Should I Have A Toll Free Number?

[Owen]

Hello SBF Community! ;)

I am starting an international trading marketplace here, covalty.com, and I am stuck. I want to buy a cheap 866 number, forward it to my Skype, and answer calls from there. However, I don't know if I should. I only get 10 unique visitors a day. This 866 number would be an everything number until I get more money from the site so I can make that number a consumer number then order an 888 number for technical support and some others.

Should I order this number? The site is just started development...I just made the header.

Thanks! :D

[Wozcreative]

Some of the toll free numbers are blocked off by my provider (rogers). I usually need a secondary number to call. It usually tells me "phone number does not exist". I don't know why they block it, never really looked into it. But Rogers is just as big as AT& T here in canada.

[Harold Mansfield]

Hello SBF Community! ;)

I am starting an international trading....

That's all I needed to hear. The answer is yes. You should. You don't need it right this second, but I would have it ready for launch before any marketing materials are created or distributed.

[David Hunter]

I hear it's always a good idea to have an 800 number.

But, with nation to nation calling these days, I don't see much of a point, unless, like you, you're doing international business.

[billbenson]

That's all I needed to hear. The answer is yes. You should. You don't need it right this second, but I would have it ready for launch before any marketing materials are created or distributed.

Not sure I agree on this one. Most of my business is in the US with some international. Certainly a couple times a week I get an international call. I've only had one call where a customer asked if we had an 800 number. At least for me, in my industry I think they are obsolete.

[Owen]

That's all I needed to hear. The answer is yes. You should. You don't need it right this second, but I would have it ready for launch before any marketing materials are created or distributed.

Thanks for the response. The site is launching soon, and I am so tight on money it hurts. Literally. I'm paying over $100 to get this made, plus shared hosting ($15 a month), Skype $3 a month), and now I'm adding this number? Where should I get an international number?

[Harold Mansfield]

Thanks for the response. The site is launching soon, and I am so tight on money it hurts. Literally. I'm paying over $100 to get this made, plus shared hosting ($15 a month), Skype $3 a month), and now I'm adding this number? Where should I get an international number?

If things are that tight, then no. You're going to have other things that you won't be able to afford that are more important.
Grab a Google Voice virtual number before they discontinue the service for now.

https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115061?hl=en

[Harold Mansfield]

Not sure I agree on this one. Most of my business is in the US with some international. Certainly a couple times a week I get an international call. I've only had one call where a customer asked if we had an 800 number. At least for me, in my industry I think they are obsolete.
They aren't obsolete just yet. A lot of people still work in offices. And businesses still get charged for long distance like it's 1999 when they tell the phone company " I need a business line".

[Brian Altenhofel]

They aren't obsolete just yet. A lot of people still work in offices. And businesses still get charged for long distance like it's 1999 when they tell the phone company " I need a business line".

Which is why VoIP services for business have taken off.

They also get charge exorbitant amounts for Internet access. I was talking to one not too long ago who brought up that they finally qualified for an "enterprise T1 line at 1.5Mbps at $200+/mo plus equipment rental". Interesting that my guaranteed 3Mbps down 2Mbps up connection (that I keep maxed out regularly, so I know my provider really is guaranteeing it) is priced at less than half that and has significantly better uptime.

To the OP - if you're really that tight... ouch. Keep in mind that if you're handling PII, and especially if you're doing any kind of financial transactions, shared hosting by nature will expose you to serious compliance issues with regulations (both legal and industry).

[bones1]

Can I ask for education here, just how much is a 800 # or 888, toll free basically, here in the lower 48?

[RayC]

Checkout evoice.com. Plans start @ 12.99/month. With that you get 2 extensions and 300 monthly minutes. We have ours forwarding to our cell phones and get email and text notification of any voicemails.