Five Common Questions About Toll-Free Services

From Dealer Marketing Magazine

Written by Laura Noonan  

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

It’s not enough these days to just include your phone number in advertising campaigns. In this current market, you need an edge to get more out of those slashed ad budgets. You have to look at your phone number as a marketing and advertising tool–something that is necessary to include in your advertising strategy–a tool that will improve response rates to your advertisements, drive interested car buyers to your dealership, while also integrating with your lead-tracking and management system.

Here are five questions to ask your phone service provider to make sure you are leveraging every incoming phone call to the greatest possible extent.

1.  Do I need a special phone line or phone system in order to activate a toll-free or vanity 800 number?

No. You can easily activate a toll-free or vanity 800 toll-free number, without having to make any changes to your existing phone system. During the activation process, all you have to do is designate which one of your existing phone line you want the toll-free number to ring to.

2.  I only advertise in my local market, not nationally. Can a toll-free number work only in my local region, where my advertising reaches, or do I have to get and pay for national coverage?

If you don’t advertise nationally and do not want to field calls from all over the country, you need a regional toll-free service. There are providers who offer toll-free vanity numbers on a local or regional basis. During the set-up process, they will work with you to define the area codes that your advertising will reach, and you will receive all calls that dial your toll-free number from within those area codes. You will not receive or pay for calls that dial your toll-free number from outside the defined area codes for your account. 

3.  Can I have the toll-free number ringing to multiple dealerships?

Yes. There are various advanced routing tools to direct your incoming calls to different store locations in any manner you choose. Advanced call routing options will take care of your business’s needs, no matter how sophisticated they may be. You can choose to have the calls ring to the location closest to the caller, have all calls ring to a single location, or prompt callers with a message that lets them select a location.

4.  When should I consider using a vanity 800 number?

You should always consider incorporating a vanity 800 number into your advertising strategy. Vanity 800 numbers are an integral component of any advertising campaign. They facilitate in branding a business (i.e. Ford dealership using 1-800-NEW-FORD®), and research (and common sense) tells us they are easier for consumers to remember than a 10-digit numeric toll-free number, therefore they improve advertising campaign performance (with more calls), and overall ROI. Vanity 800 numbers are best used in media formats that are temporary for the consumer, like television ads, and outdoor ads. These media formats require an element of memorability, which vanity 800 numbers lend to advertisements.

5.  Do most toll-free service providers offer a tracking service as well?

Not necessarily. There are toll-free number providers out there who will find and activate a toll-free number for you, but that is where their service ends. It is good business practice to find a service provider that offers additional features like call tracking and recording, so you can optimize your incoming calls by analyzing their origins, capture the caller’s contact and demographic information, and record incoming calls for dealership training purposes. Only a provider that offers call tracking and monitoring services can help you build your lead database, and integrate incoming leads with your existing lead-tracking process to contribute to the lead management cycle.

The key factors in a comprehensive lead tracking and management system is to know who is calling your stores, when they’re calling, why they are calling, and to turn those leads into prospects that become part of your targeted marketing and advertising campaigns, and promotional events. Toll-free and vanity 800 service providers that offer tracking services will help you build a complete lead-management program for your dealership.

Ford is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Co. There is no relationship between 800response or any of its affiliates and the aforementioned company.

Laura Noonan has 16 years of experience in the vanity 800 number and telecommunication services industry. Email Laura at lnoonan@800response.com for more information on toll-free vanity 800 numbers and call tracking services.