What people think when they see one
When I see a toll free number on the caller ID, I think telemarketer, even if I don’t think scam. Telemarketers can be scams, but either way, people are right to be a little more defensive. I certainly am. When an 800 number shows up on my caller ID, I answer “Hello, can I help you?” without giving out my name.
Your friends don’t have toll free numbers on their caller ID, even if they have a toll free number.
Toll free numbers don’t make calls
That really has nothing to do with using a toll free number, because toll free numbers DO NOT MAKE OUTBOUND CALLS. They’re essentially remote call forwarded numbers that forward the incoming call to whatever local number you want.
When you make a call on the line your toll free number forwards to, you’re not calling on the toll free number. You’re calling on the local number.
So why do some show up on caller ID?
They only show up on caller ID if they’re programmed to, and that usually requires a large predictive dialer like call centers use (telemarketers and scammers). They do this because they don’t want to expose their outbound local numbers. That’s a reasonable reason, but the other people who don’t want to give their actual numbers are scammers.
Today some business phone services offer it as a simple setting, too. That’s a setting I’d leave off.
Why it costs you calls
There are ways to make your toll free number show up in the caller ID, but that might not be a good idea. People are so reluctant to take calls from people they don’t know already, and a toll free number on the caller ID makes the percentage that answer even worse.
The label your customers see comes from their phone company, not their phone. Each company has its own wording, like “Scam Likely,” “Spam Risk” or “Potential Spam.” Even companies that sell outbound calling on toll free numbers warn that some phone companies will show “scam likely” or “toll free call” instead of your number.
What to do instead
Unless you’re a call center or a scammer, make your calls from your local number, the one your toll free number rings to. Keep the toll free number for your advertising, where people call you on it. If your phone system has been showing your toll free number when you call out, turn that setting off.
If you really have to call out on it, register it with the Free Caller Registry. It’s free, and it passes your numbers to the companies that decide these labels for the big phone companies. It can help, but it doesn’t guarantee anything.
Questions people ask me
Will customers be blocked from calling my toll free number? No. The label only shows up when your number calls someone. Calls to your toll free number ring through the same as always.