The first thing you should know is that 800 numbers, the ones where the caller gets to call for free, have been expanded due to popular demand. Not that long ago only big companies could afford them. Large corporations, catalog sales companies, and all those infomercials you watch at 3 in the morning when the pepperoni from the pizza you had at 10 is keeping you up. Those are the traditional users of 800 numbers. But thanks to competitive toll free service providers, small retailers, consultants, insurance sales offices, real estate agents and similar professionals and small office users can all have their own toll free numbers. You can certainly have an 800 number, but you can also get 866, 877, and 888 prefixes at even greater savings.
Inbound toll free service, the technical name for "800" service, is a phone number in the form of 800-xxx-xxxx. The prefix 800, 866, 877 or 888 replaces the area code portion of the number. That tells the service provider to bill the party being called, rather than the caller, for the cost of the phone call. So why would YOU want to pay for calls you don't originate? Only if you really, really want to encourage people to call you. The reason that catalog companies have toll free numbers is that many people are turned off by the idea of have to pay for a call to order something or even contact customer service. Catalog retailers have found that they get lots more orders when it doesn't cost the customer anything to call in. The low per minute rates for toll free long distance service are often easily offset by increased sales opportunities.
If you are in the sales, marketing, consulting or other professional category, you realize that calls from customers and potential clients can be extremely valuable. That's especially true when customers have the option to easily contact competitors if it's too expensive and/or difficult to get ahold of you. That's where toll free numbers bundled with voicemail can really save the day. The toll free number gets rid of the stigma of being out of the local area. Every call is a free call to the client, regardless of where you happen to be. Bundled voicemail means that you'll never miss a call because you're unavailable. If you don't pick up, your voicemail does.
The toll free service we recommend has some advanced features that make it especially useful to mobile professionals. First of all, you can manage your "ring to" number at will. That's the number of the phone that will ring when someone calls the toll free number. It can be any convenient landline or mobile phone. Some users set their toll free number to ring to their office phone during business hours and to their cell phone at all other times. Others pick a phone and let voicemail get the calls when they aren't around.
Another valuable feature is the ability of the system to send copies of your voicemails to your computer. You can be having lunch while checking your emails at a WiFi hotspot and an email will come in with a voice message attached. The recording is formatted to a .WAV file, so you just click it and listen to the message. Of course you can call-in to get your messages over the phone, if you want.
Just as handy, the system is able to receive inbound FAX messages and route them as email attachments to your computer. Not only can you listen to a customer voice message away from the office, you can read the fax they sent to your toll free number. On the road you can avoid that trek to the hotel desk to see if any FAXs have come for you, and perhaps read by the staff or a competitor having a peek.
Now here's the really amazing part. You can get all this service for perhaps less than you pay for your long distance calls. A common 866, 877 or 888 toll free number costs $2 to activate and $2 a month for service, including the 24/7 online management and advanced voicemail / fax reception. Incoming calls, including fax messages, will cost you 6.9 cents a minute for calls to or from anywhere in the 48 US states and nearly all of Canada. Alaska, Hawaii and rural Canadian areas are a bit more. Calls from the USA can terminate overseas at international rates, making it possible for those in other countries to have a U.S. telephone presence. You can also get 800 numbers and special vanity numbers for an extra cost.
Would this low cost toll free service be valuable in expanding your business opportunities? If so, learn more and pick your number for instant activation at Agile800.com.
