Business Phone Number

How to Reduce High Call Costs with Toll-Free Numbers

Communication is the heart and soul of every business operation. Every imaginable process starts with or runs on communication – from inquiring about a product or service to seeking assistance on how to use it.

Given this pivotal role, organizations must remove barriers to communication for higher accessibility and corresponding success. Given how more than 50% of retail consumers prefer contacting businesses over calls, especially in urgent matters, toll-free number services cost-effectively bridge customers with businesses and vice versa.

Here’s how to leverage low-cost toll-free numbers to enhance customer experience without breaking the bank.

What Bumps Up Call Costs?

First things first, let’s take a look at what causes call costs to creep in the first place. Here are a few factors:

  • Long-Distance Calls: Businesses catering to a wider geographic area will receive calls from different regions. These calls can rack up long-distance calling charges.
  • International Calling: While long-distance calling is still local to some extent, multinational companies will incur international calling rates.
  • High Call Volumes: On average, businesses receive nearly 4,400 calls per month. With such high call volumes, the call costs are bound to increase, especially during peak times.
  • Longer Call Handle Times: A good Average Handle Time (AHT) hovers around six minutes. However, customer calls can run longer due to various reasons like multiple call transfers, long hold times, etc. Such delays can increase call costs.
  • Customer Callbacks: When agents are unable to resolve the customer query, businesses will have to set up multiple callbacks. Arranging such calls also adds to the associated costs.

Transferring the accruing cost of such calls onto the customer will not only lead to increased frustrations, high abandonment rates, and poor customer experience. As such, businesses should take on the ambitious task of bearing such expenses.

How Does Toll-Free Number Service Reduce Call Cost?

Clearly, high call costs ruin the customer experience. On the other hand, businesses will have to cover such costs efficiently lest it add volatility. Fortunately, budget-friendly toll-free numbers are your best shot at shouldering such costs elastically and with minimal financial strain. Here’s how:

Improved Customer Service

Toll-free number providers grant businesses the opportunity to connect with consumers at no end-user cost.

Such a customer-centric approach promises guaranteed service delivery and accessibility at a time when phone calls are one of the go-to options for direct and instant issue resolution throughout the customer lifecycle. This ability to contact businesses at any time and anywhere will enhance customer service and experience.

Increased Branding

Toll-free number service lends professionalism and credibility to the business. For starters, it is a sign of a business’s commitment to delivering excellent customer service, even if they have to bear the cost.

At the same time, companies can select vanity numbers that contact the value proposition, business name, or tagline to fortify the brand’s position. Such numbers are easier to memorize and recall, which further fuels marketing efforts.

Higher Portability

Toll-free number providers offer intrinsic portability that allows businesses to retain the toll-free number even if they were to switch telephone service providers, relocate, or integrate telephony solutions. As a result, the company’s number, which is a part of its identity, remains a stable constant even if the underlying services are facing disruptions.

Lower Entry Cost

Although toll-free calling services redirect the call cost to the business itself, toll-free number service itself is pretty pocket-friendly.

For instance, you will find affordable toll-free numbers at subscription rates as low as $29 per month. These toll-free number providers also offer flexible pay-as-you-use plans with no contractual obligations to make pricing competitive.

Higher Cost Efficiency

The effective cost saving makes toll-free number service highly cost-efficient. For instance, toll-free service platforms leverage smart call routing (sometimes even skill-based routing). The resulting direct connection improves First Contact Resolution (FCR) rates, mitigates call transfers, and minimizes call durations.

Similarly, intelligent Interactive Voice Response (IVR) features extend self-servicing for instant resolution and fewer callbacks. As such, it comes as no surprise that budget-friendly toll-free numbers have saved businesses as much as $564,000!

Sharper Analytics

analytics

Toll-free numbers are often a feature of cloud telephone platforms. With such cloud-backed solutions, businesses can make data-driven decisions, track quantifiable metrics, block spam, and analyze the overall performance of the contact center. These data-informed strategies will boost success rates, minimize effort, and increase profitability.

Get Low-Cost Toll-Free Numbers from JustCall

High call costs can be a significant burden on customers and businesses. However, choosing budget-friendly toll-free numbers can cut through such expenses and attract advantages that promise stellar returns.

JustCall is one of the leading toll-free number providers. With a solid presence in more than 70+ countries, JustCall offers recognizable toll-free numbers across the globe – from 855 in the US to 080 in South Korea! Choose a default number or pick one that reflects your brand to get your customers talking!

Sandy leads the US Sales team at JustCall and he has been integral in growing JustCall’s ARR by 5X while bootstrapped. He is a big believer in using tech to enable sales and is the first person to try out every new feature in the JustCall stack. While he’s not writing high performance email cadences for his team, he dabbles in blogging about Sales Strategy, Sales Tech and Sales Training.

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