ITFS vs. UIFN:  Which is Better for Your Business?

Toll free inbound calling is a cornerstone of any modern customer service or sales business.  Whether you choose to offer your customers an International Toll Free Service (ITFS) or a Universal International Freephone Number (UIFN) will depend on the unique needs of your company.  With an ITFS, each country that customers might call from will require a separate toll free number.  A UIFN, however, allows you to use only one universal number across many countries.  While the basic difference might seem cut and dry, there are pros and cons to each service. 

Universal International Freephone Number

Maintaining the same toll free inbound phone number across many different countries certainly seems like an ideal toll free calling solution.  Customers will only need to remember one number, no matter where they are calling from.  Your business can save substantially on advertising costs as you will be able to promote the same phone number for every country in which you plan to advertise.  However, UIFN users are required to pay a one-time universal registration fee which, depending on the number of countries you will do business in, could end up negating the savings in advertising. 

A UIFN allows businesses to sign up for vanity numbers that are easy for customers to remember and associate with your product or service.  The vanity number will be the same despite crossing country borders, which is a perk that ITFS can not provide.

On the other hand, your UIFN will not work in as many countries as your ITFS.  Also, in some countries there are still certain restrictions on these numbers that don’t apply ITFS numbers.  For instance, New Zealand customers can not call a UIFN from a mobile phone.  Also, hotels in Taiwan are required to allow customers to dial ITFS numbers, but they are not required to allow dialing a UIFN.

Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks to using a UIFN is that your customers must still dial a country-specific prefix for each call.  Essentially, the toll free number will remain the same across various countries but the prefix will not, almost defeating the purpose of having one universal number.  However, businesses that plan to operate in many different countries may find that having one universal number for all customers can create the cohesive brand image and recognition that they desire.

International Toll Free Service

Using an ITFS can be beneficial to your brand image and perceived trustworthiness abroad because customers immediately recognize the familiar 1-800 format and how to use it.  Since it has been around longer and is more widely used, ITFS numbers will not be subject to the same restrictions that are sometimes made on UIFN calls.  Also, ITFS is available in more countries than the UIFN service, allowing your business to reach out to customers that might fall out of reach for those using a UIFN.

The largest fault with ITFS is the fact that each country requires a different number.  Advertising would have to be unique to each country to allow for the differing toll free numbers, which can add up to a small fortune in expenditures.  If you are not planning large-scale advertisements across numerous countries, this cost would not be as large for your company.  Also, there is no universal registration fee, which may be enough to balance things out. 

If your customer base is largely in the United States and Canada, using an ITFS number generally makes more sense than using a UIFN.  The number would be the same between both Canada and the United States, so the need for unique advertisements would not apply.  You can avoid paying the universal registration fee as well, providing further savings over a UIFN.