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Category: Learn

What is Call Management?

1st November 2021 blog, Call Management
What is call management?

Are your sales and customer support teams struggling with high call volume? Do they need to manage incoming calls from different locations? Is bad call handling leading to a dip …Read More »

10 Best USA SIP Trunk Providers

30th October 2021 blog
Best USA SIP trunk providers in 2024.

SIP trunking gives your business the opportunity to bring advanced cloud communication functionality to your phone system in a cost-effective and easy-to-use manner. But how do you choose the right …Read More »

6 Best IVR Number Providers

23rd October 2021 blog, VoIP
best IVR number providers in 2022

It is easy to get lost in a growing sea of IVR number providers. While there are many out there, the good quality and easy-to-use ones are still rare. You …Read More »

Complete Guide to VoIP Number Porting

21st October 2021 blog, Tips
VoIP Number Porting Guide

Tired of dropped calls and bad call quality? Need to get out of a long-term phone service contract? Want to add more call management features to your phone system? One …Read More »

What Is a National Number & How Does It Work?

20th October 2021 blog
National phone numbers

When choosing a business phone number for your company, you will come across a few different phone number options — local, toll-free, mobile, and national number. Picking the right type …Read More »

The Death of the Office Desk Phone

19th October 2021 blog
death office phone

Between video calls, live chat, and automated customer service solutions, the office desk phone seems less of a requirement within your office setup. This begs the question: Can we do …Read More »

GCF’s Guide to Call Forwarding

18th November 2016 Learn

Any business that conducts its operations internationally needs a reliable way of communicating with customers. Accessibility is a major key to customer satisfaction and reliable call-forwarding services will instantly make businesses more accessible to customers. An international call forwarding service can be configured so that customers can call your business at a local calling cost, no matter where your company is located. There are many competing call forwarding service providers, and we hope that this guide will allow you to get the most out of your service.

Using Advanced Features

One of the benefits of signing up for a good call-forwarding service is the advanced features that are included with the service. You will have access to intelligent features that can drastically improve your phone forwarding system and make it much easier to manage a high number of incoming calls. Business users will find it convenient to manage their accounts from an online control panel. There are a wide range of features that can be customized to the needs of any specific business. Some of the top features are:

  • Advanced IVR: an interactive voice response system is a computer system that will greet callers and route them to the appropriate department or extension. Callers can navigate your customized menu by using their voice or keypad. This is one of the best features for businesses.
  • Time-of-day routing: this is convenient for users that move around throughout the day because calls can be forwarded to different numbers at different times or on specific days of the week. This ensures that you have the opportunity to answer every call.
  • Simultaneous ring: this will allow multiple numbers to ring at the same time when your virtual phone number is dialed. If you have an inbound call center with multiple representatives, you can configure the service so that the phone of each representative will ring.
  • Call recording: can be utilized for training and quality assurance purposes. Configure the service so that all or a certain percentage of calls will be recorded. You can play the recordings back through the online control panel. Service providers will typically offer this feature at an additional cost.
  • Voicemail: A voicemail ensures that important opportunities do not go unanswered. This feature lets you listen to messages from customers no matter where you are.

What to look for and what to avoid

Call forwarding service providers should never require you to sign a contract. It is also important that your provider does not require an initial payment or activation fees. We suggest you choose a service that you can cancel at any time.

In addition, the best call forwarding service providers will typically offer a free trial that lasts two weeks so that you can test out the full service, risk free. The free trial should let you try out the full service and not a partial version of the call forwarding service you desire.

Finally, it is important to evaluate the billing procedures and note when your account will be charged for the service. You don’t want to pay for a service that you aren’t using!

The local or toll free numbers and international call forwarding service should be usable within a few minutes of activating your account. You should have complete control over your account features and settings throughout the service, and the option to add/remove numbers at any time is convenient. We hope that this guide explained call forwarding and that it will allow you to pick a call forwarding service that is right for your business.

What is a Virtual Phone Number?

28th September 2016 Learn

Do you own a global business with customers across the world? If so, you might ask what is a virtual phone number. This blog gives you the information you need to unlock the true potential of your business with a virtual number and a call forwarding service.

Virtual Numbers: Definition

A virtual phone number is a local or toll free number that enables users to make and receive calls via the internet. This number is not directly associated with a telephone line and doesn’t look any different from a regular phone number. Virtual numbers are typically used with a call forwarding service so callers do not incur long-distance charges. If you don’t already use virtual numbers, you should start taking advantage of this great marketing tool. You can get these numbers for different countries, cities, and regions from a virtual phone number provider like Global Call Forwarding.

Other names for virtual numbers: cloud-based numbers, cloud phone numbers, hosted numbers, and VoIP numbers.

How Does a Virtual Phone Number Work?

Virtual phone numbers use cloud telephony and number hosting to let users communicate over the internet. Unlike a traditional landline, you can make and receive calls from a virtual phone number from anywhere, and you can route incoming calls to any location. This means your business can expand globally without opening physical offices or relocating teams, and you can improve connectivity among your remote, local, and global teams via one centralized hub.

Benefits of a Virtual Phone Number

A virtual phone number is a cost-effective way to make your business more accessible and more scalable from anywhere in the world. When you get a virtual number, you take strides towards unlocking the true potential of your business.

The main reason to own a virtual number is to make your business more accessible. When you have a hosted number in the same country as your clients, it will cost them almost nothing to call you. This will make existing clients more comfortable and will encourage prospects to call your business.

International growth is another major benefit associated with virtual phone numbers. Virtual business phone numbers enable you to operate remotely because they are not tied to any landline. A business can buy a virtual phone number in almost any market while still operating from its headquarters.

1. Establish a Global Presence for Your Brand

Most scalable businesses will understand that their target markets are not confined to any particular region. Rather, their employees are constantly seeking out growth opportunities in different countries. A virtual phone number enables you to establish a virtual presence in any potential market.

Creating a virtual presence in multiple target areas can do wonders for your brand. Potential customers around the globe will become familiar with your company and the services you provide as you advertise in new regions.

Branding is a valuable marketing component. And a professional image can propel the success of a business. A known brand can build incredible value for companies and corporations. And one of the most effective branding tools is a virtual number.

2. Cost-Effective International Expansion

Before opening a new office, you need to consider several factors. One important factor is performing market research focused on the proposed new location. Before opening a new office, it is important to consider all appropriate growth alternatives. This means identifying new target markets as well as measuring demand and competition. You may even want to consider test marketing as part of your market research. An international virtual phone number can help you communicate with and qualify prospects in that area.

Another important factor to consider is funding for the new location. Opening a physical office in a new country comes with many expenses. You will need to pay rent, hire employees, and cover additional operating expenses. Furthermore, you will need to consider accounting and foreign exchange issues.

3. Work Remotely From Anywhere in the World

Countless business opportunities exist globally. Luckily, we have hosted phone numbers from more than 160 countries around the world. This means that you can seize any opportunity no matter where you are located.

How Do I Get Virtual Numbers?

You can set up a virtual phone system for your business with Global Call Forwarding. We provide virtual numbers in over 160 countries and thousands of cities. To sign up, visit our Pricing page or speak with one of our experts. Entrepreneurs should take advantage of this great marketing tool and start growing their business today!

Related: How Much Does a Virtual Number Cost? [2021]

The Difference Between 800, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888 Numbers

21st September 2016 Learn

When looking for a US toll-free number, you will often come across a variety of three-digit toll-free codes such as 888, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 800 numbers.

But is there a difference between these numbers? And why are businesses still heavily demanding toll-free numbers?

Here we will detail the differences between these toll-free codes and explain how owning toll-free numbers can help a business grow.

Toll-Free Numbers: Definition and Benefits

A toll-free number is a number that is free for callers. In other words, callers can reach a toll-free number without being charged for the call. Instead, the toll-free subscriber or the owner of the toll-free number pays for the call. This presents a major benefit because customers are more likely to call a business if the phone call is free.

Owning a toll-free number also makes your business appear more professional. Imagine a business that advertises a professional and corporate 800 number or an 1800 number as opposed to a standard mobile or cell phone number. The company with the toll-free number is probably more likely to attract customer attention. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your brand.

Why Is There More Than One Code?

Businesses have been using 800 numbers for almost 50 years.

These 1800 toll-free numbers first originated in 1967 and were used primarily by hotels and rental car agencies. These agencies both take reservations from across the country. They also conducted a lot of business over the phone, before the internet. It was important for customers to reach these businesses for free.

However, the market for 800 numbers became saturated as more and more businesses started using toll-free numbers. This led to an exhaustion of 800 numbers and a need for more toll-free prefixes. To satisfy the demand:

Difference Between the 3-digit Prefixes

A toll-free number will begin with one of the following toll-free prefixes: 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, or 844. The six formats are essentially the same.

The main difference between these 3-digit prefixes is the price for the prefix. True 800 numbers tend to be a few bucks more than the other toll-free prefixes.

That aside, all these numbers perform the same function and cost the same for callers (your customers).

Which Prefix Should I Choose?

The prefix that you choose for your toll-free number depends somewhat on your advertising strategy.

800 numbers are more popular on common advertising media like television, billboards, and radio. Business analysts consider traditional 800 numbers to attract larger call volumes. A simple explanation: traditional 800 numbers are easily recognized as toll-free numbers. People are still familiarizing themselves with the other toll-free codes.

However, if the 800 number that you want is taken, then you can buy an 888, 877, 866, 855, or 844 number and get the same benefits.

How are Toll-Free Numbers Assigned?

The FCC regulates the way toll-free numbers can be used or obtained. According to the FCC, toll-free numbers are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis by entities known as “Responsible Organizations.”

The FCC’s rules prohibit toll-free service providers from warehousing or hoarding toll-free numbers. This means that a provider cannot legally reserve a number without having a subscriber in place. The FCC regulates this activity to ensure that a fair supply of toll-free numbers is available.

Porting 800 Numbers

The greatest advantage for consumers is portability. Porting means that a toll-free user can “port” or move his number to a new provider when he changes providers. Portability becomes especially useful when you have owned an 800 number for a long time. It eliminates the need to advertise a new number to clients when switching providers.

Related: 5 Phone Number Porting Myths Debunked

Get 800 Numbers with Us

If you want to purchase a toll-free number or port your existing number to us, then simply sign up on our homepage. You can also contact our experts for assistance if needed.

Tips to Improve Online Customer Service

8th September 2016 Learn, Tips

When customers are in the process of making purchases or obtaining any services, the very first thing they do is run a search on the World Wide Web. The internet has evolved into an arena that provides infinite information on anything and everything.

What does this mean for you?

Some brick and mortar organizations view this as a threat. Others, an exciting and cheap opportunity to boost sales and increase market share. Be the proactive businessperson and step out into the virtual world to bring forth your organization in the global arena. Here are some tips:

A User Friendly Website

The debate of the design vs. content has been raging for some time. As experts, Global Call Forwarding believes that there is no hard and fast rule that prefers one over the other. It simply cannot happen. A successful website is that which incorporates all the best features, including a professionally designed layout, well developed and credible content, and an intuitive, interactive interface. Make it simple. Remember, less is more. It takes an individual 5 seconds to decide if he likes the website or not.

Start Blogging! And Make It Good!

So, we’re back to content. What is your business about? One of the most effective ways to drive traffic toward your website is by maintaining high quality blogs. This also establishes credibility with customers and website viewers.

Social Media Marketing

This is where the world is at. Some of the world’s top brands heavily invest time and importance on creating and maintaining their social media image. This is where they promote discounts, special offers, contests, etc. It is basically a way to stay connected with followers and build a larger audience of customers and fans.

Create A Forum Where Customers Can Easily Access You

The difference between a good and great company often lies in their customer service support. This is why companies all around the world focus more on “customer retention” than gaining new customers. Creating and maintaining forums allows your customers to interact with you on an avenue that you can control.

The Invention of the Telephone

7th September 2016 History, Learn

Earlier today, Apple unveiled two new iPhones: the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus. The tech giant announced newer models in its immensely popular line of smartphones. Smart phones today come with advanced mobile operating systems, which combine features of a mobile telephone with features of a personal computer.

Mobile telephones like the iPhone are currently some of the most widely used communications devices in the world. In the United States, nearly everyone has a cell phone – including your kids! China has an astronomical 1,100,000,000 cell phones in use.

Although in existence for more than 100 years, telephone usage and demand has been steadily increasing. There is tremendous use for telephones in business communication in addition to the use of personal mobile phones. For such a widely used device, the history of the telephone is rarely discussed.

The History of the Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell’s greatest success was accomplished on March 10, 1876, when he completed a monumentally successful experiment with the telephone. According to his journal entry dated 10 March 1876, Bell spoke these famous words, “Mr. Watson – come here – I want to see you.” This marked the first time he was able to “talk with electricity.”

However, the story behind the invention of the telephone has been surrounded by controversy. Two inventors in the 1870s both independently designed devices that could transmit speech electronically. Within hours of each other, Elisha Grey and Alexander Graham Bell rushed their designs to the patent office.

According to official records, Bell was the first to register his patent by a matter of hours. The two entered a notorious battle over the years regarding the true inventor of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell emerged as the winner of the legal battle, and thus was declared the official inventor of the telephone.

Telegraphs as a way of communicating

Telegrams were the major form of communication before telephones were invented. For those unfamiliar with telegraphy – a telegram is a message sent by an electrical telegraph operator using Morse code. Users were limited to receiving and sending one message at a time. Telegrams were used to transmit and receive messages over long distances.

Imagine for a second how difficult it was to communicate with somebody using telegraphy. The process required electric telegraph operators, Morse code and wires! Cell phones are so easy to use.

The wire-based telegraph system was highly successful for more than 30 years. The Western Union Telegraph Company bought out smaller companies during the 1800s and rapidly extended its lines to become the dominant player in the early telecommunications industry. In fact, Western Union even built the first transcontinental telegraph line. However, two inventors in the 1870’s would drastically change telecommunications for a long time.

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh Scotland. Bell’s parents and grandparents were instructors in elocution and the correction of speech. Bell dropped out of high school and university, and his early career involved teaching deaf people. He taught at the Clarke School for the Deaf and at the American School for the Deaf.

While pursuing a teaching career, Bell began researching telecommunications on the side. Bell imagined potential innovations to the telegraph system.

Multiple message telegraphs

Alexander Graham Bell imagined sending multiple messages over the same wire simultaneously. He envisioned a multiple message telegraph that would allow users to send and receive several messages at the same time, rather than a single message.

In 1974, Bell received funding from father-in-law/Boston attorney Gardiner Greene Hubbard to create the “future of telecommunications” – the multiple message telegraph.

Bell worked on the multiple message telegraph and eventually enlisted the services of Thomas Watson, a young electrician. However, the pair began exploring a new idea – developing a device that would transmit speech electronically.

The harmonic telegraph

The two discovered that different tones would vary the strength of an electric current in a wire. Bell and Watson realized they only needed to build two devices for this to work. First, a working transmitter that is able to vary electric currents. Second, a receiver that would reproduce these varied currents.

On June 2, 1875, Alexander Graham Bell was first able to hear sound – a twanging clock spring – over a wire using his “harmonic telegraph” device. Less than one year later, the telephone was born, marking the death of the multiple telegraph idea.

Being able to “talk with electricity” presented vast opportunities to communicate with others.

The future of the telephone

Apple’s announcements today did more than unveil the newest iPhone 7. The announcements showed how far telephones have come. Alexander Graham Bell would probably not recognize his “harmonic telegraphs” today.

Still, the innovations to telephones have been so useful to hundreds of millions of people. Telephones and softphones are still widely used in business today and new features exist that enable landlines to do so much more than transmit voices. In addition, many companies are opting for alternatives to PSTN. Major innovations have altered the field of telecommunications. What’s next?

The Secret to Having a Virtual Staff Without the Expensive Salaries

7th September 2016 Learn, Tips

Running a small business, or even a home business, is no easy task. There are multiple areas that need attention in order for a business to be successful. You need a strong leader at the top, someone who can make tough decisions and inspire others. Strong financial planning to make sure the business is making money is essential. You also need skilled sales and marketing staff to create and deliver your key messages. Often, solo entrepreneurs find themselves filling the roles of CEO, CFO, Director of Marketing, Sales Manager as well as others like the Shipping Clerk, and even the Receptionist. In fact there are many supporting roles that help a business run successfully. Unfortunately, when most entrepreneurs are starting out they simply don’t have the resources to pay all of these salaries.

Unlike the venture capital-backed silicon valley start-ups that dominate the technology blogs, most home business owners rely on affordable solutions that focus on efficiency and multi-tasking. At Global Call Forwarding we like to think we provide a virtual office solution that assists business owners in fulfilling some of these roles.

The Rock Star Receptionist

Everyone knows the stereotype about the nightmare receptionist that shows up late, talks back, and is just an all round pain. The Global Call Forwarding customized greeting feature is like having a receptionist that answers your calls 24/7. Your calls are always answered politely and professionally, whether you work out of an office space, your home office, or even your mother’s basement. The Global Call Forwarding virtual receptionist never takes a break, never misses a call, and she’ll never make your spouse jealous!

The Ambitious First Assistant

We all wish we could afford a personal assistant. For business owners, one of the biggest challenges is prioritizing messages. There is nothing more non-productive than getting stuck on the phone with a pesky telemarketer or even that college buddy who just wants to complain about his cubicle farm job. With voicemail to email, Global Call Forwarding is like a First Assistant who doesn’t mind listening to all your voicemails and sending them to you via text or email. Say goodbye to long-winded and irrelevant voicemail messages and hello to more time focusing on what’s important.

The Genius Business Partner

Every small business owner dreams of expansion. Watch the looks on people’s faces when you show them your new business card with offices in Beverly Hills, Chicago, and Manhattan. With Global Call Forwarding as your business partner, you can add local business numbers to your account and forward them to your voice mail system. Add as many local or toll free numbers as you want.

The No BS Office Manager

Taking a call from your chatty mother-in-law or a pushy vendor during your busy day can take a toll on your productivity. Like a good Office Manager, Global Call Forwarding screens your calls and makes sure the important ones get through to you. The advanced IVR feature is there to keep you on track and help make the most of your valuable time.

For far less than the price of land line phone service through your local carrier, and even less than the cost of a business lunch, your Global Call Forwarding service is there to work for you.

What other services help you work more efficiently?

International Call Forwarding Explained

31st August 2016 Learn

Customers dial 800 numbers to make a product inquiry, get customer service, book a hotel room, etc. Many businesses today offer toll free numbers as a point of contact to allow callers to call the business for free. These businesses utilize call forwarding to direct incoming calls. Furthermore, companies that offer services internationally or wish to expand globally use an international call forwarding service. Here we explain what international virtual call forwarding is and how it can help your business.

What Is International Call Forwarding?

Call forwarding is a telephone service that redirects a call from one phone number (ie, an 800 number) to another destination phone number. The destination number is typically a call center or company headquarters, but can also be a home phone, smartphone, etc. International call forwarding can be used in a number of ways to improve a business’ system of communications.

Now, let’s look at how a call forwarding service works.

How Does International Call Forwarding Work?

When a business buys a toll free number from Global Call Forwarding, they select a new phone number and a destination phone number. Calls placed to the ‘new’ number get forwarded to your destination number. This destination phone can be located anywhere in the world.

For example, a business in the US buys a US toll free number so that customers can contact them for free. US customers will call the new US 800 number and the call will be forwarded to an existing business line. Calls placed to your USA toll free number connect automatically to a local public switched telephone network (PSTN). The Global Call Forwarding network then forwards calls, via your local carrier, to your destination phone number.

International call forwarding is primarily designed for businesses that want to establish a virtual presence in any country. For instance, you can get international toll free numbers for countries that you want to target or enter and establish a channel of communication.

So, Why Should Your Business Use International Virtual Call Forwarding?

Your competitors probably already use a call forwarding service to their advantage. Most successful companies advertise a toll free number so that customers, vendors, and business contacts can speak with a representative at no cost to the caller. Businesses that use international call forwarding have many valuable advantages. These include:

1) Increased Expansion Capabilities — A business with call forwarding can attract customers from any country. And so, if you want to add new countries, cities, states, or regions to your customer base, this is a reliable solution.

2) Flexibility and Mobility — Call forwarding enables users to receive calls anywhere and at any time of the day. You are, therefore, not limited to one geographical location, you can move around or work remotely and still provide excellent service.

3) Eliminating Roaming Charges — Avoid international, long-distance, or roaming charges by forwarding calls virtually.

4) Establish a Local Point of Contact — An important initial step when expanding a business is entering new foreign and local marketplaces. After targeting a country with sales potential, use this call forwarding service to answer calls from customers in the target country.

5) Growth, Reliability, and Scalability — In addition to helping your business grow, you can make your business more reliable with advanced call forwarding. Add new numbers, new locations, and new customers as and when needed.

6) Advanced Communication Features — Take advantage of a variety of settings to ensure that your business is always available. For example, call forwarding with sequential ringing will send calls down a sequential list of phone numbers when the first call fails.

How to Set Up Call Forwarding

International call forwarding is very easy to set up and the service can be activated quickly. The easiest way to get international call forwarding is to buy a local or toll free number from Global Call Forwarding.

On our homepage, select a local or toll free number from one of the many countries we offer. After choosing your business number, view our competitive rates to determine which plan best fits the needs of your business.

Next, decide whether you would like to add “Rollover Minutes” to your account. Rollover Minutes can save a business a lot of money if the firm has unpredictable call volume. You may also consider adding “Outbound Calling” and “Call Recording” to your account. Outbound Calling supports your outgoing or outbound calling efforts and gives you the ability to customize your outgoing caller ID. Call Recording lets you record both inbound and outbound calls and store recordings for up to 6 years.

Add these additional services to your cart, then enter your contact and payment information and checkout. Your new business number will be activated as soon as possible, in as little as two days!

Once your virtual phone number is active, there are a number of features you can use with the service. Set up call forwarding from our online control panel, which is accessible through our website. Log into your account and click the call forwarding tab to set up desired call forwarding rules.

Get Call Forwarding Today!

Call forwarding makes it possible for customers in a foreign country to call a business without incurring expensive per-minute costs. Having this feature gives you a new way to engage customers and bring new ones to your business. An international call forwarding service is a great sales and marketing tool, giving your business greater sales potential. Sign up for the service now or chat with us to learn more.

9 Questions to Ask your Toll Free Number Service Provider

10th August 2016 Learn, Tips

When it comes to running a business, every entrepreneur understands the importance of having a toll free number.  It assures professionalism, credibility, consistency, and—most importantly–it assures customer satisfaction. Since having a toll free number for your business is vital, you should make sure that you get the most out of it. In this blog post, we will discuss 10 questions, which we believe you should ask your toll free number service provider so that you get a better understanding of what they offer and whether it matches your needs.

How to Find a Reliable Toll Free Number Service Provider

When researching and finding a new toll free service provider, there are quite a few factors to consider. Here are 9 questions to ask your provider before you make a hiring decision about your toll free numbers:

1: Are you a RespOrg?

First of all, let’s understand—what is a RespOrg? RespOrg or Responsible Organization is a provider that is certified by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to supply toll free number services.

It assures that the provider or telecom company is not only well-trained but also certified to offer the best toll free number service. Having an authorized toll free service provider can vastly increase the chance of getting high-quality, reliable service. So it’s always recommended to get toll free numbers from an authorized RespOrg toll free service provider.

2: Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3—Who are Your ULCs?

Underlying Carriers (ULCs) are telecom companies that provide toll free as well as direct inward dialing or DID numbers to VoIP wholesalers. These wholesalers’ providers offer your business toll free service. ULCs are usually categorized with respect to their size: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.

1. Tier-1 carriers — also called Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs) — represent ULCs that are large telecom providers. A provider in this category is usually called the monopoly or oligopoly in the telecom industry.

2. Tier-2 carriers — also called Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) — are the most common providers. These providers peer with other Tier 2 networks and may purchase access or get a portion of their network from Tier-1 carriers. Most often, several CLECs are bought or absorbed by ILEC in the long run.

3. Tier-3 carriers get almost all of their network from a Tier-1 or Tier-2 carrier. These carriers are small, regional carriers and are wholesale aggregators with no direct access of their own.

Tier-1 carriers are considered to be reliable, stable, better quality, wider service area when compared with Tier-2 carriers. Tier-1 operators often acquire Tier-2 and Tier-3 carriers to broaden their coverage and customer base. The type of ULC or Tier your provider falls under can greatly impact the type and quality of service you will receive. Selecting a provider then depends on the price, quality, or service area.

3: Do You Provide Failover Protection?

Failover Protection refers to the process of the primary network automatically switching to a redundant network to ensure no calls are missed, during an event of service failure or disruption. During such a crisis or emergency, your business would need to direct incoming calls to numerous alternate numbers, devices, or networks. And if your provider offers Failover Protection, then when a switch goes inactive during a call, your calls automatically carry through another switch. With this set-up from your provider, your business will not miss or drop any calls.

4: Post Dial Delay (PDD), How Long Will it Be?

Post Dial Delay (PDD) is a delay after dialing a phone number. In other words, PDD occurs when you make a call and there is a moment of silence before the ring begins. Post dial delay happens when your call passes through several channels before it reaches the ULC. The delay extends when passed around more. If you can know your provider’s ULCs, you can have a better understanding of how much post dial delay you might experience.

5: Do You Provide Tracking Service (Additional Features)?

Not every toll free number provider offers a tracking service or additional features. Depending on the type of business, simply getting a toll free number is not enough. It’s always beneficial to find a service provider who offers additional features such as call recording, monitoring, and tracking.  This will help you to optimize every incoming call by analyzing it. You can browse through Global Call Forwarding’s features to get an idea of what toll free service providers offer.

6: Should I Expect Any Additional Charges?

Every provider is different and may have varying additional charges. For example, some providers charge extra for calls made outside the monthly minute limit; this is called an additional per-minute rate. Another circumstance is when additional charges are imposed when the total number of rejected incoming calls goes beyond the highest level of toll free traffic.

Receiving unanticipated additional charges is stressful and so you want to choose a provider with a predictable monthly bill and upfront additional charges. We recommend confirming with your provider what kind of additional charges you should expect.

7: What Locations Does Your Toll Free Service Cover?

Before selecting a toll free service provider, you need to know what locations and regions their service covers. For this, you need to plan out how you will handle your communication system and where your customers or end-users are located. If your provider does not cover your target markets, you may want to look for another provider.

8: What Numbers Do You Provide?

1-800 number is the traditional and most common toll free number format. However, now there are more toll free prefixes such as 833, 844, 866, 877, and 888. These numbers were developed due to a shortage of 1-800 numbers. And since there are only a few 1-800 numbers left, these variations are considered valuable in the industry.

You may even consider getting a vanity number with letters or patterns inserted within the number to make it memorable. For example, if you run a taxicab company, you can choose 1-800-Taxicab. Similarly, if you’re an online florist, you can choose 1-800-Florist. Note that most of the obvious or common words and names may already be in use, so you need to spice up your creativity to find a captivating number that is fresh and easy to remember.

9: Is Number Portability Possible?

You have a better chance to port your number if your carrier is a RespOrg. However, it is always a good idea to confirm number portability with your provider. So just before hiring the provider for toll free service, make sure that they facilitate number portability.

Global Call Forwarding’s Toll Free Number Service

With these questions besides you, you can surely ask your toll free number service provider these questions and get the maximum benefits out of the service. It will help you to find the ideal provider for you with respect to the price, quality, or service area. To learn more, speak with our experts or chat with us online!

International Call Forwarding Services and Advantages

5th August 2016 Learn

Many companies now offer their customers a way to forward incoming calls to a specified number. This helps business and global businesses in many ways. Some telephone and forwarding services refer to call forwarding services as “follow me” services. For a sales team or international business call forwarding can be a vital part of their structure and here’s why:

  1. International call forwarding services allow a sales team to be reached where ever they are. If a call comes to their desk and they happen to be on location the incoming call can be forwarded to their cell phone without the caller ever have known. This is a helpful tool for the sales person who will never miss a call or have to rely on answering machines or people to take messages for them so they can return the call at a later time.
  2. Customer service also may rely on international call forwarding services to better serve their customers. Many international businesses may need to have 24/7 sales or customer support. Companies that require international support and sales teams may outsource this support to other global areas and will need to have a phone number redirected to the support team during certain hours or for specific support related issues. Having the ability to custom route incoming calls can be a vital part of a business’s structure.
  3. Even a home phone may want to have call forwarding services applied to the number. If a person travels often and wants to stay in touch with people calling their home phone or local phone number an affordable option would be to have calls forwarded to the hotel, mobile phone or location where they are located.

These are just a few examples of how international call forwarding services may be used using forwarding numbers to other countries. Today there are many options available to the consumer, these options can, but don’t always include, international fax forwarding, simultaneous ringing (when more than one phone will ring for the incoming call) or even sequential ringing (when phones will ring in a sequence until answered). Depending on your needs there are many affordable call forwarding services and options available.

International Call Forwarding Services and Smart Phones

With the popularity of smartphones many businesses are relying on international call forwarding to deliver faxes to them wherever they may be. With fax forwarding services, a business can have a fax sent to their email as an image and respond instantly. This gives international and local businesses that have this feature advantage over their competition in many ways depending on the nature of the business.

The real-estate business is heavily reliant on call forwarding services. For a realtor, being in touch with their clientele is essential to their success. Realtors will often use call forwarding services to stay in touch since they are oftentimes out of the office and having an answering machine just doesn’t cut it in today’s fast-paced real estate market.

Cost of International Call Forwarding Services

The cost of international call forwarding services today is very low. To get prices on what the cost would be for you in your area call us  toll free (US) 1-888-908-6171 or local +1-561-908-6171