A toll-free number and a service that answers it are separate things, and buyers frequently discover this at an awkward moment. Many providers will supply a number as part of the package, which is convenient and creates a question worth settling on the first day: whose number is it, and what happens to it if you leave.
Own the number, or know that you do not
A toll-free number can be ported between carriers, but only by whoever controls the account it sits on. If the provider registered it, they control it, and leaving may mean giving up a number that is printed on your vehicles and your website. Ask directly who the subscriber of record is and whether they will release it on request without a fee. Where possible, register the number yourself and point it at the provider, which costs a little more effort and removes the problem entirely.
Toll-free changes who calls and how much
Toll-free traffic is paid for by the receiver, so your bill has a component that has nothing to do with the answering service: a per-minute carriage charge from the number's carrier. Buyers looking only at the answering rate are surprised by it. It also attracts more calls, including more nuisance calls, because the caller pays nothing, so budget for a somewhat higher volume than a local number would produce.
Keep a local number as well
A toll-free number signals a national operation and a local number signals presence, and different callers respond to each. Running both, with both pointed at the same answering arrangement, costs very little and lets you use whichever fits the context. Where a business advertises locally and nationally, this is usually the right answer rather than choosing one, and the operator handles both identically.
What the answering half costs
The answering service prices as it does for any number: plans in this record run from twenty five to three hundred and ninety nine dollars a month, with five providers publishing a per-minute or per-call rate. The toll-free carriage is additional and comes from the number's carrier rather than the answering provider, which is why a quoted answering rate is not the whole monthly cost when a toll-free number is involved.
Questions people ask about 800 number answering service
Should the answering service supply my 800 number?
It is convenient and it makes them the subscriber of record, which means they control it. Ask whether they will release it without a fee, or register the number yourself and point it at them, which removes the problem.
Does a toll-free number cost extra to answer?
Yes, and separately. Toll-free traffic carries a per-minute carriage charge from the number's carrier that is nothing to do with the answering rate, so the quoted answering price is not the whole monthly cost.
Does a toll-free number attract more calls?
Generally yes, including more nuisance calls, because the caller pays nothing. Budget for somewhat higher volume than a local number would produce.
Should I have a local number too?
Usually. Toll-free signals a national operation and local signals presence; running both pointed at the same arrangement costs little and lets you use whichever fits the advertising.