What Is a Toll-Free Number and How Does It Work?
Are you a business owner who’s bombarded with daily messages asking how to reach you by phone? If this sounds familiar, it might be time to consider getting a toll-free 0800 number. Having a 0800 number may sound a bit retro, but toll-free numbers offer you some sincere advantages over your competition.
Customer service is more important than ever. Due to the ongoing pandemic, customers are exploring new ways to engage and communicate. They need the ability to contact businesses online, by social media, and by phone.
We specialise in offering 0508 and 0800 numbers for New Zealand businesses and know a thing or two about communicating with our customers. When you introduce a toll-free number to your means of contact, you remove a barrier from potential and returning customers contacting you. Below we’ll discuss what a toll-free number is, how it works, and most importantly— why you need one.
What Is a Toll-Free Number?
A toll-free telephone number starts with a four-digit code that is free for people to call from landlines and mobiles within New Zealand. Simply put, if someone from Canterbury needs to call a business over in Auckland, they can do so without incurring long-distance charges on their phone bill. However, wireless customers will have to “pay” for the call using their minutes if their voice service is not unlimited.
Having a business number is expected for customer-service centers, because it gives people a convenient and free way to reach you. New Zealand business numbers start with the prefix 0800 or 0508.
Signing up for an NZ Business Number
When you sign up for a toll-free number, the provider gives you an unassigned number on a first-come-first-served basis. This number is unique to your company. You also have the option of buying a vanity number, which spells out a word if that particular number is available. Once active, customers can call you on your toll-free number at any time, day or night.
Signing Up for a Toll-Free Number Is Easy
- Find an available number using our convenient search tool
- Fill out the accompanying form
- Within three business days, your selected 0800 number is live
How Our Monthly Pricing Works
Toll-free calls are free for your customers, but you pay for the service by incoming and outgoing calls. We charge a $30 monthly fee that includes $30 worth of charges for incoming or outgoing calls. Our regular calling rates are just 10c per minute, which means you can use 300 minutes of call time for the minimum fee.
If your company doesn’t have an official office, your NZ business number can forward to your cell phone or another landline. The fee for this service starts at the low $30 per month line charge (including $30 in calls). If you are forwarding to a mobile phone, call time is 18c per minute from a landline or 22c per minute from a mobile phone. Forwarding to another landline is 10c per minute from a landline and 14c per minute from a mobile line.
Our fees are affordable and transparent. For example, if your 0800 number forwards to your mobile phone for the whole month and you use 120 minutes of call time coming from mobile phones, your bill is $30, the minimum fee. It’s a convenient way to keep in touch with your customers and be available to them wherever your travels take you.
Why Should I Get a Toll-Free Number for My Business?
For many customers, a toll-free phone number means that your business is legitimate. It also makes your listing look professional, whether online, on your business card, or in your marketing materials. When customers perceive your company as trustworthy, they are more likely to use your services or shop with you again.
Increase Your Customer Base With a Toll-Free Phone Number
A New Zealand business number is an efficient way for your customers to reach you. Customers trust businesses that they can get in touch with in their preferred way. If that means by phone, having a dedicated toll-free number helps them keep in touch with you.
We offer toll-free 0508 and 0800 numbers for businesses, along with business broadband and IT services. If you need a business number that’s available 24/7 for your customers, please contact us at Dynamite IT Solutions.