What Is a Virtual Phone Number?

1) A virtual phone number offers cost savings and flexibility for small businesses.

2) You can get a virtual number alone or as part of a virtual phone system package.

3) Many virtual phone providers allow you to port your traditional phone number to a virtual one.

4) Having a virtual phone number can make you accessible by phone anywhere, anytime while maintaining your personal number's privacy.

Today, a virtual phone number is a simple, affordable solution that can help expand your business beyond the confines of a traditional phone line. Here is everything you need to know about virtual phone lines.

How do virtual phone numbers work?

Virtual phone numbers rely on the internet instead of a phone company or cell tower to provide coverage, which allows users to be reached by phone or computer. It also allows you to change the device you use in real time. For example, if you only want to be available on your mobile phone at certain times, you can route all calls you receive during work hours to a virtual phone line.

What are the benefits of a virtual phone number?

Without being tied to a physical location, you can receive calls anywhere, anytime and on your preferred device. For example, if someone in your company is going to be away and needs to be reachable by phone but doesn't want to give out their cell phone number, you could assign a virtual number to their cell phone.

Virtual phone numbers are also beneficial for companies with multiple office locations. Instead of a phone ringing in one office, incoming calls can be sent to phones in each office. You can do this by making your virtual phone line's destination a call queue or ring group, which will ring the phones of any employee who is designated as part of the queue or group either simultaneously or sequentially, depending on your preferences.

If your office is located in a different area than your customer base, you can assign a local area code to your phone line. This helps you establish a presence in a key area and lowers costs on incoming calls. Customers are more likely to call and answer calls from a local number than one with an area code they don't recognize.

You can also track key customer metrics through your virtual phone line. Many systems let you assign a unique number to a specific campaign, for example, so you'll know if someone is calling for that campaign based on the number alone. This data can be helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of a campaign.

Virtual phone liness can save your business thousands of dollars in telephony and equipment charges. Because they are 100% digital, virtual phone lines require no hardware, equipment, installation or maintenance.

When searching for a virtual phone provider, see if the company you're considering offers text and voicemail features in addition to phone service. More expensive and complex plans typically offer features like three-way calling, ring groups, caller ID, call waiting and forwarding, call recording, and call transfers. You should also check how reliable the service is in terms of uptime and see if customer support is included in your plan.