The toll free 800 number has come into its own as a recognized sign of a serious business. These numbers, however, are showing surprising strengths, even in markets where you wouldn’t expect them to make such a difference. For instance, you’d think that people doing business with local businesses would prefer to dial the local number. And you’d be wrong. According to a Chicago Tribune study, advertisers using toll free vanity numbers received ten times more calls than those just using the local number.

People associate the now ubiquitous 800 numbers, and their 866 and 888 brethren, with business. Simply having a toll free number is a sign of legitimacy and dependability. Vanity numbers take that a step further, giving your customers a mnemonic key to remember your phone number.

According to a study by Response Marketing Group, after listening to a radio spot just one time, 58% of the participants remembered the vanity number used in it. If a hybrid number was used, one in which only part of the number used a word to replace the numbers, only 44% were able to accurately recall the number. Still, that was far and away superior to the meager 8% who could remember a raw string of numbers.

Laura Noonan, VP of Marketing at Response Marketing Group, said her company “wanted to quantify how people retain numeric, hybrid, and vanity numbers in a real world, advertising context.” The success of such numbers had long ago been established when 1-800-FLOWERS lept ahead of the 75-year-old FTD, which enjoyed both a dominating position in its market and exceptional name recognition. Neither of those traits were enough to keep the older company ahead of 1-800-FLOWERS and its easily remembered phone number.

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The 1800 number got its start in 1967, the same year Che Guevara was executed and Aretha Franklin recorded “Respect”. The idea was to cut down on collect calls, which could be labor-intensive since they often required a live operator. The early adopters were primarily hotels and car rental companies that took lots of reservations from across the country over the phone. Because of this, the story of toll free numbers is also the story of the modern call center. When the first one went belly-up, the involved companies immediately stepped in to retain the infrastructure as well as the expertise of the current management and employees. These were broken off into independent call centers for each of the different companies being serviced, but they all remained in the same area. The strip malls at 93rd and Bedford in Omaha, Nebraska, where these first call centers were located, became known as “Res City”. AT&T even opened an office there to serve these 800 numbers customers, and if you wanted a new toll free number in Omaha, you could get it up and running within 24 hours. If you were anywhere else, you might have to wait for weeks.

A lot of the reason for the delay was due to the rather cumbersome way toll free calls were originally handled. If a LEC (local exchange carrier) got an 800 call that wasn’t in-state, they would simply pass it to AT&T and rely on them to handle all the routing. This meant that every company actually needed two 800 numbers: one for in-state calls and a second for out-of-state calls.

The system was upgraded in ‘81 with Common Channel Interoffice Signaling and the Network Services System database. These allowed AT&T to handle all 1 800 numbers, in or out-of-state, through a central clearing house. This also gave AT&T a lot more flexibility to offer things like customized 800 numbers, a service that would eventually become the vanity numbers we see everywhere today.

For that to really take off, however, customers needed to be able to take their 800 number to any phone company they wanted to use. Until ‘93, however, you were stuck with the company who you originally contracted with to handle your calls. If you wanted to switch to a new provider, you couldn’t take your 800 number with you, necessitating a huge expense in remarketing the new number and getting rid of all references to the old one. After the FCC mandated 800-number portability, however, companies were able to pick any carrier they preferred and bring their toll free numbers with them. The resulting boom in the use of these numbers threatened to use up the remaining 1800 options, so new toll free prefixes were created: 866, 877, and 888. As expected, competition lowered prices to the point now where individuals can afford their own toll free numbers, either for the convenience of their families or for home-based businesses.

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There’s been a lot of digital ink spilled about the usefulness of having a toll free number. 800 numbers make a business appear more professional and reachable, and offer new avenues for marketing. Once you have them, you’ll want to make the most of your 800 numbers.

800 Numbers Everywhere
Most freelancers and small businesses know the value of having their 800 number on a business card that can be handed out. It’s also important to have your toll free number on your web page. A recent Pew Research poll has found that while many folks now regularly utilize the web for research, only 56% of those between the ages of 64 and 72 make actual purchases online. Surprisingly, it’s even worse for teens, ringing in at only 38%. If you don’t give these people a way to talk to a real, live human being, they’ll simply choose to not do business with you even if they like what they find on your site. This is why it’s important to have your 1 800 number listed conspicuously on every page of your website.

They’re also great if you travel overseas a lot or move frequently. No matter where you are, your family and friends only need to remember that one 800 number to reach you, without having to worry about overseas charges.

Toll Free at Home
800 numbers aren’t just for work anymore. The best thing about toll free numbers is how they allow you to control costs. Relatives, especially the elderly and college students, can call home without burdening themselves with massive phone bills or messing with collect calls. If you travel a lot on business, you can call home without having to ring up charges on a company phone or your hotel bill.

Answer Your Phone
Once they’ve called, the patience of your customers can be measured in seconds, not minutes. 40 seconds, according to the North American Telecommunications Association. You can extend that to 70 seconds with music, but every second counts. Almost one in five readers of the Sydney Morning Herald reported “they would rather be stung by a jellyfish” than spend time waiting on hold.

Follow Through
Capture data on every call. Who did the customer talk to? Did the customer get what they called for? Understanding what happens when people talk to your company helps you pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. It also allows you to get back in touch with customers, either for further research or to find out if further sales are possible. This is especially vital if you have add-ons or related options that can make you even more valuable to your customers.

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