The Benefits of Using a Virtual Business Number for a Small Business

Getting additional phone lines installed for a home office or new lines into a commercial office takes time. With all the extra packages, it can become considerably more expensive to have a dedicated business line compared to other alternatives like a virtual business phone number. For small businesses looking to keep costs down or get a new line up the same day, there’s something to be said for going virtual.

In this article, we cover some of the benefits of using virtual business numbers as a small business owner.

Choose the Type of Phone Number

With a virtual phone number for business, you can choose the type of phone number that you require. That might be a toll-free one or with a specific area code.

For instance, what if you want to attract local business from a certain catchment area and you’re just across the road with a different area code? You can always have a virtual number with the right area code to attract new business, which overcomes the problem neatly and inexpensively.

No Long Contracts or Hidden Cancellation Fees

National carriers often have long-term contracts for businesses that need a phone line. Along with their lengthy deal, they also might have cancelation fees too. This makes it more difficult to get started because you’re worried about the long commitment and struggle to decide if their service fits the bill. By contrast, with virtual phone numbers, there’s usually no contract at all.

Easy Call Forwarding

Call forwarding is easily done with a virtual number. Just follow their instructions and set a toll free or local number to forward the call onto.

This type of service is great for small businesses where staff regularly travel to appointments. If you’re a solopreneur, there’s also the possibility of missing a call and perhaps a new sale. Forwarding to a cell phone while on the road avoids missing a call on the business line.

Special Numbers for Promotions or Events

There’re times when you don’t want to give out your main business line. That might be for a short-term event or limited-run promotion where providing a separate phone number is desirable.

When you think about it, if you’re offering a promotion, using a separate number for it allows your staff to answer the call differently. They can be trained on what the callers need to know and handle these calls very efficiently. The same goes for industry events where a separate number could be provided to industry contacts to prioritize their calls when looking to develop strategic partnerships or joint ventures.

Cloud-based VoIP Solution

Using a cloud-based VoIP solution is useful to create some separation between the local phone lines and people calling your company. There’s going to be a virtual call center available with most providers, which often means they can professionally take a message even if your office is down due to a power cut or another locally-based problem.

Virtual types of business phone numbers are more useful than small business owners sometimes realize. Give them a try and see how helpful they are for your company.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.