Branded Phone Numbers

If your business name or type lends itself well to a short word, a branded phone number can be a great way to make calling your company easy and fun. You can select a sequence of digits that correspond to the letters assigned to each number on a dial pad to spell out a word with your vanity phone number. The sequence can be just the last four numbers. For example, 800-222-GROW (4769). Or, the sequence can take up all seven digits of the local portion of your phone number. For example, 800-USA-BANK (800-872-2265) or (212) CALL JOE. Branded VIP phone numbers are great because they are easy to remember and fun to use. Your business can tie a branded phone number into your marketing efforts. Some businesses, like 1-800-FLOWERS, have built their entire brand around their vanity phone numbers.

Repeater Phone Numbers

Repeater vanity phone numbers use the same numbers to create a pattern that’s easy to recall. Repeater phone numbers might use a single digit for all seven digits, alternate numbers in an XXYY or XYXY pattern, or use numbers in another easy to remember sequence. For example: (212) 333-3333 (416) 800-1212 (305) 282-8822

Thousand/Million Numbers

Numbers that end in three or five zeros are "thousand" or "million" numbers. Businesses covet these phone numbers because they are whole, round numbers that only require callers to remember the unique number that starts the sequence: X00-0000 or XXX-0000. For example: (212) 500-0000 (416) 555-0000 (305) 527-5000

How to Get Vanity Numbers in the US

For Toll Free 1. Find a Toll Free Number Provider. First, you’ll need to find a toll-free phone number provider that can supply your toll-free vanity number. There are several to choose from, but to make your search easy, here’s a list of the top six U.S. toll free number providers. Keep in mind that each toll-free number provider offers benefits; choose the one that offers the right combination of services and price for your business. You can use a phone number lookup tool to check the availability of your desired toll-free vanity number. This lets you search available vanity numbers for your business by toll-free prefix. You can also call or email a vanity number provider to see if they have the number you're looking for. 2. Find a phone service provider and start taking calls. After you’ve secured your custom toll-free phone number, you’ll decide if you want to stay with the provider that offers the number (if they offer phone services) or if you want to port your number to another service provider . You’ll want to choose a service plan based on your anticipated call volume and services you’ll need. In fact, AVOXI offers toll-free number services in more than 160 countries with services such as call recording, call forwarding, custom caller ID and more. After selecting your service plan, you’ll activate your account and begin taking calls! Your service provider should follow up with you to ensure your toll-free vanity number as well as your service add-ons are working. For Local 1. Find a local vanity phone number vendor. Use any one of the many vanity phone number lookup tools online or call a provider about their availability. They’ll show you which branded or patterned phone numbers are available for your desired area code. Some of the more popular local vanity phone number databases are: Once you’ve found a vanity phone number in your area code, you’ll need to find a vanity phone number provider. Many local phone number service providers offer add-on services such as business phone features and number porting credits. Some, like AVOXI, will search other global databases for the vanity phone number you’re looking for in addition to their own to help you find the phone number you want, even if that number belongs to another provider. Keep in mind that you might end up advertising your local vanity phone numbers without the area code, so you’ll want a letter sequence or pattern that can stand out with just seven digits. Consider creating a phone number sequence that differs from the typical US/Canada format of a three digit block followed by a four-digit block, such as CALL-AMY or BLOOM-4U. 2. Choose a phone service plan and start accepting calls. Next, you’ll want to choose a service plan based on your anticipated call volume and services you’ll need. AVOXI offers local phone number services with extras such as call recording, call forwarding, custom caller ID and more. After selecting your local vanity number and your service plan, you’ll activate your account and begin taking calls! Your service provider should follow up with you to ensure your vanity number and service add-ons are working. For Mobile If you’re in the market for a custom mobile phone number, you’re in luck: Getting a vanity cell phone number is quick and easy! The same sites listed above that check on the availability of vanity phone numbers work for mobile phone numbers, too. Here’s five steps for getting a custom cell phone number in the U.S.: Brainstorm a few vanity phone number variations you’d be happy to have. Not all vanity cell phone numbers are available, so it’s good to have alternatives you can live with. Find an available number using a local phone number availability search tool, such as Ringboost, Grasshopper or PhoneNumberGuy.com. Buy that number and get the account information for it. Give that account information to your current mobile phone service provider. They’ll explain how to port, or transfer, your new number to your phone service plan. Tell your business contacts and friends about your new custom cell phone number!

How to Get Vanity Numbers in Canada

The process to get toll free, local, or mobile vanity numbers in Canada is the exact same as the US. If you want a number, plenty of providers have tools to check available ones. You can go provider to provider until you find a number you want, and then use that provider's or another provider's phone service to start taking calls. Want to expedite the process? When you contact AVOXI to find a specific vanity number, we'll check our inventory and the national inventory for you. Even if we don't have the number, we'll point you in the right direction so you can get the number you're looking for.

How to Get VIP Numbers in the UK

Vanity phone numbers are available in the United Kingdom. They’re called non-geographical numbers, or NGNs, and begin with 08, 03 or 09. UK phone numbers have ten digits like the U.S. and Canada although Brits format theirs differently: xxxx xxxxxx or xx xxxx xxxx. (Add country code +44 to the beginning of any UK phone number if you’re calling from another country.) Even if you don’t have a location in the UK, and thus have no need for a local number there, you can still get a UK vanity number that forwards to your real phone number. Having such a phone number is a good idea if you do business in the UK but your customer service or support team is based in another country that uses a different phone number format. Call forwarding from a UK vanity number enables British customers to reach you while feeling the comfort of calling a local number. The process for getting a UK custom phone number is very much like the process in the U.S. or Canada. Once you choose a local or toll-free vanity number, you purchase it from the provider that owns it. Next, you sign up for their phone services, if available, or port the number to your existing phone service provider. You can typically start receiving calls at your UK vanity number within hours. Looking to get a UK VIP number? AVOXI can help!

What are the benefits of toll free number service in Canada?

Canadian toll free number services are regulated by the FCC as part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). Because of this, businesses that have Canada toll free numbers enjoy the following benefits that local numbers do not provide: Free calling for international customers who are contacting the business. Number providers must comply when customers request their Canada toll free numbers to be transferred to another. Businesses can use the same toll free number for US and Canada, allowing US-based customers to call a Canada toll free number for free and vice versa. 833, 844, 866, 877, and 888 prefixes make it easier to find specific vanity toll free numbers compared to other countries.

Are 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 888 numbers toll free in Canada?

Yes. The FCC released these various toll free prefixes when “True” Canadian 1-800 numbers were limited in supply. While they work the exact same way, they’re generally less expensive and easier to obtain.

How do I get a vanity toll free number in Canada?

Finding an available vanity toll free number for your business is a straightforward process. Toll free service providers that specialize in vanity numbers will charge you based on the demand of the term you’re seeking. Ex. 1-800-NEWKEYS will probably be more expensive and harder to find than 1-844-XXX-KEYZ. AVOXI can help find exactly what you’re looking for in our own inventory or by searching the entire North American database for available toll free numbers. Tell us what you want and we’ll help you get it, even if we aren’t the one providing it. Find memorable vanity toll-free numbers.

Can I transfer toll free numbers between providers?

Absolutely! FCC regulations require providers to facilitate toll free number transfers upon request. AVOXI will pay you if you transfer your existing Canada toll free number to our network. Port your business numbers to AVOXI .

Can I get a toll free number for Canada and the US?

Yes. Because Canada and US toll-free numbers are both regulated by the NANP, callers from either country can reach your business directly toll-free - no matter which of the two you buy!

Which business phone features should I expect from any 1800 number provider?

At a minimum, you should expect any 1-800 number service provider to supply basic business phone features such as: Auto Attendant Call Controls (transfer, hold, mute, warm transfer, etc.) Call Forwarding (to one or more devices) Call Handling (caller ID, call queues, ring groups) Call Logging & Reporting Call Recording (usually an add-on fee) Personalized Greeting Messages Toll-Free Number Porting Voicemail (including voicemail-to-email) 24/7 Support

How do I call Canada toll free numbers from overseas?

To call from overseas, simply add the country’s exit code (international prefix) and Canada’s international dial code (+1) before the number. For example, if you’re calling Canada from the UK which has an exit code of “00,” dialing will look like this: 00-1-8XX-XXXX. These calls are not toll-free if the caller is located overseas.

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