10 benefits of a virtual phone number for small businesses

A virtual phone number has been a game changer for businesses. So, let’s find out what are some of the benefits of a virtual phone number for businesses.

For business owners like you, every minute is dedicated to growing the company. And with so much on your plate, having an effective, inexpensive way to manage customer communications is critical. That’s what a virtual phone number can help with.

Virtual phone numbers work exactly like a regular number but are more versatile.

They allow you to establish a robust local presence in any part of the world. They also enable you to provide a better experience for your customers. But the question is, how?

In this article, we will discuss what a virtual phone number is and it’s multiple benefits for your small business.

What is a virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is just like an ordinary number but is not directly associated with a telephone line.

Think of it as a mobile sim card that doesn’t require you to stick to a fixed location (like landline does). However, you can use virtual phone numbers to make and receive calls on any device, including smartphones, desktops, softphones, and VoIP desk phones.

A virtual phone number allows you to keep your business and personal communications separate while maintaining a professional image.

What are the benefits of a virtual phone number?

From cost savings to improved local presence, a virtual phone number offers a myriad of benefits for small businesses.

Let’s take a look at a few of them,

Consistent branding for your business

As a business owner, it is vital to maintain a consistent professional image across all your communication channels.

For example, if a caller hears, “Hi, this is James,” they might get confused if they have called the right number. However, if they hear, “Hey, this is James, welcome to [YourCompany],” it will enhance your branding.

With a virtual phone number, you can create a unique custom message that all of your callers will hear as soon as they call your business.

Regardless of where you are or which device you use to handle calls, the customer will listen to the same message, thereby ensuring consistent branding for your business.

Cut down onphone bills

Phone bills can quickly go up, especially if you make hundreds of calls or offer toll-free numbers to your customers.

And, if you are located in a different country than your customers, you will be looking at thousands of dollars in phone bills.

Virtual phone numbers let you make and receive calls to and from anywhere in the world without paying hefty calling charges. However, it is worth mentioning that you will need a reliable internet connection to make and receive calls.

Helps establish a robust local presence

You can buy a virtual number in any city or country in the world irrespective of where you are located.

This is extremely helpful for businesses that operate remotely or are looking to expand their operations to a new location.

For instance, if you are located in Washington DC and want to expand your business to Canada. You can buy local virtual phone numbers in Canada to make it look like you’re based in the country (without actually being there).

This helps build rapport with potential customers and increases the chances of sales.

Improves marketing efforts

One of the key aspects of improving marketing efforts is measuring its performance. Sadly, most marketers don’t know where the call is coming from, leaving them clueless about which campaigns to focus on the most.

By inserting unique virtual phone numbers into each of your campaigns, you can track the conversions and ROI better. This will also enable you to stop (or optimize) campaigns that aren’t as effective as you want.

Another benefit of virtual phone numbers in marketing is that you can use local numbers for each location you’re advertising, increasing the chances of conversions.

Your callers will be routed better

As soon as a customer calls your business, he or she will be presented with different options (which you can customize). The system will then point customers to the right department based on their input on auto-attendant.

This feature ensures that the caller doesn’t waste their time explaining their issue to the wrong person, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

For example, if someone calls you for help with billing, their call will be directly routed to someone in your finance team. They won’t have to pass through several people (or departments) to get to the right person.

Build a remote team with ease

As businesses start to embrace remote work, it is essential to have a system that offers the flexibility to work from anywhere. Since a virtual phone number doesn’t require any dedicated hardware, you can build a remote team easily.

The only things your team members will need are a smartphone (or a desktop) and a reliable internet connection. Virtual numbers conceal your caller ID, so you won’t have to worry about exposing your personal phone number when receiving or making a call.

Features built for businesses

A virtual phone system offers a lot more features than your cell phone number or traditional business systems. These features include (but not limited to):

• Customizable menu
• Extensions for departments and employees
• Voicemail and faxes to your email
• Voicemail transcription
• On-hold music
• Conference calling
• Call recording

Freedom to choose your numbers

Need a local number but based on another city or country?

A virtual phone system has got you covered. You can buy an Australian phone number while sitting here in the US.

But that’s not it. You can even pick a phone number that you think would be best for your business. iTeleCenter has a vast database, allowing you to browse through thousands of numbers.

You can also choose to port your existing phone number, so your current customers won’t have to spend time searching for your new number.

Never miss a call again

Imagine this..

A customer calls your business, but the person at the desk is not in the office or on a break. You have no option but to send the call to your voicemail.

 According to research, 75% of customers won’t leave a voicemail, and about 85% of callers will not call back if they don’t reach you the first time.

And every missed call is a lost opportunity.

Virtual phone numbers solve this problem. When any of your team members are out of the office, you can turn their desk phone connection off, forward the call to their mobile, or redirect the call to another agent.

This reduces the chances of your customers landing on voicemail. And, just in case they still reach your voicemail, the system will immediately transcribe the message and send it to your email.

Scale your business at any time

As your business grows, you will hire more agents on your team. You will need a system that supports your growth.

Since virtual phone numbers don’t require any special hardware or dedicated telephone lines, scaling your team gets easier. All you need to do is add new users to your existing number at little to no extra cost.

Get a virtual number with iTeleCenter

Virtual numbers are perfect for small businesses, remote teams, as well as larger companies with multiple departments.

You and your team can choose from virtual local phone numbers, toll-free numbers, and vanity numbers and add it to your existing smartphone and stay connected.

Want to test the waters before you make the call? Try iTeleCenter for free