Why Your Business Needs 800, 888, 877, 866, 855 and 844 Numbers
You’ve heard the saying, “Nothing in life is free.”
But the opposite is true when it comes to toll free numbers. When dialing 800. 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833 numbers, customers are able to speak with companies and access the information they want for free. At absolutely no cost to them.
If you’re a business selling a product or service and need an incentive for customers to learn more about you, a free phone call is a great place to start.
So what are some ways that using 844, 888, and 877 numbers can boost business? And how do you get started?
Read on to find out.
What Makes a Toll Free Number, Free?
You may be wondering, if the customer isn’t paying to call your 800, 844, 888, and 877 numbers, than how is it getting paid for?
You, as the business owner, incur the cost of each customer phone call. But spending a little money upfront will help increase sales in the future. Any business owner knows that you need to invest to see a return.
You’re probably wondering how much a toll free number will cost you. The cost of using a toll free number often depends on your service provider.
Other factors include the plan you choose and the number of minutes you use in a month. Prices vary per month and per provider. But the small monthly payment you make for your 844, 888, and 877 numbers is nothing compared to the amount of potential business and sales you can gain.
Vanity Numbers
Toll free vanity numbers are ones that are memorable and most easily-recognized by consumers.
It’s hard enough for people to remember their own, personal cell phone numbers, let alone a 10-digit number they saw sprawled across the television screen last night.
You want your business or service to stand out. Marketing has a lot to do with this portion of producing leads, but if your potential customer can’t remember how to reach you, you’ve lost the sale before you even stood a chance.
Vanity phone numbers are easy to remember and usually repetitive numbers that can appear in a variety of ways. The repetition of the same numbers is one way to make the number stand out.
For example: 1-888-888-8888. Now, this is the most extreme case of this technique, however if your toll free number is comprised of all 8’s, there’s a good chance it won’t be forgotten.
Using Letters
Another trick some companies use is utilizing the letters that appear on the telephone, along with the numbers.
A company that uses this expertly is one of New Jersey’s electrical companies, Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L). The electric company’s crafty toll free number is 1-888-LIGHTSS.
When the customer is dialing this number and hits the corresponding keys on their phone, the letters are used to spell the word “LIGHTSS”, they’re actually dialing 1-888-544-4877.
Which one of these numbers is easier to remember?
Exactly.
You can also get a phone number that has your brand name or industry spelled out. For example, 1-800-GotJunk and 1-800-Realtor.
Ok. Those are gone. But, you can play around with the number keys on your phone. See what letter combinations you can create that align with your business name, service or product. Remember to try toll free numbers that begin with 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and the new 833. The newer the toll free designation, the more likely you’ll find the right number for you.
By promoting toll free numbers that actually spell out a word associated with your company, you’re increasing the probability customer’s will remember you, and contact you.
800, 866, 855, 844, 888, 833 and 877 Numbers Increase Customer Trust
When your customer is having an issue, problem or simply has a question related to your company or service, they want to know help is available. By providing a toll free number, companies are creating a life-line between themselves and their customer base.
Having a toll free number brings credibility to your business as well. These prefixes are easily recognizable by consumers.
When your company has a toll free number, it brings a sense of trust and familiarity to customers. And building trust with your customer base will quickly turn to loyalty – both of which are key for any successful business.
How Exactly Do Toll Free Numbers Work?
Without getting overly technical about it, toll free numbers are routed through a central data base. This method was born with the creation of the modern computer system.
These systems are known as direct dialing and they allow all calls to any 800-number, or any other toll free number, to be directed anywhere.
Another awesome feature of toll free numbers is the ability for calls to be forwarded to any telephone number you want. This means that when your potential customer dials your 844, 888, and 877 numbers, that it can ring to your cell phone or office desk.
This means fewer missed calls and more opportunity to build customer service and increase sales.
Toll free numbers can also be forwarded to your Voice Over IP (VoIP). VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. This is a relatively new form of communication that allows you to complete phone calls over a broadband internet connection, instead of using an analog telephone.
The beauty of being able to forward your 800-number anywhere is that even if you choose to change your forwarding number, the 844, 888, and 877 numbers you choose, remain the same. This provides consistency and reduces the number of lost customers due to confusion.
Toll Free Numbers Can Receive Faxes Too
Just when you thought obtaining a toll free number for your business couldn’t get any better, it’s true – 844, 888, and 877 numbers have the ability to receive faxes too.
No, you don’t need to transport a clunky fax machine around with you and sync it with your phone. Faxes sent to these toll free numbers are received by your provider’s computers and then sent as an email attachment to the email address provided. This means important information won’t be missed, lost or misplaced.
You can safely store faxes in your inbox until you reach a computer to print them out and file them accordingly. Like any other email attachment, faxes can be forwarded and deleted.
Become a Professional
Companies offering trusted, toll free numbers are taken more seriously than those that don’t. With 844, 888, and 877 numbers that can forwarded to any phone line you choose, someone will always be available to handle customer questions and concerns.
And if you aren’t able to answer the call, a professional voicemail system is in place to gather and store customer information until you can tend to their message.
Don’t lose any more business by not having a toll free number. And boost business by showing customers you are professional and available.
Let American Voice Mail, Inc. help you get started today.