked with a well-known company. And if you are about to start a start-up or a small company, getting a toll-free number can picture you as a brand in the market.
5. Convenient
With a cloud-based contact center and a toll-free number, you can communicate with your customers from any device remotely. You won’t miss any calls or interactions with your customers, and it will be easy for every team member.
6. Easy Porting
You don’t have to change your phone number if you’re relocating your business from one location to another. Portability is one of the significant benefits you can gain using a toll-free number.
Businesses Who Should Invest in a Toll-free Number
As mentioned earlier, the benefits of using such numbers are boundless. And needless to say, it’s a powerful tool with a wide area of applications. If used right, businesses can benefit from it immensely. Although it can be used for almost all kinds of businesses out there, it has proven to be particularly fruitful in some specific kinds. Following are some of the types of businesses, where toll-free numbers proved to be quite effective.
1. Start-ups & Small Businesses
If you are a start-up or have a reputed company, getting such cost-free numbers make sense. Using an 800 number can give you credibility. Despite the size and type of the business, having such numbers for communication gives your business a professional vibe. Such numbers also generate a sense of trust amongst your clients and customers.
And if have a growing company, it might be a good idea to use 1-800 phone numbers. Such numbers will help you scale your business and expand your locations. It also allows you to change phone system needs without interfering with any calls from the customers.
2. E-Commerce Businesses
If you are operating a business online, which lacks a physical store, you should get a toll-free phone number. A 1800 phone number adds credibility to your business and a nationwide presence.
It can help you gain potential customers and many audiences. If you use a local phone number having a provincial area code, your business looks local and not appealing.
3. Franchise Businesses
If you are running a franchise business or thinking of one in the future, getting a corporate 1-800 number can help a lot. It will allow you to connect your franchises to a single centralized business phone number.
Such centralized business phone system plays a vital role in maintaining service quality, scaling, and expanding business territory to multiple locations.
4. Local Based Businesses
If your business is local and doesn’t have a physical location, getting a vanity toll-free number would be a good idea. A vanity number is defined as a toll-free phone number that spells the subscriber’s selected name, keyword, or acronym. E.g., 1-888-BUILDER.
It will be easier for your users to remember your phone number, and after getting a toll-free number, you will not be limited to a local area code if you think of expanding your business.
5. Home-Based Businesses
If you are a business owner running a business remotely and want to give a professional look to the customers you are dealing with; you should consider getting a toll-free 800 number.
Things to Consider While Buying a toll-free Number
1. Availability of Number
A toll-free number is a representation of your business. So before finalizing the phone number, check all the options that the vendor offers.
a. Repetitive or Easy-to-Remember
Your toll-free number should be easy to remember. For, e.g., Numbers such as “1800-11-1313” or “1800-22-6969”. Because the numbers repeat, these sorts of numbers are simple to memorize. The cost for these types of numbers varies from vendor to vendor.
b. Vanity Numbers
Vanity numbers are those toll-free numbers in which you can include names, words, or acronyms you want to put. For, e.g., “1800-11-PLUMBER”. These types of numbers look attractive, are easy to remember for customers, and helps in brand awareness and brand recognition.
c. Simple Toll-free Number
These numbers have no specific pattern, so they are difficult to remember, but they are easily available. These numbers are combinations of ten digits, a country code on the front followed by six numbers, e.g., “1800-42-5675”. It looks complicated but is the cheapest among all.
2. Phone Services
A vital factor in choosing the best toll-free vendors is their quality delivery. To ensure that your calling and customer experience go well, skilled toll-free vendors use a holistic approach by integrating the specifics of the procedures as inbuilt or add-on features.
Some of the services you should consider while getting a toll-free number are:
- Call Recording
- Amount of call minutes
- Different Options for customization
- Block Listings
- API Integrations
- On-Hold Sounds
- Admin Portal
- Dashboard Analysis
3. Pricing
Most of the vendors facilitate their customers with monthly, yearly, or pay-as-you plans with different prices. So before you start any business, a separate budget allocation for toll-free numbers will help.
The factors like call count, call duration, built-in features, etc., will affect the budget allocation for toll-free numbers. The business owner should also cover the payment for the incoming calls, so planning is required.
4. Customer Reviews
All the vendors who provide free toll numbers will promise you high-quality solutions. But you should make a background check on all of them and the services they promise.
You can check the reviews of the company and the services on social media platforms and websites. You can also contact old customers who are familiar with the vendor you are looking to contact.
5. Maintenance
Buying a toll-free number is just a half part. You should always plan to keep it smooth. The glitches and other technical issues come unannounced, and the downtime can hit your business pretty hard.
So you should always be ready for these issues, and you should consider buying from a reputed vendor. Inquire about the uptime vendors guarantee and also the time availability of the experts who can resolve your problem if one occurs.
Also, ensure that the service provider gives you a flexible porting number in the future without any complexities.
To Sum Up
Choosing a perfect toll-free number can be an asset to your business, which helps grow your business. It can be an excellent marketing strategy and a way to thank your customers for doing business with you.
It’s also a good method to increase consumer engagement and establish a relationship with them. So you should consider the aforementioned things mentioned before you buy a toll-free number.
Buying a phone number that resonates with your brand image is hard. And doing that with a toll-free number is even harder.
Also, while buying such charge-free phone numbers, the features can vary from one service provider to another. So there is a lot of things to look for while getting a toll-free number.
