Benefits of Having a Toll Free Business Phone Number
Is your company easily accessible to your clients? Learn about the benefits of having a toll free business phone number and why you are losing money without it.
Think phone calls in business are a thing of the past?
Think again.
Recent studies show that up to 75% of all business is still done over the phone, in combination with a few other so-called “old school” communication methods.
Another important statistic? 85% of missed calls — whether from leads or established customers — will never call back.
Plus, having a phone line that’s not convenient for customers directly impacts your customer service. Poor customer service costs businesses an average of $62 billion every year — not to mention the business you’ve already lost from missed calls.
Don’t let these statistics intimidate you. Instead, let them motivate you to find a better means of communication for your business.
In this post, we’ll take a look at a few of the main reasons why you need to have a toll free business phone number. By the end of the post, you’ll understand that solid communication isn’t just the foundation of your business.
It could be the very thing that helps you to make this your most profitable year ever.
It Follow You Anywhere
In today’s business world, change happens fast.
Maybe you’ve recently moved office spaces, maybe you want to switch phone providers, or maybe you just want to feel like you have a little flexibility.
When you get a toll free business phone number, you can take that number anywhere, from your new office to the beach! As long as you set up call forwarding to your cell phone (or any other phone of your choosing) your customers will always be able to reach you on your toll free number, no matter where you are.
Make sure you look into options that come with an auto attendant answering service with extensions. First of all, this makes you look like a huge company, even if it’s just you and your kitchen table.
These auto attendants can automatically send and receive faxes to your email, take down your voicemail, and even transfer calls to you from anywhere. There are options for flat rate local numbers, and options that forward your calls to you for free in the US 48 and Canada.
That way, you never miss calls — and lose a lot less business than with a traditional telephone.
It Lends An Air of Professionalism
Think about how you behave when you see an unfamiliar number flash across your caller ID screen.
You usually either hang up on it, or screen the call, right?
Your customers likely feel equally conflicted about calling a number they don’t feel is credible. If your business doesn’t have a toll free number, how do your customers know they aren’t just calling some random business, or the cell phone of an employee?
It also works especially well for larger companies with offices in multiple locations. There’s only one number customers need to remember to get in touch with the party they need.
Toll free business phone numbers aren’t just convenient for you — they also make life a lot easier for your customers. An auto attendant, in addition to taking your messages and emailing you faxes you missed, can also help to direct calls.
When a client gets in touch with your business, they can listen to an automatic extension listing, so they can be quickly directed to the party or department they need. Plus, since this automatic listing is handled by the auto attendant, you’ve also saved yourself the cost of hiring a receptionist.
Advertise With Measurable Results
A toll free business phone number is so much easier to remember than just a random string of numbers. It’s even an amazing marketing tool.
Think about it. You can have your toll free number spell out a word that’s directly related to your company, making it all the more likely to stick in the minds of your customers. As so many have done, you can even create a jingle or entire advertising campaign based around your toll free number.
We bet you have a jingle of a popular company toll free number stuck in your head just from reading the above line.
Think about how much business having a catchy tune like that could bring to your company.
You Can Measure the Success of Your Campaigns
Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to track the success of each of your individual marketing campaigns, like you can with website analytics, through your telephone?
Good news. With a toll free business phone number, you can.
Let’s say you’ve put up a billboard at a busy intersection in your city, have placed an ad in a local paper, and an ad on the radio.
Which one of these places brought you the most number of calls? By using different 800 numbers for each, you’ll know exactly how many calls you received from each advertisement, the time each call came in and usually the Caller ID, so you can follow up every lead.
Here’s where the beauty of extensions comes in.
Maybe you want to use only 1 toll free number for different advertising, such as homes for sale listings, auto sales ads or apartments for rent. Easy. With a toll free number, you can assign a unique extension to each of these uses. That way, you can easily track which one of these places helped you to do the most business. When it comes time for your next advertising campaign, you’ll know where to focus your resources.
Ready to Get a Toll Free Business Phone Number Today?
Thanks to this post, you know just a few of the many reasons why it’s so important that you have a toll free business phone number.
However, just knowing you need one isn’t enough. The success of your business hinges directly on the connectivity, service, speed, and overall quality of your phone lines.
Any area where you communicate directly with your customers is an area where you shouldn’t compromise. You need reliable, experienced professionals with a proven track record of success and service.
That’s where we come in. We’re American Voice Mail.
To learn more about what sets our business phone services apart from the competition, spend some time on our website.
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions, and get in touch with us to schedule a service appointment or speak with a representative.
American Voice Mail. Your Telecommunications Services Provider. 800.347.2861.