800 Number Directory Helps Take Care Of A Baby

As a new mother, you are not told how difficult it is going to be for the first six weeks. Everyone tells you how wonderful it will be, that you won't get much sleep in the beginning, and that it will be very difficult, but no one says to you that the first six weeks will be horrible, and then all of a sudden it will get easier.

You need items that you have never even used before, and if you know anybody who has ever raised, carried, or even seen a child before, they have an opinion for you about how you should raise yours. You read an insane amount of articles before the birth about other people's birth experiences, your own fears multiply incrementally, and you start to wonder what in the world you were thinking, wanting to have a baby.

When you start focusing on what you need for the baby, you go to a number of stores, read more articles, and test out merchandise. It's interesting that people tell you to test out merchandise before you have the baby. You do not know what it's going to be like to have a baby, you are relying on salespeople and other articles to find out what you might "need" and yet, you are testing items.

The people who help you in the stores are often individuals who have never had children, either, so that is not especially helpful. They may carry the merchandise in these stores, but they are not always the best price, and they are not always the only items that are out there, just the ones that this particular well-known chain store chooses to carry.

So where else can you go? You are always sure to find an endless amount of stores on the internet, but calling them to find out information is not always feasible. Many of them do not have 800 numbers, or a toll-free solution to reach them.

Out of all the items you need for a baby, probably the most tested and yet most controversial item is a stroller. There are several manufacturers, every manufacturer produces at least five or so strollers, and you need to select at least one for your baby and family needs. Do you need a travel system, which holds both a car seat and a stroller, what are the weight limits, do you have more than one child who will need to sit or stand on the stroller, how long has this stroller been produced, has it been recalled, and so on.

One of the best answers is to consult a toll free directory. You can call different locations again and again, not only to ask them the questions you want to, questions that will come up after testing the strollers, and after hearing other questions pop into your head talking with other parents about their stroller, but also to compare prices. You would be surprised to find that the stroller price itself may not vary substantially from retailer to retailer, but for the effort, and using an 800 number, you could easily save yourself a significant amount of money in shipping costs.

Even your local well-known chain store charges significant costs to ship items to you, and if you compare prices, you are sure to find that the shipping costs are worked into the in-store cost. Using an on-line retailer, even with photos, does not tell you much of the information you will find relevant for your purposes, including what do others say about this product, have there been many returns, and if so, what do they purchase instead?

Make sure you get all your questions answered by the retailer you find on your 800 number directory. You can call as many times as you want, and you may also save a significant amount of money. At least enough to buy one more month's worth of diapers.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com

800 Numbers Bring Leads - If It Doesn't Cost Anything - They'll Call

How do I find you, how do I find out where you are, and how fast can I talk to you? These questions are ones we all wish a consumer would ask and then pursue aggressively to find our business. The problem is that the consumer is often fleeting in their pursuit if it is not easy, thorough, and cost effective. Think about how you look for a business or vendor when you have a broad choice. If your two choices are to look through a phone book or look something up online, which one will you choose? You choose online, if you're like me, since you can't remember where the hardcover phone books are, if you still have them, and not to mention they're out of date when they're printed. When you do eventually find those phone books, they're not particularly helpful with outdated listings. So the real question is, how fast can I get that information reliably?

Following this train of thought, it seems that the best option is to do a search online. But, once you get online, where do you go? Most people have identified one or two search engines or sites and frequent them regularly, but when those options run out or yield information that is not convenient for them to use, without 800 numbers, they will most likely find somewhere else to look. If you do a search by business type or title, often you will come up with several businesses to choose from. Sometimes selecting the right business will depend on their advertising, who else uses them, or these days, what kind of positive feedback is received. That is if you believe the feedback posted. Is it honest, is it part of a larger marketing plan, and how recent is it? The business could have taken a nose dive in service years ago, but we wouldn't know it by reading the feedback. Most of the time, though, we choose the option that won't take money out of our own pockets. If there is a choice between contacting a business via a toll free number or incurring a cost, most will decide to use the 800 number every time.

The frustrating part of the search can often be the process of being forced to look through several different sites using the same key word in your search, trying to find the same information. There are occasions when we will see the same listing again and again on different sites, but since the number listed is a long-distance call, we will not dial that number. No matter how reputable a business might be, many of us are loathe to call long distance on a chance. The safer and more cost-effective bet is to call toll free. The more the toll free numbers appear in our searches, the more apt we are to contact those businesses, and anything that makes consumers contact a business will certainly create opportunities to sell our services or our products. Better still, if there is an 800 number directory, that surely would make life easier and allow us the opportunity to shop around easier and give businesses a better chance that we will contact them. And as everyone knows, any increased traffic to a business is welcome. It gives more opportunities to convert that call into a paying customer. In the long run, it seems a small price to pay to have a toll free number listed on an 800 number directory to bring in more business.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.

800 Number Directory Brings Travel Bargains

Travel has changed substantially over the last ten to fifteen years. Remember the days of flight travel when you were able to park, run through the security checkpoint quickly, and get to your gate twenty minutes before takeoff? Days of meals with plastic knives are gone. Now we have sandwiches and chips, available, but you get to purchase them in addition to your fare, which has also increased. Boarding cruises hasn't changed as dramatically, but the cost increase has affected who travels and how frequently.

Booking travel, though, has changed more than any other part of travel itself. Remember the days when airlines paid fees to travel agents to sell their tickets? When that went away, so did our friendly neighborhood travel agent. It was almost impossible for them to make a decent living. Then came the internet, which also changed how we saw travel reservations. Now one booked travel by going onto a website, first to get the airline's 800 number to call, and then to see a few scheduled fares, and now you can see quite a few, but you can never see the availability, or get a chance to take advantage of any hidden fare breaks.

There are sites now that claim to be able to book all travel together, flight, car rental, hotel, everything from soup to nuts, but if you've ever tried booking through them, you know first hand that it's better to book each one separately. I've even had the misfortune to have the flight booked fine, taken the car rental to the hotel, only to find that the hotel reservation had not been booked properly. So at that point, where are you to go in a town that is completely booked, and your reservation is not available? Where is your toll free number to call? Non existent. There is not only no one to call to be able to verify that you indeed did book the reservation, but all you have is a piece of paper telling them that you did book the reservation. Unfortunately for you, without someone to help you navigate through, you might as well fly home.

Booking travel is always the first challenge. Sometimes you don't even know which flight might take you to your destination. How many stop overs, which airport is better to fly out of, you know, who would know that, except someone who is in the industry. Ideally, you wouldn't want to incur the cost of calling several different providers, without the security of a toll free number, especially if you're bargain hunting. Remember, each airline or cruise line, or other travel provider has their own mark downs, some advertised and some not, so the best thing to do is to reach out and call them to find out how best to find those bargains.

One of the best solutions when traveling is to be able to reach out and call someone. Being able to run down a toll free directory to call not only your airline, car rental, and hotel or even a day tour reservation is the most secure way of booking your travel, not only because it saves you time when you book your travel, but also because you are able to then have someone to call if in fact you do find that there is a question about a reservation, location, or timing. No search engine or website is going to be able answer your phone call, tell you about fare restrictions, potential problems at a destination you're traveling to, or offer up a bargain.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: http://www.internettollfree.com Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.

Use An 800 Number Directory To Shop Twice - Pay Once

We've all heard the phrase "measure twice, cut once". Think of the savings if you could do the same while shopping.

Everyone loves to get a bargain. Not one friend I know would be happier having paid more for something they own. Shopping has turned into an art form. The younger we are, the more naive we are about bargain hunting. Maybe it?s because we didn?t have anyone else to buy for previously, just us. A novice bargain hunter thinks bargains start in the department store in the sale or clearance rack. But a sweater that was originally marked at $86.00 marked down to $76.00 is somewhat difficult to swallow as a bargain. In fact, I?m sure my husband wouldn?t see it as a bargain.

Someone a little more experienced may find that larger chain discount stores are the way to go, but again, sometimes those aren?t really the best buys you could find if you weren?t limited to your geography. In recent years resale boutiques where you could even bring your own clothing to sell became the newest craze, but you still had to physically travel to those boutiques and try on the merchandise. Additionally, it depended which community you were in as to the type of merchandise. Even more recently, along came online auction sites, but again, these are mostly used clothing, or clothing that you need to purchase in bulk. Hopefully, there are photos as well, but you can?t contact the seller on the phone, or if you are able to contact them, you really hope that they have an 800 number.

All this information boils down to having to shop mostly in your own geographical area. Gas prices having risen in recent years, and now being what they are limit our mobility in terms of searching for bargains. This includes even our groceries. Most of us know, though, that real bargains are usually found in other areas, if only we could reach them. If only there were an 800 number to connect us to those bargains, because being conscientious bargain hunters we wouldn?t dare pay to make a toll call to find out about sale merchandise.

In carpentry, there is a phrase ?measure twice, cut once.? That?s how I approach shopping. I would rather shop for days, calling toll free numbers if I had to, in order to find the right item and be able to say that I had purchased it at the price I wanted to pay for it instead of the price I had to pay because I was limited by where I live. Imagine what people in remote areas would have to resort to if they weren?t able to reach out to those businesses with 800 numbers? Let?s face it, toll free numbers are the way to go, and then you can call and ask whatever question you wanted to, and not have to worry about how long you?re on the phone with the retailer, or how long they place you on hold. You won?t have to count the minutes and calculate how much it costs. Instead, using an 800 toll free directory, you can calculate how much money you?re saving, and then what else you want to bargain hunt for. How you tell your spouse is up to you, but at least using toll free numbers you?ll have plenty of time to think up what you want to say.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.

800 Numbers Bring Leads - If It Doesn't Cost Anything, They'll Call

How do I find you, how do I find out where you are, and how fast can I talk to you? These questions are ones we all wish a consumer would ask and then pursue aggressively to find our business. The problem is that the consumer is often fleeting in their pursuit if it is not easy, thorough, and cost effective. Think about how you look for a business or vendor when you have a broad choice. If your two choices are to look through a phone book or look something up online, which one will you choose? You choose online, if you're like me, since you can't remember where the hardcover phone books are, if you still have them, and not to mention they're out of date when they're printed. When you do eventually find those phone books, they're not particularly helpful with outdated listings. So the real question is, how fast can I get that information reliably?

Following this train of thought, it seems that the best option is to do a search online. But, once you get online, where do you go? Most people have identified one or two search engines or sites and frequent them regularly, but when those options run out or yield information that is not convenient for them to use, without 800 numbers, they will most likely find somewhere else to look. If you do a search by business type or title, often you will come up with several businesses to choose from. Sometimes selecting the right business will depend on their advertising, who else uses them, or these days, what kind of positive feedback is received. That is if you believe the feedback posted. Is it honest, is it part of a larger marketing plan, and how recent is it? The business could have taken a nose dive in service years ago, but we wouldn't know it by reading the feedback. Most of the time, though, we choose the option that won't take money out of our own pockets. If there is a choice between contacting a business via a toll free number or incurring a cost, most will decide to use the 800 number every time.

The frustrating part of the search can often be the process of being forced to look through several different sites using the same key word in your search, trying to find the same information. There are occasions when we will see the same listing again and again on different sites, but since the number listed is a long-distance call, we will not dial that number. No matter how reputable a business might be, many of us are loathe to call long distance on a chance. The safer and more cost-effective bet is to call toll free. The more the toll free numbers appear in our searches, the more apt we are to contact those businesses, and anything that makes consumers contact a business will certainly create opportunities to sell our services or our products. Better still, if there is an 800 number directory, that surely would make life easier and allow us the opportunity to shop around easier and give businesses a better chance that we will contact them. And as everyone knows, any increased traffic to a business is welcome. It gives more opportunities to convert that call into a paying customer. In the long run, it seems a small price to pay to have a toll free number listed on an 800 number directory to bring in more business.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: http://www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.

Use An 800 Number Directory To Shop Twice, Pay Once

We've all heard the phrase "measure twice, cut once". Think of the savings if you could do the same while shopping.

Everyone loves to get a bargain. Not one friend I know would be happier having paid more for something they own. Shopping has turned into an art form. The younger we are, the more naive we are about bargain hunting. Maybe it's because we didn't have anyone else to buy for previously, just us. A novice bargain hunter thinks bargains start in the department store in the sale or clearance rack. But a sweater that was originally marked at $86.00 marked down to $76.00 is somewhat difficult to swallow as a bargain. In fact, I'm sure my husband wouldn't see it as a bargain.

Someone a little more experienced may find that larger chain discount stores are the way to go, but again, sometimes those aren't really the best buys you could find if you weren't limited to your geography. In recent years resale boutiques where you could even bring your own clothing to sell became the newest craze, but you still had to physically travel to those boutiques and try on the merchandise. Additionally, it depended which community you were in as to the type of merchandise. Even more recently, along came online auction sites, but again, these are mostly used clothing, or clothing that you need to purchase in bulk. Hopefully, there are photos as well, but you can't contact the seller on the phone, or if you are able to contact them, you really hope that they have an 800 number.

All this information boils down to having to shop mostly in your own geographical area. Gas prices having risen in recent years, and now being what they are limit our mobility in terms of searching for bargains. This includes even our groceries. Most of us know, though, that real bargains are usually found in other areas, if only we could reach them. If only there were an 800 number to connect us to those bargains, because being conscientious bargain hunters we wouldn't dare pay to make a toll call to find out about sale merchandise.

In carpentry, there is a phrase "measure twice, cut once." That's how I approach shopping. I would rather shop for days, calling toll free numbers if I had to, in order to find the right item and be able to say that I had purchased it at the price I wanted to pay for it instead of the price I had to pay because I was limited by where I live. Imagine what people in remote areas would have to resort to if they weren't able to reach out to those businesses with 800 numbers? Let's face it, toll free numbers are the way to go, and then you can call and ask whatever question you wanted to, and not have to worry about how long you're on the phone with the retailer, or how long they place you on hold. You won't have to count the minutes and calculate how much it costs. Instead, using an 800 toll free directory, you can calculate how much money you're saving, and then what else you want to bargain hunt for. How you tell your spouse is up to you, but at least using toll free numbers you'll have plenty of time to think up what you want to say.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: http://www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.

800 Numbers ? Different Types Of Routing

Some of the available options for call routing of toll free 800 numbers are:

Time-of-Day (TOD) Routing: TOD is one of the simplest ways of routing. An example of TOD routing would be a company with two call centers, A (east coast) and B (west coast). Call center ?A? opens first and calls are sent to this location in the day time. However, as the time changes across the country, call are redirected to the call center ?B?.

Day of Week (DOW) or Day of Year (DOY) Routing: Working of call centers depends on the day of the week and business practices. All call centers don?t work 24x7. They might be closed for weekends or other holidays. DOW routing handles calls that arrive on that specific day of the week. DOY routing allows for alternate routing on fixed holidays. For example: December 25th.

Area Code or Exchange Routing: A company may want their toll free traffic to route to their preferred location. If a company has a call center in east and one in west then they may want to direct calls from east to their call center in the east and so on.

Percentage Allocation Routing: Companies having multiple call centers prefer to choose this type of routing. Here, they allocate calls on percentage basis to each of their call centers. Example: A company with 5 call centers may choose to allocate 20% of all incoming traffic to each center.

All-Trunks-Busy Routing: This is again a very important routing method which handles unexpected call volumes. If a company's trunk facilities are full and can no longer handle any more incoming calls then an alternate destination is chosen and the calls are routed to that destination.

Ring No Answer Routing: Some carriers provide this unique facility where they can pull a call back into the network if not answered.

Emergency or Disaster Routing: Generally, companies setup a disaster plan to overcome both natural (floods, fires, earthquakes etc) and man-made emergencies (bomb threats). IXCs provide alternate destinations in case any such event occurs.

Jatin Chawla is a freelance journalist. Jatin writes for http://headings.internettollfree.com, offering the latest information on 800 Number Directory visit http://headings.internettollfree.com/800-number-directory.html.

800 Numbers - Routing In The U.S.

In the United States, the inter-exchange carriers (IXCs) generally handle traffic crossing boundaries known as Local Access and Transport Areas (LATAs). A LATA is physical location within the United States that outlines the boundaries of Local Exchange Carriers (LECs). LECs are capable of providing local transport within LATAs.

When a toll free number is dialed by a customer, a Responsible Organization (RESPORG) is assigned by the IXCs to own and maintain that number. In general, the RESPORG is an IXC who will be responsible for the delivery of the majority of the toll free services. In general, the RESPORG is an IXC who will be responsible for the delivery of the majority of the toll free services.

Looking at it with a more in-dept view, when a toll free number is dialed, every digit is analyzed and processed by the LEC. The call is identified by the service switching point (SSP). The SSP makes it possible to send call information to the signal transfer point (STP). Further, the STP asks the service control point (SCP) about the destination of the call.

It all boils down to the customer?s choice which is processed by the LEC and an IXC is assigned. It is possible to share toll free numbers among IXCs. One of the reasons why a customer would do this is for disaster recovery or for bargaining a rate among different carriers. For example, a customer may want to direct 50% of his calls to one carrier and the other 50% to another carrier as per his convenience.

After determining an IXC, the LEC sends the call to the IXC?s point of presence (POP). After the receiving the call, the IXC?s SCP decides where to pass this call. The SCP is the brain of the long distance network when it comes to routing. The protocol used for this call routing and control is known as Signalling System 7 (SS7).

Jatin Chawla is a freelance journalist. Jatin writes for http://headings.internettollfree.com, offering the latest information on 800 Number Directory visit http://headings.internettollfree.com/800-number-directory.html.

Handling 800 Number Calls

In the United States, both inter-exchange carriers (IXCs) and Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) offer toll free (800 number) services to their customers.

Unlike the format of telephone numbers which are geographic in nature, the format of the toll-free numbers is non-geographic. With the introduction of cell phones (in the year 1985) and internet phone services (in the year 2002), your house can have any area code in the United States. However, it will be considered geographic, as the calls from that area code will be termed as local calls where the recipient can be physically located anywhere else.

In the above mentioned scenario, it becomes feasible to track the proper location of the caller from the dial code (e.g. LA or Manchester). However, unlike telephone numbers, toll free numbers can be physically located anywhere in the world.

When a toll free number is dialed, the telephone operator needs to track down the actual physical location of the call. This is the first most important task a telephone operator needs to perform. To achieve this task, an operator is helped by the intelligent network capabilities that are embedded into the network.

To simply things further, the dialed toll-free 800 number is converted into a normal geographic number. Once it is converted into a normal geographic number, it is then routed to the telephone exchange in the normal way in the same manner as other geographic numbers are. Depending upon the case in hand, special routing methods can be applied if required. For example: Time of Day routing.

Note: The fact is that service provider don?t charge the caller for calls made to any series of 800 numbers. The charge is recovered from the recipients of these calls, billed by some other method. People often get confused between Toll-free 800 numbers and series if 900-numbers, for which the service provider charges the caller at rates far more than long-distance service rates.

Jatin Chawla is a freelance journalist. Jatin writes for http://headings.internettollfree.com, offering the latest information on 800 Number Directory visit http://headings.internettollfree.com/800-number-directory.html.

What Are 800 Numbers?

A Freephone telephone number is available in almost every country in world. It is a special number where the caller is not charged by the service provider. It is also called as a toll-free number or 800 Number in North America. In Australia, this number is also referred as Freecall number.

The called party pays for this call which depends of number of factors like amount of usage, the number experiences, the cost of the trunk lines to the facility and possibly a monthly flat rate service charge. Usually, government services are linked with toll free numbers and also some big companies provide toll free numbers as a support for their customers. You can also get a toll free number for your residence of cell phone.

The called party recovers these charges in the following ways:

? They might charge the customers for providing technical support.
? They can generate sale out of this call.
? There sales might have increased with the inclusion of this toll free service.

Toll free numbers are also referred as 800 Numbers in North America because of their numbering system. One had to dial these numbers after the original area code. Some of the area codes that had to be dialed were code numbers were 800, 888 (since 1995). Code number 877 (since 1997), code number 866 was included in the year 2000. Also, there were other numbers like 855, 844, 833 and 822 which are not yet active but are reserved.

There is a difference in the way we use a normal telephone number and the way we use a toll free number. The general way of writing a telephone number is ?+? sign attached with the country code, followed by area code and then the local number, for example: +1 (666) 123-1234. But, when we use a toll free number which are not accessible from other countries, we should eliminate the ?+? sign and the round brackets, for example: 1-800-123-1234.

Jatin Chawla is a freelance journalist. Jatin writes for http://headings.internettollfree.com, offering the latest information on 800 Number Directory visit http://headings.internettollfree.com/800-number-directory.html

0800 Numbers - Redefining Business Communication

According to Ofcom's 2006 Telephone Numbering consultation, the 0800 freephone number is "a strong existing brand [which is] well recognised and trusted by consumers." Removing the cost of calling sends a very clear signal to your customers about the value you place on communication with them.

Thanks to the Internet, our business world has changed out of all recognition. Your customers have instant access to detailed price information. If you're intending to compete on price, there will only be one winner - the cheapest. And nowadays, finding the cheapest is neither difficult nor time-consuming. The Internet has also greatly reduced the time from innovation to imitation, so your unique business idea is unlikely to remain so for very long.

So what does all this mean for your sales? If you're competing online for business - and let's face it, who isn't these days? - there are fewer ways to differentiate your business from its competitors. As such, any opportunities to encourage communication with potential customers must be seized upon.

An 0800 number is certain to promote contact and can be introduced quickly with no disruption to your existing telephone system. Required capex is minimal as are the ongoing costs of providing a freephone number for your customers (just 2p per minute plus VAT from Numberstore).

Most importantly 0800 numbers are provided with sophisticated online call management tools...

Many Network Operators can route calls made to your freephone number to mobile and international destinations ensuring that your customers never hear a busy tone or wait more than three rings to be answered. Some providers (such as Numberstore) can even direct your inbound calls using VoIP to keep your telecommunications costs to an absolute minimum since a VoIP call may be routed anywhere in the world with no additional charges.

Most importantly 0800 numbers are provided with sophisticated online call management tools so you can update the destination for calls in real time. This is useful should you need to route calls to voicemail if you're in a meeting or to your mobile number if you're going to be out of the office for the day. Some providers offer - at no additional cost - intelligent number routing features such as call Hunt Groups, Time of Day Plans, IVR Menus along with your 0800 number - and in the case of Numberstore, clever combinations of these services.

There is an argument that the purchase of an 0800 number should be allocated to a company's marketing budget since in itself it provides a powerful promotional tool. But an 0800 number can also be used to judge the success of an organisation's other marketing activities, since inbound call statistics can be analysed to assess the effectiveness of these. Many businesses use a different 0800 number for each campaign to provide the most accurate data.

In a world in which it's becoming increasingly difficult to compete on price and innovation, find out how an 0800 number can help differentiate your business by visiting Numberstore.com or calling 0800 231 6321 - it's free!

Kieron James is the managing director of Zimo Communications, a Network Operator providing number translation services on a wide range of geographic and non-geographic number ranges. You can visit his site at http://www.numberstore.com

Voice Mail, 800 Numbers Increase Business Credibility

Millions of Americans are small business owners, while millions more have second income streams from home-based businesses. Still others work remotely, or telecommute, at least part-time. Over the past decade, I've had the opportunity to do all three. Although attitudes have changed in the past ten years, I find that there continues to be some stigma attached to working in a professional career from home. The credibility of those of us who don't commute is sometimes questioned by those who do. That's why it's important to use voice mail and other tools to put the most professional face on our home-based businesses.

During my tenure as the editor-in-chief of two consumer magazines, I worked out of my home office in northern California. Although the publishers had offices in New York and New Jersey, the magazines themselves didn't have a physical office - only a virtual office. My art director was in southern California, my department editor was in Arizona, and I hired writers from all around the globe. All of us worked out of our homes, yet managed to create glossy consumer magazines with national and international distribution. How did we do it?

While much of our interactions took place via email, we also relied heavily on voice mail software. Although I'd considered hiring an answering service, I found that an answering service was cost prohibitive and less reliable than a voice mail system. With such a voice mail system, no one ever had to know that the magazine's core editorial staff was really located all around the United States.

Likewise, because we didn't have an office, we had to find a way to make the magazine accessible to subscribers who had questions or concerns. Our solution was to have a toll free number that subscribers could call to reach the service department. Our business 800 number was extremely cost effective, and our subscribers appreciated being able to call a toll free 1800 number rather than incurring long distance charges to order or inquire about a subscription.

800 numbers can add tremendous credibility to a virtual office or home based business. 800 phone numbers reassure customers that they are indeed calling a "real" business, and the cost of a toll free number is easily offset by the additional business you'll garner or the additional items you'll sell.

There are many companies that provide toll free numbers to entrepreneurs or those who work in a virtual office. When selecting a service, you should look for the following features:

* An "auto attendant" who answers the calls
* A voice mail system that offers multiple mailboxes
* Unlimited message capacity
* Music that plays while the customer is on hold
* Online administration
* Caller I.D. or call announce, so you can decide whether to answer the call or let it go through to voice mail

Having a virtual office doesn't mean you need to sacrifice credibility. With a toll free number and a good voice mail system, the people with whom you deal on a regular basis will never be the wiser.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Business and Entrepreneurs Website and Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory.

Networking Tips - Getting An 800 Number

Another way to network is by using an 800 number and establishing a network of experts to refer your clients/customers to. An 800 number provides a way for your customers to reach you. You can answer information needs, resolve problems and obtain information from your customers. You will of course need to publicize your 800 number in your promotional materials, and advertisements. The best way to get the most out of your 800 number is to have a definitive plan on how you will employ it. Will you have prospects call to find out more about your products/services? Will you provide information when they call and then follow-up with printed materials, or will you direct them to a source?

After you have decided what you want the 800 number to do, put yourself in your customer's place, and be sure you are meeting all their needs. Ask yourself, if you knew nothing about what you were selling, would the information your 800 number is providing give you all that you need to make an informed decision.

An 800 number allows you to network on a broad level to areas and customers you might not have reached with just a long distance number. Many individuals will not make a long distance call, but will call an 800 number. If your business allows, have a network of experts to refer your customers to, or if you are selling products, additional sources for your products.

To obtain a network of experts, leave messages on the Internet; put ads in publications that relate to your business, go to trade shows, meetings and join groups that relate to your area or product. Be sure to determine that the individual you want to use as a referral is a good source for your customer base. Remember to contact a customer after giving a referral to insure that they received the information/product they needed and were satisfied, and if not ask why. A referral network is used to increase business. You want to insure that your 800 number increases business and pays for itself.

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800 Numbers

Much has been written about the value of 800 numbers. Basically, an 800 number is like calling someone collect, since they pay for the call instead of you. Does an 800 number increase the chances of making a sale? Let's explore this a bit.

Suppose you read an advertisement, or visit a web site that lists an 800 number where you can get more information. Many times you get a "canned" spiel which, if you bother to listen to the whole thing, asks for your number so they can return your call. At that point, many people simply hang up as they don't want to give out their private number. The last thing they want is to be put on another telemarketing list. This tactic is used extensively in network marketing. Does it work? The jury is still out on this one.

Some make you fight your way through a maze of options - press 1 for this, 2 for that, and so on. Some don't even give the option of talking with a live person. If you don't select one it simply starts the option selection process again. - The jury is in on this one. The owner of this 800 number will pay for a lot of calls, that simply frustrate the caller and will never result in a sale. What a waste!

If you're lucky, you get a real person who answers the phone, and who can help. Now let's switch the focus here a bit, and make believe you are the person who answers. Is the caller a serious prospect, a bored teenager with nothing better to do, or what they refer to in the automotive trade as a "tire kicker?

Trying to determine if they are a serious prospect is a challenge. If they are, you might make the sale. If they aren't however, how do you gracefully end the conversation? Many small businesses are a "one horse" shop, without the staff, and equipment necessary to handle multiple calls. Every minute you are on the phone, with someone who is not a serious prospect, is not only wasting your time, but may cost you another customer, who can't get through because the line is busy.

Some people, who may have a slight interest, think that because it is a toll free number they don't have anything to lose, so they make the call. It doesn't cost them anything, so why not. These are your "tire kickers", are usually not serious prospects, and are wasting your resources.

How do you avoid these types of problems? Simple, don't have an 800 number. If a person has to spend their "nickel" for the call, they have already pre-qualified themselves as a serious prospect. You know that time spent with them will be productive. Now the small entrepreneur must have a separate phone line for this. If you are involved in several businesses, you should have a line for each one. That way, when the phone rings, depending on the number called, you can answer the phone in a businesslike manner.

We used 800 numbers with our businesses. As an experiment, we took the 800 number off our website, and put in a non-toll free number. Two things happened and they were both good. First, the number of calls received decreased by almost 80 percent. This of course concerned us at first. Secondly however, we saw our sales dramatically increase. Why? Because the prospects were pre-qualifying themselves, and we were not wasting our time, or losing calls due to lines being busy.

Do 800 numbers have a place in your business plan? Sure! If you are product oriented, a toll free order line is essential. People may hesitate to pay a toll for a product they wish to order. If you are service oriented, it is a must for technical support. With long waiting times for help, it would be a real turn off if one wasn't available.

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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

Selling - Using Toll Free Numbers

One of the best tools that I have used is a phone number capturing system that enables people to request information 24/7, and today you are able to get them at fire sale prices.

When this system is used, not only do you increase the number of calls that are generated from your listings and reports, you are providing a valuable service to your customer.

It only stands to reason, that the person that is accessing information in our world of convenience will want immediate gratification. If you are not offering this quick and easy access you are missing the mother load of potential leads.

An additional advantage to this technique is that you can dramatically cut down on your work load. Your clients qualify themselves, you do not have to spend additional time on the phone trying to get a name and a number and you get to call back better prepared for the call. However, I can not stress this enough, you will most certainly increase the number of calls you will get and therefore the number of sales you can make.

I have used these systems for over 15 years and what I have discovered to be the most important aspect to increasing the number of quality buyers and sellers, is to return the calls ASAP. If you can return a call in a matter of minutes to an hour, I have found that you will increase the likelihood of developing a client relationship dramatically. At one time my team returned the calls over the course of days and even weeks, the conversion rate was dismal in comparison to returning calls in minutes to an hour?. Literally the results blew me away.

Just think about it for a minute, if you can return a call ASAP where the prospect has the information fresh on their mind they will be much more willing to talk about their interests. In a nut shell this makes your job a whole lot easier and much more satisfying.

With telephone rates dropping to such low rates over the recent past, there is no excuse for you not to have this tool in your business.

For more information go to http://www.SellingToolz.com

James Osmar has worked as a RE/MAX Realtor for almost two decades. On several occasions James has been listed in the Top 100 list of Canadian RE/MAX Realtors. He has gone on to build a very successful real estate agent referral service or what some would call a relocation service. Canada Referral and United States Referral are attracting a lot of attention in the Real Estate industry.

Utilizing toll free numbers as fax numbers

Toll free numbers come in handy while expanding your reach beyond your current region of operation. They have a credible image attached to them, hence can attract you more callers. You can also utilize toll free numbers effectively as your fax numbers. Toll free fax numbers being free of charge for the senders, should attract a sizeable number of faxes.

It is a fact that in spite of the popularity of emails, faxes still remain the chosen mode for business correspondence. You should get sales orders or any other form of correspondence through the faxes. Many persons may choose fax over voice lines, since there may be chance of busy lines. You can hence put on a fax-on-demand system through the toll free numbers. This is approach is time saving. Your prospects or customers can get the kind of information they require, without waiting to get connected with a call representative. You can therefore publish your toll free fax numbers in leading national trade magazines. You will be assured fax correspondence from all parts of the nation.

Although, toll free fax numbers assure hordes of faxes, you should be able to handle all the faxes. If you own a small company and cannot afford sophisticated fax machines, a fax mail system will be better option for you. In this system, faxes will be converted into emails and sent to a specified email account. Receiving faxes via email means, you can receive multiple faxes simultaneously. There should be no problem of busy signals for your senders. You can manage your faxes in an easier way. The sender tag attached to your faxes can be used to sort out important faxes. Toll free numbers will ensure you hordes of faxes, while the fax mail system will help you manage them in a better manner.

This article has been published by AccessDirect, specializes in Hosted PBX systems. We also specialize in toll free service, fax mail, voice mail, auto attendant, and call forwarding. Apart from toll free numbers, you can also get local numbers from us. Visit us at www.messagingservice.com. John K represents AccessDirect, a leading provider of Hosted PBX systems.

Creating a credible image for your business through toll free numbers

Setting up a business firm and capturing the market takes a good deal of effort. A considerable amount of this work can be reduced if you publish a toll free number for customer care and business correspondence. Toll free numbers have long been associated with well-established companies.

Toll free numbers were expensive during the initial years. Hence, only big companies could afford them. But times are changing. Toll free numbers are now affordable to the extent that even SOHO companies can own one. In spite of the lowered cost, toll free numbers still hold their respectable image. Even today, a majority of people in the United States attach toll free numbers with big companies. Hence, any small company that publishes toll free numbers is seen to be well-established and credible.

Toll free numbers are free of charge for the callers. Additionally, these numbers can be accessed from any parts of the nation. Any startup company that owns toll free numbers can thus win over new customers and clients from different parts of the nation. The company can go beyond its local region of operation. It can leverage on the credible image attached with toll free numbers.

This article has been published by AccessDirect, a leading provider of PBX phone systems (hosted/virtual). We also specialize in toll free service. We provide the popular toll free 800 numbers and numbers of other series. Our toll free numbers are supported by voice mail, fax mail, auto attendant, and call forwarding. Visit us at www.messagingservice.com.

John K represents AccessDirect, a leading provider of Hosted PBX systems.

ADVANTAGES OF TOLL FREE NUMBER

A business organization engaged in any commercial activity depends heavily on its customers for growth and development, measured in terms of volume of sales. It is very essential for the company to understand the needs and aspirations of its customers because a business opportunity is generated on the basis of customer needs and feedback obtained from them. After undertaking market survey, a company launches new products and services and brings awareness about them amongst a group of people through advertisements in print and electronic media. Having made its products and services known to the general public, the company must provide a means such as a telephone number so that interested customers can obtain detailed clarification about the products and services such as price discounts, quality and features before making up their mind to purchase the product or commercially avail the benefits of the services.

A toll free telephone number motivates a potential customer to satisfy his curiosity of the product or service in a convenient and hassle free manner since he is not charged for making calls to the company. Also small companies with budget constrains do not like to be burdened with overhead expenses on telecommunication devices. In addition, toll free numbers serve as user friendly marketing tool.

Whenever a new company makes an entry in a competitive market where there are already other well established companies selling similar products, it has to highlight the unique features of its product or service through advertisements in order to capture a significant portion of the market. Many customers already familiar with that product/service want to give a try to this product/service offered by the new company so that they can avail themselves of its unique benefits. In the absence of a toll free number, they would not be inclined to contact the new company, resulting in the loss of business opportunity. It is now an established fact that advertisements with toll free numbers outperform those without a toll free number in terms of customer responses and sales turnover.

For long term survival and profitability, a company has to enhance the corporate image in terms of increased customer confidence and satisfaction. With a toll free number the customers get a psychological feeling that they would have a long term relationship with the company and the initial contact is not merely to the point of sale. This is because customers can use this number to call up the company officials at any time and anywhere on 24 7 basis to register their complaints, offer suggestions and also to obtain information for their queries. Additional facilities provided with toll free numbers ensure that incoming calls are received by a receptionist, recorded by a voicemail or answered by an answering machine in case of a routine query. Thus, calls don't go unanswered unlike an ordinary phone number.

Many a times after dialling the toll free number, pre-recorded messages of the automated attendant provide information related to the features of the products, the availability of different services, discounts on bulk orders and also the names and addresses of the dealers appointed by the company. Customers, spread across diverse geographical locations of the country, can obtain all the information they need with a single number at their place without the need to travel to company headquarters or search its branches. Thus, companies can use toll free number as a promotional tool. Companies in the field of electronic and consumer durables are in greater need of toll free numbers because customers invariably need after sale support and assistance. In the absence this facility, dissatisfied customers share their grievances with potential customers, thereby hampering future sales. Companies can nowadays subscribe to toll free numbers at a much reduced cost compared to usual telephone numbers since there is no rental charge and costly installation of hardware. A phone line is enough for this purpose. Charges are levied only for the duration of the calls made by the customers. There is no need to make the telephone numbers of all the departments public since one toll free number would suffice the cause. Pre-recorded messages provide different extensions so that customers are directed to the concerned departments. Competition among the telecom companies and mass production of hardware and software is further driving the toll free number charges southwards. The hardware and set up costs are also minimal. Similar to a local number, the toll free service providers are also offering such services as video conferencing, caller Id, call waiting, call forwarding, dropping of unwanted calls, voice mail or answering equipment. There is no way to distinguish whether the incoming number is a local number or a toll free number. Thus, by subscribing to the toll free number there would not be any major structural changes in the organization.

For small and medium sized companies, a toll free number is an effective means of reducing their operational expenses in terms of reduced sales and marketing workforce. Companies can save printing and distribution costs of promotional materials. This is because most often a large part of the advertisement material such as catalogues sent at different addresses based on guesswork or on the basis of some secondary source such as telephone directory does not end up in the hands of potential customers and is thus wasted.

Due to liberalization and globalization of trade, commerce and services and developments in the field of information and communication technology, the need for faster, reliable and inexpensive means of communication such as the toll free number may become a necessity for companies operating in different industries.

Manohar Chapalamadugu is the president and founder of 800PBX, industry's most reliable Toll Free Number providers with PBX services inbuilt. Visit http://www.800pbx.com for more details.

I am Mark, an in-house writer for 800PBX Inc, the provider of Toll Free Number with PBX Services. I am a regular reader and writer of business articles. This article provides an insight on how a Toll free Number helps your Business.