Many people find that having a phone number that will cost nothing for outside callers to use makes it easier for others to call them from a distance, which might be extremely useful to both individuals and small businesses. Many telephone and other communications companies are now offering toll free phone numbers and assignment services at reasonable prices for this purpose.
Any provider can set you up with a number that will ring to any existing phone line that you choose so that you don’t have to purchase any additional lines to use the service. Depending on the service provider you choose to work with and the package you choose to purchase, you may be able to get such additional features as ringing at multiple numbers like your home, cellular telephone, and business; Web-based voice mail that can be set up to work with your existing voicemail or answering machine; after-hours scheduling that directs callers to a specific greeting or voicemail when they call outside of certain time frames; and call screening features like caller identification.
Some of the benefits involved with paying for and using toll free phone numbers include quick and easy set-up (many service providers allow you to sign up and get your number working within minutes over the Internet), affordability for both you and your callers, live customer support at all times, reliable privacy and security (you can manage where your calls go at all times), simple integration (these numbers are usually set up to work with phone lines and answering devices you already have), and easy payment options (you can usually add this to the phone bill you already have if you work with the telephone company that provides service for your other numbers, or you can have it automatically deducted from your credit card or pay online in most cases).
Most toll free phone numbers are priced at a flat rate per minute within the continental United States and include small extra fees for calling outside of that region. FCC-mandated surcharges will also apply to calls that are identified as coming from payphones including coin-operated phones, credit card operated phones, and other phones that may not look like traditional payphones. Whatever the flat rate and additional charges, in most cases toll free numbers cost less in the long run for users who receive a significant number of long distance calls.
Finding and comparing service providers that offer toll free phone numbers is as simple as researching any other type of business. In many cases you can get a good deal simply by working with the company that already provides service for your other phone numbers. They may give you a discount since you are already a customer and can then just add it to the monthly bill you already get. If you don’t currently work with a company that provides toll free numbers or if you would prefer to shop around, however, using the Internet is probably the easiest way to find and compare what’s available from different companies.
By Kristin Cleveland