Maybe a telephone number doesn’t resonate as an essential asset, but a toll free number has the potential to improve multiple areas within your business. Are you trying to decide about using an international toll free number for your business? Don’t miss out on the cheapest and easiest way to grow your business. Here’s how:
Grow Your Business Internationally
Trying to grow your business? Guess what your first step should be? Get an international free phone number! Not only does your brand gain recognition and creditability, but studies show that your sales and ROI increase.
When your call to action is a toll free number, your business instantly appears bigger than it is. Additionally, adding an ITFS (International Toll Free Service) number expands your business past its current region, state and, ultimately, country. After all, toll free numbers are just as popular in China as they are in the USA and are easy for people to identify and remember. With a toll free number, your business can reach new heights and grow to its full potential and beyond.
Let’s look at a couple of scenarios: online retail and hospitality. If you sell or book services online, then providing your prospects easy, free calling accessibility adds to your overall marketing reach. For example, an AVOXI customer that operates an online retail store, uses ITFS numbers in select geographies targeting buyers in Germany, Mexico, Australia, and other locations. The appropriate distribution center fulfills orders and ships to customers. Additionally, the client uses the numbers for its customer service support.
Check out how Grace Bay Resorts uses AVOXI services and international toll free numbers. The resort cut phone costs by 75-85%! And, the resort uses the cloud-based services and numbers not only for the reservation line, to provide a better guest experience. Grace Bay offers free international toll free calls to the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. as part of the amenities.
People Respond to Toll Free Numbers
The easier you make the process for customers to reach you, the more likely they are to become or remain a customer. It’s business 101, and your simple, easy-to-remember toll free number speaks to the masses and improves customer satisfaction. Recent studies show that in America, 90% of consumers say they use toll free phone numbers on a regular basis. Customers respond 30% more to an advertisement with a toll free phone number. Toll free phone numbers can also help decrease customer product returns by up to 50% by giving consumers a free line of communication to resolve issues over the phone instead of simply returning products. Using a toll free number helps remove obstacles. Customers contact you about sales, general inquiries, and support services. Ultimately, this turns into higher profit margins for your business.
VoIP technology and virtual phone numbers open many options for businesses searching for the right international toll free phone number in targeted locations. Cloud-based virtual phone numbers generally come with a rich set of business-class features for call forwarding, call routing, voicemail, fax to email, and more.
The Price is Right
There are a variety of providers and plans available. Typically, there is a monthly charge for the international free phone number and then minute charges for usage. The monthly subscription charge is a flat rate for the number itself. Usage charges are separate and based on a rate-per-minute for the actual calls. For this type of plan, the number alone costs around $14 a month. You’ll then have an originating and terminating fee for each minute on the call. These fees depend on where the call was made and how the call is delivered (answered).
Some plans offer a bundled service with a set number of minutes for usage. Plans with fewer minutes start around $30 a month but for high minute users, the cost can go as high as a few hundred dollars monthly. Bundled plans provide the certainty of a set monthly budget.
International Free Phone Numbers: The Next Steps
First, you need to determine what type of toll free number best works for your business. Where is your custom base? Are you expanding into new geographies? Where do you need the calls to go? Who answers? How are calls answered: landline phone, IP phone, softphone, mobile?
Next, you want to determine the best provider for international toll free number services. What plans are available? Is coverage available for the region you seek? Are there any restrictions? What features come with the number and service? What is the rate plan? And, what is the total cost?
AVOXI posted several articles to help you make a decision on the right toll free number for your business and the associated costs. To learn more about the benefits and costs of a toll free number, check out these articles or contact a VoIP specialist to discuss your specific requirements.
