Toll Free Numbers A Must During A Recession
In today's economy, businesses must adjust to the financial challenges of their customers
. A recession puts businesses in a strange bind. Companies must find ways to sell ideas and products to people who need the products, but who are increasingly hesitant to spend their money. In times like these, one of the most reliable techniques is the use of a toll free number. Even though it is traditional and has been around for decades, there are good reasons why most major companies still employ a toll free number.
A toll free number provides a key service - giving customers a cost-free method to contact a company. Telephones were the primary method of communication until the internet. A phone number that customers could use to contact the company for free was key to business operations for years. Companies set up complex phone systems to service their customers. Despite some customer complaints about speaking to computers, it is a prevalent method of customer service. Other companies have set up call centers around the world. No matter the method, these still require one thing for success - a toll free number.
The initial barrier is the hardest for buyers to overcome. This is the mental or financial anguish that comes from going from spending nothing, to spending something. One is infinitely greater than zero. This is why many companies find success offering a low priced item to get customers "through the door," and making substantial profit on "extras." A toll free number creates a situation where there is no cost for customers to come through the door. Even though cell phones have free long distance, and some local rates are low, they are still greater than zero. Even the greatest call center or phone system is useless if customers do not call. Using a toll free number gives the least possible barrier to their entry.
A toll free number also has a secondary purpose of creating a corporate identity. Television ads and jingles often have, say, "1-800," and then a few words that identify the company. All this is due to the vanity 800 numbers used by many companies. Incorporating the number into the name of the company is also popular, and allows customers to easily remember contact information. Originally, these numbers had to start with the area code, "800." Companies made land-grabs, trying to register any number with the possible combination of numbers which could someday be used to form words. Then, if another company wanted that number, the owner could sell it at a high price. Today, the prefixes, "888", "877", and "866," all indicate a toll free number, allowing for more companies to get those sought-after vanity numbers.
Of course, there is a cost to having a toll free number. The call is free only for the customer. The cost for the call goes to the company that owns the number. However, the cost for telecommunications has dropped over time, and will likely be even cheaper in the future. Costs have dropped to the point that it is often cheaper to route calls across the globe than to have them answered in America. A toll free number is just part of doing business. Just like advertising and other methods to get a company's name out, allowing people to contact a company free of charge is necessary for a company's success.
Today, with the economy in a recession, buyers purchase less on impulse and research more significantly. The internet has become the primary tool for this sort of research. Web pages are run by virtually every major company to provide specific information on their products and services. However, there are still many times when a customer has a question that is not addressed on a particular website. There are online methods of communication, such as live chat or email. However, a toll free number is important because many customers prefer the sound of a human voice over typed words. Wary customers may wish to call just to know more about the company in general. This is why most sites come with the following phrase, "For more information or questions, please call 1-800..."
In short, a toll free number may not be the newest technology on the market, but it still has its importance in today's business world. With cell phones, practically everyone now has a telephone in their pocket. Businesses just need to give them someone to call.
by: Brandi Armstrong
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