Toll-free numbers (TFN)
Take the cost of calling you off the table.
A toll-free number moves the call charge from your customer to your business. For sales lines, support lines and anything where hesitation costs you the conversation, that changes the maths.
Diagram: a customer dials a national toll-free number at no cost to them; the call reaches a support group, with a defined out-of-hours message behind it.
What it solves
The cheapest call is the one the customer does not pay for.
Toll-free numbers exist because a call charge — even a small one, even an imagined one — is enough friction to stop someone dialling. Carrying that cost yourself buys you the calls that would otherwise never arrive.
- Remove a reason not to call from a customer who was already hesitating.
- Signal an established business with a recognisable national format.
- Keep the toll-free front while routing calls anywhere behind it.
- Run separate toll-free lines per market or per campaign.
How it works
Three things happen to every call.
Pick the format
Each country has its own toll-free ranges. We confirm what is available where you need it.
Attach the route
The toll-free number sits in front of whatever routing you already use.
You carry the call cost
The caller pays nothing; charges fall to your account instead.
Capabilities
What you can build with it.
Availability of individual capabilities depends on your setup and destinations. We confirm what applies before anything is configured.
- International toll-free
- Toll-free formats across international destinations, confirmed per country before anything is issued.
- Routes anywhere
- Deliver toll-free calls to an office, a mobile, a ring group, an IVR or your own platform.
- One per market
- Give each country a toll-free line its customers recognise as local and free.
- Schedules and failover
- The same time-based rules and fallback paths as any other inbound number.
- Origin restrictions
- Toll-free ranges usually only accept calls from inside their own country. We set expectations before you publish.
- Usage visibility
- Because you carry the cost, call volume and duration on the line are worth watching.
Example call flow
A route you could read out loud.
A national toll-free number in front of a support group, with a defined out-of-hours ending.
Route definition
Illustrative- Number
- National toll-free range
- Caller pays
- Nothing — the charge falls to you
- Then
- Support ring group · ring 20 seconds
- If busy
- Queue, in order of arrival
- Otherwise
- Recorded out-of-hours message
An illustrative example. Your route is written with you before anything is configured.
Use cases
Where it earns its place.
Customer support lines
Nobody should weigh up a call charge against a problem you caused.
Sales and enquiry lines
Free-to-call numbers convert better on pages where price is already a concern.
Recalls and notices
When you need people to call in, the cost of calling should not be the obstacle.
Coverage & compatibility
Will it work where you need it?
Destinations, number types and endpoint compatibility vary. Send us the specifics and we'll confirm what is available rather than publish a list that may not hold for your case.
FAQ
Common questions
Anything specific to your destinations, numbers or endpoints is confirmed directly rather than answered generically.
Can a toll-free number be called from abroad?
Usually not. Most toll-free ranges only accept calls originating inside their own country, which is why businesses run one per market. We will tell you exactly how the range you want behaves.
Who pays for the call?
You do. That is the point — the charge moves from your caller to your account, which is why usage on a toll-free line is worth keeping an eye on.
Can toll-free calls use my existing routing?
Yes. A toll-free number is just another inbound number as far as your routing is concerned — forwarding, rules, menus and groups all apply.
Next step
Ready to set up toll-free numbers?
Tell us how your calls work today and where they need to go. We'll map the route with you before anything is configured.