Toll Free Service to a VOIP number
People often ask if they can point a toll free number to their voip line or port a toll free number they get from us to a voip company such as Vonage. The answer to the first part is YES definitely. You can certainly point or forward your toll free calls to a voip line such as Vonage or any voip company.
The second question about porting or transferring the toll free number over to a VOIP service so they are the ones getting the calls to your local number is a little more complicated. The short answer is that YES, we will release the number to ANY phone company, voip or otherwise. However voip companies are usually pretty dumb about toll free service and may give you some very strange answers.
It’s also important to point out that you don’t have to use the company that provides the physical line to get the calls to your physical line. Any phone company can send calls to your voip local number, and so can any phone company can provide the toll free service going to your voip line. There are actually several reasons why the local phone company providing your local line is usually the worst choice to use.
You are welcome to transfer your number to your voip service, but I just want to make sure you realize that you have alternatives. That way when they give you a hard time or act like you have three heads, you know you won’t feel like it’s your fault and you’ll know there are other good options. The one we recommend for voip service is usually PNG. It’s as cheap or cheaper than most voip services and it’s quicker and easier to set up, plus if you want to change your ring to number to another non-voip number they’ll do it where as the voip service wouldn’t.
So the answer to both questions is yes, and even more importantly there are real people if you have a problem or question along the way.
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Scott Martell says:
February 19, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I have tried to transfer my 800 number to my current phone service provider, Cablevision (aka Optimum). I was told that they do not support 800 numbers and that I am unable to transfer my 800 number to my current line of phone service.
Suggestions? Solution?
Scott
Bill Quimby (510 comments.) says:
February 19, 2009 at 9:19 pm
We may have talked already because this sounds similar to a phone call I had earlier today. But for a voip company like Cablevision, I would use PNG. Here’s the page that tells how to sign up with them. (http://www.TollFreeNumbers.com/png)
Take a look at that and let me know if you have any questions or need anything else.
Bill
Scott Martell says:
February 19, 2009 at 10:46 pm
No it wasn’t me that called today. Is there any other way to setup the number? I am not going to pay another per minute phone fee to use an 800.
Bill Quimby (510 comments.) says:
February 19, 2009 at 11:46 pm
There are a couple services that pretend to offer unlimited service for a fixed fee, but they are pretty much all scams (see http://www.TollFreeNumbers.com/unlimited)
Everyone pays per minute for the incoming calls, from my mother who has a personal number going to her cell phone that gets a couple calls per month to Capital One getting a million calls per month. But that’s not a bad thing it’s a good thing, because it’s accountable and only goes up as the amount of business you do goes up. That’s the best kind of bill, especially for a small business.
The average toll free only customer at PNG’s bill is $12 and change per month. It’s much less than most people would ever believe going into it. Most things cost more than you expect, but toll free numbers cost much less than anyone ever expects. Your real cost is generating the calls, not paying for them. The second biggest cost is the time answering them.
Bill
Moe says:
April 16, 2009 at 4:07 pm
How do international calling card companies work out 800 expenses per minute? If it is about $5 cents per minutes but for some countries we call for less than that per minute even by using the company’s 800 number, then how can they afford it?
Jonathan Kalbfeld says:
June 1, 2009 at 1:55 am
Is it possible to use the 888 number as a DID connecting to my asterisk PBX?
i.e, do you do SIP peering?
jonathan
Bill Quimby (510 comments.) says:
June 1, 2009 at 10:22 am
Jonathan,
You can transfer the number to any carrier you want including one that does SIP, but we don’t provide the ongoing service. And I’m not familiar with astrisk so you’ll have to ask someone connected to that. We can use any local (non toll free) number for the ring to number for now for the first 30 days or 100 minutes of use.
Bill