Why go toll free?

We are all familiar with what a toll free number is. It is a number that starts with 800 and calling it is free of charge. But surely there are a lot more to toll free numbers than just those two characteristics. If you are a business owner, you have to get to know a toll free number well, most especially the benefits it can give your business.

Based on the term, a toll free number can be dialed without the caller being charged for long distance and other call charges. Charges instead are directed to the receiver, or to the owner of the toll free number. If you are a business owner, why would you pay for calls directed to your number? Isn’t it just a waste of money?

The answer is no. A toll free number would do more good than bad for your business. When you choose to get a toll free number, you would basically be opening up your business to as many people as possible. Remember that a toll free number is not bound by a physical location. The prefixes 800, 888, 866 or 877 are not area-specific, and so therefore span a wider location than numbers that have area codes.

In the same way, a toll free number creates a more professional image for your business. You may have noticed that large corporations that operate nationwide use toll free numbers. This is because toll free numbers encourage more people to call a company, and therefore becomes an avenue towards better customer service. So you might be thinking that toll free numbers are expensive, because of all these advantages. The answer again is no.

800 numbers would be expensive if you use them with traditional phone systems, which make use of hardware and equipment, as well as multiple telephone lines that are located in physical offices. But if you get a toll free number with a virtual phone system, you would find that it is in fact highly affordable to go toll free. In fact, even vanity numbers are very affordable.

RingCentral offers toll free numbers that come with their main products, namely RingCentral Online, RingCentral Fax and RingCentral Office. Starting at $9.99, users can choose from different toll free numbers, including 800 numbers and vanity numbers. Because RingCentral hosts the phone systems of their customers, they do not need to purchase expensive hardware and equipment. RingCentral’s features are also more advanced than traditional PBX systems, giving users more opportunity to compete against large corporations. Here are the features that come with a RingCentral toll free number:

• Virtual PBX. Achieve a more efficient and more powerful communications system with a virtual PBX. This enables you to route all calls made through your toll free number to any phone that you might be using, such as another landline, your cell phone, or voicemail.
• Advanced call forwarding. Lines equipped with toll free numbers should expect more calls coming in, since calling them is free. Because of this, you need to have a phone system that is able to handle high call volumes. RingCentral has advanced call forwarding features which enable users to strategically route calls to different extensions, or to voicemail. Calls can be sent to any location, making your office appear as a large group of people located in a single area.
• Answering rules. You can set how calls to your toll free number are answered. Answering rules can be different depending on the time of day, day of week, caller ID and other factors. You can easily configure them through your RingCentral online account or through the Call Controller, RingCentral’s control dashboard.
• Voicemail. RingCentral features advanced voicemail, letting you listen to them over the Internet. All your received voicemails are sent to your email address as digital audio files. Also, you can listen in through the Call Controller as callers leave a message. You can cut in and answer the call you deem is important.
• Internet fax. Not all providers of toll free numbers include Internet fax in the capabilities. RingCentral, on the other hand, goes even beyond enabling users to send and receive faxes. They also provide cutting-edge features that enable users to edit and sign faxes electronically.
• Auto-attendant. The auto-attendant answers all calls to your toll free number. Assuming that your toll free number connects to multiple extensions, you would need a system to filter all calls directed to it. The auto-attendant does this job and sorts calls based on your call forwarding and answering rules. RingCentral also offers custom greetings, helping owners of 800 numbers to manage their incoming calls better. For owners of vanity numbers, an auto-attendant is a very significant help, since you would normally have more calls than when you have a random toll free number.
• Music and messages on hold. You would commonly hear music or messages when you call a hotline. You can have your own music and messages for your toll free number, courtesy of RingCentral’s professional recordings. You can choose which music or message to be played to callers on hold. You can also have your unique track recorded, letting you brand your business or company through your toll free number. This is a very effective advertising strategy and a way to hold your callers’ attention.
• Real-time call control. The RingCentral Call Controller is a program which you can install in your computer. It comes with all RingCentral 800 numbers and other kinds of toll free numbers. Once installed in the PC, users can perform any action in managing their RingCentral toll free number. You can change answering rules and other call forwarding settings, as well as settings for voicemail and fax. You can even make and answer calls right from your computer using the Call Controller.

Experience advanced faxing with RingCentral Fax. Learn more at http://www.ringcentral.com/.