September 9, 2006

Why Should You Have a Toll Free Number

99.9% of the technology I share with you is 100% related to "computer" related small business technology, however, once in a while I get prompted by a small business end user or technology vendor to cover something slightly different.

I'd like to share with you about the benefits of a toll-free number. One of the biggest benefits for having a toll-free numbers is that the call is 'free' which encourages customers to call you.

This can be a big deal, especially if you want customers to call you from outside of your free calling area.

Tollfreenumber.org shared with me a number of other reasons to have a toll free number which include:

Call capture feature:

You have a list of everyone who has called you. A service called Real-time Automatic Number Identification (ANI) identifies the caller's ten-digit phone number. This means that anytime someone calls you, your toll free number service will unblock their caller ID even if they are calling from a blocked phone number. There is no extra charge for this service and it doesn't require any special equipment. This makes tracking leads effective and simple. You'll also generate more leads since every incoming call will be accounted for.

Preventing Harassers

You can prevent harassers and stalkers by utilizing a toll free number. Tollfreenumber.org had a customer that had his toll free number ring to his cell phone. Everyday he would receive a hang-up call at his home from a 'private' phone number. One day he forwarded his home phone to his toll free number and when the hang-up call came in, we unblocked the callers ID automatically and he was able to see that it was his ex calling and hanging up all along.

Quality

Sound quality and clarity is essential to any voice data transmission. The American public are used to the level of quality that the PSTN offers and at present VOIP is simply not capable of reaching that sort of level. The method by which the data packages are transported using VOIP means that long delays and obtrusive interruptions are evident. Generally, the quality of VOIP calls is around the same level as that of cellular phones and in some cases it has been reported that the static interference is actually worse. Fiber Optic networks, on the other hand, bring a new dimension to traditional metallic phone lines. They offer much less resistance and, therefore, greater sound clarity.

Tollfreenumber.org has a number of useful resources on their web site as well.

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