An 800 or 1800 number is a toll-free phone number used by businesses. Toll-free numbers were first introduced in 1966, when landline phones were common and there were steep fees for making long-distance calls. When someone called an 800 number, the business—rather than the caller—would pay the fee for the long-distance call. So, 800 numbers became known as toll-free business numbers.
Today, 800 numbers are widely recognized as belonging to businesses. In fact, 800 numbers are so popular for businesses that additional toll-free prefixes were added. Now, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 888 numbers work similarly to 800 numbers.
Since these numbers don’t have a city-specific area code, they are frequently used by businesses small and large that want to project a national presence. For anyone who still uses a landline phone, an 800 number still represents a toll-free business phone number.
Each of the top 10 companies for 800 business numbers we reviewed can help your business get an 800 number. But which one is best suited for your company? We’ll explain some of the key features to consider when deciding where to get a toll-free 800 number for business.
Most phone service providers that offer 800 numbers are VoIP (voice over IP) providers. This means that you can place and receive calls on any internet-connected device, including a smartphone or computer.
As a result, many companies that offer 800 numbers for business offer mobile apps for iOS and Android. You can use a free business phone number app to manage and record your calls, set up call forwarding, and much more.
Companies that provide 800 numbers vary widely in how easy they make it to configure and use your business phone system. Some providers offer dedicated support to help you route incoming calls to employees and set up your contact database. Others have comprehensive online resources to walk you through the setup process.
It’s also worth comparing what features come with your toll-free number. Many VoIP providers offer call recording, automated transcripts, integrations with other business software, audio and video conferencing, and more.
800 numbers are typically toll-free only for callers in the US and Canada. However, some providers offer toll-free calling for calls from other countries.
While some business phone providers offer all of the toll-free prefixes and let you choose any available phone number, not all do. For example, you might find that you’re limited to 888 or 877 phone numbers only with a certain provider. If you want the flexibility to choose a specific 800 prefix and number, look for phone services that offer this option.
Phone service providers that offer 800 numbers can vary widely in how much they charge. Some offer basic phone plans that cost as little as $10/user/month. Others have more feature-rich plans that can cost $50+/user/month. Be sure to think about your budget and what phone features your business needs when comparing providers.
Most companies that offer 800 business numbers are VoIP phone service providers. You can get started placing and receiving calls with your 800 number using your computer or smartphone, so there’s no specialized equipment required. All you need is an internet connection.
When you first get started with an 800 number provider, you’ll either be assigned a number or allowed to choose the prefix and number you want. The number must not already be in use by any other company. You may also need to choose phone numbers or extensions for each of your employees.
Plans are typically billed monthly or annually with no contracts or commitments. You should expect to pay around $10-$50/user/month for your number and phone service.
Some providers offer signup discounts for new customers, such as reduced rates for your first billing cycle or extra minutes for your first month. You may also be able to save on VoIP phone hardware when you bundle it with a new phone service plan.
Q: What are the benefits of using an 800 business number?
A: An 800 number is widely recognized as a toll-free business number. It gives your company a national presence since it’s not associated with any local area code. Since it’s toll-free, your business may also be more likely to get calls from people with landlines who pay for long-distance calls.
Q: How can an 800 business number enhance your business’s efficiency?
A: An 800 business number can serve as a central contact number for anyone calling your business. Most VoIP phone providers enable you to set up a call routing system so that users can connect to a specific department or extension after calling the 800 number.
Q: How can an 800 business number save you money?
A: Most 800 business numbers are provided by VoIP phone services, which are typically cheaper than traditional landline-based phone services. 800 business numbers can also reduce the number of local lines that you need, cutting down the cost of your phone service.
Vonage is a UCaaS platform offering VoIP and SMS, live chat, and video functionality—these three features are becoming increasingly popular with young audiences. Its Business Communications platform has basic phone-system features and collaboration tools.
The Vonage desktop, browser, and mobile apps come with standard calling features, including routing via auto attendant and call management tools like call holding, forwarding, and parking. Queues and multichannel business inboxes are also available as add-ons.
This service's team messaging lets individuals and groups communicate easily. Video calls come with collaboration features like whiteboards with 20 participants, team chat, waiting rooms, and integration with calendar apps for scheduling.
Kevin Peña, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Headsets.com, says, "Since moving to Vonage Business Communications, we have team members working in home stations, office stations, or both, and they are able to seamlessly log in from wherever they are that day. We can log in to our VBC accounts and make or receive calls from a cell phone just as easily as an office phone with a simple, user-friendly interface that keeps calls, voicemails, and messages all in one place."
Why we chose Vonage: Vonage Business Communications offers straightforward VoIP features that are easy to use. It also includes Vonage Meetings, with voice, video, and messaging collaboration in every plan.
Our experience: We liked Vonage's video collaboration whiteboards and team messaging. Its desktop click-to-call feature was particularly convenient for spur-of-the-moment communication.
RingEX is a teamwork-oriented UCaaS (Unified Communication as a Service) platform. It has built-in collaboration tools like VoIP calling, SMS messaging, team chat, and video conferencing.
The platform lets you invite users by email and build a custom phone system with voicemail transcription, call recording, and adaptive Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus for self-service routing. You can also create dozens of team-chat channels where members can message each other, send images, share files, and assign tasks with due dates.
HD-video meetings host up to 200 participants and are supported by AI-based tools. These include auto-generated insights, background noise reduction, live transcription, and collaborative drawing whiteboards.
According to Emma Grotluschen, Senior Manager of Customer Service at Swanson, RingEX Contact Center enables their entire team "to improve [their] customer service operation." She adds, "The reporting capabilities help us continually monitor and improve our performance, and [with] the automatic call recording, our supervisors tripled the calls they can review."
Why we chose RingEX: RingEX offers VoIP plans with a collaborative, well-rounded UCaaS platform suitable for large and small businesses. All plans also enable unlimited calling in the US and Canada.
Our experience: We liked how we were able to get set up in minutes. RingEX's app was also easy to use and let our team members instantly interact through various mediums.
Zoom Phone is Zoom's VoIP phone system, not to be confused with its Meetings video-conferencing app or Zoom One collaboration platform. Zoom Phone includes team chat and bundles with Zoom One, to make collaboration more available and intuitive to remote workers. The Zoom app—available on desktop, browser, and mobile—unites all of the company's applications in a seamless interface, but also works with Zoom Phone alone.
This phone system is perfect for companies that want an advanced phone-only solution without other communication channels. All three pricing plans have the same features, varying by unlimited calling area and call-pricing structure: a US- and Canada-based pay-per-minute plan, a US-Canada unlimited calling plan, and unlimited domestic calling plans in over 40 different countries. The two unlimited plans also come with an add-on allowing limitless calling to 19 other countries. Local and toll-free Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers can be purchased in several countries worldwide.
The Zoom Phone system provides access to an expansive library of advanced call center features. These include unlimited queues, ring groups (a cluster of phone extensions that share incoming calls), call distribution, voicemail transcription, call recording, routing via IVR, and flipping between devices. While Zoom Phone doesn't provide analytics, it does deliver call-center monitoring through supervisor surveillance, barge, and takeover. The chat and video functionality are also standard but can be greatly improved if you bundle Zoom One as a synchronous UCaaS platform.
Why we chose Zoom Phone: Zoom Phone boasts a wide variety of advanced call center features, with unique global and domestic unlimited calling options.
Our experience: We like that Zoom Phone offers affordable pricing plans and unlimited queueing, but wish it had queue analytics for greater visibility.
businesses clicked on a VoIP service this month
