Toll-free Phone Numbers for Businesses
With Dialpad’s Ai-powered collaboration platform, plans come with toll-free phone number support.
What is an 800 number for business?
An 800 number is also known as a toll-free number, and when you see this 800 prefix, it means that phone number is free for the caller (e.g. your customer) and paid for by the company (e.g. your company, maybe!) receiving that call. The 800 digit code replaces the usual three-digit area code that you’d enter before the seven-digit phone number itself.
Today, businesses typically use toll free numbers for things like customer support and to run marketing campaigns.
Some other common prefixes for this toll-free service include 888, 877, 855, 866 and 844. (The 800 prefix just happens to be the most well-known toll-free prefix.)
Fun fact: Toll-free numbers are assigned by an entity known as “The Responsible Organization” (RespOrg). The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is the American organization that regulates communication methods throughout the US.
How does an 800 number work?
A toll-free number service is pretty straightforward. If you’re a business owner, you’d typically buy or pay for an 800 number from a business communications or VoIP phone service provider (usually it’s a monthly fee).
If you’re the caller, you’d just dial the 800 or toll-free number as usual to call the business you want to reach, and you won’t be charged. That’s it!
The benefits of getting an 800 number for your business
It’s more memorable than regular business phone number
One type of toll-free number is the vanity number. These phone numbers are typically combinations of numbers and letters that describe your business name or industry. Classic examples: 1-800-GO-FEDEX and 1-800-FLOWERS. These memorable numbers are a great way to give you instant brand recognition and help customers remember you.
If you’ve seen TV or YouTube commercials, you’ve probably seen these vanity numbers and toll-free numbers used in direct response marketing campaigns. This makes it very easy to track too—any prospects or customers who call into a particular number can be attributed to that specific campaign (unless you’re using the same phone number across different marketing campaigns).
