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The allure of new markets is a common ambition among many budding business owners. The promise of new opportunities and rapid growth is enticing.
Yet, one of the biggest challenges is the communication hurdle.
How do you earn trust from customers who’ve never interacted with your business in person?
Consumers are far more likely to engage with companies that sound local and are easy to reach. And, for growing businesses, setting up physical offices in every new location may be unrealistic and expensive.
Yet, customers and prospects expect timely responses when they call, text, or ask questions without worrying about long-distance calls, regardless of your location or time zone. For most businesses, this expectation can create a disconnect between reach and accessibility.
But it doesn’t have to be this way — not when you invest in a toll-free and local number.
The following case study highlights how a Midwest-based company leveraged iPlum toll-free numbers to increase its local reach by 88% in the U.S. and Canada, connect with customers more quickly, and provide professional, cost-effective support—all from their existing devices.
Table of Contents
1.Meet the Midwest company struggling to establish a local presence without physical offices
6.iPlum —The best toll-free number service provider
Meet the Midwest company struggling to establish a local presence without physical offices
The company behind this case study offers specialized products and support services to clients across the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in the Midwest, it operated with a small, distributed workforce but served customers in multiple time zones.
Despite steady growth, the company faced a pressing issue—it didn’t have physical offices in every region where it sold its products. As a result, customers in distant states perceived the firm as “out of reach,” and long-distance calls discouraged some from making contact altogether.
But for the business owner, Dan T., accessibility and trust were “a must-have”.
“In our industry, maintaining constant communication and building trust are everything,” Dan explained. “We needed to feel local to customers in every region, no matter where we were.”
The challenge
For Dan and his company, growth came with visibility and exposure.
As the company expanded to more states and provinces, communication gaps became apparent.
First, customers outside the Midwest hesitated to reach out because the business didn’t appear local.
On top of that, incoming calls from long-distance areas decreased by nearly 35%, and customer inquiries from Canada slowed even further. The absence of local phone numbers made the company seem distant and less accessible.
At the same time, maintaining contact across multiple time zones became exhausting. Support staff often missed early-morning or late-evening calls, leaving customers waiting for responses. And, each missed call meant a potential lost sale or delayed support ticket.
Adding to the strain, the company’s legacy phone setup lacked flexibility for mobile use. Traveling employees struggled with roaming costs, unreliable call quality, and inconsistent client communication.
Dan summarized the challenge plainly:
“Customers wanted to talk to us as if we were just around the corner. We wanted the same, but expanding physically wasn’t practical or affordable.”
At this point, it was clear that the company needed a single, scalable phone system that could bridge distances, feel local, yet be cost-efficient for staff and customers.
The solution
After testing business phone systems tools, Dan chose iPlum toll-free numbers for their simplicity, reach, and cost-effectiveness.
He also loved that iPlum offers a comprehensive suite of other features to support his company’s need for structured communication.
And, within a few days, his company began transforming how it connected with customers.
Here’s what iPlum offered.
1. Toll-free number for nationwide reach
Dan secured a branded vanity toll-free number that gave the business a professional image.
For starters, iPlum vanity numbers allow you to choose a custom word or name that reflects your brand—for example, 1-800-GET-GEAR for an equipment supplier or 1-888-FIX-HVAC for a repair service.
In Dan’s case, he selected a number that spelled part of his company name, making it easy for customers to remember and associate with his brand.
Furthermore, customers could now call or text the company from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada at no cost, which made the business appear established and approachable.
The ripple effect was that inbound call volume rose by 88% within the first three months.
“The convenience for our clients to reach us for free has been a game-changer,” Dan said.
2. Local presence without physical offices
Alongside the toll-free number, Dan added several local numbers in targeted regions. These made the company appear familiar to nearby customers while routing all calls to the same support team.
That simple change boosted new inquiries from previously low-activity states by 41%.
3. Affordable international calling and on-the-go connectivity
iPlum’s global calling rates allowed Dan and his traveling staff to communicate with clients in more than 200 countries.
In addition, the company avoided roaming charges and unreliable call quality. With iPlum, employees could experience high-quality audio whether on Wi-Fi or carrier networks thanks to the service’s dual calling mode.
This feature alone reduced international calling expenses by 47% in the first quarter.
4. Second lines for employees
To enhance responsiveness, Dan provisioned second business lines through the iPlum app for his staff. His employees could now use their own smartphones with a dedicated work number.
This separation protected personal privacy while ensuring professional accessibility.
“Our employees now have second lines for business calls and texts, which makes them reachable to customers just like a local provider,” Dan shared.
5. Phone tree for smarter call routing
Dan implemented iPlum’s phone tree (IVR) system to manage incoming calls efficiently.
Customers could navigate simple menu options—press 1 for sales, 2 for billing, or 3 for support—and reach the right person faster.
The structured routing reduced hold times, improved response accuracy, and cut missed calls by 36% within the first month.
“Customers get to the right department in seconds. It makes us sound bigger and more organized,” Dan said.
6. Centralized billing and administration
After adopting the iPlum cloud phone system, managing dozens of numbers became a simple task. Through iPlum’s cloud-based console, Dan’s assistant could assign, deactivate, or review numbers from a single dashboard.
The company unified payments under a single account, resulting in a 40% reduction in administrative time.
7. Business-personal communication separation and data security
Now, calls, texts, and voicemails were securely stored in the iPlum app, separate from personal communication.
This strategy solved the company’s BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) challenge while safeguarding business data.
Let’s see how these changes translated into the company’s overall performance.
The results
The results came in fast.
Within weeks of adopting iPlum toll-free numbers, Dan’s company began noticing improvements in communication efficiency, accessibility, and brand perception.
The table below shows the most notable outcomes:
These numbers tell a simple yet powerful story. iPlum transformed how the company connected with customers.
Clients now reach the business faster, at no cost, and always through local or toll-free lines that project professionalism and trust.
“Customers can call or text us for free, and my employees can respond confidently. It’s improved our image and saved us thousands in communication costs,” Dan said.
The success of the transition proved that you don’t need dozens of physical offices to “look local” or be responsive. You just need a business phone system with toll-free numbers designed to expand your reach without leaving a hole in your wallet.
Why it worked
The success of Dan’s company with iPlum is all about picking a phone system that seamlessly integrates with how your business works.
Here’s why it worked:
- iPlum provided the company with a nationwide reach without requiring any infrastructure changes.
- The vanity toll-free number made the business recognizable and easy to recall, which encouraged more inbound calls.
- Local numbers across different states helped build familiarity, boosting customer trust and generating new inquiries.
- The phone tree created a structured call flow that made the company sound larger and more professional.
- Centralized billing and number management reduced time wasted on administrative tasks.
- Dual-mode calling ensured stable connections wherever staff worked, improving service consistency.
- BYOD second lines allowed employees to protect their privacy while staying accessible for clients.
Above all, the affordable pricing model made scaling simple for Dan’s company as it expanded into new regions.
iPlum —The best toll-free number service provider
Expanding your business reach doesn’t always mean opening new offices. Sometimes, it starts with the right phone system.
iPlum gave Dan’s company the tools to sound local, respond faster, and operate efficiently from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.
With iPlum toll-free numbers, any growing business can build a recognizable presence across multiple regions, reduce communication costs, and provide better service.
Plus, you can access other iPlum features while at it.
Start your expansion the smart way.
