Posted on December 24, 2009 by smsgov
With readership of this blog growing every day, we want to take this opportunity to remind you all of the proper and legal distribution of toll free numbers. A toll free number must be obtained on a first-come-first-served basis from an approved provider. According to regulations enacted by the Federal Communications Commission, toll free phone numbers cannot be sold or brokered. These rules were approved after the FCC fielded complaints about price gouging for catchy vanity numbers and popular numeric sequences.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, 800 numbers, toll free brokering, toll free service. hoarding | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 24, 2009 by smsgov
The Call-Capture feature, available from some toll free carriers, is an indispensable marketing tool that can be used in a variety of ways. Using Real-Time Automatic Number Identification (ANI) every single call to a 1-800 number can be identified. ANI provides a business owner with the caller’s ten-digit phone number, even if the call came from a blocked number. With this tracking feature these blocked calls can be unblocked and made available to the subscriber. With every call to a toll free number accounted for, the subscriber can develop very specific marketing plans.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1 800 numbers, 1-800, call tracking, toll free, trace the call | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 23, 2009 by smsgov
Experts warn that the U.S. supply of available 1-800 numbers, dwindling for years, is now nearly depleted.
Toll free numbers enable callers to reach businesses, organizations, and non-profits without having to pay for the call. This marketing tool has been so successful that the available 1-800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers are decreasing while demand is growing at unprecedented rates.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1 800 numbers, 1-800, 1800, 1800number, 800 number, 800 numbers | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 22, 2009 by smsgov
We have been hearing about a recent trend in holiday gift-giving this year. A few toll free phone service providers have reported back to us that some people have purchased toll free numbers for a friend or family member as a holiday gift. The gift of a toll free numbers helps a struggling business person and is a gift that lasts the entire year long.
In one instance the mother of seven grown children, scattered throughout the U.S. (and four of whom have lost their jobs in the past year) will be given a toll free number for the holidays by her husband so that her children can call her as often as they want without fear of costly phone bills. Hearing her children’s voices means much more to her than an impersonal e-mail. Toll free keeps finding new ways to make a difference in people’s lives!
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1 800 number, 1-800, holiday gift giving, phone numbers, phone service, toll free, tollfree | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 22, 2009 by smsgov
Telecommunications industry sources now say an unthinkable embargo on new toll free phone service in the United States is a real possibility within the next year. Facing a severe shortage of available 800-numbers, a skyrocketing demand for toll free service and an emerging black market for 800 numbers, insiders say officials feel they are left with no choice but to impose an embargo.
Read more here.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1 800 number, 1-800, 800, 800 number, 866, 877, 888, toll free, toll free number, toll free numbers | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 21, 2009 by smsgov
Recently we have noticed far more publicity and media coverage about the benefits of toll free phone services. Magazines, newspapers, blogs and even TV news profiles on the advantages of 1-800 numbers have become commonplace. With all that news coverage, all four toll free area code numbers are are now widely recognized. This is good for the industry and for independent businesses and companies looking for enhanced marketing strategies. Every consumer who recognizes a toll free number as a free phone call is a potential new customer.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, 866, 877, 888, phone service, toll free numbers, toll free phone service | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 21, 2009 by smsgov
Experts say that consumers recognize that many of the advantages of 1-800 numbers outweigh standard local phone service. Toll free service is becoming increasingly common with parents wishing to keep in close contact with children and teens. Businesses with a 1-800 number can see almost instant increases in sales, word of mouth referrals, and a decrease in product returns and the FCC reports that toll free service is a “proven” marketing tool.
Read more here.
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Posted on December 20, 2009 by smsgov
UPDATE: The scarcity of toll free numbers is having an impact on telecoms nationwide. AT&T no longer has 800 area codes available through it’s online toll free look-up tool. A number of other providers have followed suit and stopped offering the 800 numbers to their telephone subscribers.
More info here.
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Posted on December 19, 2009 by smsgov
Home prices and sales dropped again in the last quarter of 2009. Realtors throughout the country are tackling the ongoing housing crisis by offering toll free phone numbers. This marketing trend is aimed at helping struggling homeowners contact real estate agents without the burden of costly phone calls. By offering a 1-800 number, realtors can help cash-strapped sellers negotiate a quick sale before they fall into a foreclosure situation. Homeowners in trouble can reach out for free and discuss all their sales options with an experienced realtor.
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Posted on December 18, 2009 by smsgov
Economic upheavals over the past year have forced many businesses to shut their doors–rent, payroll and utilities cost more than they were bringing in. With ample supply of stock leftover, some of these astute business owners began generating sales through phone and web sales utilizing toll free phone numbers. The majority of sales from catalog and websites are still made through toll free phone calls. Toll free has helped many retail companies, large and small, stay afloat during this recession by allowing them to tweak how they do business.
Filed under: Information | Tagged: 1-800, 800 numbers, toll free, Toll Free Phone Numbers, toll free services | Leave a comment »