Customer service has never been as important as it is now. These days, most businesses rely on communication since it gives them an advantage to the businesses in the market. A toll-free number can help you reach your customers in order to increase their satisfaction with your business, in case you happen to be a business owner looking to connect with your customers. It is a two-way street that is to the advantage of both the company and its customers.
Having a free phone number not only help in smooth communication but it also gives a professional touch to your business. In this detailed blog, we will dicuss what toll-free number is, its benefits and how to get one.
What is Toll-free Number?
A toll-free number is a business telephone number that enables the caller to contact someone or a business without any charge. On toll-free numbers, customers can call to resolve their question or tell the business what they think of them.
Toll-free number is a valuable business tool, regardless of the size of the company. It offers business solutions packages of opportunities to increase their profits. Many organizations combine IVR solution with a toll-free number to offer improved customer care to those calling their organizations.
How do toll-free numbers work?
On the part of the caller, a toll-free phone number is just like any other phone number. All you do is dial and you are connected with a customer service representative or other staff. The only distinction between calling a toll-free number and a local number is that long-distance calls are free even when made via landline.
Add-ons to your toll-free number (such as auto-attendants, music on hold, or recordings of phone calls) are also optional, depending on the phone service you select. Even some VoIP service providers charge an additional fee to receive a toll-free call, so again researching your service provider is important.
Advantages of Toll-Free Numbers.
A toll-free number has infinite advantages. Few of them include:
- Improves Customer Relation
When an individual is unable to contact you, why do you think such an individual would want to be affiliated with your business?
The toll-free number would enable your customers to call you directly and express their concerns or have questions.
As the customers get a reliable number to call in case of a problem, they start getting trust in you. This trust manifests itself as customer loyalty in the long-term and aids in customer retention in your business.
- Enhances Brand Image
Toll-free numbers are not only applicable to big companies in the industry, but they perform well in all companies regardless of their size.
The presence of a toll-free number on your web page and the way it is projected in the adverts gives your business a brand image that is more reliable and robust. This gives the customers faith in you and leaves a good image in the mind of the customer.
- Affordable Prices.
Toll-free numbers are hassle-free to install and are available at reasonable prices. A toll-free number is affordable to any organization, whether a start-up or any other small business. Most of the service providers are charging lower rates on toll-free number services than on ordinary telephone services.
It also has cheap monthly packages or pay-as-you-drive concept, which is simpler and cost-effective for the companies. They do not have to pay a full amount. Rather, they will be required to spend money on the number of services they utilize.
- Scales Easily
A toll-free number gives you the flexibility of easily expanding your communication lines according to your requirements. Your customers will never be neglected, left waiting as their calls are picked up, due to presence of a toll-free number.
There are days when the incoming calls are high because of a high demand or a holiday period. In this case, the toll-free number will assist you in dealing with all these excess calls. It gives the option of adding additional channels according to your request in order to enable you to receive the required number of simultaneous calls.
- Ports Without Any Hassle
Business phone providers do not have to change their telephone number with a toll-free number when relocating to a new geographical area. In case you move your business with some reasons, you can keep the same number as the business number in all the business communications.
Toll-free number helps organizations with business continuity feature despite altering business location. You will not lose prospective customers, and the prospects will be able to contact you within a short time and provide easy communication.
- Used as a Marketing Tool
Businesses can easily monitor their marketing activities using a toll-free number. Businesses adopt a number of approaches to promote and advertise their products and services through billboards and pamphlets.
However, the issue with the tracking of these marketing campaigns is that it becomes a tedious process to discover which marketing campaign best suits you. The answer to this problem is a toll-free number. You are allowed to use various toll-free numbers in each of your marketing campaigns and compare which number gives the best results for your business.
- Expands Business Reach
A toll-free number helps a business to reach out to customers outside of its base or office. It makes it easy and cheap to contact the business by customers in any part of the country.
Having a toll-free number is reasonable to have in your business in case you run an online store with customers in different parts of the world. National chains typically use a general toll-free number as well as local numbers that are intended to serve each branch or franchise.
- Boosts Brand Recall
Among the various advantages of toll-free number is that it is easy to remember the number. When customers can easily remember your number, chances of retaining your number are very high. The first four digits are 1800 number then 3 digits given by the network operator in India and 800 in the USA. The rest of the digits are different in all other toll-free numbers. This makes the call rate stronger and boosts the customer base.
Pattern of easy to remember toll-free number improves the recall of your brand in the mind of your customers. Besides your current customers, such flexibility assists you to attract additional leads and translate them into prospective customers.
How do I get a toll-free number?
Getting your business a toll-free number is very easy and requires a few simple steps. This is a guide to help you start:
- Select a Service Provider: First of all, you need to select a reputable toll-free service provider. Find a provider with a competitive price, good service and features such as call forwarding, voicemail and call analytics that meet your business requirements.
- Choose Your toll-free Number: This is after choosing a provider and then you get to choose a toll-free number. It is up to you to use a random number or a vanity number that is easy to remember (such as 1-800-FLOWERS) and appropriate to your brand. Vanity numbers may give more brand recall, and make your customers remember your contact information.
- Enable the Call Management options: Enable call forwarding, routing and all other advanced features that your service provider provides. This may include making calls to separate departments, automatic response and integrating with Customer Relationship Management systems to enhance services to customers.
- Your toll-free Number: Once this is enabled advertise your toll-free number through various marketing tools like your Web site, business cards, brochures and media. This exposure will attract more customers to contact and transact with your business.
Through the above steps, an effective way of installing a working toll-free number that can improve your business communication and make your customers more reachable is possible.
Summing It Up
These days, the customers prefer to save money at every stage and the businesses do their best to provide high-class service. In such a case, the toll-free number will be the ideal avenue for the businesses and customers as well.
It enables the customers to make a free phone call to a business. Conversely, it allows a company to contact a larger number of customers and improve their customer experience. The use of toll-free numbers in business has been found to be helpful since it serves as an easy platform to reach out to customers without any complications to the business.
FAQS
Q1. How do toll-free numbers work?
To the caller, a toll-free number will act as a telephone number. You call it to connect to customer service representative or other members of staff.
The charges on incoming calls are billed to businesses. This arrangement makes the customers call businesses without thinking about the cost, thus improving customer service and communication.
Q2. Can cell phone texting and calling be done using toll-free numbers?
Yes one can use toll-free numbers to text and call on cell phones.This can facilitate a more professional and improved communication experience as all messages are stored in one place rather than being dispersed across multiple devices.
Q3. What is a vanity number and how does a vanity number differ from a toll-free number?
A vanity number is any phone number with a spelling of a word or phrase. 1-800-FLOWERS and 1-800-CONTACTS are an examples of vanity numbers. It is a marketing and sales trick to ensure that customers and prospects can more easily remember your number.
As far as functionality is concerned, a vanity number and a regular toll-free number are the same.
Q4. What is the number of toll-free numbers I can have?
The number of toll-free numbers that businesses have is not predetermined. Depending on your requirements and regulatory laws in place by your telecommunication provider and the telecom authority in your country, you may get several numbers.
Q5. Are text messages possible on toll-free phone numbers?
Yes, it is possible to send text messages (SMS) to a toll-free number, again it all depends on whether the number is SMS enabled by your service company or not.
