Strategies for Picking a Toll Free Number

The toll free number for your business, there are certain strategies you should consider to make it memorable. (And that’s the true benefit of customizing a toll free number making it memorable.) With the toll free number, you can customize by specifying a vanity number and/or the 800 prefix (i.e. 1-800. 1-888, 1-866, 1-855, or 1-844).

Vanity Number

A vanity number is a cleverly customized toll free number. As a customized number, vanity numbers are often more expensive than a generic toll free number. Yet, some businesses find value in vanity numbers because they can incorporate memorable, mnemonic devices. For example, it’s hard to forget how to order new contacts if the company’s toll-free number is 1-800-CONTACTS.

Along with the additional cost, here’s the downside of a vanity number: it’s very possible that all the memorable numbers are already taken. You can’t duplicate a telephone number. And since vanity numbers came in vogue in the mid 1980s, over the past few decades, most companies have claimed the most clever and memorable combinations.

Is there a strategy for picking a toll-free number?

The most recognized and memorable toll free numbers are 1-800s. This means that if you purchase a 1-844 number for your business, it’s likely your customer won’t recognize it as a toll free number. A 2011 whitepaper found that “97% of consumers recognize the 800 exchange as toll-free, but few connected with the toll-free exchanges 888, 877 and 866.” As a millennial, I can say this is true for me. For many years, I only associated free phone calls with 1-800 numbers.

So the best toll free numbers are 1-800 vanity numbers. The second best toll free number is any number beginning with a 1-800 prefix. If you can’t get a 1-800 prefix, the next most memorable numbers are vanity numbers with an 800 variation (888, 877, 866, 855, 844).

There are some risks with intuitive or clever vanity numbers. If your client dials 1-877-CONTACTS instead of 1-866-CONTACTS, they’re likely calling your competitor directly. Or while 1-800-BitesMe could be an exterminator, but 1-877-BitesMe could be something very different.