Troubleshooting Common Issues with Toll Free Numbers

Toll free numbers are a great addition to any business.  Not only are they an amazing marketing tool, but they also offer a world of convenience for you and your customers.  However, we sometimes hear about problems with toll free numbers.  To help troubleshoot these problems, we’ll discuss common issues you may experience with your toll free number and how you can address them.

In-country customers can’t call your number

Toll free numbers are, for the most part, formatted for in-country calling.  So if you find out that the customers located in the country that your toll free number is for can’t call you, this is definitely something to investigate.  There are two main reasons why these customers may not be able to reach you using your toll free number.

One could be that they’re not dialing your toll free number correctly.  Each toll free number is formatted differently so it’s important that you educate your customers about how to dial your number.  You can do this by presenting the correctly formatted number on your website and other marketing materials.

The other reason that your customers may not be able to reach you is because of how they’re attempting to call you.  Some toll free numbers have specific restrictions that only allow calls from certain phones.  For instance, you may not be able to call your toll free number from a payphone.  Talk to your provider to find out if your phone number has these types of restrictions.

Outside customers can’t call your number

Because toll free numbers are typically designed for in-country calling, it’s not uncommon for outside customers to experience issues when they try to call your number.

However, some toll free numbers do allow for outside calls.  If you think that this is the case, make sure you talk with your provider to truly understand the functionality provided by your number.  This will help you understand what calls your phone number can accept, and whether you’ll need to purchase a new toll free number for other countries where your customers are located.

Incoming calls aren’t being delivered

Your toll free number can be formatted to ring to the number and phone of your choosing.  If you find that you’re not receiving incoming calls, you may need to adjust your call forwarding settings.

These settings, which can usually be accessed through a web-based interface, should allow you to change the phone number to which your incoming calls are ringing.  If you are not able to access these settings, contact your provider to see if they can personalize your number to your specific needs.

As you can see, problems with toll free numbers can cause some confusion.  But luckily, they're easy to alleviate.  One important tip that we can offer is to talk to your provider before you purchase a toll free number.  When you fully understand the capabilities and restrictions associated with your phone number, you’ll be able to avoid a number of the problems we discussed above.