How To Choose Best Toll-Free Number For Your Business

by Vivek Khangarot Writer

Toll-free numbers have become a need of the hour for every business organization. Available at a nominal cost it provides multi-folded benefits to the organization. It provides nationwide access to business, free calling to customers, easily memorable vanity numbers, 24*7 customer support system and so on. It helps to portray the professional image and makes the business sound bigger.

Toll-free numbers can prove to be hugely beneficial for your company, but the condition is making the right choice. Below are a number of tactics that will help you land at the best toll-free number.

Ease of remembrance
The toll-free number should be chosen in such a way that it becomes easy for the customers to remember. To remember a difficult one will prove to be the burden on the customers and they will try to avoid it, this, in turn, can result in them avoiding you and your business. You need to be creative yet simple.

Using words is a better option
Imagine two numbers 1-800-567-PAINT and 1-800-PAINTING has been provided to you. Which of these will be easier to remember? Obviously the second one. A number with more words and less of numerical is always a better choice as it will be easier for the customers to recall it.

Play with the digit “8”
As and when a person thinks of a toll-free number it is by default he/she will think about it to be comprised of the digit “8”. It may be “800” or “888”. The foremost preference should be given to “800”. If by chance you cannot avail of this option than it is better to go with the choice of “888” than with numbers like “877” or “866”. The public is more familiar with the eight digits so it makes you more close to them using this digit. It might happen that if you use numbers other than 8 they miss-dial your number and thus you might lose your client. According to a survey done by White Paper in 2011, “97% of consumers recognize the 800 exchange as toll-free, but few connected with the toll exchanges 888,877 and 866.”

Spelling does make the difference
While choosing your toll-free number try to make the spelling easy and simple. Letters that are more likely used often should be incorporated rather than the once that are used less often. Letters such as “Q”, “Z”, etc. should be avoided. Always remember, toll-free numbers are to make yourself more easily available to your clients. If you incorporate rarely used letters it will become a pain for them to go through the keypad to type these numbers and you can lose their calls. Always remember to choose a toll-free number that sounds good in verbal conversation, TV or radio. Do not use slang words with several different spelling or meaning.

Product/ service provided to be included
Try to include the service you provide in your toll-free free number rather than the name of your company. The company name can be included if you are very famous and people can relate at once to the product/service you deal with your name. For instance, if you are a company of furnishing under the brand name AROOF. 1-800-FURNISHING is way better than 1-800-AROOF. Using the former one your customers can at an instance relate to the service provided by you and they can give you a call if they are sorting for that service/ product. Whereas in the first one they will the need to find out what services/product is provided by the company AROOF.

Distinguished from competitors
It is always a good practice to analyze the toll-free numbers used by your competitors before deciding your number. This will give you an idea of the toll-free number in trend and you can also arrive at a number different from your competitors. Let it be original enough to stand out amongst your competitors. It should not be the case that your customers are dialing your number and due to some miss-dialing errors they contacted your competitors. This may lead to loss of business on your part.

Scale-ability with growing business
Care should be given on the aspect of scale-ability of the number as and when your business grows. It is always advised not to stick to a particular niche so that when your business/product grows you can stick to the same vanity number.

Sort professional help
Having trouble while choosing your toll-free number? Not to worry. There are various companies available to help you make the best choice. You just need to contact them and they will help you choose the best suited toll-free number for your business. Even better many of them will also help you purchase that particular number from their own company.

Less-expensive choice
Another aspect of choosing the best toll-free number is to make the right choice of the service provider. The market flooded with many companies makes the choice a difficult one. You need to do a full research on the various aspects stated below for making it less expensive, thus avoiding it to be a burden on the company’s resources.

Always compare the rates provided by different companies and bargain for the best rate.
Considering companies using the virtual phone number for providing these service is better, as it will be less expensive.
Most of the companies charge according to the minutes of the call and where it originated. It is always better to purchase minutes in bulk if you are expecting more number of calls.
Many companies provide discounts on advance payment. If you think that you will receive a lot of calls in future it is better to make the payment in advance for availing these discounts.

Trying a number of varieties of keywords will definitely lead you to the best choice of toll-free number. Be thoughtful and you will surely land to the best toll-free number. Discuss your choice of numbers with your friends and coworkers. Ask them to dial it and go ahead with the one that is easily remembered and dialed by most of them. Hope the number chosen by using open new horizon of success to your business. All the best for choosing your toll-free number!!

Reference- How To Choose Best Toll-Free Number For Your Business