Toll free or local phone number

funguru · 07-30-2007, 04:12 AM

in terms of marketing, is it better for a small company (3-4people) who are targetting individuals or small companies to have a tol free number or local area conact number?

does a toll free number give an appearence of a big company therefore higher charges?

thanks

Mihai · 07-30-2007, 04:14 AM

I recommend a local area contact number. Going local within your niche will greatly increase your chances of success.

funguru · 07-30-2007, 04:17 AM

thanks for the quick reply.. though i will not be local.. i want to target people in NYC sitting in CALI.. would you still recommend a NYC local number?

Mihai · 07-30-2007, 04:18 AM

People who are interested in your offers will not look at a few cents when they call you to ask more infos. Try to think as the consumer does, this is a very important aspect of every day's marketing work.

Hope my point of view helps you.

funguru · 07-30-2007, 04:32 AM

i see you point.. so when is it good to have a toll free number?

Mihai · 07-30-2007, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funguru

i see you point.. so when is it good to have a toll free number?

I would go for toll free number for customer support department where houndreds of people are calling each day to ask about services, products, bills, why something is not working, etc. (such as at an ISP, etc.)

In the above mentioned case it would really make a difference.

Regards

Webfu · 08-02-2007, 04:38 PM

If you're operating in the USA, I would get a NYC cell phone. That could be your business #. If you're running a business from another country targeting NYC - I would probably get the toll free number. That way your clients, wouldn't have to deal with dialing international phone codes.

The toll free options 877 - 866 and the like seem to be more widely accepted now ~ as the TOLL FREE 1-800-NUMBERS are expen$ive.

Mihai · 08-02-2007, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Webfu

If you're operating in the USA, I would get a NYC cell phone. That could be your business #. If you're running a business from another country targeting NYC - I would probably get the toll free number. That way your clients, wouldn't have to deal with dialing international phone codes.

The toll free options 877 - 866 and the like seem to be more widely accepted now ~ as the TOLL FREE 1-800-NUMBERS are expen$ive.

He already said that he wants to target people from NY City while sitting in California. I believe in this case that a Toll Free would not help him much, as I already said.

bylla · 08-03-2007, 01:38 AM

I would have to say a local number because when I see a toll free number I simply just assume that I (the customer) will have to pay a higher price for the service/product since the company I'm buying from have to pay the phone charges somehow. Ok, I now that it's not for sure the customer will have to pay a lot higher charges, but that's just a feeling I get.

People tend to buy things from local companies even if they don't really have to. For example where I live we have a local web hosting company with really high fees. When ever someone here will setup a new homepage they call this company and pay way more then they have to just because it's a local company.

/Andreas

astrovineet · 08-03-2007, 06:17 AM

Dear Friends,

Now yahoo, skype are providing you local contact nos of US, UK and Canada thru VOIP.

You can definitely contact them for some solutions.

I have seen many using it for business purposes, since you can be from any country, but can take a local VOIP no. of any country now.

I hope it suits your pocket and need.

Viineet Jain

Webfu · 08-03-2007, 11:11 AM

Can you buy phone numbers from Skype?

astrovineet · 08-03-2007, 08:02 PM

You can buy nos. from skype and yahoo. May be all service providers dont provide you local nos of different countries, but ask some of the VOIP players in your country, they might suggest you a solution

In India, CISCO is providing solution

Viineet Jain

digitalperfectus · 08-04-2007, 08:25 AM

A local number will serve you better if you are targeting a certain area. You can get a local number or a 800 number from RingCentral. I've heard that their support could use a little work, but I've never had a problem with them so I can't say with first hand knowledge. There are other services out there too like Kall8 and VirtualPBX that might suit you.

That said, I think it is a good idea to have a toll free number as a backup. There are customers out there who just are unwilling to pay the extra couple of cents to make a phone call. Personally, I think it is ridiculous, but can you afford to lose sales because of a phone number? It all comes down to what you're selling and what your target market is. If it is more a specialized service or product with a high value, I don't think the 800 number would make a difference as that type of customer would be searching you out to begin with. On the other hand, if it is a low ticket item, OR something that almost anybody would buy, I'd say to make sure you have that 800 number.

funguru · 08-04-2007, 08:35 AM

i have taken numbers from tollfreeforwarding before and they have a lot of options with good calling rates..

Moxie · 08-04-2007, 09:13 AM

Local phone, id say

**ToddW** · 08-06-2007, 06:02 PM

Of course have a local phone but get an 800# or 888# to forward to it... call8 is pretty darn cheap per-month and minute not to have one. I also have a "fax server" that uses an 800# and it's around $10/month.

IMHO do NOT discourage anyone from contacting you.

thegamerslink · 08-06-2007, 07:19 PM

and just get both.....you have 2 things to consider that your customers are likely to consider.

1: Is the Business Local - A large majority of people, either conciously or subconciously feel better and are more likely to do business with companies that they see as local to them.

2: Is the Business a Real Business - Having an 800 or 888 number along with a local number represents to your potential customers that you are not only a local company but you are also a commited and stable company. Depending on the business type many see an 800 and 888 number as a sign of a companies worth and stability. At the same time it also helps you with any customers that may stray in from outside your target area.

With todays VOIP options along with their cost, there is really no excuse to not have both a local and 800 number.

Brazzell Marketing · 08-06-2007, 07:55 PM

Toll-Free numbers can influence very important decisions. I have heard hospital discharge planners say that they chose one home health agency over the other simply because one had a toll-free number and the other didn't. If your target audience sees your company as fungible, the toll-free number can be the one little thing that gets you some extra business.

The other advantage of a toll-free number is that some people find it easier to keep important phone numbers the same. When the phone company changes your area code or when other changes happen, you don't have to worry about it.

Personally, I have always considered toll-free numbers to be a matter of business courtesy. I expect a restaurant to have a restroom, a grocery store to have a recycling deposit for their grocery bags, and a big business to have a toll-free number.

In the end, it comes down to a matter of branding. If you want to brand your company as a real hometown local guy, then the toll-free number would work against that. If you want to brand your company as a sophisticated, national player, then the toll-free number would support that.

AlexCuster · 08-08-2007, 03:28 PM

Our company is a 9 man show most days. We use VoIP and have 8 local numbers around the country that forward into our main phone system. We had a toll free number for some time but the bill was very expensive. Our call volume didn't change to a noticeable degree after switching away from the toll free number anyway. Most people now would be calling from a cell phone and in most cases have free long distance. Toll free is just not the way to go for small businesses- or at least not ours.

Goodluck!

**John Scott** · 08-08-2007, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToddW

Of course have a local phone but get an 800# or 888# to forward to it... call8 is pretty darn cheap per-month and minute not to have one. I also have a "fax server" that uses an 800# and it's around $10/month.

IMHO do NOT discourage anyone from contacting you.

Ditto.

Toll free is more professional. When I see local numbers on the web, and no sign of a toll free number, I start thinking the company may not be the mos