How to get a 1800 phone number

What is a 1800 number?

A 1800 number is a service number that is always free to the caller, as long as the call is made from a landline. The owner of the number pays the call charges.

Some mobile operators charge extra not only to the number owner, but also to the caller, which sometimes gives the impression that these numbers would not always be free.

Why 1800 numbers?

A toll-free number is a customer-friendly, national phone number that gives your activities a professional look and feel, and testifies of a reliable organization that invests in its customer contact.

An 1800 service number is used by large and small companies for many different purposes, from customer service, to information and sales.

How much do 1800 phone numbers cost?

For callers these numbers are free to call as noted before. For businesses that register toll free phone numbers, the prices differs between providers. The problem in the current business telephony market is that the pricing in general is not transparent. Some providers offer these phone numbers for just a few Euro's per month.

But, then you will be nickel-and-dimed for every featured, even basic essential ones. Like for example, some providers will gladly charge you an additional monthly fee for forwarding a toll free phone number to another phone number, for example your landline number or mobile number. Or they will charge an extra fee to activate extra features like call recording, setting up a phone menu, or a caller queue.

Here, at Belfabriek we are not fond of this practices and we like to keep things simple: a flat rate of 45 Euro per month, everything included, no hidden fees or surcharges.

When you see a deal too good to be true, there is usually a catch.

Other providers also like to charge more for easy to remember phone numbers. At Belfabriek, every phone number is treated equally. If you find your ideal phone number, you will not be charged more for it.

What are toll free phone numbers used for?

Toll free phone numbers are mostly used for businesses where gathering leads is paramount. For example for lawyers/solicitors. Footing the bill for calls is a no brainer for an attorney considering, the customer lifetime value. Other lines of business that often use 1800 phone numbers are pizza joints and taxi cabs.

How does it work?

A service number is a virtual number that is forwarded to 1 or more regular phone numbers. These numbers are also called destination numbers and are provided by you. The numbers can be changed at any time.

Callers to an 1800 service number are connected by the exchange to the destination number you have set. This can be your home or office phone, but also your cell phone. For the latter, the telephone companies charge extra.

Also when calling from a mobile number to a 1800 service number telephone companies charge extra. Belfabriek therefore offers number owners the possibility of blocking calls from mobile numbers.

Easy to remember

To make it even easier for your customers to remember your 1800 number, you can choose a nice number such as 0800 - 45 45 55, or a name number such as 1800-BELFABRIEK.

Extras

You can get the same many extras with your service number that are also available for other numbers, such as real-time statistics, digital answering machine, a selection menu or other flexible call forwarding systems such as a virtual call center. All these extras are included with your Belfabriek subscription.

Why Belfabriek?

Since 1999 Belfabriek has been the only telephone company in Europe that focuses on the publication and activation of 1800 numbers. With our subscription you will find all possible features included and the costs are clear and well-organized; a subscription without surprises!

Reserve your number today

Numbers are given out on a first come, first served basis. So don't wait too long and request your own service number in our number shop today!

How small businesses benefit from 1800 numbers

The general assumption is that toll-free numbers (1800) are mainly used by large organizations. After all, they have the budget to cover the call costs of their customers, we think. But is that a logical assumption?

It turns out that there are also many small entrepreneurs who successfully invest in a 1800 number. We will have a look at the specific benefits of 1800 numbers for businesses like yours.

Advantage 1: Be accessible

One of the advantages that 1800 numbers have over other numbers is the fact that they are free for callers. This lowers the threshold for them to pick up the phone. Even if they don't call you directly, the 1800 number sends a clear message. Potential customers are more likely to want to call you than companies with a paid phone number.

Up to 25% more response

A service number looks a lot more professional and that encourages your (potential) customers to call you. Requesting an 1800 number with the possibility of name-dialing makes it easier to remember. You can expect a 25% higher response rate in your marketing campaigns.

Benefit 2: Improve the customer experience

With a toll-free number, potential customers can call you for free and ask questions before they make a purchase. This way they can get to know you without any obligation. A good experience before purchase increases confidence in the service after purchase, and that can have a positive influence on the purchase decision. In short: with a 1800 number the customer experience is much better.

Benefit 3: Toll free number grows with you

The number of callers does not matter with a toll free number. The fixed monthly fee remains the same, so you keep the costs well under control. A choice menu, a queue and voice e-mail ensure that all calls are perfectly handled.

Advantage 4: Location-independent

Small businesses logically work with a smaller staff. The flexibility that a service number brings is therefore very welcome; in the blink of an eye you change the phone number to which your callers are forwarded. And when your company grows or moves to a new location, you can simply take your service number with you.

Benefit 5: Distinguishing

Every business has a phone number, but how many small businesses can say they have a "toll-free number"? In times when businesses have to struggle to attract and retain customers, a detail like an 1800 service number can make all the difference. You will positively differentiate yourself from companies that have a local or premium rate number, which callers have to pay for.

Advantage 6: Nationwide appeal

A local number can deter customers from outside the region from calling you. With a service number it is not possible to trace where you are located. And even if customers were to know, a 1800 has a nationwide appeal. Because you can determine the final destination of this number, moving house or transferring to another phone is no problem at all. This way you never have to change your number again.

Advantage 7: Crystal clear connections

We understand how important it is to have an impeccable connection with your customers. That is why we have invested heavily in the infrastructure behind our service numbers. Thanks to the cutting edge telephone lines from the Belfabriek, the telephone connections are crystal clear and interference-free. This sounds like a given, but not all providers can meet this basic need.

Advantage 8: Free extras

At Belfabriek you don't need to ask for a quotation. Why not? Because every customer pays the same amount with us. They all have a large package of useful tools and extensions that other providers like to ask high amounts for. Because we work on a large scale, we can give all sorts of extras as gifts:

- Caller Queue

- Selection menu

- Extensive call statistics

- Receive voicemail by e-mail

- Change destination number

- Connect callers based on zip code or area code

And much more. View all included features. These tools will truly help you lift your business telephony to the next level and add a layer of professionalism.

How do I choose a provider?

As you can see, there are many advantages to 1800 numbers. You can register such a service number with different providers. Because you will probably stay with the same provider for a longer period of time, you need to make a good choice. If you take the following things into account when choosing a provider for your contact numbers, you know that your number is in good hands:

Reputation

How long has the current provider been in business? Which well-known brands have chosen to place their service number with this provider? Do you know other business owners who have chosen this provider? With references from reliable parties, you know where you stand. Also, search online to see if there are any complaints about a particular provider.

Price

What are the monthly fees? Are there any connection fees? How much do you pay per minute when customers call your 1800 number? Is it possible to exclude annoying callers and thus avoid unnecessary costs? Look beyond the spectacular offer and read the fine print.

Functionalities

A premium rate number looks great, but you can only get the most out of it with extra functionalities. In the call statistics you can see on which days and times you have the most callers. You can then adjust the staffing, the welcome text and/or the selection menu accordingly. But how much do all these extras cost or do you get them for free? Do some research beforehand to avoid unpleasant surprises when your business grows rapidly.

Service

The sales pitch may be good, but is the provider still interested in you when you have paid the bill? Some providers seem to put all their energy into attracting new customers. Other providers actually owe their customers to a revolutionary service. Can you call your provider for free with questions? Is there an online knowledge base with answers to the most frequently asked questions?

When you do your homework, you get the most out of your provider and your service number. A good provider of toll free numbers constantly invests in its services and uses complaints and suggestions to serve its clients even better.

Have you ever thought about applying for a service number? With the Belfabriek's attractively priced, complete packages, the question shouldn't be whether you will take a service number, but rather when.

Toll free phone numbers all over Ireland, GB, Europe and US

Toll free phone numbers started (like many business innovations) in the United States in 1967. In the beginning, a toll free phone number was practically only an option for big corporations and multinations because of the costs involved due to monpoly of AT&T. In 1984 this monopoly was broken up by a judge. With competition, costs of purchasing and operating a toll free phone number significantly declined. To such an extent, that toll free phone numbers became accessible to small to medium sized companies and even sole proprietors. The UK followed suit closely after and since about the mid-80's toll free phone numbers became more and more popular, both with businesses and consumers in the Anglo saxon world.

What is the reason for the number eight?

Why was the number (0)800 specifically picked for this purpose? Probably, because in name dialling, the letter T, for toll-free corresponds to digit 8. However, as we will see below, not all countries followed this convention.

Belgium: 0800 phone numbers

Germany: 0800 phone numbers

Austria: 0800 phone numbers

France: 0800 phone numbers (the french also call these numbers, numéros verts, meaning green numbers)

Finland: 0800 phone numbers

Italy: 800 phone numbers (just like France, also known locally as, numero verde (green number) or linea verde (green line))

Poland: 800 numbers

Bulgaria: 0800 phone numbers (by local operators referred to as, Зелен номер (green number) and/or Зелена линия (green line)).

Denmark: 80 phone numbers

Portugal: 800 phone numbers (Just like aforementioned romance languages, in portuguese often referred to as número verde (green number))

Norway: 800 phone numbers

Switzerland: 0800 phone numbers (These numbers are called grüne Nummer (German) / numéro vert (French) / numero verde (Italian), all meaning "green number")

United Kingdom: 0808 phone numbers

Spain: 900 numbers, note that Spain did not follow the tradition of setting a 0800 number for toll free lines). In Spain 800XXXXXX phone numbers do exist, but are not commonly used, so for this reason Belfabriek does not offer these.

Sweden: 020 or 0200 numbers, same goes for Sweden, the toll free equivalent here is 020)

All of aforementioned toll free phone number equivalents can be bought at Belfabriek.

Not able to find a phone number of your liking in our sample selection? Of course, Belfabriek wants to lead by example. See our contact details for our toll free phone number for your country. Feel free to call us, and let our customer support help you find and register an ideal, easy to remember phone number. Or even a vanity phone number. Our customer support speaks English, Spanish, German and Dutch.