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.

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!

Setting up a business can be an overwhelming experience. And the thought of handling all your calls can be somewhat nagging, too. But what many do not realize is that obtaining a toll-free number is a relatively simple and seamless process.

All you have to do is request one from a company who can access them. When it comes to pricing, this can vary. The factors that affect costs include the geographic region you are located in and of course how many calls you get a month.

Why a toll-free number is an asset
Simply put: easy access. Having a toll-free number increases your communication with everyone. So whether you want to have more customer calls or better access to staff and business associates, it’s within your grasp.

Image counts. In business and marketing, image is everything. Having a toll free number speaks volumes. It says your company is professional and established. It can even imply that a company places a high priority on customer service and client satisfaction.

Not to mention a toll-free number can save on operating costs and helps you to monitor your incoming calls, too.

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.

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:

•    Increased sales and fewer missed calls
•    A great marketing tool
•    Added word-of-mouth referrals
•    A decrease in item returns
•    Ensure vanity number availability

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).

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At last, you’ve got it: Your new vanity toll-free number. It’s catchy and memorable — and powerful. But only if you get it out there where prospective customers can see it. While you certainly have plans to use it in the next big direct marketing campaign you roll out, keep in mind that there are many other ways you can a vanity toll-free number to boost business and improve ROI.

• Update your advertising. Redesign your ads and get new versions to all the publications, websites, and broadcast outlets where you currently advertise.
• Update your printed materials. This includes business cards, envelopes, packaging, invoices, brochures, and signage. It’s amazing how many people may drive by your bricks-and-mortar business every day and not stop in, but who will call as a result of seeing your 1-800 number.
• Update your website. The new custom toll-free number should be prominently displayed on the home page and any sales pages — not buried on the “Contact Us” page or at the very bottom of the web pages.
• Update your phone message. If people who call your current number get a recording (when you are closed, or if they are on hold), take advantage of those recordings to inform them about the new toll-free number. It will make it easier for them to call you next time.
• Explore new types of advertising that are now open to you with an easy-to-remember vanity toll-free number. Those include vehicle signage, t-shirts, and all manner of corporate memorabilia, from mugs to license-plate frames.

At Custom Toll Free, we’re well aware of how much time and effort our clients put in to finding a good vanity toll-free number. We help our customers choose the best toll-free numbers and, often, we help clients acquire a great toll-free number that’s not readily available.

People go to all this work because strong toll-free numbers are a proven way to enhance your market presence and attract business. Toll-free numbers are associated with major companies. And a good vanity toll-free number is easy to remember, maximizing the chances that people will call.

After all the work that goes into securing your vanity toll-free number to bring prospects to your business, you want to invest plenty of time and effort into making sure that when prospects call you, they have the kind of phone experience that turns callers into buyers.

Here are a few “must haves” to maximize your investment in a custom toll-free number:

• An efficient phone system. Don’t let eager prospects languish on “hold.” Invest in a call system that can handle your call load. 
• Trained sales staff answering your phone. If someone is answering calls to your toll-free number, that person is part of your sales team. Your call center staff should be trained to do what it takes to convert callers into buyers. 
• A professionally written sales or customer service script, tailored to your business. This is essential if your company is new to telephone sales. And, if you’ve been doing phone sales for a while, it never hurts to have a professional re-evaluate your script to see if it is still aligned with your products/services and your customer base.

Toll-free numbers are popular for business of all sizes. Large companies and government agencies use them for sales and customer service. But, increasingly, small- and mid-size businesses are finding toll free service to be a valuable tool for marketing, advertising, and direct response research. According to experts, a toll free phone number can level the playing field and help smaller businesses compete. Because a toll free number is often portable, it’s ideal for a small business that may relocate as it grows.
Industries most like to employ toll-free numbers include telecommunications, internet service providers, beauty, banking, insurance, and travel. You’ll also see research organizations list toll free numbers to improve response to their surveys.

When toll free “866″ numbers were made available in 2000, they opened exciting new possibilities for businesses that had been unable to get desirable vanity numbers with the popular “800″ prefix.

Recent research shows that well over 80 percent of Americans 18-55 now recognize “866″ as a toll free prefix. If your customer base falls in that demographic, “866″ numbers offer the perfect business solution for you.

A sizable part of our business at Custom Toll Free involves locating 866 numbers that match the needs of our clients. Locating 866 toll free numbers is both an art and a science. We’ve automated our powerful database of toll free numbers so you can search to find out if the 866 numbers you want are available.

If the 866 numbers you’d like have been assigned to other companies, don’t give up! Custom Toll Free specializes in handling negotiations that can get numbers released and assigned to you. Our experienced consultants can help you explore a wide range of options.