Is your company taking advantage of the opportunities that come with having a toll free number for customers to use when contacting your business? If you are one of the companies that feels it is not cost efficient to have a toll free number you may be surprised how much business you may be losing by having only a local number available for callers.

Cost may be a large factor when deciding if your business should have a toll free number. You might be surprised to discover that the cost to your company is not nearly as dear as the cost of not having a toll free number. Consider this, when searching new businesses, many customers make the decision on which company to call based primarily on whether or not the number is toll free. In an economy where everyone is watching pennies, you may be losing out on valuable customers who are turned off by having to pay to inquire about your services or products.

If your business has a customer service department having a toll free number for customers to use for inquiries, orders, support and questions becomes more of a necessity than a luxury. Although many of us, myself included tend to get annoyed when we don't reach a "real" person when calling companies, there are valid reasons for having an automated attendant. By having a toll free number in conjunction with a virtual PBX telephone system, receiving phone calls becomes more streamlined and it is less likely your staff will miss or loss important messages. Additional advantages from having an automated attendant include:

* Callers will never again receive a busy signal and have to call back! With the technology available today there is not one reason why a caller should ever receive a busy signal. If they do they are far more likely to simply pick up the phone and call the next business available instead of taking the time to try your company again.

* Access to direct extensions. If your caller is impatient or needs information quickly having direct access to important extensions can make their experience quick and efficient, while making a positive impression about your service to the customer.

* Automated attendants have the ability to automatically forward incoming calls based on the several factors. These factors include the area the call is originating, the time and date of the call, and the extension the caller has reached.

Since toll free numbers first became available in the 1970's, customers have come to expect companies they do business with to provide this convenience. By having a toll free number you are stating to your customers that you care about what is convenient to them and are willing to offer them the ability to inquire about your company and services at no expense to them. When you combine this convenience with the technology of a virtual assistant you are giving your customers the ability to communicate with your company in a way that encourages future and repeat business.