How does a virtual phone number work for business?
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How does a virtual phone number work for business?

A virtual phone number is a phone number for your business that ‘lives in the cloud’. This telephone number is designed to route incoming calls and text messages to a destination of your choice, such as a landline, mobile, application, or VoIP phone. 

Traditionally, phone numbers were configured to work over a single phone line; this line was physically connected from the phone company to your business or home, meaning that calls made to the number could only be sent directly to that specific physical location. 

A virtual number can give a company more flexibility and control in receiving calls by removing these physical limitations so it can be used on any device.

How does a virtual phone number work?

Virtual phone numbers use the internet instead of the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or cellular-based mobile phone company to provide coverage, allowing callers to be reached by computer or phone. This function also allows the user to change the device they are using in real-time. 

In a business example, this feature would work well when an employee only wants to be available at certain times; they can route all the calls they receive during work hours to a virtual phone line. 

Virtual phone numbers also give access to local numbers, so even when the business is based somewhere else, it can make and receive calls via numbers local to that area. This makes it an incredibly powerful tool for established businesses and startups alike, whether its local numbers for your sales teams you want or a virtual call centre for a not-for-profit organisation.

CircleLoop offers a full range of virtual numbers in our business phone system packages; no matter where the business is based, it is possible to add extra local and national numbers such as UK 01, 02, 03 numbers, and 07 phone numbers in your CircleLoop app. Any number that is added is ready for use immediately with no activation or waiting times. International numbers are also available on request. It’s as simple as setting up a virtual phone number.

What are the benefits of a virtual phone number for business?

Virtual phone numbers offer a wide-ranging list of features and benefits to assist all types of businesses, from startups to large organisations. Hardware flexibility is provided, including endless options for tons of cost-saving potential.

1. Ability to receive calls anywhere

It is possible to receive calls anywhere without being tied to a physical location anytime and on your preferred device. If an employee in your business is going to be away and needs to be reachable by phone but would not like to give out their mobile phone number, they instead provide details of their virtual number and answer calls in-app or routed to another destination of their choice - such as to their mobile phone.

2. Incoming call distribution

With several virtual numbers, one can still route their callers to the right person in the team. Instead of a phone ringing in the office, the system can send inbound calls to phones in each office. You can easily do this by making the virtual phone line's destination a team with a call queue, which will call any employee designated as part of that team or queue either simultaneously or sequentially, depending on personal preferences.

3. Localised phone numbers

Customers are less likely to call and answer calls from a local number with an area code they don't recognise. If the office is located in a separate area than the customer base, the business can assign a local area code to their phone line. This method helps establish a presence in a vital area and ultimately could result in better call answer ratios and increased custom.

4. Marketing campaign integration

A business can track important customer metrics through the virtual phone line. Many CRM systems allow the user to assign a unique number to a specific campaign, for example, to know if someone is calling for that campaign based on the number alone. This data can help evaluate the effectiveness of a campaign. It is also possible to connect CircleLoop with well-known tools to integrate powerful phone systems with services like Office 365, Hubspot, Zoho, Capsule CRM, Pipedrive, and many more.

5. Fewer equipment charges

Virtual phone lines can save your business significant sums of money in telephone and equipment charges. Being a 100% digital system, virtual phone lines require no additional hardware, equipment, installation, or maintenance.

6. Advanced features

When searching for a virtual phone provider, find out if the company being considered offers voicemail and text features in addition to phone service. CircleLoop offers conference calls all in the app, so your business can have unique conference rooms without needing a different system to your business phone.

7. Number porting

It is possible to keep an old business number and port it over to the CircleLoop account in just a few easy steps.

If you are interested in the virtual numbers for your business, then take a look at the complete list of virtual number benefits and features.