Managed Voice / Extensions & Phone Numbers

Local & Toll-Free Numbers

You can have local numbers with area codes matching the communities you serve, a toll-free number for a national presence, or both together, all running on the same underlying system with no technical conflict between the two number types.

What’s the actual difference between a local number and a toll-free number?

A local number carries a standard geographic area code and behaves like any other business line. A toll-free number (800, 888, 877, and similar prefixes) is free for the person calling in, with the receiving business covering the cost of incoming minutes instead — commonly used for national customer service or support lines.

Why would a business want a local number in an area they don’t have an office in?

It signals local presence — a business calling into or serving a specific region often sees better answer rates and trust when the number carries that area’s code, even if there’s no physical office there.

Can we have multiple toll-free numbers, or just one?

You can have as many as you need — some businesses run a separate toll-free number per product line, per marketing campaign, or per department, each routed independently. See Direct Inward Dialing (DID) Numbers for how any of these numbers routes once you set it up.

Does a toll-free number cost more to run than a local one?

Toll-free numbers typically carry a per-minute cost for incoming calls, since the business absorbs that cost instead of the caller. Local numbers, however, generally bill differently. Your account team can walk through the specific cost comparison for your expected call volume.

Can international callers use these numbers too?

Local and toll-free numbers are primarily domestic. For a business regularly serving customers outside the country, see International & Long-Distance Calling for how we handle that separately.