Wondering, what’s a toll free Number?
A toll free number allows users to call free of cost to a business or service provider and the charges are paid by the toll free number subscriber or called party, instead of the calling party. This makes reaching a company or service provider a zero-cost experience for its clients and customer.
Getting a toll free number is not just about giving a brand national recognition, it goes beyond that as it comes with numerous benefits. For instance, it gives your customers a privilege of calling at your business without being charged and that makes you a concerned service provider about its customers’ experience.
In today’s era, toll free numbers are a usual thing even for the small scale businesses, as it has quite a successful history, particularly in customer service and telemarketing.
A toll free number not just helps your small business sound big and reputed, but it also creates trust and positive impression of your brand in your customers. It helps users in reaching your business without costing a single penny that further reflects how grateful and caring your brand is about its valuable customers.
While buying a product, if you are given a choice between dealing a company with toll free number and a chargeable number, you are more likely to go for the first one; as it sounds more professional. Plus, it would not cost you a penny for calling the company in case you have questions about their products or services.
And as it goes by the book, a consumer preferably makes a purchase from a company that provides a toll free support before and after sales.
Toll free numbers are independent to the caller’s location, they can be reached from anywhere. It makes the entire country a local calling area for your customers. With a toll free number, consumers get the positive impression that your brand has nation-wide reach.
We are always concerned about the company's service from where we are buying product, but the toll free number allows us to be free when it comes to reaching out the company for a query. Consumers seek instant gratification from their service provider, and if they don’t get it, they simply move on to the next. Proving a toll free customer service number is the perfect way to fill the gaps.
A toll free number is the first step to give your company a national presence. Since everyone does not own a smartphone, if you provide an option of toll free number to reach your business, you can also count on people with simple phones.
A non-profit organisation can be an NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) or a government or individual helpline center. Such organisations use toll free numbers to deliver related information, services, help and accept donation over the phone.
Considering an example, during March 2011 earthquake in Japan, a number of organisations started toll free number services for emergency relief.
Another example, Medhavi Foundation, an NGO in India that works towards improving the education system in the country under the project named - EduDisha. It is a career counselling helpline for the class IX - XII students in government schools. The organisation runs a toll free number to help the students in deciding what to choose next in their career.
In the similar ways, organisations use toll free number to provide information, emergency services, helpline, advice and support to their customers. For example, the US government runs a Childhelp National Child Abuse that has a 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) toll free hotline which is dedicated to child abuse.
Many of the government’s public interest agencies have toll free numbers to respond the related queries from the citizens. For example, Passport Seva Call Center in India runs a toll free number - 1800-258-1800. You can call at this number anytime to get answered for all your queries.
Other agencies, like courier service or post office, also provides toll free numbers which can be used by the customers to track down their parcels any time from anywhere.
Television industry is also not far away from using toll free numbers, even toll free numbers are considered as a key factor in getting individual attention from the audience. In reality TV shows, channel asks viewers to cast vote for their favourite contestant by calling the specified toll free numbers. Watchers can call the number ending with the unique digits corresponding with their favourite contestant and it would not cost them a single penny.
Let’s consider a popular reality show, American Idol, a reality-based singing competition, the channel gives an opportunity to its viewers to cast a vote for whom they want to see on the next level or to win the finale. Viewers just have to dial the toll free number appearing on their TV screen and making a call to this number would not cost them a single penny.
On the several occasions, toll free numbers are also used by media channels to know the audience’s opinion on a certain debate or matter. Viewers can dial the toll free number to express their views.
National Health Portal, India has set up a voice portal for providing health related information. The portal is responsible for answering the various health related questions including diseases, lifestyle, health programs, directory services, First aid, policies, laws and guidelines. Users are needed to simply dial the toll free number of health portal which is 1800-180-1104 and ask the information they are seeking.
This is an advanced automated system and is capable of understanding user’s voice input which currently works in five different national languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Bangla, and Gujarati.