Years ago, when I was a frequent guest on the Food Network displaying gift baskets for special events and holidays, I decided to install a toll-free number to enhance my promotion.
Showcasing gift baskets to 22+ million people worldwide convinced me that a local telephone number would lessen my chances for huge sales, while a toll-free number allowed prospects around the globe to call and order.
I, of course, wanted a vanity number similar to 1-800-Baskets but settled for an equally-easy number that clients could memorize.
How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business documents my experience with toll-free number installation and what questions to ask the provider before agreeing to the terms.
Once the number was displayed during a Mother’s Day gift basket segment, my business started to gain success because of the toll-free option. Sales jumped 43 percent the first month and 85 percent the next due to Father’s Day and graduation baskets.
Then wrong and crank numbers began arriving. Wrong calls were placed by individuals who thought the toll-free number still belonged to an insurance company. These people couldn’t be blamed. The number was printed on literature they received along with their policies.
That I could handle. It was the crank calls that were overwhelming. One guy, located in Pennsylvania, started calling my toll-free number every 10 minutes. Such calls were not only a nuisance, it also increased the toll-free phone bill.
The guy started threatening me for no reason, so I had to get the police involved. What was supposed to be a successful time selling gift baskets turned into a scary situation.
This month’s printed issue of Basket Biz includes an article about telephone etiquette. It’s important to know how to encourage sales, but the crank call experience is on a totally different track.
If you have a toll-free number to enhance your sales, how do you deal with wrong numbers and crank calls?
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Shirley,
i have made nearly the same experience here in germany. I thought it is a great service with a toll free number but with starting i had to find out that there is only one number different from a big service company.
There was no chance to stop getting these calls so i canceled it. In my gift store i will only have the local number, because it is much more better to control also the aspect of the cost for the calls.
Hi Tobi,
I definitely understand why you canceled the service, especially with so much business disruption due to the number assigned to you.
Toll-free numbers have their advantages, but unfortunately I haven’t read a lot, in print or on the Web (info could be on the Web that I haven’t found) about the caveats, the problems to watch for and ask about before signing up.
There’s enough to handle in our businesses without unnecessary problems.