Personal Technology Tips in Plain English
Easiest Way To Acquire a Toll-Free Number For Business or Home Use
I think small business owners are finally getting it. Twice this week alone, the issue of getting a toll-free number for a business came up in conversation. Most entrepreneurs don’t know just how easy it is to give their business a professional image and an aire of implied authority just by adding a toll-free number to their business cards, website, or marketing materials.
There are several telephone companies that now offer “stand-alone” toll-fee number accounts. So that you can 1) easily keep the account if/when you move, 2) you can separate the billing to identify this specific line item in your budgeting/expenses, 3) You can manage it easily as a distinct part of your marketing programs.
The big surprise every time? That they are dirt cheap. With a tiny incremental cost to your business you can increase your professional image to your customers, investors, associates, etc. Toll-free numbers cost as little as 2.5 cents/minute anytime now. And usually there’s NO contracts, and minimum usage requirements are as low as $1/month! (I know you can handle that!).
Several toll-free number providers like Kall8 also allow for “Vanity” toll-free numbers so that you can select a number that ‘spells’ something. In addition, they make it so easy to change the “destination telephone number” (the telephone number which “rings” when you call it), that they are marketing them as a “follow-me” number service.
One of the suggestions I make to most of my business associates is to set-up a toll-free number for at least your fax #. The usage is going to be super low (how many faxes do you really receive a month, and how LONG do they take? not long!). Plus using a toll-free number for fax #’s also allows you to utilize the free e-fax services on the web without any worries since you can just change providers on the fly if they start charging you money, change services, etc.
Who you gonna call? Or rather, who’s gonna call you?
I love tech, gadgets and the web. Hope you pick-up a useful tip or two here today that helps you use technology to your advantage! Better yet, why not share your own expertise in a comment on a post today to help the other readers that land here for answers!