Get Virtual Phone Number for Business Phone System

While every single call is important for a business, equally crucial is the business number on which the call is made. In this post we are going to discuss all about virtual phone numbers for business phone systems. Let’s go!

Challenges with Traditional Phone Numbers

A few years back, hardware based business phone systems were used by companies around the world. These phone systems made use of telephone devices connected from the telecom carriers to the phone unit via physical telephone cables. These telephone devices were tied to individual phone numbers and were limited to the premises of the company or business. With this, some of the major challenges faced by businesses using virtual phone number were:

• Require expensive hardware along with complex installation
• Huge financial investment
• Additional fee for service upgrade
• Need to hire skilled manpower for maintenance

With the above mentioned points, it is clear that traditional phone systems were not able to provide businesses with all the benefits required in today’s dynamic communication landscape.

What is a Virtual Phone Number?

A virtual phone number, also known as DID number, for business is simply a telephone number but it is not tied to a physical telephone line. Instead, modern-day cloud based business phone systems offer virtual phone numbers as a part of their feature set. A business can make and receive calls using a DID number for enterprise in the same way as that of a regular phone by connecting via cloud or the internet. A company’s inbound agents as well as those working remotely can make use of virtual phone numbers to interact with customers and prospects by accessing their business phone system on an internet enabled device.

Difference between a Virtual Phone Number and a Regular Phone Number

A regular phone number is associated with a specific telephone device which requires installation of telephone lines. A lot of investment and regular maintenance is required to run these telephone lines. On the other side, virtual phone numbers can be used on multiple devices and locations. The backup hardware and software required for the working of virtual phone numbers is usually maintained by the service provider, thus leaving a very little maintenance from business’s side.

Advantages of Virtual Phone Numbers

• Setting up virtual phone numbers is an easy and quick process.
• Virtual phone numbers are often packed with a variety of features such as intelligent call routing which helps in efficient flow of calls.
• The data such as no. of calls, duration of each calls, etc.,  that comes with each call received on virtual phone numbers is quite useful for having granular level visibility into the business communication.
• Availing virtual phone numbers for your business is not a costly affair.

Different Types of Virtual Phone Numbers

Local Numbers

These phone numbers are such that they resemble the phone number of a locality. For example, you have your business setup in the US but you still can show your presence in Australia by getting a local phone number. This helps in breaking the regional barriers to your business growth.

Toll Free Numbers

As the name indicates, these numbers are free for the caller to make calls as the charges are incurred by the business. This serves as a good way to encourage customers and prospects to call the business. These numbers usually begin with prefixes 800, 855, 866, 877, or 888, etc.

Vanity Numbers

These types of numbers are usually a combination or mixture of numbers and words. The biggest advantage of vanity numbers is that these are easy to recall. This increases the likelihood that people are going to remember a brand through its phone number. Suppose a business that deals in paints may want to convey the same through their business phone number. This is possible with the help of vanity numbers as they can have their virtual phone number as 1-800-PAINTS.

Why should a Business use Virtual Phone Number?

There are several purposes for which businesses can use virtual phone numbers:

• Empower Remote Employees – With a virtual phone number, remote agents can connect with callers the same way they would when they are working from office.

• For Lead Identification and Engagement – Using a virtual phone number, a business can track the source of their leads and can also try to engage them through follow up calls.

• Measure Performance of Offline Marketing – By assigning a virtual phone number to each offline marketing campaign, a business can determine the number of lead generated through it.

• Resolving Customer Disputes – A virtual phone number that automatically records all the business calls can be a good way to keep records for resolving customer complaints and issues.

• Identify Training Opportunities – A virtual phone number with call reporting capabilities can help you determine the KPIs and identify areas for which your employees need to be trained. 

How does a Virtual Phone Number for Business Work?

Virtual Phone numbers are not tied to wired networks. These numbers are hosted on a cloud based platform such as a cloud business phone system. Customers can simply dial the virtual number to connect with a business and the call will be routed to an agent based on conditions like time, location, availability, etc. If the business is using an IVR then the call will be routed to the concerned agent based on the query of the caller.

How to Get a Virtual Phone Number for your Business?

• There are several cloud telephony providers out there, so to get a business phone number you just need to start by choosing the right one.
• Choose a plan that suits best to your business communication needs.
• Now it is time to install and integrate the business phone system on your preferred device.
• You can choose business phone numbers according to your target geographies.
• You are now ready to make and receive calls using your virtual business phone numbers.

KloudTalk is a feature-packed cloud business phone system that offers 50+ virtual phone numbers for your business. Besides this, you can take advantage of Intelligent Call Routing and IVR to ensure that your customers have a pleasant experience dealing with your business.  Get in touch with us to know more!