The Story of Toll Free Numbers

Since the dawn of business, companies have explored different ways to make it easy for their customers to reach them. Whether it’s phone or fax or email, communication has always been critical. So when there’s a method that’s proven successful time after time, you use it. That’s why you’re here: because toll-free vanity 800 numbers are proven to be the most effective way to connect with your customers. But when did it all begin?

It all started in 1967, when AT&T introduced the first toll-free numbers. Enabling customers to reach a business without dropping a dime was recognized as a great courtesy and more businesses quickly adopted the practice. Direct response rates increased and customer service improved. There was no question: toll-free numbers worked. By the 1980’s, more than three million toll-free programs were in place.

As toll-free numbers became more popular, businesses needed a new way to stand out from the crowd. Simply offering customers a free call was effective, but the real competitive advantage came from offering them a free call and a number they could not forget. A new business challenge reared its head: how do you get an unforgettable toll-free number? This was particularly challenging in the 1980’s when, after the break up of the Bell system, blocks of numbers were assigned to specific carriers. If you carrier didn’t have the number you wanted, you simply couldn’t get it. And switching carriers meant you had to switch numbers, too. Very inconvenient but, because toll-free numbers were such an effective business driver, it was worth the hassle.

That all changed in 1993 when the FCC introduced toll-free “portability.” Portability broke the bond between carriers and toll-free numbers and allowed more flexibility in getting the right vanity 800 number. Naturally, more businesses jumped on the toll-free vanity bandwagon and the numbers went quickly. The FCC introduced alternate toll-free numbers (888/877/866) to address the toll-free number demand. That helped somewhat, but it became apparent that people would look at an “888” number and dial “800.”

Clearly, the vanity 800 number is the way to go for effective and reliable communications.

So how do you make sure that you get the most effective and entirely unforgettable 800 number for your business? It’s simple, you just Dial 800.