Call forwarding is a feature that allows an incoming call to be redirected to a mobile telephone or other telephone number in the next office, a neighboring territory or even another country. The caller can be dialing either a toll free or local forwarding number anywhere in the world the service is provided.

Connection with prospects, clients and personnel is vital to the success of any business. That is why companies use toll free numbers and call forwarding to provide a way for their clients, potential clients and employees to call them at no charge at any time of day or night.

Toll-free numbers allow the owner of the number to pay the calling charges of the incoming calling party. In addition to customer convenience, local number portability and a prestigious company image, there are several more reasons to consider owning your own toll-free number.

Let us take a look at these businesses purposes for call forwarding and why it is an essential tool for business.

1.    Make your business more trustworthy

Just by having your toll free number on your business cards, letterhead and on your website make your small or medium size business more trustworthy. Even a single person can gain trust by showing a toll free number. Whether they call or not, prospects or customers feel better about knowing yours is a bona fide business willing to take their orders or even customer service issues at your own expense.  

Users of toll free services for this reason: Law offices, individual attorneys, doctors, surgeons, and virtually any business offering products or services.

2.    Improve Your Customer Support

You can have your customers reach you for free. When customers find it easy to get problems solved they become loyal and simply happier customers. By having a single toll free number available 24/7 you can guarantee further ease for customer satisfaction. Even if not manned 24/7 be sure to make it easy to have customers leave messages with the promise of return action in normal business hours. Also, during manned hours you can receive calls to your PBX (or virtual PBX) , so they are distributed among your customer support people as you design. This way, you get a much more effective support system with just one toll free number to advertise and distribute to customers.

Users of toll free services for this reason: Amazon.com, Expedia.com, Travel Agencies, and virtually any business offering products or services.

3.    Make Your Business Number Easy to Remember

Nearly every business whether offering products or services can benefit from a vanity toll-free number. When you get a vanity toll free number, you get a 1-800-your business phone number that's much easier to remember, than a random 1-800 number. You can use it in advertising or give out as a support number. This way, you can get more calling customers, because your toll free number is easy to remember.  Note:  Vanity numbers are NOT easy to get unless you are fortunate to have a unique product or service.  Do NOT expect to get 1-800-BICYCLE or  1-888-APPLEIPOD     But if you have a unique name, you can have your toll free number match like  -1800-8-NAMADA   or my fax – 1-877-SAVINGS

Users of toll free services for this reason: 1-800-FLOWERS, Law Offices, Travel Agencies, virtually any business offering products or services.

4. Track Your Advertising Campaigns

Telephone carriers give you a monthly statement that shows the volume of calls per toll-free number, the number that called, date, time, and where it was from.

A toll-free phone number is the way to go for tourist and travel companies. With 800 numbers it is easier to track marketing efforts across the city or even the entire country. The benefit to travel agencies and other global endeavors is that toll free numbers can now be forwarded to other countries.  And this can be accomplished at a reasonable price for virtually any size business! Owners of toll free numbers can add or delete available country toll free numbers as business grows or diminishes, so they only pay for the numbers benefiting them.

Toll-free phone numbers work great with known business extensions within any size company. Customers like the added personal touch and the convenience of being able to use direct extensions instead of having to go through levels of staff to get to the department or person they need. Even for international toll free numbers, you can learn daily and track regularly how your advertising campaigns are working.

Users of toll free services for this reason: 1-800-EXPEDIA, Auto Dealerships, and virtually any business offering products or services.

5. Get Easily Found: Get Listed in the Nationwide Toll-Free Directory

If you own a clothing manufacturer or retail business, you can list a toll-free number in phone books and other business directories instead of just your local number. The amount of calls you will receive from such advertising can increase the effectiveness of any ad many times.  Of course, your toll free number should be included in any ads you show online and any online directories.

Users of toll free services for this reason: Any business offering products or services that can delivered nationally.

6.    Greatly Increase Your Marketing Reach – even GLOBALLY

Consumers and companies may not call an unfamiliar or long distance area code. They will almost certainly NOT call an international number. But they will call a toll-free number. And this includes a toll free number in their home country regardless of where it rings.

Internet based businesses often show only local telephone numbers. This certainly limits the number of prospects calling as people know your business is not local to them. When you start using a toll-free number in your advertising, people will do not know where your business is located. But they know you are a national business willing and interested in serving them. They can immediately start focusing on the services you provide. This will be a great help to your business. And again, you can expand this idea to include global sales if you are established to distribute your products via international courier and have credit card capabilities!
Users of toll free services for this reason: Any business offering products or services that can delivered nationally and internationally. Note: you need not be a large Fortune 500 company.  Any company that can profitably deliver a product using FedEx or other international carrier should consider expanding their marketplace.

There are even companies that provide awesome one of a kind service, but they cannot deliver beyond their local perimeter!   But they need market globally to attract sufficient customers to be profitable.  Fortunately for these examples, they are one of a kind and people will actually pay to travel to be there.  

Examples: Vail dot com – world class ski resort in Colorado, USA
Whistler-Blackcomb - ski resort in British Columbia, Canada
Pebble Beach Country Club – in California, USA

Not only do they benefit from a toll free number in the USA, but because they market in Europe, the Far East and South America, they utilize toll free number in non-home countries. Note: your business need not be that large or well-known.  Perhaps yours is a one of a kind museum or other unique destination!

I know a fishery in Costa Rica that opened itself to the huge market in the USA with a toll free number that forwards to them in San Jose. The actually ship frozen merchandise!  Rare books, unique music in the form or CDS or MP3 downloads are easily transported or downloaded across country borders.  Your toll free number in the USA or any of many major countries available will encourage trust and easy phone access.

7.    Become Easily Accessible Wherever You Are Anywhere in the World

Call forwarding can be effective for even a single person.  A CEO or other business officer can travel with greater ease knowing that people who call his office number will have their calls forwarded directly to him wherever he is. His personal toll free or local number can be forwarded to him wherever he chooses. It can forward to the office being used while traveling or perhaps the hotel where he is staying.  Most today simply have the calls forwarded to the owner’s mobile phone.

Users of toll free services for this reason: Corporate officers, sales personnel, corporate attorneys, government personnel, and virtually any business offering products or services.

8. Enhanced Voicemail Can Be Awesome

Voicemail can be an awesome tool for everyday personal or business use. This is especially true for anyone who travels. Admittedly the most favorable services are for US users. Services like iTelecenter provide enormous potential to improve business and service within the US and Canada. But now you can actually include an option like eVirtualPBX and have as an option to your voicemail forwarding anywhere in the world.

Users of toll free services for this reason: Real Estate offices, Law offices, individual attorneys, doctor’s offices, and virtually any business offering products or services.

9. Work Remotely and Stay Connected – Telecommuting Plus

Telecommuting is becoming ever more popular. The reasons are varied. They range from simply loss of time commuting to an office - especially in larger cities where heavy traffic is a concern. The advent of the internet combined with improved abilities in conference calling and call forwarding (enhanced voicemail and direct) makes available to many the ability to work from home as readily as an office.  There are even companies established as virtual whereby personnel live and work not only miles from a home office, but in various states and even countries. An example of this is our own Namada.com with agents worldwide.  

Recently a key employee of a fellow telecommunication company with which we have a strong relationship, TollFreeNumbers.com had to move a distance of more than a day’s drive from the office.  Because of the nature of her work – processing calls, applications, and advanced bookkeeping – she was able to simply have her phone calls and email forwarded and customers and fellow employees retained their strong working relationship with only very little downtime during the physical move.

Toll-free numbers, call forwarding, and the ability to use the additional features are just what you need to connect staff together more efficiently and without problem.

Users of toll free services for this reason: Law offices, individual attorneys, doctors, surgeons, and virtually any business offering products or services.

10. Talk More with Real People

In the new 2009 world of email, mobile texting, online chat, Tweeter, and other “removed” text forms to communicate, there are still many people who want to actually talk” with a live person.   Some simply want to talk with someone at an office or company just to learn how
“real” the company is.  Others want to verify online information, ask questions or even be sure they have completed online forms.

Making it easy for these real people to meet the real people of your company can be vital to a sale or in providing customer service to keep existing customers pleased.

Users of toll free services for this reason: Everyone  

About the Author:

Joseph Horton is founder/owner of Namada.com which operates in the US and globally as consultant and master agency to carefully-selected, proven, top quality providers of the services mentioned and more.