How to Get an 800 Number for Your Business in 3 Easy Steps
This article is part of a larger series onVoIP.
An 800 number, also called a toll-free number, is a phone number that allows a person to make a long-distance call to another party, with the recipient being charged for the call instead of the caller. The three easy steps on how to get an 800 number are as follows: choose a service provider, pick a toll-free prefix, and create an account.
800 numbers primarily improve customer service, letting people freely communicate with the business and resolve any issues. Moreover, they enhance brand image, as they’re associated with large, reputable companies. In this article, we’ll explore each of the steps on how to get an 800 number.
Step 1: Choose a Service Provider
Decide whether to get a standalone toll-free number or the one included in the subscription plans of virtual phone systems and voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) providers. A standalone toll-free number is best for businesses that want to secure an 800 number and a toll-free minute allowance on a budget. The cost goes as low as $5 per user, monthly.
On the other hand, a toll-free number included inbusiness phone systemsubscription plans is best for companies wanting to manage a large volume of calls more efficiently. Aside from the free toll-free number, you’ll access VoIP features such as interactive voice response (IVR), call queues, call recording, and call analytics. The rates range from $10 to $50 per user, per month.
Refer to the table below for our top picks for VoIP providers offering an 800 number for businesses.
Toll-free
Number Providers |
Key Features |
Monthly Pricing
(per User)* |
---|---|---|
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Extra numbers:$4.99 per number |
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Extra numbers:$9.95 per number
Extra toll-free minutes:$30 for 3,000 toll-free minutes |
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Extra numbers:$10 per number |
*RingCentral and Nextiva offer discounts for annual billing and bulk purchases. Grasshopper follows a flat-rate pricing scheme for unlimited users.
Click on the tabs below to learn the steps to getting a toll-free number for each provider:
Step 2: Pick a Toll-free Prefix
After choosing a service provider, the second step to getting a business toll-free number is to pick a toll-free prefix. The available options are 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833. Note that toll-free numbers are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so be flexible in terms of your preferred digits, as the ones you want may already be taken by other businesses.
If you prefer having a memorable number, some providers offer vanity numbers, spelling out a word or phrase. Popular examples include 1-800-FLOWERS, 1-800-TAXI, and 1-800-PIZZA-NOW.
Aside from being easy to remember, thus improving the likelihood of customers contacting the business, vanity numbers strengthen a business’ brand image. The digits are linked closely to the products or services you sell, making you a top-of-mind choice when there’s a need. The steps to securing vanity numbers are basically the same as how to get a toll-free number, except that you’re able to customize the digits with the letters and numbers you prefer.
Step 3: Set Up Your Account
After selecting your phone number and toll-free prefix, the last step is to choose a subscription plan that matches your communication and budget requirements to create an account. Log into the virtual phone or VoIP system and assign the toll-free numbers to extensions and users.
Who Needs a Toll-free Number?
Getting an 800 number is ideal for small businesses or startups wanting to establish a national presence. Instead of tying your brand to a specific area code, toll-free numbers project an image that a company is capable of serving customers across the country. If you plan on expanding into new areas, this type of number helps boost credibility and client engagement in new markets.
Toll-free numbers also benefit businesses wanting to track the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. Assigning 800 numbers to your website, billboard, or print ad makes it easy to associate the specific marketing channel a call came from.
For the most part, modern toll-free numbers are created using VoIP. These make the process of getting a national number convenient for businesses. In our Fit Small Business guide, we help explain the ins and outs of this type of direct inward dialing number:
Advantages of Having an 800 Number
Toll-free services have provided potential customers with a free and convenient way to contact businesses. They also positively affect every aspect of a company, including its marketing efforts, customer service, and brand credibility. Read below to explore its benefits for businesses:
Toll-free numbers are country-specific—they allow anyone within a country to call your business without being charged. This enables your local business to be perceived as a nationally recognized company. If you want to reach a global consumer base, RingCentral offers international toll-free numbers, allowing your customers worldwide to contact you.
Customers associate toll-free numbers with large companies that have a national audience. Thus, 800 numbers help establish a reputation for serving several customers. Open multiple phone lines by buying bulk phone numbers. Some VoIP providers, like Phone.com, offer discounts for volume purchases of toll-free numbers. The standard rate costs $4.99, but lowers to $1.99 when buying more than 100 phone numbers.
Since toll-free numbers have no geographical restrictions, you’re able to answer business calls anywhere you go. In a business phone system, toll-free numbers are set up in a way that makes it easy to transfer calls to an internet protocol (IP) phone or personal phone. Even if you change providers, you can take your number with you vianumber porting.
According to Craig Stark, Ph.D., director of the University of California at Irvine’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, toll-free numbers lead toautomatic associations, making the numbers themselves difficult to forget. In this case, if customers are able to remember your business phone number, it’s easy for them to reach you anytime.
According to toll-free phone number provider800.com, vanity phone numbers are instrumental in the success of marketing campaigns, more effective than random phone numbers. It increases call rates by as much as 84% for billboard and print ads, 58% for radio and television commercials, and 20% for online ads.
Moreover, toll-free numbers are an effective tool for tracking your marketing efforts. Attributing toll-free numbers to a specific marketing campaign allows you to measure its impact based on the number of incoming calls.
Alternatives to 800 Numbers
Other forms of virtual phone numbers like local, vanity, and international numbers also open countless opportunities to businesses with unique needs. Before picking a phone number, here are other popular options to consider:
A local phone number is typically included free with your VoIP service. You choose a phone number with a local prefix from the region where your business is located. If you live in a small or rural area, you may prefer to pick abusiness phone numberin a larger city. Likewise, it’s possible to expand to other sites by selecting local phone numbers in states where you want to reach a new market.
Vanity phone numbers are custom phone numbers that typically spell out a memorable word or phrase. They work with a local area code or toll-free number prefixes. Some examples include 212-NY-PIZZA and 1-800-FLOWERS. Most businesses choose vanity numbers to generate brand awareness and make customers easily remember their contact numbers. A provider like Grasshopper lets you create a vanity number when you sign up for a plan.
If you’re expanding your business worldwide, international numbers help you establish a presence in other countries. RingCentral offers local and toll-free numbers in over 100 countries. This encourages foreign clients to call your business without worrying about expensive international charges.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It depends on your purpose for getting phone numbers. A local number is better for businesses wanting to appeal to a local market. A toll-free number is better for companies with multiple offices serving a large customer base.
Yes, some business phone systems like RingCentral offer toll-free phone numbers that allow businesses to send and receive text messages. However, in most cases, you must reach out to the provider to enable this functionality.
800 numbers are location-agnostic, meaning they’re not associated with any state or area. In contrast, a local phone number has a three-number prefix representing the state, city, or town a particular business serves. For example, Texas has an area code of 512, so an example of a local phone number is (512) 123-4567.
Bottom Line
A toll-free phone number allows businesses to provide better customer service, letting clients freely contact support agents and ask for assistance on various issues. It strengthens the brand image and recall while facilitating efficient marketing campaign monitoring.
Fortunately, the steps on how to get an 800 phone number are easy and simple: choose a service provider, pick a toll-free prefix, and set up your account. Sign up for RingCentral’s 14-day free trial today to secure a free toll-free number.