(Update: This blog was originally published on 8th April 2017 and was last updated on 9th April 2021 for comprehensiveness and accuracy.)
Successful business communication is the most important thing when it comes to making a connection with the customers, and once the customers are provided with a productive and result-oriented communication channel, good business results become more likely.
Eventually, the customer should find it easy and efficient when they try to make a business communication. Your business should be equipped with such a communication channel that the customers should not give it a second thought while approaching you for their needs.
Today, toll-free numbers and local numbers have proved to be very beneficial for a fruitful business communication leading to customer success. Here are some aspects to consider before you go for a particular type of number.
Local Vs Toll-Free Numbers:
Understand What Suits Your Business and Customers
The very first thing that helps in making a good customer connection is to understand your customers well. This understanding helps in designing the services accordingly. The best possible options come to the surface once you have the thorough understanding about your customers.
In the same manner, if you have to pick one between toll-free and local number, then it is necessary to understand, why a particular choice of number fits well in the scheme of your business.
Different attributes of toll-free and local numbers fulfil various aspects of the current business needs. The idea is mainly to recognize and scale your needs and then opt for the right type of numbers for your business.
Choose the Right Number
Your decision should totally depend on the type of customer base and the kind of demography and time zones they fall in. The most important thing to remember before selecting a toll-free or local number provider is to understand what all needs are to be fulfilled by a particular type of number.
A particular type of number may be good for a specific customer base and may not be as useful for the other kind because of the demography and business interests of the customers. In this way, you have to understand that utility and usage behind the local as well as toll-free numbers.
Let’s understand both the numbers in detail:
Local Numbers
It has been found that it is a general tendency of the customers to do business in their own locale because it gives a sense of proximity to the company you are doing your business with. And also, a sense that the service or support is not far away.
So, with the local number, you make the presence of your business felt to your customers by becoming visible in the local phone directories, and this leads to higher accessibility to your business.
If your business has a wide audience spread across continents, then conducting business becomes much easier with the help of a local number that charges based on the number of minutes used by the customers. In the search results also, Google tends to show localized results so a person who might be looking for a business solution will end up zeroing in your local number despite a different business location.
Another thing that adds to the attributes of local number is, it carries a multicity appeal to your business, it suggests that your business is located in multiple cities and the customer services fall within the accessible circumference of your customers.
Toll-Free Numbers
A toll-free number is a token of assurance for the customers that customer service is quite accessible and contacting the service provider is much easier. A toll-free number helps in consolidating the brand image of your company as it carries a message that the company understands its responsibility to stay connected with the customers without incurring any charge to them.
The most important aspect of business communication is to make the very first connection with a particular customer. Once the communication with the customer has been initiated, building a relationship with them totally depends on how effectively the needs of the customers are being taken care of. Toll-free numbers convey that the company is always there to listen to the customers.
Customer retention is another factor that comes along with the toll-free number as the customers can reach the toll free number provider anytime from anywhere. And customer retention depends on perpetual and hassle-free communication.
With a growing customer base, the business can be relocated to various other places and to make the customer experience seamless one can relocate the business without changing the toll-free number. These features of toll-free number assures an optimum customer experience in affordable pricing.
The idea behind any business communication success is how you give your customers a communication channel that is intelligent and easy to use.
The intention behind every business communication is business success, and that can only happen when your customers reach you out without any delay. Toll-free numbers and local numbers are providing such ease to the customers in contemporary times.
Looking for a number for your business? Contact us at 1800-120-4132 today!
