Finding the Right Solution for Your Business
If your company is shopping for a new toll free number, you'll quickly find that there are a variety of providers on the market. While this does give you a wide range of options to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which toll free provider is right for your business needs.
To help make your shopping experience easier, we'll be comparing toll free number providers based on several factors, including pricing and calling features.
In this article, we'll compare the following toll free number providers:
- RingCentral
- AT&T
- Nextiva
- TollFreeForwarding.com
- eVoice
RingCentral
RingCentral offers US toll free numbers in all the standard formats, including 855, 866, 877, 888 and 800 numbers. They also offer vanity toll free numbers.
Pricing plans start at $24.99 a month; this standard plan includes 1,000 calling minutes. Higher packages, such as their Premium and Enterprise offerings, come with additional calling minutes and advanced features.
Although RingCentral offers a wide range of call handling features, some of them are not available with the standard plan. If you want to take full advantage of the resources available with a toll free number from this provider, you may have to upgrade to the Premium or Enterprise plan.
Learn more about RingCentral.
AT&T
AT&T offers a toll free long distance phone number option for those interested in an easier way for customers to contact them. These numbers start at $14 a month. AT&T allows you to purchase a custom toll free number or port your existing phone number to their service.
Although AT&T provides toll free number services at a relatively low monthly fee, their plans do not include phone minutes. However, they do offer a discounted rate of 6 cents per minute if you sign a long-term contract.
Aside from basic call routing, AT&T does not offer many common phone system features, such as call recording, voicemail to email, or auto attendant.
Learn more about AT&T.
Nextiva
Toll free number plans from Nextiva start at $8.95 for 100 calling minutes. Plans go as high as $69.95 a month for the unlimited plan, offering no caps on calling minutes.
Regardless of the plan that you choose, every phone number purchased from Nextiva comes with a variety of calling features including auto attendant, voicemail and voicemail to email.
Learn more about Nextiva.
TollFreeForwarding.com
TollFreeForwarding.com offers a variety of toll free numbers for countries around the world. Their plans come in different tiers including Starter, Business and Enterprise, each with their own set of bundled minutes and price tag.
Like other popular toll free number providers, TollFreeForwarding.com offers all the calling features you need to successfully manage your phone system and employees. These features include call forwarding, geographic and time of day routing, IVR, call recording, and voicemail to email.
Learn more about TollFreeForwarding.com.
eVoice
eVoice offers toll free numbers in two tiers, the Small Business plan and the Professional plan. These plans vary based on the number of calling minutes included. The Professional plan starts at $12.99 for 300 calling minutes.
No matter which plan you choose, every toll free number comes with a list of included calling features, such as call routing, voicemail to email/text, and auto attendant. If you want to take advantage of eVoice's premium features, such as call recording, video conferencing, and live receptionist, you may need to upgrade your plan.
Learn more about eVoice.
Comparing Toll Free Number Providers: Which One Is Right for You?
As you're comparing toll free number providers, it's important to keep a running list of your business's requirements as well as a "wish list." If you or your employees frequently work remotely, then call routing and call forwarding are features that you just can't do without. Additional features, such as voicemail to email, are great perks, but may not be critical to your business's day to day operations.
It's also important to make a list of potential calling needs that may arise in the future. You may not need unlimited extensions or a live receptionist when you only have five employees; but, as you grow, you'll want to make sure that your toll free number provider can grow with you.
If you're looking for more resources on toll free numbers and providers, check out the related articles below:
