What is a toll-free number?


A toll-free number is a 10-digit phone number starting with an 8XX prefix, such as 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 888. 

In Klaviyo, you can use toll-free numbers to send and receive text messages.

You can also send and receive text messages with a toll-free number, which is effective for SMS marketing campaigns, customer service communications, and transaction notifications.

You may have more than one toll-free number, but you’re prohibited from hoarding them or selling them to other organizations. This means you must be using every toll-free number that is registered to your business.

Use cases for toll-free numbers

  • Customer service and support messages for inquiries, feedback, and assistance
  • Transactional messages such as purchase confirmations, shipping notices, and delivery notifications
  • Marketing campaigns like promo codes, new product announcements, and limited-time offers
  • Surveys, polls, and feedback requests to gather valuable customer data

SMS best practices when using a toll-free number

  1. Choose a reliable marketing automation platform: Choose a platform that makes it easy for you to apply for your toll-free number and lets you design your SMS forms and campaigns while you’re waiting for verification.
  2. Verify your toll-free number: The verification process takes 7–10 days to complete.
  3. Get consent: Use keywords to collect consent from subscribers.
  4. Personalize your messages: Use segmentation to group subscribers based on their behavior, demographics, or preferences and send targeted SMS and MMS messages
  5. Be concise: Keep your text messages short and sweet (under 155 characters) with a clear call to action (CTA). Use emojis to convey emotions and increase engagement.
  6. Track and analyze: Monitor performance through metrics like click rates, placed order rates, and ROI to optimize your future SMS campaigns.

Ready to create personalized, high-converting SMS campaigns and flows with toll-free numbers? Sign up for Klaviyo, a reliable marketing automation platform, to segment your target audience, compose SMS messages at scale with AI, and track your SMS marketing campaigns. 

Additional resources