Toll Free Blues

Toll free numbers have such an extreme positive impact on any company, that it is rare for business owners to cancel their numbers. A plea for unused numbers to be released offered a brief reprieve earlier this year. Read more here.

Decades of Toll Free

Toll free service has been available for 40 years, but has skyrocketed in popularity in the past decade. 1-800 numbers were introduced in 1967. By the 1980s, half of all long distance calls were through 800 numbers. A decade later, the FCC added two new pre-fixes, 888 and 877, to address the shortage of available 800 numbers. Then with the supply continuing to drop while demand increased, 866 numbers were added in the year 2000.

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Embargo Implentation?

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. Get the skinny here!

New Numbers Could Help With Recession Woes

The anticipated expansion of the supply of available good toll free phone numbers could ease stress on countless business owners harmed by the recession. Toll free service allows businesses to expand to new customer bases, reach new clients, and improve customer service.

Beware eBay Sales of Toll Free

Sales of sought-after toll free numbers on eBay continue even as reports of the FCC looking into improper turnover of these numbers continues. Log on now and you will see listings. A black market for toll free numbers has emerged and attempts to illegally buy and sell choice numbers is increasing. According to regulations enacted by the FCC in 1997, toll free phone numbers cannot be sold or brokered. These rules were approved after the FCC fielded numerous complaints about price gouging for catchy vanity numbers and popular numeric sequences. The FCC reports that anyone caught attempting to sell or broker an 800 number faces significant fines. But that hasn’t stopped brokers from attempting to sell numbers on Internet websites and auction sites such as eBay.

Reduced Security Risks With Toll Free

Concerns about Internet fraud and other scams can harm legitimate business sales. But business owners nationwide are finding solutions to this growing problem by using toll free phone numbers to communicate with their customers. Toll free phone numbers provide a sense of security for customers wary of scam businesses. Scammers won’t save the customer money by paying for the calls themselves. By offering toll free, business owners can distinguish themselves from the frauds.

News Reports on Toll Free Widespread

Over the past year, the number of media reports touting toll free service has mushroomed. The advantages of 1-800 numbers are now widely recognized and reported. It can take new businesses several years to create an established professional image. Customers are sometimes wary of new ventures and may lean toward recognizable companies. But start-up entrepreneurs now have an opportunity to win customer confidence literally overnight. The day they start offering potential customers a 1-800 number, they reap the benefits of this proven marketing tool.

Municipal 1-800 Service

Every one of the 50 States have 1-800 hotline phone numbers advertised for citizens to report crisis situations, health concerns, child neglect, environmental problems, and to request constituent assistance. Nationwide, smaller government agencies–counties, towns, and villages—are likewise beginning to offer their residents 1-800 numbers to report concerns and to ask questions.

855 Numbers

There have been shortages of good toll free numbers in the past. Remember, that to overcome shortages of 1-800 numbers, the 888 and 877 numbers were introduced in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Then, in 2000 the 866 numbers were added. Toll free numbers have become such a valuable commodity that the stock is once again depleted. Many people are asking……Where are the reserved 855 numbers? Will they be released soon?

WHat are your thoughts on the 855 numbers?

Consumer Recognition of Toll Free Advantages

These days, it seems that consumers recognize the real value of toll free over standard phone service. Experts say that the increase in consumer recognition of the advantages of 1-800 numbers is related to the tangible financial benefits of using toll free, particularly in tough economic times. Businesses with a 1-800 number can see almost instant increases in sales, word of mouth referrals, and a decrease in product returns. Standard local phone service often does not provide any of these advantages.