Benefits of virtual telephone numbers

Discover how having a virtual telephone number will help your business

If you’re considering taking a virtual phone number you probably already have some idea of what you need.  You may even have an idea of why you need one.

But are you aware of all of the benefits of having a virtual phone number for your business? 

For a full overview of virtual phone numbers and why you should have one read our article: A definitive guide to virtual telephone numbers but for now, consider the below benefits your business could reap from virtual phone number ownership!

Choice – so much choice! 

Most virtual phone number providers will give you the option to choose:

• Your number: Would you like an 0800 number to attract callers? Would you like an 084 number that could be free for you to own? Would you like a local/geographic number that customers trust? Have a think about what you might prefer and what would suit your business and your customers
• Your area: Where would you like your number to be based? In your local town? Would you like a number for all major cities near you? Or would you like an 0207 or an 0203 number to give the impression that your business is based in London? It’s your choice and your only limit is your budget.
• How many numbers you have: You’re not limited to one virtual telephone number!  You can have as many as your business can cope with or your budget allows. You might like one number for your sales department, one for after-sales and one for technical support. Or as mentioned above, you might like a number for a different town or city near you.

Local geographic numbers increase your sales calls

It is said that by advertising a local number you can receive up to 22% more calls from that area. Many national organisations advertise local numbers in different cities and towns in order to take advantage of this marketing phenomenon.

“The 22% increase in calls is down to one thing – trust. Many people when calling a company feel they can trust a local number and are more inclined to call. Imagine if those calls turned into sales?”

Chris Venables technical director of SwitchboardFREE telecoms company

Your company image

You can be in control of the image you portray for your business simply by the number you present to your customers. 

Do you want to appear as a small, local, trustworthy business?  A professional, national company? Or, a hard-hitting London business? 

With a virtual phone number you can be who you want to be.

Never miss a call

You can divert your virtual number to anywhere you like so that you or someone you nominate can take calls at any time.

Direct calls to your landline if you’re at home or in the office. Direct calls to your mobile if you’re on the move. Or even divert to entire teams, so all their phones ring at once (i.e. Your sales or support teams).

Unable to take a call?  Divert to a colleague or to a voicemail so that you can get a message and return the call. Or, even utilise a call answering service to handle these calls for you.

Call management system

When you purchase a virtual phone number it is likely that you will be able to manage your calls via a call management system. This will be an account you can log into to direct your calls, set business opening times, get your voicemail messages and set up your departments.

There are many choices out there that, as well as basic features, offer advanced features too such as call recording; the ability to record your own greetings; screen your calls and get calls statistics and reports.

Integrates with a VoIP phone system (Voice over Internet Protocol)

You can have a virtual phone number on its own if that’s all you need.  You might however like to have a complete business VoIP phone system. A VoIP phone system might include your number, call management, VoIP telephone and mobile app so that you have more capability and functionality for your communications.  

Check out our blog for more information on VoIP phone systems.

Disaster recovery

Because a virtual phone number is based over the internet you can handle your calls from anywhere.

So, if the worst should happen – you break a leg, your office burns down or your warehouse floods (hopefully not all at the same time!) you can still take business calls. 

Using a system with an advanced disaster recovery feature can ensure your business may still be able to operate as normal but if not, at least you can let your customers know.

Department choices

Is it just you running your business but want to seem bigger? Or do you just want to know what type of call is coming in? 

You can set up departments for your customer to choose: “Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support…”

If you’re a bigger organisation setting up virtual departments can ensure callers are routed to the most appropriate person, department or call group. Ideal for growing companies or if your workforce is split over different locations.

Cost savings

• Call charges: a virtual phone number uses the internet to carry calls which significantly cuts down domestic and international call charges. Because a virtual telephone number doesn’t go through an ‘exchange’ it’s usually charged as a local rate number, even for international calls.
• No line rental: there’s no monthly cost of a pricey telephone line, just the small cost of your virtual number.
• No equipment: very little equipment is required, in fact, you potentially already have all you need to proceed – a smartphone and an internet connection.  If your budget allows you can, of course, have more equipment to expand your repertoire.
• Efficiency: just by answering all of your calls you will become more efficient. In addition, if you use a call management system you can benefit from its many features which will be designed for maximum business efficiency.  Unifying your telecommunications so that you (and your staff) can move seamlessly between office, home and abroad can help use skills and time in a more streamlined way.
• Reacting to changing circumstances: having a virtual phone number gives you more flexibility and therefore the ability to be able to react to the changing business environment. It’s much faster to make changes, adapt and grow if you’re not restricted by a traditional telephone line.
• Marketing: you could have a different virtual phone number for each advertising medium. Use numbers for social media ads and different numbers for leaflets for example and get an idea of where your calls come from and which methods are most effective. 

Increase your productivity

Having a portable, flexible system means you can take business calls anywhere; more colleagues can be set up to take calls; call outcomes can be linked to your databases/systems (potentially reducing duplication); call features to enhance your service and make it more efficient and with the option to work from anywhere means that you can work whilst or instead of travelling.

Consistent and reliable

Even though virtual phone numbers are not tied to a specific device, your customer will only ever have to call one number.  Departments, teams and individuals can be reached irrespective of where they are and your calls will always be answered giving a consistent and reliable service to your customer.

Efficient marketing

Virtual phone lines supply helpful marketing data. If you use print, radio advertising or social media, you may promote a different number in each ad, all routing through to the same number and/or office.

You can log into your call management system and see how many calls came from a certain campaign or medium. Consequently, this gives you full control over your marketing; which campaigns work well and which give poor ROI (return on investment).

Setup is quick and easy

Usually, a virtual phone number can be set up in minutes.  As long as you have a phone and an internet connection of some description.

Discover how SwitchboardFREE’s business VoIP phone system works.

Not convinced?
Check out our definitive guide to Virtual Telephone Numbers for more information about the fundamentals and different types of number for your business.