Are 800 Toll Free Numbers the Best Choice For Your Business?
In the world of telephone number prefixes, 800 toll free numbers are the best known. However, there are lots of other prefixes now in use, including 888, 877, 866 and 855. You can still get an 800 number, but many companies choose the other prefixes instead. If you're thinking about purchasing a toll free number for your company, this is a very important matter to take into consideration. Are 800 numbers better for your business than others? Let's take a minute to consider this question.
The Advantages of 800 Toll Free Numbers
The main advantage of using 800 toll free numbers is that everybody knows that familiar '1-800' prefix. It's been used for so long that it's grooved into our minds. Everyone knows what it means and it's easy to remember. Other prefixes are harder to remember and as more new toll free prefixes come along, this problem only gets worse.800 toll free numbers also give you a more professional image. For example, consider an online merchant who works from home and sells good through their website. If their site has an 800 number, they look like a more established company. It seems to customers like they've been in business for many years, even if they've just started. For many small businesses, this image boost alone is worth the price of the number.
The Disadvantages of 800 Toll Free Numbers
800 toll free numbers are the most popular and everybody wants one for their company. This is an advantage, but also a disadvantage. Since the 800 prefix has been used for so many years, numbers have become scarce. It's very hard to choose a good vanity number to follow the 800 since most of them have been taken already. With the new alternate prefixes, you have many more choices and you may be able to get your company's name as a vanity number.Since there are so few 800 numbers left and they're in such high demand, this also means that they're more expensive. The added cost may be worth it when you consider the more professional image that you'll be projecting, but this cost is the main reason why many businesses opt for an 877, 866, 855 or 888 number instead.
Ultimately, it's up to you. Do you want to use 800 toll free numbers even though they're costly and limited in order to project the most professional image possible? Or would you settle for a less common prefix with more options and a lower price? Although 800 toll free numbers are still the standard in most people's minds today, these alternate prefixes are becoming more common and in the future this trend will surely continue.