How do I get a business 800 number? no idea where to look

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around obtaining a business toll-free number, specifically 800 or 866 numbers, and the associated challenges and considerations. Participants explore various options for acquiring these numbers, including local phone companies and online services, while addressing concerns about call quality and costs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the best sources for obtaining an 800 number and expresses concerns about latency experienced with previous services like Google Voice and Magic Jack.
  • Another participant explains that toll-free numbers are typically obtained through local phone companies or long-distance carriers and notes that they are for inbound calls only.
  • Some participants mention that the process for acquiring toll-free numbers varies by provider, with some requiring verification that can take time.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential for abuse of toll-free numbers, which can lead to high costs for the owner.
  • There is discussion about the importance of call quality, with some participants sharing negative experiences with online services that resulted in delays during calls.
  • One participant suggests that using a local phone company may prevent latency issues, while others share their experiences with both local and online providers.
  • Another participant contemplates whether to use a second line from their cell carrier instead of an 800 number, citing reliability as a priority.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the best approach to obtaining a toll-free number, with no consensus on a single recommended provider or method. Concerns about call quality and costs are commonly shared, but specific recommendations vary.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the variability in service quality among different providers, the potential for high costs due to misuse, and the differing processes for acquiring toll-free numbers. There is also uncertainty regarding the necessity of an 800 number versus other options.

Who May Find This Useful

Small business owners or individuals considering obtaining a toll-free number for professional use may find this discussion relevant, particularly those concerned with call quality and service reliability.

ppppparker
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I m hoping someone on here has small biz and knows about the best 800 number or 866 or whatever it is now. I thought landlines were extinct now? so if they are, who sells 800 numbers and how do you get one? i want one that I can just route to my phone, receive and make calls with it, but I don't mind if my real number shows up on caller ID when i make calls.
ALso I use to use google voice and magic jack a while back for personal numbers but they both kinda sucked because there was always this latency during calls, so i don't want to use those.
Anyway any ideas would be really really appreciated. Thanks in advance for any info
 
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You get an "800" (or any toll free number) from your local phone company/long distance carrier. These are for inbound calls only, you cannot use the toll free number for outbound calls, although the local phone number it's pointed to can be used for making long distance calls, but the long distance charges will be billed separately. Why do you want a toll free number, they can be quite expensive, based on usage.
 
ppppparker said:
I thought landlines were extinct now? so if they are, who sells 800 numbers and how do you get one?
They are not extinct. Every company has a different process for selling those numbers. Some are pay and get served immediately, others deeply verify your profile before giving you a number and that verification can take anything from 24 hours to weeks.

ppppparker said:
i want one that I can just route to my phone, receive and make calls with it, but I don't mind if my real number shows up on caller ID when i make calls.
Some of them offer you to hide your real number and have the business one appear. You call to a number they give you and they start the call with the business number to the destination.

Some online services do what you want. I wouldn't know what to recommend you, but I do have something I can tell you based on personal experience. It may be tempting to choose one of those provided online that you find by googling, but I must tell you that not all of them are as nice as one would want them to be. Precisely because of the latency you mention.

Some of them which I have tried have a delay which makes conversation very hard if not impossible. What they make is forward the call to your chosen cellphone or landline. Like in the post above, it's better to get it with your local phone company (the same you are going to redirect calls to) to prevent delays.

Those that you get online, you usually pay monthly for minutes.

Either way, local or online, they are all expensive.

So, wrapping up:
How do I get a business 800 number?
Online is an option, but be aware that some (can't say for all) may or may not have delays like mentioned above.
 
Note that if you create a toll free number, it could be subjected to abuse. This will increase the amount you have to pay for the duration of every call. I know someone in NZ who made an 0800 (toll free) number, and was billed $40,000 because people rang it "for fun".

An 0900 number in NZ is where the customer pays for the duration of each call they make to that number.

What do you hope to achieve gaining an 800 number?
 
Psinter said:
They are not extinct. Every company has a different process for selling those numbers. Some are pay and get served immediately, others deeply verify your profile before giving you a number and that verification can take anything from 24 hours to weeks.Some of them offer you to hide your real number and have the business one appear. You call to a number they give you and they start the call with the business number to the destination.

Some online services do what you want. I wouldn't know what to recommend you, but I do have something I can tell you based on personal experience. It may be tempting to choose one of those provided online that you find by googling, but I must tell you that not all of them are as nice as one would want them to be. Precisely because of the latency you mention.

Some of them which I have tried have a delay which makes conversation very hard if not impossible. What they make is forward the call to your chosen cellphone or landline. Like in the post above, it's better to get it with your local phone company (the same you are going to redirect calls to) to prevent delays.

Those that you get online, you usually pay monthly for minutes.

Either way, local or online, they are all expensive.

So, wrapping up:

Online is an option, but be aware that some (can't say for all) may or may not have delays like mentioned above.
I would not deal with a "reseller", you should go with an actual long distance company, otherwise you will get poor service.

The way that a toll free number appears as your number when you dial out is a feature of phone equipment that is programmable for this, back in the old days, it was a PBX.

I was not a customer, I worked for the local Bell companies and AT&T and another top 3 long distance/data company I sold 800 service for a number of years before switching solely over to the data networking side.
 
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Evo said:
I would not deal with a "reseller", you should go with an actual long distance company, otherwise you will get poor service.
You are telling me. That was exactly my experience. :doh:The delay was horrible and when I called to ask to see if they could fix the problem, they didn't fix anything.
 
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Psinter said:
... I must tell you that not all of them are as nice as one would want them to be. Precisely because of the latency you mention.

.

thats the exact problem that I am constantly wondering about.. I am using this for b2b cold calling , (or b2b "warm' calling as i like to call it) --a latency issue would be irritating as f*** and actually would ruin every call. I am now thinking of just going with my cell carrier , they would charge $50 for biz line , or $30 for a 2nd line (still trying to figure out why I couldn't just use a 2nd line ($30) rather than getting a $50 "business" line) Thats not an 800 number but i need something rock solid reliable to make/receieve calls with, but also a number i can advertise on website... I still want 800 number but maybe more as a legitimizing thing rather than actually needing one. idk, i might be overthinking it though.
thanks for the answers , any more info or advice is really appreciated, thanks
 
Evo said:
I was not a customer, I worked for the local Bell companies and AT&T and another top 3 long distance/data company I sold 800 service for a number of years before switching solely over to the data networking side.
I am always amazed by the breadth of knowledge and experience on PF!
 
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