Having your own toll free 800 number is less expensive and easier to setup than you may think. And it makes your business look more professional. In addition to a small monthly fee, you only pay when a call is made, and you can setup forwarding to further minimize your costs. But there are a lot of providers vying for your business – how does Kall8 stack up to the competition?
Kall8 Review
Product Name: Kall8
Product Description: Kall8 is a toll free service that offers a set of online tools to manage and track calls to your 800 numbers in real time. You can instantly activate and route your toll free number, view calls, and analyze the results of your advertising campaigns. All Kall8 toll free numbers can be programmed to ring anywhere in the world.
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Consumer Reviews
This is the aggregate score of reader reviews we’ve received on Kall8. Have a good or bad experience with Kall8? Feel free to leave your own review in the comments. Please note that only ratings with valid review content will be published and counted.
The 4 Types Of Toll-Free Numbers
Typically, you can get anything from 800 numbers, to 866, 877, and 888 numbers. You can then opt for:
- Random – a random string of numbers (you will have several options to choose from).
- Vanity – 1-800-YOUR-WEB (just as an example, that’s not us by the way).
- Repeater – has many repeating digits that are easier to remember, for example, 1-800-111-2222.
- Premium number that is easy to remember (i.e. 800-123-4567).
In our experience, Kall8 provides some of the best toll-free number availability and options. They offer a very competitive pricing schedule, and we’ve been unable to find a more affordable toll-free number provider that also provides good customer service and call reliability.
Toll-Free Number Forwarding
Before we move on to pricing info, we should note that to pay the least amount, you should set up toll-free number forwarding. This way, you will absorb minimal costs for running your own toll-free number. Why? Because the charge, at least typically, is made based on the duration of your phone call. So, if your 800 number is forwarded to another number, the call duration will be very short – only the time it takes for the number to pick up and forward to a number of your choosing.
Key Features
Kall8 includes a whole host of features, from standard features you’d expect, like conference calling and caller ID, to more advanced solutions such as VoIP integration, an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system, and more.
Basic | Advanced | Internet Portal
4 Basic Calling Features
- Call Blocking: You can restrict the areas where you allow calls to come in. Block by state, area code, area code + prefix, or by specific phone number. You can choose how to handle blocked calls – either send them to a busy signal, let them ring endlessly, give them an error message, or direct them straight to voice mail.
- Block Pay Phones: For a small one-time fee ($10), you can opt to block calls from pay phones to your toll-free number. This helps you save $0.60 per pay phone call since the FCC requires pay phone owners to be reimbursed.
- Caller ID: You can choose to display the caller’s number or, if you are running multiple toll-free numbers, the toll-free number that is being called on your Caller ID. This will help you identify where the call is coming from. For example, if you have ten departments, each with its own toll-free number, you’ll know which department the call was intended for.
- Conference Calling: You can create a conference call with up to 25 people. There is no time limit. The regular per-minute charge applies for each participant who dialed your toll-free number.
- Voicemail & Fax: You can receive both voicemail and fax messages simultaneously. Or, choose to receive only one or the other. You can also set a voicemail greeting, specify how much time passes before voicemail answers your call, and set the allowed length for callers to leave a voice message.
6 Advanced Calling Features
- Call Organization: You’ll be able to organize and sort your collection of recorded calls based on number, Caller ID, and the date/ time and length of the call.
- Call Recording: You can record every call or randomly sample calls. You can specify a greeting such as “Thanks for calling – this call may be recorded for quality control purposes.” The call recording feature on your toll-free number(s) can be used not only to record calls to improve employee efficiency but to check order fulfillment, archive important calls (such as credit card authorizations), and use your recordings for dispute resolutions.
- Call Storage: You’ll be able to listen to and review your recorded calls online, as well as download them in bulk for archiving. You can also opt to have Kall8 maintain an online archive of your recorded calls.
- Custom Call Forwarding: Forward your calls to specified numbers based on various conditions, including the state, area code, time, day, or specific number, based on the call’s origin.
- Hunt Groups: You can direct calls to multiple numbers based on availability. If the first number is not picked up after a time interval you specify, the service will hunt for the next available number. This process continues until you or one of your employees are reached. Ensure that no important call goes unanswered! You can also use a call distribution format to balance calls between agents at your “call center.”
- Maximum Call Length: You can, optionally, set a maximum call time to enforce costs. Calls will be automatically disconnected after the length of time you choose. Additionally, you can apply the same call length restriction to voice mail messages.
7 Internet Portal Features
- Address Lookup: You can look up the address of your callers. Use this to follow up on important calls, call back missed calls, and collect valuable customer demographic information. You will not be charged if the address tied to a particular phone number cannot be found. You can specify whether to automatically look up addresses associated with calls or manually look up addresses based on specific phone numbers.
- Call Notification Emails: You can opt to receive notifications via email when your toll free number is dialed. The email notification will include the destination call number, the Caller ID, the caller, the time of day, and the length of the call.
- Call Tracking, Statistics, & Reports: Your online account lets you configure all of the features we mention here, as well as track calls and view statistics and analytics reports that contain detailed information on the nature of calls made.
- Virtual Calling Card: You can use your number as a virtual calling card by dialing voice access numbers from anywhere. You can make outbound calls before, during, or following your voice messages. You can also use your number as your Caller ID. Calls from your calling card within the U.S., Canada, and almost 20 other countries are a low 6.9¢ per minute.
- VoIP Integration: You can send calls over the Internet and use VoIP (Voice over IP) software and technologies using Kall8’s VoIP services.
- Virtual PBX (Auto Attendant)/ IVR: Kall8’s Auto Attendant sets up an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system containing a hierarchy of menus, greetings, and extensions to dial. Kall8 fully hosts the IVR system, so you won’t need to install software or buy hardware to support your PBX system. Virtual PBX allows you to do many things with your toll-free numbers, including: Record calls for quality assurance and training (or legal purposes – to cover your butt), schedule activation of messages based on day and time, use IVR to direct callers to specific departments, callers from different geographical areas can be represented as one call center and include pre-recorded answers to commonly asked questions, to save employee time and money.
- Web Call Button: You can add a button to your website to allow people to “click to call” you. When they click on your web call button, after entering their phone number, a call will be placed connecting their number with yours.
Pricing
Toll Free 800 Numbers: Monthly Rates
| Number Type | Setup | Monthly | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Standard: 800, 888, 877, 866 | $5-10 | $5-10 | Standard USA Toll Free Numbers |
| Local Number | $5 | $5 | Standard USA Local Numbers |
| Premium | $11+ | $11+ | Premium numbers usually begin with the 800 area code and are sold at a premium because they are very easy to remember. For example: 1-800-333-1111 and 1-800-333-1234. |
Toll Free 800 Numbers: Per Minute Rates
| Number Type | Per-Minute Rate | Description |
|---|---|---|
| US: Toll Free Numbers | 6.9¢ International Rates | 888, 877, 866, and 800 numbers of all kinds including Searched numbers, Repeaters, Vanity, and Premium numbers (described above). |
| Local Numbers | 5.9¢ International Rates | Local USA numbers. |
Offshore Surcharges
Calls to toll free numbers that originate from the following locations will be charged a per-minute surcharge in addition to the listed per-minute rate of the call.
| Location | Per-Minute Surcharge |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $0.11 |
| Hawaii | $0.11 |
| Guam | $0.11 |
| Puerto Rico | $0.10 |
| US Virgin Islands | $0.10 |
And if you make any calls from outside the US, here’s a list of international calling codes you can reference.
Note: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires that payphone owners be reimbursed for calls made to toll-free numbers using their phones. The tariffed rate is 60¢ per call. (This charge is per call, not per-minute, and is in addition to the normal per-minute rate.)
Customer Reviews
Positive Reviews
I have multiple small businesses and I love Kall8 for the price. Great pricing structure and it allows me to forward the numbers to my cell and I can see which company the call is for. – Anonymous, g2 1/15/2019
Negative Reviews
I wish the company actually had a Kall8 iphone app. I recently switched over to Ringcentral because of the app feature. – Anonymous, g2 1/15/2019
Our First-Hand Experience
Here at We Rock Your Web we have used Kall8 for years, and haven’t had any problems. Our 800 call volume is not terribly high, but we do get a regular schedule of calls to our toll-free number that we forward to our local business number.
Video: Stanley Steemer 800 Phone Number Jingle Remix
Whoever has seen a Stanley Steemer commercial has most likely gotten their phone number stuck in their heads thanks to their memorable jingle. Watch as this singer remixes the song in various music genres. Does this make you want a catchy toll-free phone number for your business, too?
Take Your Business To The Next Level With Full-Fledged VoIP
Having an 800 number for your business is a great start. But did you know that VoIP services offer much more? From instant messaging, web and video conferencing, and mobile features, VoIP providers such as Nextiva, Vonage, and RingCentral can take your business to new heights, while saving you lots of money compared to what you’ll spend on more traditional communications options.
Learn what we consider essential business communications tools and how Kall8 compares to alternatives in our VoIP service comparison.
Do you think you’ll try Kall8 or lean toward another provider? Let us know in the comments!
