Any company using toll free numbers would agree that this simple tool can boost customer response rates dramatically. As a direct result, companies that use toll free numbers can expect greater profits. It is unfortunate that a lot of small businesses still fail to take advantage of this service despite its prevalence.
Tracking the effectiveness of your marketing campaign is an essential part of maximizing your return-on-investment (ROI). It will also help you to modify the strategy and fine-tune the campaign whenever necessary. Take note that a lot of changes can occur over the duration of your marketing campaign. Tracking direct mail response is not a new concept. However, despite its popularity, its real importance is sometimes underestimated. Because the benefits of direct mail are multiple, it is important to capitalize on those benefits by accurately tracking your results. Using a 1-800 number makes analysis of your results easy.
Choosing a 1-800 number is a great advertising method that boosts conversion rates and increases brand awareness. By your choosing the numbers that correspond to your business, whether it is the brand name or the product itself, customers will find it easier to remember who and what number they should call. For example, if you are selling motorbikes, it would be a good idea to choose a vanity number that looks like 1-800-BIKE.
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."
In the current economy customers are slower to spend. So now, more than even, marketing messages need to include key phrases that make the customer pick up the phone and call now. That’s why it’s important to tell people in your ads what’s new and different about your product or services — and why they should pick up the phone and dial your toll-free number right away:
The two most obvious phrases are:
But there are some other attractive phrases that command attention and inspire action. They include:
Need a distinctive toll-free number that matches your new campaign or product? Get started right away with our Toll Free Number Search. We can also help you get a great customer toll-free number that’s coming available.
Octane Magazine recently published an article by Custom Toll Free CEO Christopher Rugh with strategies for selecting company names that attract business. Not surprisingly, many of the tips Christopher has for naming a company also apply when you’re selecting a vanity toll-free number. As you look for a number, aim for one that meets one of these criteria:
A toll free number is a key marketing and sales tool, and selecting that number is a major business decision worthy of a strategic approach. We invite you to get started exploring the databank of available toll-free numbers using Custom Toll Free’s powerful automated lookup tool.
If you need a more customized approach, or want to inquire about getting a number that is not currently in the available pool, please contact us. At Custom Toll Free, we have experience helping companies find exactly the right vanity toll-free number — and the toll-free services that match their business needs.
Let’s start with a little history: Toll-free numbers first appeared in 1960, introduced by the US Post Office. But they really began to change the shape of business calling in 1967, when they were adopted by the old AT & T. In those days, toll-free service was known by the name of IN-WATS (Inward Wide-Area Telephone Service). You might remember hearing someone refer to a “WATS line.”
It didn’t take long for major companies to see the advantages of using toll free numbers to make it easy for customers to reach them. Not surprisingly, the early adopters included companies in the hotel and car rental industries. They set up call centers serving customers who were away from home and facing long-distance calling from a relative’s phone, an expensive hotel phone, or a cumbersome public pay phone. Customers loved the convenience, and companies found that toll-free numbers generated substantial ROI.
In the 1980s, vanity toll-free numbers (spelling a phoneword like 1-800-COMPANY) appeared on the scene, and companies clamored to get the best numbers. Today some vanity toll-free numbers are valued in the millions.
Custom Toll Free has experience in helping businesses select not only a powerful custom toll-free number, but also the toll-free services that best fit your company’s budget and business model. An entire suite of basic services is yours for free when you activate a toll-free number with us. In additional we provide an extensive choice enhanced services including virtual PBX, hunt groups, call announcement, call recording, and VoIP termination.
We make the entire process of getting a custom toll-free number convenient and fast. Contact us for more information, or get started researching a vanity toll-free number using our Available Tollfree Number Search.
One of the best ways to strengthen the power of your vanity toll free number is to use it in all your marketing materials. That includes putting it in your telephone greetings. Think about it: Clients dial “1-888-PET-CARE” and the greeting they get is “Hi, this is Johnson’s Pet Supplies.” But they could be hearing “Hi, you’ve reached 1-888-PET-CARE, Johnson’s Pet Supplies.”
This is a no-cost way of helping customers recognize and remember your custom toll free number, increasing the likelihood that they’ll call your business again in the future. Here are five ways to use phone greetings to turn those vanity number calls into sales — and increase customer satisfaction.
Supposedly the government has been reserving some 855 numbers to be able to deal with the toll-free number shortage. This is meant to help resolve the dwindling supply of 800 numbers. Only the 855 numbers have not been made available yet. When they do, you know Custom Toll Free will do what we can to help clients access these new numbers.
Consumers should harness an 800 without haste. Here are some good reasons to secure an 800 toll-free number:
Learn how Custom Toll Free can help secure effective numbers.
800 numbers and notification e-mails
Today, “toll-free” has become a comprehensive service. When a business goes with a service provider or a toll-free company, they can monitor things like usage with call notification emails.
Monitor your toll free number via automatic e-mail notification systems. Many of our clients here at Custom Toll Free decide to go this route. Especially if they want to monitor things such as caller ID and the time of day the call comes through.
Going the toll-free route takes more forethought than simply getting a good vanity number. Let us help you.
Available 800 numbers are on the decline. That being said, there has never been a more urgent need for companies to get 800s if they have not already. It’s been over a decade since the federal government tried to help bolster the supply of toll free numbers. In fact, 800 numbers seem to be hard to come by, and it might be getting worse. Over the years the government has tried to safeguard 800 numbers in various ways.
Not so long ago, 866 saved the day
We all remember when 877 or 866 prefixes were the new digits on the block. With the technology boom and the expanding role of Internet (the emergence of matching vanity numbers with domain names) those newer digits slowly became in short supply as well.
Consumers may or may not know that The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does have a plan in place for solving 800 numbers from becoming extinct.
While the remaining 800, 888, 866 and 877 become less and less available, phone companies and consumers feel the pain. This could have far-reaching implications on new and existing businesses and how they communicate with customers and clients. Many companies have come to realize that their toll-free numbers a seamless way to help market and grow their businesses.
When it seems like you can’t find a good toll free number, let Custom Toll Free help you secure the right one for your business needs (one point of our service is that we DO get numbers that are not available).
