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Home businesses are just as professional as any brick ‘n mortar business, but sometimes, it helps to look a little more "professional" to the public and toll free telephone numbers (along with post office boxes) can do this!

We all know how toll free telephone numbers work; the business owner pays the telephone company a fee for every call the business gets and the callers gets to make the call for free. But did you know forwardable toll free telephone numbers are a smart business decision?

Toll Free Numbers Level The Playing Field
Whether you have two telephone lines or just one, a forwardable toll free number can benefit your home business by offering you the chance to compete with large corporations by leveling the playing field. In other words, using your toll free number in national advertisements, on your website, in brochures, and wherever you’d include your business contact information, can help your company look as though it’s one of the big guys.

Use Forwardable Toll Free Numbers
Another benefit to owning a toll free number is the ability to forward your calls. Let's say, for example, you live in a remote area where you can only get dial up Internet access and you decide it won’t stop you from running a professional home business. But since you’ve just started your home business, you don’t have the funds to support a second phone line and your cell phone. What do you do? Do you wait until after business hours to use the Internet? You could, but you don’t have to.

If you have a cell phone plan with a great weekday rate, you could redirect your toll free number to your cell phone. That way, when you are on the Internet checking customer orders, answering customer-related emails, working on your website, doing business-related research, or placing online advertisements, you won't miss an important business call.

Choose The Right Toll Free Plan
Once you decide to use a forwardable toll free number for your business, it’s time to choose a toll free number that meets your business needs. There are literally hundreds of companies offering toll free service, but only one is going to be the right one for your company.

• T-1 line from your local phone company -- Unless you have to have a traditional brick and mortar business and it brings in several thousand dollars per month, this option can be very expensive, costing anywhere from $500 to $2,500 in set-up fees, plus monthly maintenance and usage fees.
  
  
• "Stand Alone" toll free telephone numbers -- Adding a “fixed” toll free number means adding another phone line to your home and can cost as much as your regular phone bill. But, you’ll know any calls from that phone are business calls and your customers will never know you’re a homebased business.
  
  
• "Forwardable" toll free telephone numbers – Adding a forwardable toll free number means you’re leasing a telephone number and routing it to your existing phone line. The downside is that you’ll never know whether someone calling you is a business client, or a relative, unless your phone company can include a special ring or you forward your toll free number to your cell phone during normal business hours.