When it comes to businesses, having a face, presence, and an easy form of communication to help customers feel not only reachable but also somewhat connected, is vital. But what if your business is expanding and you want your reach to be global rather than just based in your country of residence, how do you connect with the target audience and make them avoid the hesitation of using your product or services just to minimize the hassle of getting in touch?
One of the easiest ways to achieve that is by creating a virtual number for your business. How will that come in handy? Imagine being located in China, for instance, and you want to appeal to customers from the US, UK, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. If you start researching and find that the company is operating in China, has Chinese working hours and a Chinese phone number, you would most probably look for an alternative in your country. However, having a virtual phone number will give the idea that the business is easily accessible and targeted towards your section of the universe.
For businesses, there are several advantages to using virtual phone lines:
The ability to use multiple numbers
The most obvious advantage of using virtual phone numbers is being able to provide access to multiple numbers across the globe that anyone from any country can dial. It is so authentic that callers will receive different automated message greetings according to the language of the number they dialed. How cool is that?
Local Flat rates
By obtaining a phone number in a different area code, clients will be able to call your business without paying long-distance rates as well as enhancing the business image by making it more appealing for customers in other countries.
Easy to use
One of the most important things we try to do to make work more comfortable and ease of use is essential for that. Getting a virtual phone number also means that you can manage it via the internet. It is very easy to not only purchase a number virtually, but you can also make any changes, add or remove countries at any time just by going online, rather than having to get in touch with a company call center.
Avoid using your personal phone number for the business
Many small businesses start off using their personal phone numbers, but after a while realize they do not want to be contacted for work on the weekends or after hours. It is easier to disconnect and keep personal lives separate from their business lives by having a virtual phone number for business purposes.
Advanced features and services
Not being tied down to a landline is just one of the advantages of virtual numbers. But the truly great thing about them is allowing a full range of services to be used. This includes options like call forwarding, text messaging, email, and even call conferencing and video conferencing. If a hosted solution is implemented, then an entire organizational phone system can be acquired including internal extensions for employees anywhere in the world making it easier to reduce costs by not having to finance your employees’ long-distance phone calls. You can even use your virtual number on any application form or signing up to services online to avoid telemarketers. That’s of course if you decide to request the feature of having call screening which can identify and block unwanted calls.
Useful for marketing purposes and analysis
When it comes to marketing, virtual phone lines can really come in handy. Let’s say your business is using a different local number for each campaign and promoting certain aspects by using different forms of media. It is possible to analyze the data and understand which campaign is the most effective for your business by checking how many calls each number received and therefore reduce future costs by focusing on the mediums that work best for your line of business.
Security
Having a virtual number can help you control the amount of money being spent on call costs. Your company will be able to easily identify who called where and when, and the expenses allocated towards it. This way, your business will then smartly adjust the spending limit for each area and avoid unneeded costs. Another advantage would be preventing the use of unauthorized calls, particularly to expensive and international numbers by employees as it is easy to monitor as well as limiting the number of calls to be made. It is also possible to distinguish between business and personal calls on the same device and have business calls forwarded from a virtual number to your personal number when necessary, keeping you always mobile when needed.
Your business can really benefit and expand by having a virtual number as well as reduce costs. When integrated with the many features that virtual numbers offer, your business will be able to use better forms of efficient marketing as well be as mobile as ever. After all, what better way to do business than with the tools that make you excel? Doesn’t that sound pretty awesome?
