OT. advice getting an 800 number

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Submitted by raty4R on January 25, 2011 - 2:13pm

Seems this would be simple... I'm starting a webstore and would like to get an 800 vanity number. I know of an available number I can use. any recomendations on where to get it? best plans?
thanks,

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If AT&T handles phone service
Submitted by Ren on January 25, 2011 - 3:25pm.

If AT&T handles phone service in your area, you can get it from them. It's pretty cheap. I spend about $35/month with very low call volume - it's mostly on the web site for show, so they know they're looking at a legitimate business. The vast majority of my customers order online without calling. One trick is to have a link to a FAQ page in an obvious place so they don't have to call.

This will sound crazy but you
Submitted by Hobie on January 25, 2011 - 4:40pm.

This will sound crazy but you may want to get an unlisted 800 number. If you are web based only you probably won't have very many people calling the 800 directory.

With no listing it will force them to your site plus you won't get erronous calls from the directory. You will be surprised how many wrong numbers you receive, and pay for...

My personal view about vanity numbers is they take more time to dial than a normal number because I have to look at the phone each time to figure out the number/letter to push. But ....there probably is an app for that /;-)

For some reason over 15 years
Submitted by desmond on January 25, 2011 - 6:24pm.

For some reason over 15 years ago I was able to get a 800# from MCI and it is really inexpensive, it is not a vanity number, but I do not like those and are a hassle to figure the number out. I would try to get a 800 number for your phone and a 877 with the same number for your fax, make it easy for your customers.

I personally went with a
Submitted by Ren on January 25, 2011 - 8:58pm.

I personally went with a number that's easy to dial, rather than a vanity number. 7 out of 10 of the numbers are 8's.

I own over 100 800 numbers.
Submitted by La Jolla Renter on January 25, 2011 - 9:56pm.

I own over 100 800 numbers. The big name carriers want $5 a line per month plus 2 to 3 cents a minute. I use a couple of different carriers, one I like is opexld.com, it is 2 bucks a month for the first line and 50 cents for each additional, plus 2.7 cents a min. If you just need one number, it may not be worth using another carrier just run it through your current carrier.

I recommend a 800 number not a 888, 866, 877 etc. Sometimes a 800 is hard to get. I agree with the rest, a vanity number is a pain to dial unless it is a great number and your doing radio or billboard advertising.

there are many good companies
Submitted by kevin8889 on July 10, 2012 - 5:06am.

there are many good companies available, but it will be good if you check them by your own.. so that you can understand them better.

800 numbers are no longer
Submitted by spdrun on July 11, 2012 - 12:34pm.

800 numbers are no longer needed in 2012 (IMHO). There's no advantage to callers anymore:
(a) most landlines have free, unlimited national calling, toll-free or otherwise.
(b) most cell plans use minutes for calls to 800 numbers, same as non-free numbers
(c) int'l calls to 800 numbers are either blocked, or charged at the regular rate

Get a memorable number in a local area code and call it a day. Google Voice allows you to search for available numbers by phrase or set of digits. If you're catering to int'l callers from a certain market, you can also get a GV number abroad.

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