cloud phone • Calling and Mobility
The worst thing you can do as a business is to put barriers between you and your customers. Making it expensive to call you is doing just that, and is why toll-free numbers are crucial for companies that care about customer experience.
RingCentral makes it quick and easy to get toll-free numbers that help you stay connected to your customers.
What is a toll-free number?
What are toll-free numbers exactly? Maybe you’ve come across the term before but you’re unsure of the precise toll-free number meaning, or you want to find out more about how toll-free numbers work.
A toll-free number is a phone number that’s free for callers. The person placing the call doesn’t have to pay a thing. Instead, the call is charged to the recipient or owner of that number. In other words, companies are essentially paying for customers to call them.
Using a toll-free business phone number is a great way of encouraging people to call and engage with your company, ask questions or get advice. It also boosts your business’ reputation, giving you a professional appearance and creating the impression that you are a large, national company instead of using local numbers.
Toll-free telephone numbers have a national prefix. This lets people know that the call is free, and it’s usually easy to remember. In the US, toll-free business numbers mainly start with 1-800, where 1 is the country code and 800 is the free national prefix. Some toll-free numbers in the US may also start with 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833.
Mexico uses the same 800 prefix, but with 52 as the country code. Other countries use similar prefixes, for example 0800 in the UK or 1800 in Australia.
The different types of toll-free numbers
So what numbers are toll-free? There are your standard toll-free numbers starting with 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833—these are the most common and offer an easy, cost-free way for customers to reach US businesses.
Vanity toll-free numbers spell out the name of your company or a keyword relevant to you, such as 1-800-FOOD. Using a custom business phone number makes it instantly recognizable, easy to remember, and helps your business stand out from the crowd.
Local toll-free numbers allow you to have a presence in a local area, using a familiar area code to create a sense of community connection while still being toll-free for callers within that region.
For businesses with an international presence, international toll-free numbers allow customers from different countries to call without incurring international charges. This means no matter where your customers are in the world, there is always a way for them to get in touch with you free of charge.
How do toll-free numbers work?
Using business toll-free numbers is a straightforward process for your customers. This process happens in a matter of moments and ensures that only the owner of the toll-free number is charged for the call. Let’s take a closer look at how toll-free numbers work:
1. Dialing the toll-free number
Just like a regular call, all your customers have to do is dial in the number on their phone or device to get started.
2. Routing the call
Calls will be routed through the local telephone network where the SMS/800 (Service Management System) database will identify the responsible toll-free number providers
3. Forwarding to the destination
Once the carrier has been identified, the system will then forward the call to the relevant phone line provided by the business that owns the toll-free number. This can be a landline, mobile phone, or VoIP line, depending on the setup chosen by the business.
4. Taking the call
You are now connected to your caller and can carry out your conversation.
Why you need a toll-free number for business
If you’re wondering if you should get a toll-free number, you’ll want to learn more about the many benefits it brings to your business. To help you make a decision, we’ve put together a list of the key advantages below:
They make it easy and affordable to reach you
The easier you make it for customers to call you, the more likely they are to get in touch—especially if it doesn’t cost them anything.
This removes any barriers and encourages more frequent interactions. Not only does this show you care about the customer experience, but it also means more sales leads and higher customer satisfaction rates.
They build trust
There’s no denying that companies with toll-free numbers appear more credible and trustworthy. Offering free, accessible customer service will reassure customers that they’re not being scammed, and will give them the knowledge and comfort they need to invest in your company.
They’re perfect for national or international expansion
Using local numbers may give you a sense of familiarity and a local presence, but it can put off customers calling from outside that area.
A toll-free national or international number gives your callers peace of mind that you are an established business, and they won’t have to worry about any international call charges. Being able to create this professional image is an important benefit no matter what size business you are, and gives you credibility as you start to scale up.
How to get a toll-free number
Now you’ve got the answer to “what is a toll-free number?”, your next question is likely to be “how to get a toll-free number for my business?”.
There are a few steps involved if you want to get a toll-free number for business inquiries, so let’s take a look at what you need to do:
1. Research regulations
Toll-free numbers in the US are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This organization oversees the allocation and management of toll-free numbers, ensuring that numbers and Responsible Organizations conform to regulations and don’t hoard numbers they’re not using.
Responsible Organizations are certified by the FCC, and act as intermediaries between businesses and the FCC.
2. Choose a Responsible Organization
Responsible Organizations manage the assignment, distribution, and routing of toll-free numbers.
Research toll-free number providers and ensure they are certified Responsible Organizations, making sure they meet your needs in terms of features, pricing, scalability, customer service, and so on. They should be able to answer any questions you may have about how to get a toll-free number for your business.
3. Select a toll-free number
Now you’re signed up with a Responsible Organization, it’s time to choose your toll-free number.
Providers may offer a selection of standard toll-free numbers, or you can work with them on a custom vanity number aligned to your business’ branding. The best toll-free number service for small business will make sure you’re happy with the number before setting it up.
4. Reserve the number
As soon as you’ve got the right number for you, the Responsible Organization will reserve the selected number with the SMS/800 Toll-Free Number Registry and ensure the number can only be used by your business.
5. Activate and test
Once the Responsible Organization has activated your toll-free number, you can start testing and checking that any call routing, transfers and other features are working correctly.
6. Go live
If everything is working as it should, now is the time to go live and wait for the calls to roll in!
Your toll-free number provider should help you manage the line long-term by updating call routing as needed, ensuring compliance with the FCC, adding new features, and whatever else you need.
RingCentral makes getting toll-free numbers easy
Wondering how to get a toll-free number for your business with the minimum of fuss. RingCentral’s got you covered. When you sign up, you get a virtual number free of charge as part of your subscription, and can choose a toll-free alternative if you like.
What’s more, it couldn’t be simpler to add extra RingCentral toll-free numbers too. All you need to do is:
- Head to your RingCentral online account, got to the Home Page > Phone Number > Add Number
- Under Number Type choose the Toll-Free Number option, select from the available numbers listed, and select Add Numbers and then Next.
- Decide how to assign the number, with options including assigning it to as a company number or to a specific extension.
- Review the details of the transaction, click the checkbox to acknowledge and authorize any charges, and then select Next.
- It’s as easy as that.
- RingCentral offers a variety of toll-free numbers so customers can phone your business free of charge.
- You can choose the instantly recognizable 800 number prefix or choose from 888, 877, 866, 855, and 844 numbers. You can also create a custom vanity phone number to reinforce your company branding. Vanity numbers often spell out words, such as 1-800-GREAT-BIZ, making them easier for you and your customers to remember.
- RingCentral numbers are competitively priced, so you can use them for all of your business needs. Minute bundles range from 1,000- to 100,000-minute sets to satisfy even the highest-volume users. Additional minutes are available for automatic purchase.
Why choose RingCentral as your toll-free number service:
- When you sign up with RingCentral you get a lot more than just the best toll-free number service. RingEx is a holistic unified communications solution that can help you boost productivity across your teams and which works seamlessly with RingCX; an omnichannel contact center solution.
- That said, RingCentral still excels as a toll-free number provider, too:
- Choose a unique phone number from RingCentral's large inventory or create your own custom vanity 1-800 number.
- Reinforce brand recognition with 800-number services. Make it easier for prospects and customers to remember your company phone number.
- Increase marketing effectiveness by adding an easy-to-recall vanity 1-800 number on billboards and online advertising.
- Your vanity number can be used for both voice calls and faxing.
- Gain national reach with 800 numbers to instantly expand your business with minimal additional overhead.
- Reduce sales barriers by offering toll-free service—prospects and customers can call your company from anywhere in North America without incurring toll charges.
- Assign a dedicated 800 number for the duration of a marketing campaign, so target customers can reach you directly and you can better track campaign success.
- Never miss an important customer call. You can route calls to your numbers anywhere in the world at any time. When you’re traveling, you can set answering rules to send calls to your smartphone, any office location, or even several devices at once.
Toll-free numbers FAQs:
Can I make international calls from my toll-free number?
Yes, you can make calls to anywhere in the world. You can also forward your calls to any international number. Callers located outside of North America cannot call you using your toll-free numbers.
How does RingCentral charge toll-free minutes to my account?
Your RingCentral service plan bundles a set number of 1-800 minutes in your RingCentral account. If you exceed your bundle limit, additional minutes can be purchased automatically. You can always change your bundle quantity to meet your business requirements.
Customers are never charged when using a 1-800 number from anywhere in North America. The owner of the number bears the cost of the call.
Will I be charged if I use a number as my caller ID?
No. There's no charge when you choose to display your company name and phone number as your caller ID.
What if I already have an 800 number I want to keep? Can I transfer it to RingCentral?
Yes. You can easily and seamlessly transfer a toll-free number you already own to your RingCentral account. RingCentral has provisioning relationships with many major telephony companies. As a RingCentral customer, you can go online and start the transfer yourself, or we can walk through the process together.
How can I get a vanity number?
You can search for an available 800 vanity number from our large inventory of numbers. When you find the one you want, you can request it from RingCentral. There’s a setup fee for each vanity number.
Can I keep my 1-800 number if I leave RingCentral and change providers?
Yes. As long as you have paid for at least one month of RingCentral service, you can do a number transfer. To transfer your number away from RingCentral, you will need to have your new service provider initiate the number-porting process. Your RingCentral account must be active when the transfer request comes from your new provider.
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