Glossary of Toll-free and Vanity 800 Number Terms

Addresses & Demographics:  Personal data associated with individuals who call a business’ toll-free number. Data includes:

• Caller names, phone numbers and addresses.

• Average neighborhood home value.

• Average neighborhood household income.

Advertising Cost per Lead: The cost to an advertiser to generate a lead from an ad placement; the value is calculated by analyzing the price paid for a campaign divided by the number of responses generated by the campaign.
ex: $5,000 / 225 Call-ins = $22.22 Cost per Lead.

Advertising Response Rates:  The measured impact generated by an advertising campaign based on incoming calls, sales, web site visits, completed contact forms, and store visits; the value is calculated by analyzing the number of responses to a campaign divided by the number of prospects that are targeted by a campaign.
ex: 250 Calls / 2,500 Households targeted with Mailing = 10% Response Rate.

Area Code Routing:  Routing of a toll-free number with multiple termination points within a geographic service area based on the caller’s area code.

Area Code:  Three-digit codes assigned to each area of North America for long distance call routing; otherwise known as Numbering Plan Area (NPA).  Area codes do not cross state boundaries, although there is often more than one designated to a state. 

Call Analytics:  The monitoring and measurement of incoming phone calls to assist businesses with learning more about where their callers come from and how they interact with a business.

Call Center:  A functional area within an organization or an outsourced facility that exists solely to answer inbound or place outbound telephone calls; usually a sophisticated voice operations center that provides a full range of high-volume, inbound or outbound call-handling services; a company phone center that handles such services as help desk, customer support, lead generation, emergency response, telephone answering service, inbound response and outbound telemarketing. 

Call Percentage Allocator:  A form of enhanced routing that allows a specific percentage of incoming calls to be assigned across a set of unique locations or different ring-to numbers.

Call Prompt Routing:  A form of enhanced routing where an automated voice recording directs incoming callers through a menu of options, including the specific location they wish to reach (e.g., “Press 1 for…”). Once the caller chooses an option calls are routed to the location assigned to that selection. 

Call Recording:  An application that records calls for future playback and provides methods for storing, organizing and accessing recordings; commonly used in contact centers to monitor quality control.

Call Routing:  The process of directing and connecting phone calls from the calling party to specified locations using IVR (Interactive Voice Response) programming.

Call Tracking:  Web-based technology that tracks incoming phone calls on a toll-free number and presents subscribers with precise information such as: 

• Day, date, and time an incoming call was received.

• Phone number a caller dialed.

• Originating phone number of the calling party.

• Address, City and State of the calling party.

• Demographic profile of the calling party, including average neighborhood home value and average neighborhood household income.

Closest Location Routing:  A form of enhanced call routing where incoming calls are automatically routed to a business location that is closest to the caller by reading the caller’s area code and exchange; all routing takes place “behind the scenes” and is seamless to the caller.    

Custom 800 Numbers^®:  Trademarked product name for unforgettable toll-free vanity 800 numbers available for shared-use lease exclusively through 800response. 

Direct Response Advertising:  Advertising through mainstream media that encourages direct action from the audience, for example, phone calls, requests for more information, requests for a sales visit, or orders for products/services.

DMA (Designated Market Area):  A unique geographic area or media market defined by Nielsen Media Research that is used to identify TV stations that best reach an area and attract the most viewers; a DMA consists of all counties whose largest viewing share is given to stations of that same market area; there are 210 DMAs covering the contiguous United States.

Enhanced Closest Location Routing:  A form of enhanced call routing where the caller’s area code and exchange are identified and an automated menu presents up to four store locations within a 25-mile radius to the caller.   

Exchange:  The first three digits in a telephone number after the three-digit area code (e.g., 802-383-0803, “383” = exchange).

Exchange Routing:  A form of enhanced call routing where incoming calls are routed to a specific location according to their area code and exchange; businesses can control the market area and lead distribution by assigning exchanges to specific locations.

IVR:  An Interactive Voice Response system that provides a set of menu options that a caller selects with the telephone keypad for more information; IVR systems are commonly used by businesses to direct callers to the appropriate department or location.

Lead Generation:  The creation of prospective consumer interest or inquiry into a business’ products or services; effective lead generation is associated with marketing activities such as advertising, trade shows, and email marketing that are expected to generate opportunities for a company’s sales force.

Missed Call Monitor:  A phone call monitoring tool that proactively distributes alerts by email after an incoming call rings busy, rings with no answer at the called location, or when a caller hangs up before the called location can answer the phone.

Mnemonic Phone Number:  A phone number in the form of words or letters that assists the memory; a phone number that transposes into letters and words on the telephone keypad (e.g., 1-800-NEW-RIDE  ~ 1-800-639-7433).

Recording Disclaimer:  Message played when a call is transferred to a ring-to number that includes call recording; e.g., “This call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes."  Custom recording disclaimers are used when businesses provide their own message in lieu of the standard recording disclaimer, for example, when businesses prefer to use a specific voice or language. 

Repeater Numbers:  Toll-free numbers like 1-800-233-2323; non-vanity, easy-to-remember numeric toll-free numbers that are available for shared-use lease exclusively through 800response.

Responsible Organization (Resp Org):  The carrier entity that has responsibility for the management of toll-free numbers in the Service Management System (SMS) including maintaining customer records in the SMS system; the entity which accesses the SMS to: a) search for and reserve toll-free numbers; b) create and maintain toll-free number customer records, including call processing records; and c) provide a single point of contact for trouble reporting; the SMS recognizes one Resp Org for each existing toll-free number.

ROAI (Return on Advertising Investment):  The percentage of profit that results from a marketing or advertising campaign.

Shared Use Number:  A toll-free number that terminates to more than one end user based upon some unique identification capabilities (i.e., originating area code).

Toll-free Number:  A phone number that when dialed does not incur charges to the person dialing the number, but rather to the business or person that is being called.

Toll-free Prefix:  The area code digits for a toll-free number; (i.e., 800, 866, 877, and 888).

Vanity 800 Numbers:  Mnemonic toll-free 800 phone numbers that transpose into words on the telephone keypad (e.g., 1-800-NEW-RIDE ~ 1-800-639-7433).

Vanity 800 Number Directory:  A search tool available through 800response to identify available toll-free vanity 800 numbers in a geographic market based on area code.

Zip Code Routing:  Incoming callers are presented with a voice prompt asking them to enter a zip code. Once the caller enters the zip code, they are routed to the assigned location. 

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