In this article, our partners at RingCentral offer their thoughts on web strategies that small businesses should know about to help them stay connected to their customers and portray a quality, professional image. We asked, "once a small business has a great website working for them - what other technology solutions can they use to help their business succeed both on- and off-line?" Here's what Ring Central told us.

Toll free numbers reinforce your professional image

Even if you're just a company of one person, toll free numbers do wonders to enhance your professional appearance and can level the playing field with your largest competitors. You instantly gain an enticing, free way for customers to contact you (which in turn makes it more likely they will call). You also gain a professional, big company image that says you're not only successful, but that you're here to stay.

Though not a new business device, toll free numbers are now more affordable, convenient and readily available to businesses of all sizes than ever before. In fact, many even come standard as part of a 'hosted business phone system' with advanced call management features and Internet fax.

Toll free numbers provide customers with just one number to call and call forwarding ensures that this number follows you wherever you go - home, office or on the road. (Plus, providers such as RingCentral remotely process all calls and faxes, so customers never get a busy signal) With national reach, today's toll free number helps reinforce business continuity and cost savings across the board, especially if you have mobile employees or multiple offices.

"Welcome to My Company. Push 1 for Sales, 2 for Service, 3 for a company directory..."

Once you have a toll free number, the next step to building your big business image is to add a business-class phone system, enabling you to sound and operate just like one of the Fortune 500. Here are some of the capabilities a good phone platform offers:


Plus, you can enjoy the benefits of voicemail, Outlook integration, online fax service, call logs and call forwarding...just to name a few of the included features.

All the perks without a high price tag

Best of all, there's no hardware to buy or maintain, so these services are more affordable than you may think. Today's toll free numbers don't just help your company sound professional, they actually translate into substantial cost savings. So between your quality, professional website, the convenience of a toll free number and the powerful features of a hosted business phone system, your business will be ready to take on the big guys - no matter how small your 'small business' may be.