There are a number of ways to invest in toll free service depending on your goals. However, one thing has become clear and that is toll free numbers are not just here to stay but one of the most in demand business tools of the decade.
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Toll free services can help you boost productivity throughout your business in many ways by increasing your profit margins and rocketing your organization forward.
There was a lot of buzz in the news and all over the web prior to the release of the much anticipated 855 toll free number prefix. Toll free service providers made a lot of noise about the new addition to their line up, with some even resorting to bashing others on their blogs in an effort to grab attention to themselves and hopefully a larger share of reservations. Though some of you may have wondered whether it was all hype or if 855 numbers would really catch on and become as valuable as 877 or 800 numbers.
What's the difference between toll free number providers? Actually, a number of differences exist. Of course, just like any other industry whether it is a car, mortgage, or marketing company, some toll free number providers are better than others. Besides price, the better toll free service provider stands out with a track record of having been in business for a while, and of having established itself as an expert in the field. The company's expertise is also evidenced by how much thought and work it has put into the toll free number tools it offers.
Toll free service and toll free numbers are becoming more important in telemarketing than ever. Despite increased restrictions and tougher implementation and fines involved with the FTC and the Do-not-call list, telemarketing companies continue to sprout up and grow worldwide. Many of these new or growing call centers are located outside of the US or involve remote sales teams.
Custom Toll Free recently announced the appointment of Rick DeCamp as vice president of business development. In his new position, DeCamp will lead product marketing and business development for a new line of business centered on e-commerce technology solutions."We’re excited to have a marketing and business development executive of Rick’s caliber join our management team," said Michael Evans, president and chief operating officer of Custom Toll Free. "Given his deep and highly successful experience, we know Rick will make a significant impact on our business and product strategy, and help us continue the company’s rapid growth trajectory."
We're pleased to report that as of Friday, customer record updates (required for service changes for toll-free numbers) are once again being processed through SMS/800, the central administration system for the toll-free number industry.
SMS/800 had announced Nov. 30 that requests from Resp Orgs would not be handled until after Dec. 8. However, on Dec. 1 SMS/800 sent out an second announcement saying that it would resume handling customer record updates on Dec. 4.
Both the original long delay, and the later short one, are of great concern to us. Customer record updates are required before service changes, such as the re-assignment of a toll free number to a new customer, or to a different account, can “go live.” As a rule, these updates happen so quickly that our customers think of them as almost automatic.
According to the original announcement from SMS/800, the processing of service changes was being delayed so that four service control points in the AT&T system could be decommissioned and replaced by new service control points. The means, essentially, that AT&T was replacing older, less reliable systems with new systems.
“We’re deeply concerned about any halts or slowdowns in the industry infrastructure that could affect our customers and the quality of the service we provide to them,” said Chris Rugh, CEO of Custom Toll Free. “This is a particular problem if the halts are not announced in advance.”
“I’m glad to say that service is now restored and customer record updates are being processed speedily,” Rugh said.
He added that Custom Toll Free is looking at the steps it can take so that it, and other Resp Orgs handling toll free numbers, will be notified well in advance of any activities that might cause future delays.
There is more good reason to harness the power of a toll free number: you save customers money. Let’s face it, the economy is first on the minds of consumers. If they have the option of two phone numbers in front of them, they are going to be more apt to call the toll-free one and save money.
There’s even toll free directory assistance. It is accessed by dialing 1-800-555-1212, of course this is a completely free call to make. But not all phone numbers are subscribed to the service. So if you have a toll free number, make it available for customers to look it up through the toll-free assistance service.
To reinforce my point, not all toll-free numbers are listed in the directory, only the ones that subscribe are listed. However, the FCC has a plan in the works to review the promotional aspect and competition among multiple providers, such as directory assistance options for toll-free numbers.
Custom Toll Free can help you learn more about what’s on the toll-free horizon.
