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5 Steps To Better Call Center Results

1. Better Leads
Instead of acquiring stale lists or expensive leads which claim to be "exclusive" and never are, maximize your marketing ROI and provide call center agents with warm leads from social media. These are easy to generate and with a few outsourced data entry staff you could quickly boost your following and be pulling in hot leads from the web yourself.

855 Numbers Scheduled for October 1st, 2010!

Order an 855 Vanity Before They're Gone!

The 855 Toll Free prefix will be released October 1st, 2010. This is from an official announcement just released on June 25th. Custom Toll Free, the leader in toll free consulting, has made it fast and convenient to reserve the new 855 vanity numbers with their online platform. For a small fee, users will be placed in the national queue to reserve their choice of 855 vanity number IMMEDIATELY upon release at midnight on October 1st. With access to an MGI tool (the fastest availalbe connection to the FCC database) clients have a better than average chance of scooping up an amazing vanity number ahead of their competition.

The Importance of a Dedicated Business Phone Line for Sole Proprietors

The U.S. and worldwide economies are driven highly by the growth of small businesses. Especially with the recent global credit crises, economic downturn, and high unemployment rates, many individuals are turning to operating their own businesses. Many of these small businesses are operated as "Sole Proprietorships." For example in the UK in 2009, sole proprietors comprised over 24% of newly registered businesses and the second largest category. Being a sole proprietor is commonly the case with consultants, contractors and freelancers, but it expands across a huge array of industries. While email has taken over much business communication, establishing a business phone line is essential for the success of these enterprises.

1-800 Vanity Numbers Aren't Just For Business

1-800 and other toll free numbers are no longer just for businesses. Toll free vanity numbers that spell out words now have a wide variety of uses. Advances in technology have created many new ways to utilize phone numbers and lines. As the name suggests, vanity numbers can be used purely to feed the ego, but they can also be for privacy or used as personal marketing tools. Traditionally, vanity numbers have been used by businesses for branding and to differentiate themselves from the competition. You have probably seen numbers such as 1-800-Dentist and 1-800-Comcast. Here are several ways you can use vanity numbers to your advantage:

1800 number - Differentiating yourself from the competition

There are a wide range of ways that a 1800 number can help you with differentiating yourself from your competition. Those businesses and business owners who do not see the value and need for a toll free 1800 number are doing themselves a great dis-service. These 1800 'vanity' numbers aren't just about ego - studies have shown that selecting the right toll free number for your business can increase the response rates of your advertising efforts by 300% and can increase your sale between 20-200%!

Custom Toll Free Appoints Rick DeCamp Vice President of Business Development

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."

Your toll-free number: Six ways get customers to call

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:

  • On sale
  • Limited-time offer

But there are some other attractive phrases that command attention and inspire action. They include:

  • Overnight delivery
  • More style options in stock
  • New, improved design
  • Free estimate (or free sample)
  • Make sure your toll-free number appears prominently in your ad, paired with your special offer:
  • “Call 1-800-BIZ-NAME today to arrange a free estimate.”
  • “Call 1-800-BIZ-NAME today and your purchase can be delivered to you tomorrow!”

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.

How vanity toll-free numbers power outdoor advertising campaigns

One of the fastest-growing segments of marketing communication is outdoor advertising. Traditional billboards are benefitting from fast, lower-cost ink jet printing technologies, and new forms of outdoor ads are proliferating. These include electronic billboards, bus signs and bus wraps, kiosks, giant banners, LED message reader boards, and even taxi tops.

Studies of advertisers reveal that they choose billboard ads for their superior abilities to communicate effectively, to attract new customers, and to increase sales. eMarketer Digital Intelligence predicts that US outdoor advertising revenues will rise from the $7.4 billion posted in 2007 to more than $10 billion in 2011.

Outdoor advertising is known for being powerful and streamlined. According to the five principles of billboard advertising, you want to keep it simple: convey one strong visual concept about your service or product, add a tagline or call to action, and provide  your company name and contact information.

One of the best ways to keep it simple and effective is with a vanity toll-free number. In outdoor advertising, a great vanity toll free number does double duty, reinforcing either your company name (1-800-yourname) or your call to action (1-800-buy-sodas). A good example of a vanity number being used as a call to action is the highly successful outdoor ad campaign used by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)  to advertise a new tip line for reporting illegal animal fighting. The vanity toll free number they chose was 1-877-TIP-HSUS.

Get the most out of your outdoor advertising by prominently featuring a strong vanity toll-free number. Custom Toll Free staff can help you acquire a toll-free number that works with your brand, service, or product and takes advantage of the high-impact outdoor ad medium to capture attention and generate response. Find out more about our toll free number search.

5 ways to please callers to your vanity toll free number

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.

  1. As often as possible, have a live person answer the phone and present your message during business hours. Studies show that customers expect and prefer it, and it’s the ideal during a sales campaign when you want a sales person to have immediate access to a prospect. After all, studies show that customers who make purchases over the phone order more merchandise, and 95 percent of the time they order more expensive merchandise than customers who are ordering from print or online catalogs. If you are using your toll-free number for non-sales purposes, it’s not as critical that the live person greeting the customer be on your team. A good answering service can handle the caller and then send you a convenient email message.
  2. If you need to use recorded messages, be sure to record separate ones for business hours and for after-hours. Why? See tips 3 and 4.
  3. When your callers do get a recorded message during business hours, it should mention your 1-800 number and your company identity. Then tell the caller, quickly, how to get to the department they’re calling or the information they want. Example: “Thank you for calling 1-888-PET-CARE, Johnson’s Pet Supplies. A representative will be with you in one minute. If you need to reschedule a delivery for tomorrow, please press 3 for the shipment desk. For all other business, please stay on the line.”
  4. The message callers get after hours should (again) reinforce your business identity by mentioning your toll-free number and business name. Then let people know when you’ll be back in the office and what they can do to get a message to you in the meantime. “You’ve reached the after-hours line for 1-888-PET-CARE, Johnson’s Pet Supplies. We’ll be back in the office at 8 a.m. Please call back then, or press 2 to leave a message with our answering service.”
  5. If you have a website that allows people to view products or schedules, place orders, or send email, be sure to mention that website in your phone greeting. For some callers, this is a plus. But keep in mind that many callers to your toll-free number prefer to talk directly to a live person.

Why parents are using the power of toll-free numbers

Whenever you think of the toll-free number market, you think flowers, contact lenses, or safe autos. But today, many parents are using personal toll free numbers to keep tabs on their kids. Parents worried about their college-bound youngsters are resting better at night with toll-free numbers.

We all know it’s hard to get little Suzy or Johnny to call home everyday, but if the call is free you might have a better chance of hearing that phone ring. While normal cell phone plans were once the popular route, they can be highly expensive.

In fact, research shows that 90 percent of people in the United States are dialing toll-free numbers. Additionally, response rates increase an average of 14 percent when advertisements contain toll-free numbers.

Who are the regular people using toll-free numbers today?

•    Parents and grandparents
•    College students
•    Parents of teens and tweens
•    Military families
•    Frequent travelers
•    Those in a long-distance relationship

Custom Toll Free can design a minute plan that is just right for your special toll free needs. You just might bond with your kids, friends and other loved-ones better. Well, maybe or maybe not, but you WILL save money!

 
 
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What is a Shared Number?
 
 
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