1-800 Connections to Officials in D.C.

1-800 telephone numbers in Washington D.C. were busy this week as US citizens called their federal representatives to comment on the hotly-debated debt ceiling. At one federal office, 193 people were on hold as interns and staff answered phones as quickly as they could. These 1-800 telephone numbers give constituents the ability to voice their opinions for free–even when they are on hold for lengthy periods of time.

1-800 Number to Pay for Parking

As of this week, some motorists will have an easier time parking with the help of a 1-800 telephone number!

Drivers in Washington D.C. can now use their mobile phones to pay for parking at all of the District’s approximately 17,000 on-street metered spaces.  Motorists use an app or a toll-free phone call to pay to park. There is a small fee for each transaction, which covers the credit card processing and other program costs. Parking enforcement officers will get the information on the payments in real time on their handheld devices. Amazing how we use toll free numbers these days, isn’t it?

How can you retrieve an 800 number from a seemingly defunct telephone company?

How can you retrieve an 800 number from a seemingly defunct telephone company?

First you should call the ameritech hotline: 800-337-4194 and type in the toll free number you are interested in.  Have a pen and paper handy to write down the information that the automated system reads back to you.  It will read back a 5 digit code and a telephone number to contact.  The telephone number the system reads to you will be the phone number of the telephone company that services the toll free number you entered.  Call that number and speak to that company.

If there is NO information listed in the ameritech hotline, that means the toll free number will probabley become available soon since it is in a disconnected state.  The bad news is that another entity will probabley aquire that number the instant it becomes available, so you need to be quick to order it.

Heat Advisories and Toll Free

With 32 states under a heat advisory this week, 1-800 service to authorities, utility companies and cooling centers have never been busier. People are calling toll free phone numbers for information on beating the heat, to report power outages, seeking cooling centers and assistance for the elderly and sick who are suffering in the 100 degree-plus temperatures. Toll free telephone numbers have even been established for animal care–pets to livestock to wild animals are all feeling the effects of the heat.

Merge with 1-800 Phone Numbers

We heard an interesting business management discussion recently and the consensus may be helpful to companies of all sizes that are considering merging with another business. The central topic of the discussion was the 1-800 number, If each of two companies planning to merge have an existing 1-800 phone number, then whose number do they use? The advice was useful–keep both existing numbers and establish a new one that reflects the newly merged company, Then, over a period of time, slowly phase the old individual numbers out. This leads to less confusion for the consumer and a potential loss of business. It also helps to solidify a new image, brand, and marketing tool for the new merged company.

Consumers and Toll Free Numbers

Recent studies indicate that consumers use toll free telephone numbers at least every week in their daily lives. Most people use these free connections several times per month on average. Those who travel regularly for business or pleasure use them even more frequently. Toll free service has become a common form of communication and this trend continues to grow–the fast-track popularity of the new 855 phone numbers are yet another indication that toll free service continues to increase in use every year.

855 For Additional Spanish Toll Free Line

The new 855 toll free telephone numbers have become a great advantage for those looking to add a second toll free line in Spanish–a number that matches their existing 1-800 number. A company with a 1-888 number, for example, can now match an 855 toll free telephone number for Spanish speaking customers and clients. This is just another advantage of the new 855 numbers.

The 855 Numbers Looming Large

The 855 toll free telephone numbers are a major commodity and are being used by hundreds of thousands of business owners, professionals, government agencies, utility companies and more. We have no official word yet on the timeline for the release of the next batch of toll free number area codes–the 844 numbers–but we expect this to be within the next year or so. In the meantime, there are plenty of custom 855 numbers left in play.

855 Travels

The travel industry uses 1-800 telephone numbers in nearly every capacity. When is the last time you called a hotel or airline and it wasn’t a toll free call? It’s the standard. Now, we are seeing more 855 numbers related to travel businesses.  In fact, we saw two nationally televised 855 toll free telephone numbers this holiday weekend. 855 is gaining steam and becoming widely recognized as a toll free telephone number. In the six months since the 855 numbers were released they have soared to success.

Happy Independence Day Weekend

Happy Fourth of July weekend from everyone at SMSGov!