Are You Thinking About a Toll Free Number for Your Business?

When you think about it, toll free numbers have really gone far. Today, there are literally hundreds of toll free providers and companies out there that can give you similar basic features.

Each year it seems that the prices and services of these toll free number services keep going down. That’s due to the fact that the long distance companies have been fighting each other for the longest time regarding who has the lowest rates. In the end, it is the consumer that wins as we benefit from this.

Toll free numbers have really lost their importance over the last few years. Don’t get me wrong, if you can get a toll free number today and can afford it, by all means do so. It will raise your credibility with your customers and clients and give your company a larger image, even if you are a one man show. As I mentioned above, long distance companies are in the ever long battle to provide you, the consumer, with the lowest rates and packages. Therefore long distance is included in most cell phone service plans and residential home service plans at a flat rate. What this means is that there no longer is this need for toll free support, or at least not as much as there used to be. Today, larger companies typically use these toll free numbers to take orders for their business.

One of the best ways to utilize a toll fee service today is to get a vanity number. That will allow you to market or advertise your company’s products or services using a number that people can remember and will connect them with your company. They will even refer friends to your business for the simple fact that they can remember your information. That’s one of the reasons that I like to use vanity numbers with each of my toll fee numbers. There are right way and wrong ways to go about selecting the proper vanity names. On my website I go into great detail of how to end the frustration of selecting vanity numbers. Check it out; it’s a great resource if you plan to get involved with any toll free number service.

Keep in mind that when selecting a toll free number you have options. You are not only limited to an 800 number. You have prefixes that include 888, 877 and the newest 866. This should give you greater flexibility when coming up with your vanity numbers as well.

For more information regarding your own Toll Free Number check out this website http://www.1tollfreenumber.com now for more details.

Do I Really Need a Toll Free Number for My Business?

Toll free numbers are no longer only for big corporations. If you have a business today, and want to be seen as serious, you absolutely need a toll free number.

Why do you need an 800 number? Here are only a few of the reasons:

 

• Your customers will know they are valued: after all, you are footing the bill for their benefit.
• In your customer's eyes, your 800 number places you at the same level with the more prestigious, service-oriented companies.
• You can use it as a marketing or sales tool. Starting a specific marketing campaign to which you assign a toll free number, will help you measure the success in real time.
• Helps you increase your sales: it's so much easier to pick up the phone and call, when you know you don't have to pay! Then, once you have your potential on the line, studies show your dollar value per order can increase ads much as 40%, because of the excellent opportunity for up-sells.
• Customers are more likely to call for assistance if there is a toll free number available.

Now you may ask: but if I get a toll free number, won't it be very expensive? Actually, there are so many opportunities out there, that if you do your homework, you'll find very affordable rates. Some companies charge a minimum usage fee (usually $5), but others don't have any minimums. And the rate per minute can be as low as 3.9 cents a minute.

 

You also don't have to get a separate line for your 800 number, but instead you can receive the calls through your regular business line.

So, you decided to get a toll free number. Then here are a few suggestions for things to look out when getting a toll free number:

• make sure you know exactly what your cost will be.
• find you if you can redirect your calls to another number, in case you need to: after all, the purpose of a toll free number is to get people calling you, and talking to you. So, if you are out of the office, or away on some business, having your calls transferred to your cell phone will be very useful.
• see if you can get a vanity number. What is a vanity number? It's a series of numbers that if typed on your phone keypad spells something memorable about your company. This is great for branding purposes, and makes you toll free number more memorable.

If you didn't think you needed a toll free number, I hope you now see how important it is to have one. I wish you success in your efforts to market your business, and finding the right 800 number for your company.

Adriana Copaceanu helps gift professionals grow their business. She also offers affordable web design to the gift industry at her gift basket portal.

How to Save Thousands on a Multi-Line Phone System with Free Toll Free Number

If you’ve priced a multi-line phone system, even for a small company, you know the price can range anywhere from $2000 up to $8000, and even higher.

Factor in the cost of wiring and your cash outlay becomes bigger.

But what if I told you that you could have a multi-line telephone system for less than $10 a month?

• No wiring
• You get your own personal 800 toll free number with the system
• Plus you get a bundle of other features expensive systems can’t touch

Sounds rather unbelievable, doesn’t it? But all you have to do is check out ‘toll-free pbx telephone communication services’ on the Internet. You’ll find it’s all absolutely true.

Here is how a toll-free business phone system works.

When you sign up with the toll-free business phone service you receive your own personal toll-free number. You can use it on your business card, in your advertising or include it in any of your promotions. In fact, it is the only number you will ever have to give out. It becomes the number for your office, fax machine, cell phone, home phone or any other phone in your office.

Your multi-line toll-free business phone will provide you with a number of extensions. These can be set up anyway you want. You can make #1, your office...#2, your secretary...#3, your fax...#4, your home...and on it goes. And remember, there is no wiring required. You can arrange for your toll-free business telephone in the morning and be using it that afternoon...without having to buy extra equipment.

Your phone can be answered in a number of different ways.

You can, of course, answer the phone yourself or have someone in your office do it. Or it can be answered by one of several greetings you or someone else records. For example, you can have one message for daytime and another for after closing hours. These messages can greet your callers in your voice, provide a list of menu options (which are the extensions you set up), invite them to leave a message or suggest they call back during business hours.

Each of these messages can be setup to automatically click-in at appropriate times of the day. That way you don’t have to remember to activate them manually. You won’t end up driving a block away from your office and suddenly think that you didn’t change the telephone message before you left.

However, you can override the automatic setup, make any changes you want or record new messages by simply bringing up your control panel on the Internet. This control panel can only be accessed by you or someone you share your password with and makes everything apple-pie simple.

No busy signals.

It doesn’t matter how many extensions are being used, your phone will always be answered. If an extension is busy, the caller will be invited to either stay on the line or leave a message. And if they decide to hold, you can provide music while they wait. This music can be anything you want because you select it...record it...and upload it using your personal control center.

Have your calls forwarded.

This is another feature with toll-free business telephone services. If you’re going to be out of the office and want all your calls transferred to another number, you can set this up in less than a minute through your control center on the Internet.

Also, if you are expecting an important call or fax and won’t be in the office to receive it, relax. Your multi-line toll-free services will send you an alert as a text message on your cell phone or PDA.

Here’s still another ‘out-of-the-office’ feature. All messages left on your voice mail are recorded as a ‘wav’ file which means they can be e-mailed. And they will be...automatically. So wherever you are, you have access to your messages either on your computer or by picking up the phone and calling your voice mail.

Customize your phone number.

Let’s say you run a wholesale florist business. Think how much easier it would be for you and your customers if you had a toll-free number such as 1-800-FLOWERS. Easy to remember. Simple to give out over the phone. And every time someone sees or uses your telephone number, you are promoting your business.

Your toll-free business phone provider will help you select a custom number that fits your business.

Keep track of all your calls.

Your toll-free business phone service will keep a log listing every call you receive or make. If you bill for telephone time, you always have a complete record showing every number you called or the numbers of people who called you. The log includes the length of the call, the date, the telephone number and other information you will find useful. It will even include missed calls.

All these features are available without new equipment, wiring or delay.

You could pay thousands of dollars for a multi-line system and still not have all the features talked about in this article. So before committing yourself to a multi-line telephone system, consider its reliability.

Remember, you can have a full-function telephone system that will give you the appearance of a large business within a day or less. And without any hassle, equipment shopping or having your home or office torn apart by a need for rewiring.

A toll-free business phone system will give you everything you need or want...and then some.

Manohar Chapalamadugu is the president and founder of 800PBX Inc. The company offers reliable and affordable Toll Free PBX services with no double billing. Visit http://www.800pbx.com.

Can Your Business Succeed Without a Toll Free Number?

The toll free number is an indispensible part of doing business today. Toll-free numbers allow consumers to contact your business without having to pay for the call themselves. Toll free numbers can be a powerful sales and marketing tool and consumers have come to expect companies to have a toll free number for their customers to reach them. Many times, a toll free number will also give you more benefits than a local number service.

90% of Americans report using a toll free number and studies show that using a toll free number in your advertising increases your response by 30%. Other research shows that when faced with a choice of several similar businesses, consumers are much more likely to call a business with a toll-free number than a business with a local or long distance number. The reason for this is two-fold. One is because, right or wrong, people see a company with a toll free number as being larger and more stable. Secondly, they don't want to have to pay for the call themselves.

Some of the benefits of using a toll free number include number portability, call blocking, and caller id. In 1993 the FCC ruled that toll-free numbers are portable. This means that a toll free number belongs to the toll-free subscriber and not to the carrier. A company can now advertise with their toll free number with confidence knowing that if they change their toll free service provider, they won't have to change their number as well. A toll free number also allows you to block calls from areas where you don't do business. You can advertise your toll free number and not be concerned about paying for calls from consumers outside of the area that you do business in. Another benefit of toll free numbers over local numbers is caller ID. On a local line callers can block their id from being captured. Toll free lines use automatic number identification (ANI) to capture the caller id. Because you are paying for the call, you have the right to see who is calling.

Toll free numbers are an integral part of doing business today. They combine a powerful sales and marketing tool with added benefits over a local line. Small and large business alike use toll free numbers to appeal to a larger percentage of consumers, establish confidence with their customers, take advantage of features not offered on local lines and capture 30% more of the market. Can your business succeed without a toll free number? I guess that depends on your definition of success.

Brandi Cummings, an expert in the field of virtual telecommunications recommends checking out Freedom800.com (http://www.freedom800.com), a leading provider of toll free numbers and virtual office technology for small businesses.

5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Business Using a Toll-Free Number

Toll-free numbers allow customers to contact your business without them having to pay for their call. Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to call a business with a toll-free number than those who only have a long-distance number, and 90% of Americans say that they use toll-free numbers. By following these five easy steps, you can discover for yourself how a toll-number can help your business grow.

1. Expand your market. Toll-free numbers allow you to use the same number for receiving local toll and state-to-state calls. This gives you the opportunity to market your business nationwide. Even if you don't provide service in certain areas, toll-free numbers have the flexibility to block calls from those areas.

2. Advertise your number. Toll-free numbers lend an air of legitimacy and professionalism to your business. By using a toll-free number, your business may appear larger and more established to the consumer which will make him/her trust you more.

3. Initiate a direct response mechanism for impulse buyers. By allowing your customers an avenue to immediately react to your company's efforts calling for their action, this prompts significant increases in phone orders. It has been found that these buyers generally order more merchandise and higher ticket items nearly every time they call.

4. Qualify your buyers. Toll-free numbers enable your business to use time more efficiently and effectively. With a toll-free number, you know that someone who has called your business is already interested in what you have to offer. You spend less time trying to find interested prospects and let the number find them for you.

5. Analyze your call detail. Toll-free numbers allow you to track calls and access all of a call's details such as the number, time, date and duration of every call. This information cannot be blocked and is an excellent tool for generating leads which can lead to more sales.

Katherine Hansen is an experienced Business Writer who deals with various telecommunications topics, offering you interesting and useful information on long distance calling services.

Selecting a Toll Free number?

Toll Free numbers have gone a long way; nowadays there are hundreds of toll free companies and resellers out there that provide the same basic features. Enhancements on telephone applications enabled toll free service to acquire most if not, all of the telephone applications inherent in landline services.

Consumers now look for quality of service provided by telecommunication companies with respect to appropriate pricing. The advancement of T1 lines and their corresponding circuits, colocation and cooperation between competing companies now allowed to consumer to call different networks which was just a dream 10 years ago. Now wireless phones, VoIP phones, enhanced landline, drives voice communication to its peak.

Analysts believe that wireless communication is going to take over as the main medium of mass media in the near future as wireless bandwidth becomes faster and more secure. Businesses are now trying to integrate as much of their well-invested telecommunication products to wireless and web based applications. Toll Free numbers are a staple for a successful business venture, proven again and again by many different experts, white papers, feasibility studies and old fashion experience. Technology convergence remains fast but what will happen to toll free numbers?

VoIP long distance companies are able to provide toll free service, which is nothing, more than a collect call forwarding service at a much cheaper price than most stand alone toll free providers. Consumers are still wary of using VoIP phone, which have major disadvantages such as calling emergency numbers like 911. Consumers believe that the lack of access to such important government service is not worth the price of reduced long distance cost.

Toll free numbers however, which are dependent on incoming rather than out going minutes are less affected by this and is able to fight and win on a service price war.

The minute cost of toll free numbers has been drastically reduced for the past few years but are they really cheaper? Toll free providers have found myriads of ways to increase profit by adding additional monthly service fees on top of your phone subscription, minimum monthly minutes, expiring pre paid minutes, and the biggest scam of all to win the price war is the multiple leg pricing scheme.

Toll Free numbers as explained before are call forwarding service, which effectively makes it 2 phone calls. The first call from the original caller to the toll free service provider, then another call from the toll free service provider to the service subscriber. This is a great opportunity to charge for more while legally advertising a cheaper price. This annoys consumers but found it difficult to change service provider or acquiring a new number. Vanity numbers are hard to find and takes a week to register. For most businesses the cost of changing service providers is very expensive on wasted time and opportunities

A lot of consumers don’t know that their numbers are “portable” and can be used on any service provider assuming proper legal procedures have been done; this normally takes just as long as registering a new vanity number. There are people who also thought that Telco’s such as AT&T have more numbers in their database for them to choose from, what they don’t realize is that all toll free companies get their number availability from the same place.

Today even experienced toll free service subscriber still fall for tricks made by service provider to make money. The best advice for a good deal is the same as any other consumer advice, shop around, be thorough, and find great toll free service providers out there.

** Carlo Caparras is currently a marketing consultant for several ISP’s, webhosting, web development, outsourcing and telecommunication companies including toll free express (www.tollfreeexpress.com)