Distinguishing Amongst Variety of Toll Free Numbers

Toll-free number is a gift that business enterprises give their customers to encourage them to call more often. Toll free number is a facility where the call charges are paid by the called party. A toll-free number lends your business professional presence and the image of a big corporation - prompting your customers to repose greater confidence in your business.

When you own a toll free number, your customers can make calls to you  for free, or at the cost of a local call while you do not pay anything or a standard rate depending on the toll-free number type you choose. The toll free numbers are of various types and some of the common types are:

• Cost to business owner


• 1800 numbers


• Free for caller


• Standard rate


• 1300 numbers


• Local call


• First 15 minutes free, then standard rate


• 13 numbers


• First 15 minutes free, then standard rate


• Smart numbers


• Vanity numbers easy to remember


• International


• Global number that can be called anywhere in the world


• Charged depending on which country call originates from

The major types of toll free numbers can be succinctly re-stated in the following tabular form for easy reading:

As there are different types of toll free number facilities available in the market, the onus is on you to select the right one for your organization based on how exactly you intend to use the phone number.

1300 phone numbers are widely used by companies that serve their local community. The primary reason for this is because the initial 15 minutes of the telephone call is totally free for the owner of the service.
   
Many businesses prefer to use 1800 phone numbers as a marketing tool. This is because 1800 telephone numbers are totally free for the customer if they call from a standard fixed line. The purpose is to encourage customers to make more calls.

There is no denying that the 800 phone numbers are very rewarding and constitute a great help for business houses. Typically, you can get anything from 800 numbers, to 866, 877, and 888 numbers. You can then opt for a random string of numbers or an alpha-numeric vanity number by paying a premium. The big advantage of vanity numbers is they are easy to remember and when your customers remember your number, they will not look for your competitor.

Toll free telephone numbers can be used as a normal phone line or a fax line. These numbers can be diverted to a standard land line phone number or mobile phone. Most service providers offer you different toll-free number packages and your calls are tracked and several packages give you access to comprehensive reports. In fact, you can know your call traffic for a given month location-wise with date and time particulars so that the reports can form part of your MIS.