Toll Free Number ServiceIf you are a small business owner, the kids are in college, or you travel often, toll free service makes great sense. The toll free services listed below are “stand alone” meaning that you don't have to switch your current long distance provider to take advantage of these great toll free rates. Toll Free Service Providers| Company | InterState Rate / Min | Minimum Call / Billing Increment | Monthly Fee | Billing / Payment | Learn More |
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 | * 6.9¢ | 60 sec / 60 sec | $ 2.00 † | Online Bill / Credit Card or Cash Deposit | Kall8 | Kall 8 has targeted the business toll free service market and it delivers — strongly. The wizards at Kall8 have integrated every possible toll free service feature and packaged it at a fantastic price. What we especially like about Kall8's toll free service is that is scalable. You can add enhanced features if/when required. That said, the standard package is ideal for most toll free business users (from home businesses to large corporations) and the online account management system is very easy to use. You can choose a toll free vanity number or use an existing number by simply transferring it over to Kall8's toll free service. Here is a summary list of Kall8 features: - Voice Mail & Fax Mailbox
- Message Retrieval
- Virtual Calling Card
| - Conference Calling
- Call Blocking
- Custom Call Routing
| - Call Notification Emails
- Maximum Call Length
- Caller ID
| Comprehensive list of Kall8 featuresKall8 Toll Free FeaturesThese features are included with basic Kall8 toll free service. | Included Feature | Description |
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| Voice Mail & Fax Mailbox | Your Kall8 Mailbox is designed to receive both Voice Mail and Fax Messages. Set it to receive both Voice Mail and Faxes, or limit it to accept only Faxes or only Voice Mail. The Kall8 toll free system allows you to record a personalized voice mail greeting, specify how many seconds before voice mail answers the call, and set the maximum length of your callers' messages. | | Message Retrieval | Voice mail and fax messages can be emailed to you and/or posted on the secure Kall8 website. In addition, you can listen to your voice mails over the phone. For emailed messages, the toll free service gives you the flexibility to choose the file format in which your emailed Voice or Fax messages are sent. | | Virtual Calling Card | Make calls using your Kall8 number as a Virtual Calling Card. Just dial any one of the Voice Mail access numbers and make outbound calls before, during or after checking your voice messages. You even have the option of using your Kall8 toll free number as your caller ID. Calls within the contiguous 48 States, Canada and close to 20 other countries around the world are only 6.9¢ per minute. | | Conferencing | Conduct conferences with up to 25 participants any time you want for as long as you like. The regular per-minute charges apply for each conference participant that dials your toll free number. | | Call Blocking | Customize the area from which you want to receive toll free calls. You can block or allow calls based on the state, area code, area code + prefix, or even a specific phone number. Calls from blocked areas/numbers can be sent to a busy signal, continuous ringing, an error message, or directly to voice mail. | | Custom Call Routing | Set a schedule to automatically route your toll free calls to different numbers based on one or all of the following: time, day, area code, specific number or the state from which the call originates. | | Call Notification Emails | Receive an instant email notification every time your toll free number is called. Each notification includes the Caller ID of the calling party, the number to which the call was sent, time of day, and the length of the call. | | Maximum Call Length | Set the Maximum allowed time that an answered call can stay connected. Toll free phone calls will be automatically disconnected when the specified time length is reached. If you have Voice Mail enabled, you can also set the maximum duration of your callers'Voice Mail messages. | | Caller ID | Choose whether to display the Caller's number or your Kall8 number as the Caller ID on incoming calls. For example, if you have multiple toll free numbers set to ring the same phone, displaying the Kall8 number as the Caller ID will allow you to identify which toll free number was dialed and answer the call. | Close Display * The 6.9¢ rate applies to calls from/to the continental United States and Canada. Calls originating from Alaska and Hawaii are an additional 25¢ /min, from Puerto Rico and the USVI an additional 21¢ /min. Rates are in USD. † Standard Kall8 numbers (888, 877 and 866) are $2 per month with a $2 setup fee. ‘True numbers’ (800) are $5 per month with $5 setup fee. |  | * 5.9¢ | 60 sec / 60 sec | $ 2.00 † | Online Bill / Credit Card | AccuDial | With ‘less bells and whistles’ than Kall8, AccuDial Toll Free Service is able to offer a better rate of just 5.9¢ per minute. Often toll free services will lure you with a low state-to-state rate and then charge premium in-state rates. This is not the case with Accudial. They offer one flat rate of 5.9¢ — available 24 hours a day — regardless of where the call is coming from in the continental US. You can change your forwarding, or ‘ring-to’, number instantaneously online via their secure web site. AccuDial is currently waiving the setup fee, there is a $2 monthly fee per toll-free number, and payment is by credit card only. * The 5.9¢ ‘anytime’ flat rate applies to calls from/to the 48 continental states. If the originating call is made from Hawaii add 9.9¢, from Alaska add 19.9¢, and from Canada add 23.9¢ (in addition to the destination rate). Calls forwarded to Alaska and Hawaii from the Continental US add 19.2¢ and 9.39¢ respectively. † $2.00 monthly fee per 800 number . |  | * 3.9¢ | 18 sec / 6 sec † | $ 1.00 ‡ | Mailed Bill / Cheque or Credit Card | PowerNet Global | PowerNet Global is one of the few national long distance carriers that offer ‘stand alone’ toll free long distance service. You don't have to sign up any for outbound service or switch your current long distance carrier to use PNG's toll free service and it's available to business and residential customers. In-state rates vary (so be sure to check that PNG offers decent rates in your state) but the state-to-state rate starts at the incredibly low 3.9¢ per minute — depending on the plan. PNG currently offers three toll free service plans each with different state-to-state rates, different minimum call durations and billing increments, and different monthly fees (see table below). | Plan Number | State-to-State Plan Rate Per Minute | Minimum Call / Billing Increment | Monthly Fee |
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| 1 | 3.9¢ | 60 sec / 60 sec | $2.50 if usage less than $15 | | 2 | 4.25¢ | 18 sec / 6 sec | $25 combined minimum usage required † | | 3 | 4.5¢ | 30 sec / 6 sec | None. There is no minimum usage required. |
Which plan is best for you? Well that depends. If you expect to receive lots of short toll free calls you might consider plan number 2 because the minimum call length is only 18 seconds. Conversely if you expect most of your calls to be quite lengthy, and you\'re sure you will use at least $15 worth of the service, plan 1 could be right for you. If you\'re not sure how often your toll free number will be called opt for plan 3 as there is no minimum monthly usage and you\'ll still enjoy the fantastic rate of just 4.5¢ per minute. * The 3.9¢ rate is plan-dependent and applies to calls to/from the USA-48. † This min call / billing increment is plan-dependent - see table immediately above. ‡ For all plans there is an additional $1 monthly maintenance fee per toll free number | | Toll Free ServiceWhat is toll free service?Toll free service, or 800 number service, allows the person receiving the call to pay for the call rather than the caller. Since it's free for people to call you they are more likely to do so — this includes children, family or friends, or prospective clients. Toll free service has become very reasonable and is a popular and cost effective alternative to using calling cards or expensive collect calling. What are toll free numbers?Toll free numbers are also know as 800 numbers as 800 was the first prefix introduced. As the need for new numbers increased more area codes were added and today toll free numbers can begin with 800, 888, 877, or 866. Although each area code functions identically 1-800 numbers and 1-888 numbers have become most sought after by businesses since consumers recognize these prefixes best. How do toll free numbers work?Calls placed using toll free phone numbers are redirected via a Local Exchange Company (LEC) to a local, or ‘ring-to’, number of your choice. No special equipment or additional line or installation is required. Number redirection is instantaneous and oblivious to the caller. Business Toll Free ServiceConsumers like toll free numbers because they're free to call. For business there are a number of advantages of having a toll free service: - Toll free numbers are now portable
- Toll free service helps create a national presence
- Toll free phone service is very easy to set up
Toll Free Number PortabilityNumber Portability is simply the ability to change your ring-to number. If you move your business, change your local number, or even move out of state, all you have to do is switch your local ring-to number with your toll free service. In the past this was done calling your carrier. Today most toll free companies allow you to do this online — instantaneously. Create a National PresenceCountless studies have shown that a prospective customer is more inclined to call your business if he/she doesn't have to foot the bill. As such, most large companies in the USA use toll free numbers and some 90% of Americans confess to using toll free services. For over a decade the big carriers charged very high premiums for toll free service and it was simply to expensive for many businesses or individuals to afford. But as competition increased costs dropped dramatically and today if you're doing business nationally, it's hard to justify NOT getting a toll free number. Easy Setup and MaintenanceSetting up a toll free number is very easy and you don't have to switch your long distance carrier With the evolution of the internet much of the maintenance of your toll free service can now be done online. You can change your ring-to number, create invoices, receive instant email notification when someone has called, have voice messages emailed to you and much more. So although toll free companies continue to add more complex and versatile features toll free service is increasingly easier to maintain. |