Do questions like why toll free numbers are free, how do these numbers work etc. creep into your mind? These are actually virtual numbers because they are redirected by service provider to a physical land line number of the owner of that particular number.
Why Toll Free Numbers are Exempted from Charge?
When you call a toll free number, the call is actually forwarded to or routed to one or more physical land line of the owner of that number according to the configuration. They are hence not chargeable to the caller. Business or the companies that own those numbers may configure that calls geographically to be received at different land line locations or they may even configure them to be received at different land line locations depending on the time of the call.
Cannot be Used for Making Calls by the Owner:
Owners of that numbers cannot use those toll free lines for making an outgoing calls as these are just virtual numbers and can receive incoming calls only and do not have fixed land line attached to them.
A Toll free number is just like a remote call forwarded number. No installation, no additional line or no special equipment is required. All the basic features like caller ID, rollovers, Voice mail and call forwarding work similar as if the caller has dialed the local number.
How Are These Numbers Beneficial to the Users?
These numbers are of great use to the companies owning them as they project the image that these numbers are customer-friendly. These numbers are universally recognized and customers respond these numbers with 1800 or 800 prefix. Apart from that, business can relate these numbers by connecting them to their brands. For instance, a food joint owner can choose to place 1800-NAME OF THE BRAND or 1800-EAT HEALTHY. These numbers are called toll free numbers and have become pretty popular with the exponential usage of alphanumeric phones.