Businesses choose to use toll free phone numbers for several reasons. First and foremost, they are easy to obtain and affordable, even for smaller businesses. Secondly, businesses that offer a toll free phone number are perceived as more established because they show a high level of professionalism. These digits convey the notion that a company is doing business on a national level and has enough customers to justify a toll free phone number, and thus, the public sees the business as one that is highly competent because of its apparent success.
Among the many reasons a business should invest in a toll free phone number, there are three of them that are key. These reasons pertain to the location and scope of the business, the cost effectiveness of a toll free phone number and the branding initiative that these numbers can provide.
- Location and Scope of Business
If a company plans to attract customers and clients from anywhere outside of its local area code, a toll free phone number is vital to establishing an easy contact method. Studies show that customers are 30 times more likely to call toll free numbers than local exchanges. Unless a business is marketing to an exceptionally small scope of the population, a toll free number is necessary to attract new customers.
Toll free numbers are also excellent ways for a business to mask its physical location. A local phone number gives away the company’s location to those searching for products and services. A customer searching for a product in California is very unlikely to call a New Jersey local number for more information or to make a purchase. When a toll free phone number is presented, locality rarely enters the customer’s mind.
A toll free phone number also gives businesses the freedom to expand and grow without changing the phone number. This enables previous customers to reconnect easily for repeat business, causing fewer disruptions after a move. In this way, the stability of a toll free number helps businesses remain strong even after changes in location. - Cost Effectiveness
Considering all the benefits of a toll free phone number, it is a highly cost effective solution to potential problems. They allow businesses to obtain a marketing tool that instills consumer confidence, projects a professional image and attracts customers from a wider geographic range.
Toll free numbers also provide technological benefits such as capturing a caller’s ID even when it’s a blocked or unlisted number. In some cases, name and address information can also be captured. This helps businesses create consumer databases for use with marketing efforts. Cutting down on the number of leads that need to be bought and advertising to your own customer base makes for cost effective marketing.
Another added technological benefit is the ability to forward calls to any number when needed. When coupled with a virtual pbx, a toll free number can have flexible forwarding features. This lets the small businessperson stay flexible and meet the many demands of an entrepreneur. - Branding Initiative
Even a small business can be a major player with a toll free phone number. A professional image effectively complements a company’s branding efforts. It helps to ensure that you are presenting your brand’s image in a positive way.
Vanity toll free numbers are also used as marketing tools to enhance a company’s brand. These numbers are more memorable, essentially helping to make the business a household name. This makes it easier for existing clients to spread the word about the company’s services and new clients to get in touch without trying to search for a contact number.
Toll free numbers also add to the branding initiative by boosting consumer confidence. The consumer assumption is that businesses with toll free numbers are larger, more stable and more credible. Customers have a greater sense of trust when they believe a company is easy to reach at no cost. Presenting the brand in a way that instills trust is especially important for Internet-based businesses.
Finally, toll free phone numbers increase a company’s market presence. Just as a strong URL name enhances brand recognition and prestige, toll free vanity numbers give branding a boost. When used together, a vanity URL and number create stronger visibility.
It is clear that businesses with major ambition will gain an advantage with a toll free number. The extended reach, cost effectiveness and enhanced branding benefits allow even small businesses to thrive next to larger, stronger competitors.
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When buying a toll free number there are so many aspects to look at.
Do you own the number or are you renting, that means can you move the number to another provider or they don’t have the right to cancel or take the number away from you as long as you pay your bill.(It would be a waste of money and time of advertising if they can just take the number away and give you a new number).
Are you going to pay monthly fees or is it a pay by minute? Well by pay monthly fees they give you plans like 100 minutes for $10.00 thats 10 cents a minute plus all the taxes and fees that are in small print. A lot of people look at the 100 minutes and think its a lot but 10 cents a minute is very expensive. In the long run its cheaper to pay buy minutes. Paying by minute is a flat minute rate, unlike the monthly plans if you go over the 100 minutes for 10.00 its 5.9 cents per a minute.
Double leg billing is when they charge you double your minutes the small business that sound really cheap are not in the long run thats what they want you to think, so they can have your business. The bad thing is you sign a contract without knowing all the fees they bill on your first check. I expected my bill to be around 20.00 dollars, when i opened my bill it was a HUGE difference then what i was expecting $96.65. I could not believe this I got fooled again. Look very closely but most important call and ask your exact rates and fees you will be charged.
Who want to save money EVERYONE!!! I am so happy now my bill is a set price in the same range $20.00-$25.00. That saves me $70.00 a MONTH and $840.00 a YEAR. Don’t put this off you can have more money to spend on other things that matter to your business.. There are a lot more aspects in toll free numbers then you can ever imagine. Do this for yourself I promise you won’t regret it…