Toll Free Number - Expanding the reach of your business

A toll free number are telephone numbers that can be called at no cost to the caller, because the recipient pays for the cost of the call. Having one of these numbers for your business communicates you are serious about your business. These numbers are normally used nationwide, allowing you can initiate a toll free call anywhere you are in America. Toll free numbers are inbound only, and interstate rates still apply. These numbers can even be mapped to residential numbers or cell phone numbers. A vanity toll free number is perfect for businesses that wish to generate additional business by having an easily remembered phone number, and because these numbers are a great way to generate additional sales because consumers are much more likely to call a familiar number before reaching for the yellow pages. If you do business internationally, a toll free number is an ideal way to be available to customers and clients overseas. Using these numbers is a great way to get your business rolling.

Toll-free numbers have proven successful for businesses, particularly in the areas of customer service and telemarketing. Referred to as 800 numbers, after the original area code, toll free numbers today can start with the area codes, 800, 888, 877, and 866, however these area codes are not interchangeable with each other. The warehousing of these numbers by service providers is prohibited by FCC rules, because it is illegal for a subscriber to sell a toll free number for a fee. Service providers have access to the SMS/800 database, which contains information regarding the status of all toll-free numbers. Toll free numbers are assigned on a first come, first served basis by accessing a database and reserving a number for subscribers. The FCC is not involved in the day-to-day assignment of toll-free numbers, nor does it have direct access to the toll free database, and cannot provide any information about the status of a number or respond to a request for a number.

Toll free numbers can be held by subscribers who do not have a year-round need for one of these numbers. The numbers may remain in reserved status for up to 45 days and may remain in assigned status until changed to working status or for a maximum of 6 months, and are allowed to remain in a disconnect status for up to 4 months. The FCC now requires that toll free numbers be portable, so that subscribers can port their numbers to a new provider when changing service providers. Calls to each toll-free number are routed to a particular local telephone number; however calls from payphones assess an additional fee, as mandated by the FCC.

Telephone industry standards setting organization establishes the guidelines for toll free numbers, and these guidelines must comply with the FCC requirements. These calls can also be forwarded to a cell phone or a landline phone in any country. Toll free forwarding allows a toll free phone call to be forwarded to a traditional phone line, allowing one to receive both direct calls and forwarded toll free calls on the same phone. You have the ability to change your forwarding phone number at any time through the Internet or over the phone when you travel. No longer just for the big corporations, toll free numbers are for every company and business, and are a must for companies that want to sound big. These numbers are used by over 90% of the population and more than half of them use it them on a regular basis. A toll free number represents that you are willing to do your business everywhere.