What is a toll-free phone number?

Heard good things about toll-free phone numbers, but not entirely sure what they are or how they work? You’re not alone. The Gtele.com team is here to answer your questions – including what a toll-free number is, how toll-free numbers work, who pays for them and how to get one. 

Why do businesses use toll-free numbers? 

No matter what industry you’re in, every legitimate company needs a reliable way for customers to contact them. When you’re small, you can sometimes get away with a single office landline. 

But as you expand, add departments and grow your customer base, one desk phone won’t handle the volume. That’s why many organisations move to a dedicated toll-free number or international toll-free numbers to handle customer service and sales calls professionally and at scale. 

A toll-free number (often called a freephone number) is a phone number that starts with a distinct, pre-assigned code – for example, 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 in North America. These toll-free prefixes are defined by the local regulator and are widely recognised in each country as free for the caller to dial. 

Typically, toll-free numbers are used for: 

• Customer service and support lines 
• Sales and order hotlines 
• Information and helpdesk numbers 

They give existing and potential customers a free and convenient way to contact your business, without worrying about call charges. 

Who pays for a toll-free call? 

With a toll-free number, the business that owns the number pays for the call, not the caller. 

The owner is billed for inbound calls and for any call forwarding from the toll-free number to other destinations or devices. In practice, you’re picking up the bill so customers can call you for free, which is why toll-free numbers are so widely used for customer service and sales. 

How does a toll-free number work? 

The idea behind a toll-free phone number is simple. A customer has usually already bought a product or service from you and now needs information, advice or help – or they may want to place a new order. By giving them a freephone number, you’re effectively saying, “Thanks for your business – you can call us for help or to order again at no cost to you.” 

Behind the scenes, your toll-free number routes calls to the destination you choose, such as a call centre, support team or hosted PBX/IVR. You stay in control of where calls ring, without changing the number customers see on your website, packaging or marketing. 

You call a toll-free phone number in exactly the same way you dial any other number in your country: enter the toll-free prefix and the rest of the number. From the caller’s perspective, there is no extra step – the only difference is that the call is free to them.

Should I get a toll-free number for my business? 

Toll-free numbers are a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes, and there are plenty of reasons to consider one. A toll-free number can help you: 

• Look more professional and established, especially if you serve multiple regions 
• Encourage customers to call for support or to place orders, without worrying about cost 
• Stay contactable when you relocate, because you don’t need to change your published number 

You can also track who is calling with detailed call statistics, making it easier to report on performance and understand demand. For global brands, international toll-free numbers (ITFS) can give you localised freephone coverage in multiple countries, all managed from a single platform. 

Are there any downsides to toll-free numbers? 

Like any service, there are trade-offs. The main one is that your phone bill may increase, because you’re paying for inbound calls. 

Many companies address this by making each interaction more efficient. They reduce average handling time, direct callers to the right team first time, and give customers options to self-serve where appropriate. A common solution is to deploy a cloud PBX or IVR that greets callers, collects basic information and then routes calls to the right department. This improves the caller experience while keeping calls focused. 

Toll-free numbers themselves don’t automatically include PBX features – but Gtele.com provides hosted PBX services as an add-on, so you can combine toll-free numbers with smart, flexible call routing. 

How do I get a toll-free number? 

The easiest way to get a toll-free phone number or international toll-free number is through Gtele.com. We provide toll-free numbers in more than 132 countries and offer competitive, transparent pricing. 

Getting started is straightforward: 

1. Choose the country where you want a toll-free or international toll-free number. 
2. Select a number from the available list. 
3. Tell us where to route the calls – a call centre, your main office, remote agents or a hosted PBX. 

We’ll handle the provisioning and configuration so you can start taking toll-free calls quickly and reliably. 

Still got questions about toll-free numbers? 

We’d love to chat more about toll-free numbers, international toll-free numbers and hosted PBX solutions, and how we can support your business. 

Send us a message via our online enquiry form or drop us an email at sales@gtele.com, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.