What are some use cases for a TFN?

[David_Schwind]

Toll-Free Numbers can be used for a variety of messaging service. Here are some sample use cases:

• Basic Information Notifications:  Whether it’s a service disruption notification (think internet, TV, or power service outage), or a package delivery notification (package has been ordered, package has shipped, package is out for delivery, package has been delivered). Any of these, delivered via a Toll-Free number, will give the consumer information as well as the opportunity to take additional actions and one of them could be to call into your Care Center for more information.
  
  
• Surveys:  This is another ideal use case for Toll-Free messaging.  Any type of interaction with a brand could use a follow-up survey message, such as a Net Promotor Score (NPS) survey. A NPS survey basically asks - How likely is it that you would recommend [brand] to a friend or colleague?  And the answers go into 3 categories, Promotor, Passives, Detractors.  Following-up on a customer service interaction and gauging whether your customers are in one of those 3 categories is critical in determining the success of that interaction.
  
  
• Appointment Alerts: Appointment confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, are all excellent use cases applicable to Toll-Free messaging. Think dentist and doctor appointments or cable/internet/power appointments.  These types of alerts provide information to consumers that helps them plan for upcoming appointments, helps them get to the appointments, and allows consumers to provide valuable insights as to the success of the service the business has provided.  Businesses use appointment notifications especially when someone needs to be there, at their home for example, to ensure that the truck roll doesn’t end up going to a house where they need access to it, but no one is home.  Missed appointments cost business huge amounts of money and to have a mechanism whereby they can interact with the end consumer to ensure they are home, or to change an appointment, can minimize the financial impact on those companies.
  
  
• University/School community updates: Using a Toll-Free number is an ideal way to reach out to your community with important updates on school weather closings, Covid updates, important announcements, registration deadlines, or service outages.
  
  
• Marketing/Promotional alerts: Toll-free numbers can be used for marketing content like promotional offers, coupons, and sales event alerts. However, it’s important to keep in mind that users should have opted-in to receive marketing content via express written consent (like a checkbox on an online form), and content should be direct marketing, not third party offers.  

Learn more about Toll-Free Numbers from Sinch.

[#2]

Unverified toll-free numbers (TFNs) and Pending Verification toll-free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide message blocking. Unverified toll-free numbers are TFNs that have not completed the toll-free sender verification process. Pending Verification toll-free numbers are TFNs where a verification request has been submitted, but the request is pending review and approval. 

Note: In the past it was possible to send messages from an Unverified TFN or Pending Verification TFN. However, as a result of industry-wide changes, all toll-free numbers, regardless of the use case, must be Verified to originate traffic.

UNVERIFIED toll-free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide message blocking, effective November 8, 2023.

PENDING VERIFICATION toll-free numbers (TFNs) are subject to industry-wide message blocking, effective January 31, 2024.

All toll-free numbers (TFNs) must be in a VERIFIED state in order to originate traffic.

Unverified TFNs and TFNs pending verification will be blocked with Sinch error code 64 “Blocked due to exceeded quota”. Please see Toll-Free Delivery Report Errors for a full list of Sinch Toll-Free error codes.