How does the green line 800 work?
Numbers starting with 800 belong to the group of non-geographic numbers. They are not tied to any specific area and are accessible from anywhere in the Czech Republic. The operator (company) pays for every minute of a call received on this number, regardless of where the customer is calling from.
Technically, the green line behaves like any other incoming number in the PBX: you can configure IVR (interactive voice response), call queues, time-based conditions, or forwarding to a mobile phone. The customer sees only the 800 number; all internal PBX logic remains hidden from them.
When does a green line pay off for a company?
The Green Line makes sense especially when:
- You target customers across the country and do not want call charges to deter them.
- You operate a customer hotline or technical support service where availability is critical.
- You need a nationally memorable number for advertising campaigns.
- Your customers call from mobile phones and may be reluctant to dial a regional landline number outside their tariff.
For a company with purely local reach, the green line may not offer significant benefits, local customers usually call the standard number without worrying about the cost.
Green line and virtual control centre: practical questions
Number 800 is non-geographic and assigned by the Czech Telecommunication Office (ČTÚ). Setup is handled through a licensed operator and takes days. Once set up, it can be connected to Virtuální ústředna just like any other incoming number.
It is important to know that calls to 800 numbers are usually more expensive for the operator than calls to standard numbers, as the company bears the costs exclusively. Therefore, check the per-minute rate for incoming calls before setting one up. On virtualni-ustredna.cz, you can add an 800 number to an existing account and configure any switchboard logic for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the green line 800 free from mobile phones too?
Yes. Calls to 800 numbers must be free of charge even from mobile phones in the Czech Republic. The company operating the number bears all call costs.
Can I have an 800 number and a standard business number at the same time?
Yes. Both numbers can route to the same central hub and share the same operators, queues, or rules. The customer simply chooses which number to use to contact you.
What happens if nobody answers the green line?
It depends on the PBX settings. You can configure a call queue, voicemail or forwarding to a backup, just like with any other number in the system.