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With the growing popularity of toll free 800 numbers, there are now many service providers to choose from. Gone are the days when only the big companies such as AT&T and Qwest offer 800 number services. A quick search of providers yields upwards of 50 different companies offering 800 numbers.

With so many companies to choose from it's important to carefully compare the 800 number services. First, you should decide what kind of plan you would like. There are two main types of plans: monthly service plans and pay-as-you-go plans. With the monthly service plan you receive a set number of minutes each month for a set price, similar to cell phone plans. This monthly fee is charged regardless of usage. Alternatively, the pay-as-you-go plans have a monthly charge as well as a fee for minutes used. Determining how many minutes you intend to use will help you in choosing between the types of plans.

Once you've determined the type of plan that best suits your needs, it's time to compare rates. Costs can vary widely between 800 service providers. It's a common misconception that the large service providers will be able to offer the best rates. The big companies do not specialize in 800 numbers, so actually the smaller providers, which only deal with toll free numbers, often can offer more competitive rates.

When comparing rates be sure to consider what features are included or offered. Some companies include additional features in their base price while others charge additional fees for such features. There are features which are common with most personal phone services such as voicemail, call waiting, and call forwarding. There are some features which are unique to 800 numbers:
• Call blocking. With 800 numbers, some callers fall outside of your coverage area and would cost you more. With this feature you can block those callers who fall outside your coverage.
• Account codes In some cases you may want only authorized callers to get through. You can issue account access codes to employees and/or customers.
• Automatic Number Identification (ANI) This feature is similar to caller ID. However, because ANI is unrelated to caller ID, even if caller ID blocking is activated, the caller's telephone number and line type are captured by ANI equipment. This is same technology that is used to assist in identifying the caller's address to speed response time to 911 calls.
• Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) If you have more than one 800 number, DNIS lets you know which number was called. This is particularly useful if you are running multiple marketing campaigns, and would like to know which is the most successful.

With a thorough search you'll certainly be able to find an 800 number service that fits your needs and your budget. Whatever your reason for searching for such a service, whether to make your business appear more national or just to give your business a more professional appearance you'll find an 800 number can be an affordable way to stay connected to your customer base.