As of this writing, performing a Google search for "toll free numbers" would yield about 41.6 million results. It's that much. So there's a good chance you'll be reading through one or two pages worth of results at the most. Good to note, however, that although the majority of pages give tips and guidelines about choosing the best toll free number, some of them are not realistic and applicable to business owners like you.
These tips on finding toll free numbers that you often read online aren't established guidelines; it's still up to you if you'll follow them word-for-word. Take for example the succeeding points in this post, in which I highlight, or rather, break down one-by-one the advices that people frequently get. Read on.
Avoid number hybrids
This tip would tell you that vanity toll free numbers like 1-877-HAIR-111 isn't as valuable as something like 1-877-HAIR-CUT for a barber shop. Yes, the latter could be a lot more valuable, but because of the scarcity of vanity numbers, there's a slim chance that it's not yet reserved or in use already. So don't force it. Instead, choose a number using wildcards, like 1-877-HAIR-***. By doing this, you might end up with 1-877-HAIR-444 or 1-877-HAIR-456, which isn't exactly the same. Choosing either will still be effective, because you'll be utilizing repeating or sequential numbers (444 or 456), which can be easier to remember.
Keep your phoneword limited to seven (7) digits
This tip is doable - if we lived in the 1990s. Toll free numbers that spell out exactly seven letters are becoming scarce similar to what was discussed earlier. Choosing a seven-digit phoneword (alphanumeric equivalents of a telephone number) like SMARTER or ENGINES is harder because there's a possibility that someone's already using it.
To combat this concern, people have began to open up to the concept of an over dial when acquiring phone systems. An over dial is actually the practice of employing a phoneword that extends beyond the seven digits of a phone number in order to complete a phrase, word, or concept you intend to use. The word ENGINEER goes beyond seven letters, however, you can have your clients or prospects dial 1-866-ENGINEE, and just dispose the extra 'R.'
800 is always better
While it is true that 800 is the better prefix for toll free numbers, the 888 prefix is closely trailing behind. As much as I would hate to break it to you again, 800 numbers are hard to come nowadays, especially with the increasing number of providers of phone systems. The exhaustion of the 800 number supply happened way, way back; so your best bet would be to strive for 888, 877, 866, or 855 numbers and select whichever vanity words are available to you.
An ultimately practical tip for obtaining toll free numbers is this: Never believe and/or follow most of the tips you see online.
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