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You already have a fully staffed contact center. Yet you still feel like you can better your customer experience.
You have a small business, but you feel like the size of the business sometimes hampers your opportunities.
It would be nice to have a viable solution, isn’t it? Your answer is toll-free numbers.
What is a toll-free number?
A toll-free number allows callers to connect with businesses without being charged for the call. In other words, the business incurs the charges for all the calls landing on these numbers.
It is generally identified by a dialing prefix number (800, 866, 855, 1-800, etc.) which is specific to a geographic area code.
There is a public perception that the companies that have toll-free numbers are well-established, so having one for your business gives out the impression that your business is successful and operates on a national level. A toll-free number for your business can boost your sales opportunities.
How do toll-free numbers work?
Let’s understand the working process without getting to the technical side of things.
- A customer dials the toll-free number publicized by the company
- The call is routed to a cloud telephony company like Exotel
- Exotel connects the customer and the business
- The business that owns the toll-free number bears the charges of that no-call cost for the end-customer and pays an extra premium per call.
How to call toll-free numbers?
A business toll-free number is dialed out the same way as any other number. But how to dial toll-free numbers from mobile? Customers can call the toll-free number the same way they call other numbers. The cost incurred, however, depends on the mobile service provider.
How does a company apply for this service?
Apart from telecom operators, there are cloud telephony companies like Exotel that provide business toll-free number services to companies looking for a free customer facing number. So any company no matter the size can opt for this service. If you are planning to get a toll free number for your business, it helps to have a checklist of your requirements and share it with the operator providing the service.
- Why toll-free number is important for your business
- What is the budget limit
- Do you want an international toll free number
This is not an exhaustive checklist, but it gives you an idea to work with.
Who can subscribe for toll-free phone service
Toll-free telephone numbers are particularly common as customer care number and can be utilized by any organization irrespective of the size, such as:
- Enterprises/organizations with a larger customer base
- Retail and service industry
- Hospitality business
- Businesses that want to be available for customers all the time
- Organizations providing after sales support
Toll-free number vs local number- what’s the confusion?
How do you differentiate a toll-free number from a local number? And are both the numbers the same? There seems to exist a confusion the two; let’s help you with that.
Toll-free number
A toll-free number is a free phone number that your customers can dial without being charged, no matter how lengthy or long-distance the call is. The call charges are incurred by the business availing the service. These numbers begin with a specific prefix depending upon the country of usage:
For example, In India, toll-free numbers begin with a prefix 1800, in Indonesia, the prefix is 0800, in the UK, they start with 0800 or 0808 and so on…
One question that we often get is “Are toll-free numbers free internationally?” Unfortunately, the answer is no. This is because a lot of factors are involved in an international call.
Local number
As the name suggests, a local number is a phone number with a city-specific dial-code. For example, numbers in Bangalore start with 080. The caller incurs the cost of the call, and hence it is not a free number. A local number is useful for a business with offices in multiple locations making it easier to reach out to local customers.
For example, a business in India can set up a local number in Singapore, allowing callers to reach their market across the world for the same cost as a local call.
Why you need a toll free number for your business- how it helps in brand building
A virtual toll-free number can offer huge ROI benefits for a customer facing company, the service is not only affordable but an indispensable asset for businesses with running helplines for after-service support.
Let’s take a look at why a toll-free number is important for your business:
1. Enhance customer satisfaction
With a toll-free number for your business, you can make sure that your customer can easily reach out to your business (at no cost!) without having to go through different numbers to reach out when needed.
2. Brand recall
All toll-free numbers generally begin with a prefix “1800” in India making it comfortable for customers to remember your business number. If you leave the 1800 bit, there are only 7 digits to remember after that. With enough advertising, people will start associating this number with your brand.
3. Adds credibility
Toll-free numbers provide brand value and help small businesses add a professional touch, making it seem like a big company. You could be working out of your garage, and no one would know.
4. Portability
With a toll-free number, location doesn’t matter. Your customers can find you irrespective of your location.
5. Marketing asset
Toll-free phone number is a business asset that promises you good ROI and helps in tracking your business campaigns by allowing you to create extentions, whoch you can link to a particular campaign. This lets your run different ads on different channels and also assess the ROI of each of them.
6. Call Tracking & Recording
All the calls landing on the toll-free telephone number are tracked and recorded, thereby enabling quick and easy analysis.
A quick recap:
- In India, it is normally a 1-800 series number (can be other numbers as well as 000800 starting) which can be dialed by anyone across the country. The customer is NOT charged for this call..
- The company that owns the toll-free number service has to bear the charges of that call and has to pay an extra premium per call.
- You can only RECEIVE Incoming calls on the toll-free number, this can be diverted and forwarded the way you want through Exotel.
- No SMSes are possible on the toll free number.
How different industries use the toll free number feature
Toll-free numbers help to create a brand image and to add a professional touch to your services, as clearly mentioned through the pointers above. Let’s dig a little deeper and see the value they add to different industries.
Automotive Industry
New and used auto dealers, automotive parts suppliers, service and repair centers, and auto financers are a few segments that come under the vast gamut of this industry.
All these sectors can use the toll-free number feature for their business and get more in returns regarding response rates, new leads etc.
Example:
- Call on 1800-xx-xxx for authorized service repair centers near you.
Education
Things may get really confusing and busy, especially during peak admission season. With the number of calls everyday, it might be difficult for the education institutions to keep track. A toll-free number for your school/college/tutor center will ensure that all the calls are recorded and kept a track of.
Here’s how you can use education helpline toll-free number.
- Give a call on 1800-vv-pppp to know about your school application status.
- Call on 1800-gg-xxxx to learn about our programs.
Financial institutions- Banks/NBFC/ MFI
Financial institutions like mortgage companies, lending companies, brokers, management investment companies, insurance firms banks mandatorily need a toll-free line with complete details of their product offerings.This will ensure that the end-customer is not misled by the agents/brokers, which can be damaging to the brand value.
Example
- To know more about the investment plans, give us a call on 1800-xx-xxx
- Give us a call on 1800-xxx-xxxx to know your claim status.
Healthcare
A medical emergency no matter small or big requires an immediate medical response. In fact, ambulances were the first area to implement toll-free number. Here’s how you can use medical helpline toll-free number.
- To book an appointment, call on 1800-xxx-wwww
- For immediate medical assistance, call us on 1800-xxx-xxxx
Entertainment Industry
Toll-free numbers help a game show/ entertainment show decide a winner. Based on the number of votes received, a winner is picked. The number of calls received on the toll-free number can also be used to understand how well the show is doing.
Example
- If you want XYZ to win, call on 1800-xxx-xxxx and select 3.
NGO/ Non-profits
NGOs can use toll-free numbers to conduct short educational courses, garner support for a cause, etc.
Example
- Call on 1800-xxx-yyyy to register your support for QWERTY cause!
Toll free numbers in India – myths & facts
Most people are gazumped by how Toll Free numbers work and hence wanted to break a few basic myths:
- In India it is normally a 1-800 series number (can be other numbers as well as 000800 starting) which can be dialed by anyone across the country and the person dialing the number is NOT charged.
- The business that owns the Toll Free number has to then bear the charges of that no-call cost for the end-customer and has to pay an extra premium per call.
- You can only RECEIVE Incoming calls on the Toll-Free Number, this can be diverted and forwarded the way you want using us (shameless marketing 🙂 ). No dialing out from the Toll-Free number. <Many aren’t aware of this>
- No SMS’s are possible on the Toll-Free number, and the sender ID on SMS’s are typically anyway from a 6 character sender ID for Transactional or a random digit series for Promotional unless you have taken a Long/Shortcode.
Here is an example of how Agrostar uses Exotel’s toll free number solutions
Agrostar is a company that works at making life simpler for farmers. They connect farmers directly to manufacturers, thereby eliminating the need for middlemen.
Agrostar began with advertising a toll-free number in the states that (one in each state) they operated in. This was the number the farmers could call to order what they needed. The toll-free number was mapped to Exotel. So, when a farmer called on the number, they received an automated call back letting them know that an executive would call them soon. The executives who called the farmers back served as counselors as well. The agents then help them place an order for those products which will be delivered to their doorstep.
Ready to get a toll-free number?
All you need to do is get in touch with us!
Enterprises that want to make their customers feel valued should get a toll-free number for their business. The best part is that you do not need to invest in any equipment. A toll-free number for your business from Exotel comes with additional benefits like IVR, CRM integration, real-time analytics, call tracking and recording, to name a few.
