Where Are All The 1(800) Numbers Going?

Posted on August 22, 2008 by smsgov

Insiders are calling it the perfect storm. Toll free phone service has hit all all-time high in popularity. The 800 numbers are so successful that once obtained, they are rarely retired. And the federal government has not released reserved numbers intended to alleviate the shortage. Supplies will soon run out.

So, where are all the 800 numbers going? Industry experts say toll free service is now a staple of any type of business. Small business owners, following the lead of the CEO’s of nearly half the Fortune 500 companies, are securing toll free vanity phone numbers as a strategic marketing tool. Personal use of toll free numbers has skyrocketed as parents secure an 800 number to stay in touch with their teens, college-aged children, and elderly parents.

More than two-thirds of the available supply of 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers are taken and millions of new subscribers are registering every year. Business owners who wait much longer to obtain a number might find themselves out of luck. In a competitive market, a toll free number is a valuable commodity for every business.

Federal agencies have been cracking down on the illegal sale of 800 numbers and the hoarding, or stockpiling, of numbers by service providers and subscribers. This oversight is intended to help free up some of the numbers for new subscribers.

According to the FCC, toll free numbers “have proven successful for businesses and are increasingly popular for personal use.” Reports indicate that a toll free number listed in an ad can increase response by 600 percent and word of mouth referrals rise by 200 percent. With 98 percent of American adults regularly using toll free numbers, businesses securing an 800 number gain a strong competitive edge.

The popularity of the 1-800 number, introduced in the late 1960s, led the FCC to add the new pre-fixes 888 and 877 in the mid-1990s. When availability of those numbers became scarce in 2000, the 866 pre-fixes were added to overcome the shortage. Now, eight years later, the stockpile is once again low despite the recent mass deactivation of unused 800 numbers.

Experts say the demand drastically outweighs supply and advise that the only way to guarantee obtaining a toll free number is to get one immediately.

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