As a general rule, when you make a phone call, you (the caller) are charged. You can reverse the charges if you want, but this doesn’t happen automatically. The cost of calling can put your customers off contacting you, especially if they fear getting stuck on hold for ages while the cost racks up and up.
If your customers don’t want to contact you, that’s very bad for business. Sure, complaints may not be fun to listen to – but if your customers never tell you what you’re doing wrong, you’ll never be able to improve, and your business will never scale.
It’s vital that your customers have a quick, simple, and efficient way to contact you. And, in this age of communications, there’s really no excuse not to do everything in your power to open up channels for your customer.
Messenger, email, chatbots, and more are all great ways to keep in touch with your customer – but for getting things sorted in a swift and streamlined way, you just can’t beat a good old-fashioned phone call.
Plenty of customers prefer to “talk to a human” than to send an email or type into a chatbot window. But what about the cost of those calls for the customer?
That’s where toll-free numbers come in.
Toll-free numbers are charged to the call’s receiver rather than its initiator. So, if your business gets a toll-free number, your business would be charged for calls your customers make to you. Sure, it’s an extra cost. But it’s honestly worth taking on that extra cost for the benefits of better customer communication.
Not convinced? Let us explain a bit more about toll-free numbers and why you should get one:
A toll-free number is a phone number that charges the receiver of a call rather than the person doing the dialing. Toll-free numbers tend to start with one of the 8-codes: 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, or 833.
Generally, a toll-free number will be assigned to you by your provider, but you can request a “vanity number” if you want.
A “vanity number” is a number that is catchy, easy to remember, or has special significance. They’re often a good idea for businesses as they can be incorporated into jingles and the like. The more ear-wormy your number, the easier it will be for your customer to remember, and the more likely they are to get in touch.
A lot of the most memorable numbers (for example, ones that rhyme or involve a lot of repeated numbers) will already be taken – but you might be lucky! Play around with your digits, and see if you can come up with something fun.
There are loads of reasons to get a toll-free number. The most obvious is that it’s a lot easier for customers to contact you when they don’t have to pay to call – and customer engagement is very important. But that’s far from the only benefit. Here are a few more:
A toll-free number looks professional. It says that you’re serious about your business, that you care about your customers, and that you’re prepared to go the extra mile. It’s a good look.
Toll-free numbers are a very efficient way to get in touch with a business. Potential customers wanting to know more will readily call a toll free number.
For example, if a product recommendation engine shows your product to a potential customer, your ability to answer their questions quickly and efficiently could be the difference between them buying your product or your competitor’s.
On a similar note, existing customers are a lot easier to retain if your customer service is top-notch. Getting in touch easily is a big part of great customer service.
Toll-free numbers have been around for a long time. So long, in fact, that people kind of expect them from businesses by this point. If you’re a tiny, home-based operation, you might get away with not having a toll-free number. But if you’re any bigger than that, your customers will expect to be able to contact you free of charge.
Toll-free systems tend to have more business-specific applications than traditional numbers. For example, you can easily forward a call from an IP or a cloud hosted PBX to a toll free number.
What’s more, it’s easy to move a toll-free number with you if you switch premises. You can even move across the world and bring your number with you!
It’s incredibly easy to get a toll-free phone number. Many business landline packages will even offer them as standard.
If you want to switch from your traditional number to a toll-free version, simply give your provider a ring and ask. They’ll be able to help you in a matter of minutes.
Ah, the numbers. It always comes down to the numbers eventually! How much a toll-free number will cost depends a lot on several factors, including:
Of these, the location factor probably plays the biggest role. Toll-free calls coming from within a few miles aren’t likely to make much of a dent in your budget. If you’re regularly fielding calls from China, however, it will be a different story.
However, don’t think that “international” always equals “expensive.” The cost of calls varies country-by-country, and “more expensive” doesn’t always correspond to “further away.” For example, it’s often cheaper for Australian businesses to receive a toll-free call from the USA or Canada than from the Philippines, despite the Philippines being closer.
So, look into your customer base, their location, the average duration of their calls, and so on before working out your toll-free call budget.
If you’re considering a toll-free phone number but are hesitant about the cost – don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to keep your costs down. Here are some ideas:
As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to provide a service for your customer. If your customer finds it hard to contact you, that service immediately loses value.
When customers can get in touch easily, both they and you benefit. You will gain a greater understanding of your customers, what they like, what they dislike, and how they experience your brand. This, in turn, will help you to make your product, services, and marketing more effective for your customers.
Good customer communications will also improve your brand image. It will leave your customers with a positive impression of you and your team. Customers who receive great service are customers that will return – and bring their friends!
Give your customers what they want, and take on a toll-free phone number. Trust us – your bank will thank you.
If you are interested in even more technology-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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