Toll free numbers are not real phone numbers in the sense that they have their own lines. They are virtual numbers allocated to your existing mobile phone or landline. Although customers love them because toll free 1800 numbers cost nothing to call, the advantage for business owners is that they link customer calls through a Cloud PBX, a kind of virtual telephone exchange where calls are answered, redirected or recorded, depending on rules that the business owner establishes.

It’s these value-added features of the Cloud PBX – such as eVoice eReceptionist service – that need to be factored in when assessing the overall cost of a toll free number.

Choose a toll free number from eVoice

eVoice offers three plans to get your business set up with a toll free number – Starter, Most Popular and High Volume, which cost $15, $35 and $70 per month respectively.

Included in the monthly plans, which come with 24/7 customer support, are a number of free calls:

• Starter includes 100 minutes to landlines or 35 minutes to mobile phones.
• Most Popular includes 350 minutes to landlines or 115 minutes to mobile.
• High Volume includes 700 minutes to landlines or 350 minutes to mobile.

Introducing your new eReceptionist

Advances in technology mean that even though you may be a small business, you can take on the bigger companies in terms of professionalism. The 12 value-added features that eVoice offers with its toll free numbers include Call Distribution and Call Forwarding and are designed to make sure that no matter where you are, your calls will be answered professionally. These features can split calls to various people in the business, and direct calls depending on the type of call and time of day to where they are most likely to be answered by you or your staff.

Voice-to-Email sends an audio file of a message to your email account so you can listen and file it away if necessary. You can even record incoming conversations and listen to them later to clarify points discussed.

The Customised Greeting feature means your customers hear a professionally recorded voice reading your script, and you can choose the age and gender of the voice artist to appeal to your customers.

With Call Reporting, you can compile data on your incoming calls, including where they come from and what times of day they occur. You can even gauge the effectiveness of an ad campaign in a particular area by looking at the volume of calls it generates.

These are just some of the features that come with a toll free number, and they are important to keep in mind. Because when you think of the cost of a toll free number, you must factor in the considerable convenience, and the professional image your business will present to potential customers.