Do You Really Know How Much Your Phone Is Costing Your Business?

Studies Have Shown Customers Are More Likely To Call A Business With a Toll-Free Number Than A Local Exchange. Think You Can't Afford An 800 Number? Think Again!

Lyndsy Simon
Owner, Gadsden Graphics
(888) 407-6776

 

 

My name is Lyndsy Simon, and I'm a 27-year-old entrepreneur from northern Arkansas. As my small business grew, I found myself needing a flexible solution for phone service, that would let me work at my own pace, when and where I wanted to. I did hours of research online, and found that there are a lot of solutions out there - each with different features, pricing, and usability.

My solution was Toktumi. Toktumi meets my needs perfectly - they provide me with an easy-to-use toll-free number with a bundle of very professional featuers. I liked Toktumi so much, I've recommended it to several friends and colleagues, and their experiences have all been positive as well. With a perfect track record with the people I know, I've decided to take my testimonial online and help spread the word about this amazing, affordable service.

My Phone Bill Last Month was $14.95 - And That's What It Is Every Month, Regardless Of Who I Call Or Who Calls Me

When I called my local phone service to ask about getting a toll-free number, I was quoted a price-per-minute. I was a bit taken aback by that, to be sure - here is is, 2011, and they want me to pay by the minute? When someone calls me? Are they crazy? I knew there had to be a better way...

As every entrepreneur knows, the secret to keeping a business afloat is cashflow. Cash is the lifeblood of young business, and there are plenty of thing we'd all rather spend it on than a large, unexpected phone bill. With Toktumi, this will never - and can never - happen. The basic service is $14.95 per month, period. No service fees, surcharges, usage fees are ever charged.

Why Should You Bother With a Toll-Free Number?

• Credibility - Customers form an opinion of your business before they ever speak to you. Do you want them to see you as "some local guy with a cellphone," or would you prefer them to see you as a stable, established company with a toll-free number and professional automated phone system?
• Increase Conversions - If you sell a product online, you should know that many customers will seek a means of contacting you before ordering a product. Giving them an easy way to do so gives a huge boost of confidence, which directly leads to increased sales.
• Lower Costs Due To Returns - Have a upset customer? We've all had them. By giving that customer a way to quickly and easily get ahold of someone in your company, you gain one more chance to satisfy them without incurring the expense of a return and possible replacement.
• Leverage Existing Business - Each time a customer contacts you, there is an opportunity to upsell them to a new product or service. Making it as easy as possible for your customers to interact with you will only help in providing more of these opportunities. Every customer contact is a potential sale!
• Longevity - Have you ever considered what would happen if you moved, or changed phone service providers? All of your ads would have your old phone number, as would your business cards, letterhead, invoices, website... the list goes on. Avoid the cost, hassle, and missed business by obtaining a toll-free number from Toktumi, which will move with you!

Never Miss Another Important Phone Call

If you're anything like me, you're never in one place for very long. A small business owner's day can take them all over the place - home, the office, client meetings, the post office, a quick run to Staples to grab some supplies - we're a mobile bunch. Before I signed up for Toktumi, I handled that by giving everyone two numbers - one for the office, and one for my cellphone. Over time, I realized that no one was calling the office phone, but would call me directly at my cellphone. That worked okay when I was making a quick trip to the store, but it wasn't so much fun when I was at home with a sick little girl, or out to dinner with my wife.

Even worse, many small businesses have multiple employees. Do you put each employee's phoen number on the website, and in every ad? Toktumi has a feature they call "Simulring" that solves both of these problems effortlessly. You can easily set up you toll-free number to be answered by an auto-attendant. This will give your caller a set of options that you define - "Press 1 if you are an existing customer - press 2 if you are interested in the services we offer." With this, you can set up dozens of options if you'd like, each of which will ring a different employee's cellphone. Give your customers a single numebr to call, and dispense with confusing directories and cumbersome transfers

My favorite part of this is the ability to screen calls based on the time of day. I typically take business calls until 5pm on the West Coast - 7pm local time. After 7pm, business calls go straight to voicemail. But, it gets better! I've flagged several important numbers within the Toktumi web interface, and those callers are allowed to go straight on through to me, regardless of the time of day. Virtually unlimited flexibility is available with this feature, and as far as I can tell, it is unmatched by any other provider.

Answer The Phone - Without a Phone...

Another useful feature of Toktumi was mentioned above - the PC "softphone." This handy application sits on my desktop and lets me use my laptop as a speakerphone, which comes in very handy in client meetings and the like. With the addition of an inexpensive headset, I can place and receive calls as if I had a "real" phone in front of me. I live in rural Arkansas, and sometimes I don't have cellular reception at my house. It's very nice to be able to make calls from my laptop over broadband

Things You'll Find While Using Toktumi:

• A toll-free number at no extra charge
• Unlimited calling to and from the US and Canada
• VOIP - Make calls using you PC's internet connection
• Smartphone integration - use the Line2 app to easily make calls from your number, over wifi, 3G, or your cellular number
• Annouced callers - Ask your caller for your name, and decide whether or not you want to take their call before speaking to them
• Visual Voicemail
• Simulring - Complete control over where and when you are available to take calls

Things You'll Never Find Using Toktumi

• Hidden charges
• Usage fees
• Hard-to-use software