Vanity numbers: they’re on billboards, web banners, commercials — you name it. But how exactly do you get your own vanity number, like one of those 1-800 numbers you see everywhere? And do they actually make any real difference?
Table of Contents
- What’s a vanity number?
- Benefits of 1-800 numbers
- Why do 1-800 numbers exist?
- How do I get a 1-800 number?
- Do I own my 1-800 number?
- Who pays for a 1-800 call?
- What are VoIPs?
What’s a vanity number?
A “vanity number” is just a phone number that spells out a word using the dial-pad’s classic 3-letter system. Vanity numbers are also known as custom phone numbers, or personalized phone numbers.
Typically, vanity numbers are associated with toll-free numbers (TFNs), or 1-800 numbers. This is due to a 1-800 number’s special capabilities (more on that later), coupled with the fact that they’re generally easier to market because they’re more memorable.
Simply put, if you’re a business that sells giraffes, what’s easier to remember: a mostly random set of nine numbers given to you by your phone provider, or “1-800-GIRAFFE”?
What are the benefits of a 1-800 number?
It ultimately depends on your personal needs. But in many cases, toll-free numbers have multiple benefits to consider versus a typical local number:
- Actual research has shown that vanity numbers increase trust and engagement. Both empirically and anecdotally, people just tend to take 1-800 numbers more seriously, which is also highly likely to improve your call-connection rates!
- 1-800 numbers are one of the simplest ways to meet customer expectations of contacting a professional customer service number, even if the number is operated by an individual or small business.
- While long-distance fees may not apply to most of your customer-base, fees may matter if you take any international calls, which can be common if you deal with distributors.
- Toll-free numbers can be “multihomed”, which means they can be serviced by more than one host or network. This makes them sturdier against outages or, in extreme cases, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks.
- Caller ID blocking typically doesn’t apply to toll-free numbers, which means the caller always sees the 1-800 number, and you always see them. This is especially helpful for customer verification, call-backs in the case of disconnects, and/or if you collect any sort of analytics on your calls.
While there are multiple ways to forward your personal number into a multi-line system, if you sell anything — a product or a service — anywhere outside the borders of a single location, setting up a 1-800 number should be a heavy consideration for your business. (Especially since it’s so easy to get one!)
Why do 1-800 numbers exist, anyway?
I know it sounds odd, but before cell phones, it was only around 60 years ago when there was no way to call a far-away phone number without being charged for a long distance call.
In 1967, AT&T was the first company to invent a way to call anyone that avoided fees (but you still had to be in the general area). It took almost another decade before they invented a way for far-away calls to not get charged, while also adding the ability to press a button to forward your call to a different place. (That’s the crucial invention for today’s world!)
Eventually, the TFN, 1-800 method was adopted not only by businesses, but by the government. In the 1990s, the government reserved the following number prefixes to be toll-free exclusively (and most people refer to all of these as “800 numbers”):
- 888
- 877
- 866
- 855
- 844
- 833
Today, 1-800 numbers are the name of the game for reinforcing consumer trust as well as helping establish legitimacy and credibility as a business. Huge companies like Walmart, Best Buy, or T-Mobile obviously don’t ask you to call their personal or local numbers; they have a professionally set up number that then funnels customers to local stores and appropriate customer service departments.
And, yes, even small businesses have a way to do the exact same thing now!
How do I get a 1-800 number?
Ultimately, they’re assigned on a first come, first served basis. Here’s a step-by-step guide for getting your toll-free number up and running.
Registering your own 1-800 number
1. The first thing you want to do is pick your number.
After all, the whole point of a vanity number is that you get to choose the number for its marketing potential. This is no small decision!
Given how important your number is, I recommend finding the number you need first, before going through all the trouble of picking a carrier that might not end up offering the number you want in the first place.
Even if you end up wanting different features/rates from the place you acquire your number, you can still port your number to a company that offers toll-free number porting!
2. You need to choose a 1-800 number phone plan that’s right for you.
This typically won’t be a big phone provider like AT&T or Verizon, but a third-party company that offers a toll-free number (TFN) with special features, and on a monthly plan.
Examples of third-party companies that offer 1-800 number plans are:
- NumberBarn
- NumberGarage
- Grasshopper
- Vonage
- Dialpad
- Ring Central
- OpenPhone
Most of these companies are Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) companies, and the one you choose may depend on which features are most important to you.
While most of these companies offer fairly similar features, it’s still wise to research as many companies as possible. Their platforms can allow you to potentially monitor, record, and forward phone calls and will vary from company-to-company!
3. Finally, you need to set it up!
Once you have your number reserved and ready to go, you may need to get under the hood of your provider’s software to get it running the way you need.
Popular features you might want for your 1-800 phone number can include:
- Auto-attendant Menus: This menu system instructs callers to press a number to direct them to a different place, like a specific team member, department or message like company hours, etc. It can generally be set up through a carrier’s software and may require you to record voice lines, though some companies offer this as a service.
- Call Forwarding: You’ll need to tell the 1-800 number where to send a caller, which can be as simple as forwarding calls to a personal cell number, or as complex as forwarding to an entire call center department.
- SMS Texting: You can set up a texting system to a 1-800 number, if your provider has that feature.
- Call Views: This is generally the method for recording call information, including caller ID, call status, call recordings, voicemails, and more.
- Third-party software integration: If you’re already a Big Deal™, you may be using programs such as HubSpot, Slack, Salesforce, and more, so you’d want to make sure it was hooked up to your new number.
These are just a few basic examples. The features you will need may get fairly complex, or the whole thing can be as simple as a voice recording that transfers people to your buddy’s cell phone number. The overall benefit of having a 1-800 is still there, regardless!
What if the company I choose doesn’t have the 1-800 number I want?
If the company you want to use doesn’t offer the phone number you want, you might still be able to get it elsewhere. Getting the perfect TFN can sometimes be a little like using eBay! Highly desirable numbers are available, either by using a different one of the available 800 prefixes, or by finding a company that has it for sale. Then you could simply port that perfect number to your carrier, as long they allow for 1-800 porting.
You could end up licensing your dream 1-800 number for just a few bucks, or you could throw down tens of thousands of dollars or more for a wildly desirable phone number, if it’s on the market!
Do I own my 1-800 number?
Generally speaking, licensing and registering your 1-800 number effectively mean the same thing.
The FCC doesn’t allow for the “owning” of a toll-free number in a traditional way. But as long as you pay a monthly licensing fee, your toll-free number will be yours to use, park, or even sell to someone else.
Who pays for a 1-800 call?
Whoever owns the 1-800 number will pay for any charges associated with calls to it.
However, setting up your 1-800 number through a reputable number provider like NumberGarage, a virtual phone system geared toward small businesses, affords unlimited minutes toward your 1-800 number, so connection fees generally won’t be an expenditure for you. You can still do some shopping comparison though, as some providers will offer plans with allotted minutes toward your 1-800 number.
What are VoIP numbers again? Do they work with 1-800 numbers?
“VoIP” stands for “Voice over Internet Protocol”. They’re phone numbers that use a broadband internet connection as opposed to a cellular or traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) number.
In English, a VoIP is just a number that uses the internet to make a telephone call.
Yes, in most cases, a VoIP can route to a 1-800 number! But a VoIP number is not inherently a 1-800 number itself. And in fact, you cannot organically set up a 1-800 number via many VoIPs, such as Google Voice. But most of the third-party companies that give you a 1-800 number are running on VoIP software.
Other examples of VoIPs include Skype, ZOOM, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. They can be fairly easy to set up, and offer some cool online features, often through an app.
Just remember: setting up automated call features via a local VoIP number is not the same as a toll-free number. You still will have many of the same pros and cons of a local number versus a toll-free one.
I still don’t get any of this. Can I talk to someone?
Yeah, I was confused at first too, no worries. Companies like NumberBarn have easy to use chat functions for quick questions, or free, in-depth consultations.
As a rule, avoid giving your personal info to phone companies online who ask you for tons of information before they’ll even answer your questions. A reputable company can have some 1-800 numbers up and running in literal minutes!
Illustrations by Daniel Fishel
