Toll-free Numbers A Must During a Recession

by Brandi Armstrong

In today’s
economy, businesses must adjust to the financial challenges of their customers.
A recession puts businesses in a strange bind. Companies must find ways to sell
ideas and products to people who need the products, but who are increasingly
hesitant to spend their money. In times like these, one of the most reliable
techniques is the use of a toll free number. Even though it is traditional and
has been around for decades, there are good reasons why most major companies
still employ a toll free number.

A toll free
number provides a key service – giving customers a cost-free method to contact
a company. Telephones were the primary method of communication until the internet.
A phone number that customers could use to contact the company for free was key
to business operations for years. Companies set up complex phone systems to
service their customers. Despite some customer complaints about speaking to
computers, it is a prevalent method of customer service. Other companies have
set up call centers around the world. No matter the method, these still require
one thing for success – a toll free number.

The initial
barrier is the hardest for buyers to overcome. This is the mental or financial
anguish that comes from going from spending nothing to spending something. One
is infinitely greater than zero. This is why many companies find success
offering a low priced item to get customers “through the door,” and
making substantial profit on “extras.” A toll free number creates a
situation where there is no cost for customers to come through the door. Even
though cell phones have free long distance, and some
local rates are low, they are still greater than zero. Even the greatest call
center or phone system is useless if customers do not call. Using a toll free
number gives the least possible barrier to their entry.

A toll free
number also has a secondary purpose of creating a corporate identity.
Television ads and jingles often have, say, “1-800,” and then a few
words that identify the company. All this is due to the vanity 800 numbers used
by many companies. Incorporating the number into the name of the company is
also popular, and allows customers to easily remember contact information.
Originally, these numbers had to start with the area code, “800.”
Companies made land-grabs, trying to register any number with the possible
combination of numbers which could someday be used to form words. Then, if
another company wanted that number, the owner could sell it at a high price.
Today, the prefixes, “888″, “877″, and “866,” all
indicate a toll free number, allowing for more companies to get those
sought-after vanity numbers.

Of course,
there is a cost to having a toll free number. The call is free only for the
customer. The cost for the call goes to the company that owns the number.
However, the cost for telecommunications has dropped over time, and will likely
be even cheaper in the future. Costs have dropped to the point that it is often
cheaper to route calls across the globe than to have them answered in America. A toll
free number is just part of doing business. Just like advertising and other
methods to get a company’s name out, allowing people to contact a company free
of charge is necessary for a company’s success.

Today, with
the economy in a recession, buyers purchase less on impulse and research more
significantly. The internet has become the primary tool for this sort of
research. Web pages are run by virtually every major company to provide
specific information on their products and services. However, there are still
many times when a customer has a question that is not addressed on a particular
website. There are online methods of communication, such as live chat or email.
However, a toll free number is important because many customers prefer the
sound of a human voice over typed words. Wary customers may wish to call just
to know more about the company in general. This is why most sites come with the
following phrase, “For more information or questions, please call
1-800…”

In short, a
toll free number may not be the newest technology on the market, but it still
has its importance in today’s business world. With cell phones, practically
everyone now has a telephone in their pocket. Businesses just need to give them
someone to call.