When a new business opens its doors, it is usually a small business and situated locally within a populated area. As such, many new business owners do not consider the fact that people in non-local areas may wish to call for information about products or services. A toll free number allows business to treat all of their customers to free calls, regardless of their locations.

Long Distance Calls

While some people have done away with landlines and have instead switched to mobile phones, there are still those who make the majority of their business calls from landlines and reserve their mobile devices for emergencies. Since this is the case, business owners should consider the impact of their telephone number on their prospective customers’ phone bills. Long distance calling can certainly become expensive and most consumers are aware of this. When a business does not offer a toll free number, consumers are likely to pass it up for one that does. This means any company can lose business simply due to their telephone number.

Expense to the Business

Up until about a decade ago, toll free numbers were generally regarded as expensive and were only used by large corporations with enough revenue to foot the bill. Incoming toll free calls are billed to the business owner and not the party placing the call. However, with landlines going the way of the telegraph and Voice over Internet Protocol—or VoIP—telephone service demands reaching a record high, this is no longer the case. Business owners can acquire a toll free number for a low monthly or annual rate; some packages include a number of incoming minutes absolutely free. A virtual phone system provider can help a business determine the best package for their needs.

Promoting Professionalism

When customers can call a business completely free of charge, they often have a better first impression of the business overall. This is partly due to the fact that consumers are aware that businesses must pay for a toll free number and are pleased that they are taking the initiative, but toll free numbers are also a great way to promote professionalism and prove to clients and customers that the company intends to serve them at any cost. In fact, even when consumers are given a choice between dialing a local number or one that is toll free, more than 60% of them will choose to dial the toll free number instead.

Call from Anywhere, Any Time

Another great example of how toll free number can benefit businesses becomes evident when consumers are away from home—perhaps on a business trip or a vacation—and need to contact a company. In this situation, and especially if the customer is in a hotel room elsewhere in the country, long distance calls can become incredibly expensive. By providing clients and customers with a toll free number, they can call the business from anywhere in the country with absolutely no associated charges. Considering that some hotels charge upwards of $1.99 a minute for long distance calls, this is certainly a relief.

A business that can save its clients and customers money is one that will likely gain a larger customer base over time. By treating customers to free calls with a toll free number, regardless of where they live or travel, business are doing themselves—and their customers—a huge favor.