A toll free number is a phone number with reverse charges. That is, it is the callee that pays for the call, not the caller. In other words, it allows one to make a collect call without having to ask permission first.

In the US and Canada, traditionally toll free numbers used the 800 area code, i.e., the numbers were in the 1-800-555-1212 format. Thus, people commonly referred to toll free numbers as 800 numbers. The terms toll free number and 800 number were synonyms.

Due to the popularity of toll free numbers, eventually all 800 numbers were taken. To allow for more toll free numbers, the area codes 888, 877, and 866 are now also in use, with 855 coming up soon.

However, 800 numbers are still available, as they are recycled when an 800 customer no longer wants or needs the number. The 800 numbers are to toll free numbers what the .com top-level domain is to the web. Everyone in the US and Canada knows that an 800 number is a toll free number. They will not hesitate to call that number.

But people are not necessarily sure about the other toll free area codes. Not every area code that starts with the digit 8 is toll free. Hence, at least some people will not call a non-800 toll free number, simply because they are not sure.

Alas, 800 numbers are not without a disadvantage. If you get an 800 number and someone calls it because he thinks it still belongs to someone they dealt with 10 years ago, you will have to pay for that call even though, technically, it is the wrong number. Still, most businesses opt for an 800 number because of their recognizability. Individuals, however, often opt for a different number to lower the risk of misdirected calls.

Businesses have toll free numbers because a prospective customer is much more likely to call them if he does not have to pay the long distance charges. Assuming they can convert many such incoming calls into sales and make more money than the cost of all the toll free calls, the business moves ahead financially.

With some toll free number providers, it is possible to let the number ring to any number in the world. So, a business can be located anywhere in the world, but accept toll free calls from prospective customers in the US and Canada. The customers will think the business is located in the US or Canada.

Because the business has to pay for the phone calls, having a toll free number gives the business the semblance of success. Surely, people think, the business is big and prosperous if they have a toll free number. Or, at least, they will tend to believe the business is legitimate, especially if the number is derived from the name of the business.

Because toll free numbers are independent of geography, it is possible to route the call according to where the caller is located. So, for example, people calling from the West Coast of the US may be connected to someone in California, people calling from the East Coast to someone in New York, etc.

Individuals (including families) get a toll free number for a number of reasons:

• Calling home while on the road is typically cheaper using the toll free number than using whatever long distance company your hotel (or your phone booth) has struck a deal with.

• In case of an emergency, you can always call home even if you are left without any money.

  Some people think that a cell phone will cover every emergency. However, if the emergency strikes while you do not have your cell phone (or perhaps you were robbed and are left without your cell phone and without any money), you can always call your toll free number from the first phone you find.

• Families can give their toll free number to their children. If the child is lost, kidnapped, or otherwise on his own, he can call his parents from anywhere (plus, the parents will have the phone number from which he has called, so the police can find the child).

• Making a toll free call from a payphone may be cheaper than dialing your regular home number even if it is a local call.

  For example, you may be out shopping and need to call home with a quick question, a 2-minute toll free call may cost you 14 cents, while a regular local call will cost at least 25 cents. It is also cheaper than a cell phone (which, again, you may not have on you just when you really need it).

All in all, having a toll free number is something everyone should have these days. You can get one for as little as $1/month. You do not have to use it, except in the situations mentioned above, yet your $1/month keeps that number reserved to you.

While many businesses and individuals get their toll free number service from their long distance carrier, this is only one possible option. And often the wrong one.

Why?

Because it essentially amounts to putting all your eggs in the same basket. If you decide to change long distance carriers, you also need to transfer your toll free numbers at the same time.

If, on the other hand, your toll free number service provider is different from your long distance carrier, you have much flexibility you would not have otherwise.

That is not to say that getting your toll free service from your long distance carrier is always a bad idea. Depending on your circumstances, it may be your best option. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different setups below.

But first, let us introduce the concept of RESPORG. This acronym stands for Responsible Organization, that is the organization responsible for your toll free service. When you are switching your toll free number to a different organization, you need to fill out a letter of agency, usually called just RESPORG.

You can find the letter of agency forms for many carriers at PhoneForms.com.

Getting your toll free number serviced by your long distance carrier makes sense when you have a choice of long distance carrier to start with (college dorms often force all residents to use a specific long distance carrier, which is usually expensive).

Secondly, it makes sense when you expect your toll free number to always ring into the same number. If, on the other hand, you want the flexibility of switching the phone number to which your toll free number rings, you need either a standalone or a follow-me toll free number.

The advantage of using your long distance carrier is that you only receive one bill for both your long distance and your toll free number service. This is especially nice if you are using a long distance carrier such as Opex, Unitel, or PNG, all of which offer the service for a lot less than the big three. They can afford to offer the same service cheaper because they do not have to pay exorbitant advertising fees.

A standalone toll free number offers more flexibility than a toll free number from your long distance carrier, but less flexibility than a follow-me toll free number.

The standalone toll free number is not connected to your long distance carrier. That means you can have it ring to a phone in a college dorm, or to a cell phone.

You can also have it ring to a number that you do not own. This is commonly used by people trying to hire others to a business opportunity. The provider of that opportunity may have a pre-recorded message at a non-toll-free number. Because these people want to hire others, they order a standalone toll free number and have it ring to the, otherwise, long distance number.

By far the most flexible toll free number is the follow-me toll free number. As its name suggests, the follow-me toll free number can follow you wherever you go.

Suppose, for example, you own and run a small business. You have a toll free number but you do not have someone sitting at the phone all the time waiting for customers to call. You answer your own toll free number phone calls.

One solution would be to get a cell phone and attach a standalone toll free number to it. But cell phones are expensive. Not only are you paying your standard toll free number charges, you also have to pay for the cellular air time.

A much more flexible solution is a follow-me toll free number. During the day, while you are in your office, your follow-me toll free number rings to your office phone. Right before you leave the office, you switch it to ring at your cell phone. As soon as you arrive home, you switch it again, this time to ring at your home phone. In the morning, before leaving for the office, you switch it to your cell phone again. Once you arrive to the office, you switch it back to your office number.

Wherever you go, your follow-me toll free number follows. Switching is very easy. You just log in to your follow-me toll free number account via the Internet, type in a different number, and you are switched. Instantly!

But the follow-me toll free numbers are not just for switching between your home and office phone numbers. If you travel out of town, you can have your follow-me toll free number ring to your hotel room. If you take ill, you can switch your follow-me toll free number to your hospital bed, etc.

As if that were not enough, you can switch your follow-me toll free number to any number in the world! It does not have to be in the US or Canada. It can be anywhere.

This is good not only for travellers, but for companies that want to establish a presence in the United States and Canada market. The callers have no idea that the person who answered the toll free number is in Prague or Paris, Bern or London. Or Tokyo, Hong Kong, anywhere at all.

Similarly parents of non-Americans attending a school in the US or Canada can set up a follow-me toll free number for their children to call home at any time from any phone.

Want more? There is more!

Whenever you want, you can disable your toll free number temporarily. You can add more numbers so you can print a different toll free number in different ads, so you can test which ad brings in the most business. When you no longer need the extra number, you can simply drop it.

Last but not least, you can have a voice mail answer the phone when you are in bed or talking on the phone with someone else. The voice mail accepts both faxes and voice messages and instantly emails them to you.

How much does follow-me toll free number cost? $1/month, plus 6.9 cents/minute. If you use it to ring to a non-US number, you will probably pay more, but the rates are still excellent. For example, if you answer your calls in London, it costs you 7 cents/minute, which is virtually the same as the 6.9 cents/minute in the US.

Of all types of toll free number services, the follow-me toll free number is clearly the most flexible.