Should you have a toll-free number?
It used to be you only ever saw toll free(800 numbers) for large companies and usually they were only for sales calls. Not too long ago it was pretty expensive to have a toll free number because not only did you have to pay for the number itself but the per-minute charges were much more than than normal phone charges. This kept small businesses away from having toll free numbers but with the explosion of the Internet and technology in general owning a toll free number is much more reasonable now. Even though the price is much more reasonable now does having a toll free number help your business, does it make you look more appealing to customers?
In my opinion, it depends on what kind of business you’re running. If you’re a small time freelancer whose business comes off the Internet then a toll free number probably wont help you out much. However, if you’re a sales guy and travel all over the world to sell products or yourself than a toll free number might help you increase sales. Toll free numbers allow your customers to contact you for free if you’re located out of their local calling area but this brings up an interesting point, do people still have local calling areas? Some five years ago long distance was still popular but with the mass market of mobile phones and voice of IP(Internet) calling the idea of local calling areas has begun to shrink. I can say with certainty that over the past three or so years I have not even thought about if a call was long distance. If I’m using my mobile phone I have nation wide coverage and if I’m at home my phone has free long distance to anywhere in the US. I think this is becoming the norm so when people see an 800 number does it capture their attention like it used to, do they immediately think of a free call like they used to?
I own one toll free number for one of my businesses and it’s an off line business(selling local product). We chose to go this route because we think that our customer base still sees toll free numbers as an important part of a business and even though they might not need it we feel it gives this particular business an edge over the competition. This is also something to think about when deciding if a toll free number is for you, will your customers notice and will it matter to them? If your competition is using local numbers and your ad has a toll free number are your potential customers more likely to call you?
Overall this is a question you have to ask yourself and the answer will depend on many factors. If you’re thinking of getting a toll free number do some research and see if it fits your goals. You can obtain a toll free number for under $5/month so it’s cheap enough to experiment with, give it a try for six months and see if it helps your business. If it does, great keep the number, if not cancel it and you’re out $30.
Have you had a toll free number? Did it help your business, did you notice any changes in sales? Do you have any advice for others? Post your comments below.
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