Small Business Corner

Project a big company image with a toll-free number Pierre Roustan Small Business Owner and Author, Grand Rapids, MI

What is a toll-free number?

A toll-free number, 800 number, or 1-800 number is a special telephone number whereby the called party pays the long distance toll rather than the calling party. Special area codes are reserved for toll-free numbers. In the United States, the toll-free area codes are 800, 888, 877, 866 and now 855.

The first toll-free number was put into service in 1967 by AT&T as an alternative to collect calling, which required operator assistance to complete a call. The first companies to use toll-free lines were major car rental and hotel chains in the U.S. AT&T had an absolute monopoly on assigning 800 numbers until the 1984 breakup of the company. From 1984 to 1993, toll-free numbers could be ordered from any of the major long distance carriers, such as Sprint and MCI, but it wasn’t until 1993 that toll-free numbers became “portable”, meaning that you could take your toll-free number to any carrier of your choice.

Toll-free vanity numbers for branding and increased sales

Vanity numbers started to appear in the early 1990s and have grown in popularity since. The newest toll-free area code, 855, started service in 2010. Now is great time to reserve a vanity number as many desirable letter and number combinations are still available.

Like a prestigious address or a memorable Internet domain name, a vanity toll-free number such as “1-800-FLO-WERS” can greatly increase sales and caller response rates to promotional advertising. Studies show that the use of a memorable callback number can increase response rates up to 69% compared to the use of a standard number. Regardless of whether you choose a vanity toll-free or a “standard” toll-free, your can expect your advertising response rates to jump, in some cases up to 1400%, due to the prestige and comfort associated with a business that appears to be national and not just a local “mom and pop” entity.

Track calls and capture caller-IDs with toll-free service Because you are paying the long distance charge for a toll-free call, you are entitled to know who is calling. Even if someone calls from a private or blocked phone number, you will get their caller-ID through a technology known as Automatic Number Identification (ANI). This ensures that you get the most from your advertising dollars, capturing the data you need to call back important leads and dropped calls. Do more with Halloo toll-free Given the considerable investment that you make in advertising and promoting your business, ensuring that incoming calls are handled in the most efficient and effective manner is critical. Studies have shown that the average small business misses approximately 14 calls per week, of which 12.5% are lost potential sales. Having the right tools in place to get the call through reliably can make the difference in business results. Using a well designed auto attendant with hunt groups and find-me, follow-me routing are vital to getting calls delivered to the right person quickly. Only Halloo offers a smart toll-free phone service with Live Receptionist backup. 55% of potential customers calls routed to voice mail hang up without leaving a message. With Halloo, you can make voice mail a thing of the past with 24x7 live answering when you can’t pick up.