The Complete Guide to Getting Virtual Phone Numbers for Your Business

If you run a modern business, chances are your trusty old landline phone system just doesn’t cut it anymore. Virtual phone numbers are quickly emerging as the new way smart companies upgrade their customer service and supercharge sales.

But how exactly do virtual numbers work and are they worth the hype? As your resident tech guru, let me walk you through everything you need to know to successfully implement them in your organization.

Why Every Business Needs to Switch to Virtual Phone Numbers

First, let’s look at why virtual phone numbers are rapidly replacing traditional analog phone lines:

Flexibility That Can’t Be Beat

The #1 advantage is unfettered flexibility. With virtual numbers, your calls can flow seamlessly between smartphones, desktop software, and desk phones using internet telephony (VoIP). Say goodbye to losing sales because you stepped away from your desk!

No Need for Costly Extra Lines

Adding new lines for more staff? Get ready to pay big bucks for installation, hardware and monthly access with old-school analog phone companies. Virtual numbers cut these expenses and complexity down massively.

Appear Local From Anywhere

Have a distributed workforce or telecommuters? Virtual numbers let you project a local office presence anywhere through local area code phone numbers. Customers won’t even know you’re out-of-state.

Granular Analytics for Optimization

The rich metrics and call tracking abilities of virtual numbers let you deeply understand your calling traffic and optimize routing. Much more powerful than just basic call logs.

Seamless CRM Integrations

Virtual phone services play nice with all major CRM and helpdesk platforms. This enables awesome abilities like screen pops on sales agent computers when specific customers call.

Disaster Recovery Built-In

Server outages and service disruptions are no longer something to dread. The distributed cloud infrastructure behind virtual numbers provides excellent redundancy if any endpoints go down.

Future-Proof Scaling

As your business grows, easily add new lines, features and geographic coverage areas to your virtual phone system with a few clicks. On-demand flexibility.

According to Statista, over 60% of US businesses will be using VoIP phone systems by 2025. And this global revolution is driven by the benefits of virtual numbers.

Here‘s a comparison of traditional landline systems versus modern virtual phone numbers:

	Traditional Landlines	Virtual Phone Numbers
Hardware Costs	High for handsets and switches	Minimal – delivered via software
Monthly Costs	High for extra lines and service	Lower due to VoIP delivery
Flexibility	Minimal – tied to desk phones	Maximum – delivered on any connected device
Disaster Recovery	Low – reliance on local infrastructure	High – distributed cloud backup
Geographic Coverage	Limited to one area code region	Nationwide or global numbering
Management Effort	Manual changes and updates	Web/app interface for easy changes

It’s clear that virtual numbers are the way forward. Now let’s examine the different types available.

Choosing the Right Virtual Number Type for Your Business

Virtual phone numbers generally fall into one of four core categories:

Toll Free Numbers

The iconic 800, 888, etc. numbers that customers can call for free. They’re ideal for sales departments and customer service hotlines that want to project a professional, national presence.

Local Numbers

Local numbers from desired geographic regions make you seem like part of the neighborhood. Choose numbers matching your customer locales.

Vanity Numbers

Custom unique numbers that spell your company name or product names. Easier to remember than random digits.

International Numbers

For businesses with global audiences, virtual numbers from different countries build trust and familiarity. Avoid long distance charges too.

Within these types, you can get direct one-to-one numbers or shared 1-800 numbers based on your needs and budget.

Let‘s compare the business use cases for local vs toll-free virtual numbers:

	Local Number	Toll-Free Number
Use Case	Promote proximity to customers in specific towns/cities. Project a local presence	Highlight national availability for sales and support. Large company image
Pros	Increased trust and familiarity for local audiences. Appear multi-location	Build brand, convenience. Callers don‘t incur long distance charges
Cons	Some customer segments prefer toll-free numbers	Can get expensive based on call volume
Cost	Lower monthly fees, affordable for SMBs	Higher monthly fees, ideal for larger budgets

This table should give you a good idea of picking the number style for your specific priorities.

Now let’s overview the top virtual phone services available today.

Top 10 Virtual Phone Number Providers for Business

There are dozens of companies offering virtual phone numbers today. Based on my evaluations, here are the top 10 providers worth considering across different business sizes and needs:

1. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is my first recommendation for startups and SMBs. It’s cost-effective, yet packed with features like IVR menus, call forwarding and auto-attendants. Pricing starts at just $26/month for a basic plan.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral leads options for larger enterprises. It offers a full Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) suite on top of virtual numbers. Expect strong SMB plans too.

3. Aircall

Aircall excels at call center features like interactive voice menus, real-time analytics and integrations with helpdesk platforms like Zendesk.

4. Dialpad

Dialpad is perfect for remote teams. It includes video conferencing alongside virtual phone capabilities. Great mobility features.

5. Telzio

Telzio offers unlimited calling in the US and Canada bundled with its virtual numbers for reasonable rates. Round-the-clock support.

6. Ooma

Ooma is a budget-friendly option starting at just $5 per month per number. Just don‘t expect too many advanced call routing features.

7. Vonage

Vonage Business Cloud combines virtual phone, video conferencing, online meetings and team messaging capabilities.

8. Nextiva

Nextiva offers excellent call center features like interactive voice response (IVR) trees and whisper messages for training agents.

9. 8×8

8×8 provides integrated cloud communications and contact center solutions alongside virtual numbers. Strong global coverage.

10. Jive Communications

Jive has a very clean and intuitive interface to manage virtual numbers. Packed with call center features and mobile apps.

This list covers the spectrum from cheap and cheerful providers like Ooma to advanced solutions like RingCentral. Make sure to get free trials before commitment.

Here are some key criteria I advise using to evaluate providers:

Make sure they have coverage in all your required locations. Nothing‘s worse than finding gaps later.

Check reliability and call quality by reading online reviews and checking for service level agreements.

Assess their mobile apps and softphones to enable remote working.

Examine their CRM integrations like Salesforce, Zoho etc. to supercharge your agents.

Pick out the exact features like call recording and IVR menus that best fit your use case.

Do the math carefully on overall costs depending on number of users and usage patterns.

Check for scalability so you can easily add numbers and locations later.

Make sure onboarding and management is straightforward by testing the interface yourself.

Verify they offer 24/7 customer support in case anything goes wrong.

Follow this criteria closely as you compare options for your specific needs.

Setting Up Your Virtual Phone Numbers – A Step-By-Step Walkthrough

Once you‘ve picked a provider, it‘s time to put your new virtual numbers to work. Let me explain the typical setup process:

Choose your desired numbers. Select toll-free, local or custom numbers for different departments.

Specify handling rules. Route calls to ring groups, voicemail, extensions etc. For advanced control, craft IVR menus to redirect callers.

Set up devices. Install softphone apps and SIP device configs to receive calls anywhere.

Enable recording. Turn on call recording for compliance, quality assurance and training.

Integrate with business systems. Connect your virtual numbers with your CRM, marketing automation platform etc. to supercharge agents.

Monitor analytics. Review reports on call volumes, wait times, abandons etc. to optimize routing logic.

Promote numbers. Update all webpages, ads and marketing materials with new virtual numbers.

Test rigorously. Have team members simulate customer calls to catch any configuration issues before go-live.

With these steps completed, your business will be ready to thrive in the new world of virtual phone numbers!

Some potential pitfalls to watch out for:

Geographic gaps in available numbers for your clients
Unexpectedly high call volumes exceeding plan limits
Integration problems with existing business apps
Onboarding delays because of number porting and complex call routing setup

But in most cases, the process is smooth if you manage expectations and budget correctly.

Creative Ways Businesses Can Use Virtual Numbers

Beyond just standard inbound customer service and sales lines, smart companies are finding very creative applications for virtual numbers.

Here are some examples from my consulting experience:

Temporary numbers for marketing campaigns: Create numbers specifically for certain campaigns or events which you can change easily later.
Geographically targeted support lines: Set up region-specific helpdesk numbers tailored to international audiences.
Team mobility: Equip a dispersed field sales team with single virtual numbers irrespective of location.
Customer sentiment monitoring: Route numbers mentioned in ads to specialized agents trained to gauge satisfaction and concerns.
Dedicated voicemail boxes: Set up personal voicemails for executives that forward messages to their email for convenient access.
Call center cost optimization: Have a time-based schedule to route overflow calls to remote freelancers only during peak load.
Personal later lines: Give select customers dedicated VIP numbers to reach specific sales reps directly.

Let creativity be your guide in boosting your customer experience with virtual numbers!

Don’t Let Your Business Get Left Behind

I hope this detailed tour of the virtual phone number landscape gave you new insights into upgrading your business phone system. With clear benefits, flexible options and creative applications, virtual numbers are here to stay.

As a fellow business geek, my advice is: don’t let your organization get left behind! Virtual phone capabilities can take your customer service, sales and internal coordination to the next level.

Carefully review number types, leading providers and use cases against your needs. The top vendors offer free trials, so take advantage to experience the technology first-hand.

In no time, you can modernize communications, reduce costs and deliver a superior customer experience with virtual numbers. Feel free to reach out if you need any advice in getting started. The future of business telephony is exciting indeed!