Toll Free Numbers On The Rise With Small Busineses

By: Brandi Armstrong

Many smaller businesses have adopted toll free numbers as their main contact lines, and each year, hundreds of small businesses follow suit. Toll free numbers were once reserved for large businesses, as they carried large operating costs and dedicated customer service teams to use.
That's not the case anymore. New advances in technology like advanced virtual systems can be purchased and implemented at a very low cost, allowing a small business to handle toll free numbers--and more importantly, an increase in incoming business--without seeming less professional. Modern phone systems can efficiently route calls to the correct departments and use input from the caller to handle some of the minor functions of a call center (taking credit card numbers, etc.). Hosted systems don't even require a major investment or an IT maintenance department to use. Toll free numbers can easily become part of a business, leading to increased business and a very professional treatment for each customer regardless of industry.
Compared to traditional phone numbers, it's also very cost effective to use 800 numbers. As mentioned earlier, small businesses receive more incoming customers due to the image and professionalism of these numbers. With hosted systems, they also spend less money on each phone call. This is due to the efficiency of modern hosting systems and the fact that busy customer service workers waste less time; toll free numbers are the best way to improve efficiency in a call center without a massive investment. This makes them ideal for small companies that need to compete on a professional level.
All of this would be inconsequential if the pool for vanity numbers had been exhausted, which was a definite possibility in the last few decades as the popularity of toll free numbers expanded. The newly introduced 855 prefix has greatly increased this pool and has made it possible for small businesses to have freedom when choosing their numbers. Businesses can pick numbers that are just as memorable as those of major companies. As one might expect, this makes it much easier to compete with said companies, and much easier to promote the services and products of a small business effectively. Again, toll free numbers are most valuable when paired with hosted virtual phone services, as the increase in business can be overwhelming for small businesses that don't plan ahead. New phone management technology has made it easy to plan effectively when adding toll free numbers, however.
There are many reasons to look into 800 or 855 numbers, but small businesses have benefited from the numbers because of the professional image, low cost, and high return of these phone numbers. This coupled with the introduction of 855 phone numbers and new phone system technology has led to the expanded interest in toll free phone numbers from small businesses across the country and the world. When customers make a phone call, they prefer to call professional companies with memorable phone numbers. In the past, their business was relegated to the larger companies in an industry, but thanks to phone systems and 800 phone numbers, it's likely that small businesses will be able to attract these customers just as effectively for years to come.

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Brandi Armstrong is an expert author on how technology can help small businesses compete in today's competitive marketplace. For a 15 Day Free Trial of a leading toll free number provider visit www.Freedom800.com today. Or click toll free numbers to learn more about how they work and how you can use them in your business.