Business Phone Number

What Is a Business Phone Number?

A business phone number, also known as direct inward dialing, is a number with no ties to a physical location, system, or device. It is often used for remote work and usually comes with a set of useful features meant to simplify your work and help you manage your business easily. It is used for communication with clients, partners, team members, and all business-related calls. Companies may also assign extensions to various departments and/or employees, which means your entire team can get business phone numbers. Though such numbers may be tied to a landline, most businesses opt for the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of virtual phone number providers. Virtual numbers allow employees to make and receive calls from any location and device with internet access.

When Do You Need to Get a Phone Number for Business?

The best time to get a commercial phone number is at the planning stage of your business. However, if you’ve already kicked things off, here’s when you definitely need an upgrade to a professional option.

• You have trouble communicating with customers directly. Social media and messaging are great, but 76% of clients want to contact customer service over the phone.
• You’re using a personal phone for business communications. As a solopreneur, it seems like no big deal to use your personal number for business calls. But soon enough, you will see that this both looks unprofessional and makes a mess of your work-life balance.
• Your business is scaling. As your business grows, so does the call volume. This means you need a real business phone system with features like auto-attendant, voicemail-to-text, and integrations with CRM.
• You want more number options. You started out with a small online shop that now wants to expand into e-commerce that operates beyond state borders. Add a toll-free number to your local number to expand your reach.
• You need better call management. Without a phone number for a company, you’re missing out on the call management features that come with a reliable phone system. These allow you to route calls to different devices, connect employees to your business line, create different call waiting scenarios, and track all calls on a single platform.

• • You’re upgrading to a more professional brand image. With a business VoIP service, you can choose a toll-free or a regular vanity number (a number with letters and digits) to make your business stand out, or even place your brand name as your outbound caller ID.
  • You have a remote team. If you’re a team of two or more people working remotely or in a distributed environment, a phone system will connect all employees to a single phone number and provide access to a unified communications platform. With some systems, you might even have free numbers included in the plan.

• You have several departments and/or offices. Connect as many offices as you need to a single number or choose several numbers for your different locations.

Types of Phone Number for Business

Local business phone numbers

A local phone number is a number with a regional area code. Different states and different counties within the state have different area codes. Local numbers are best for companies that need a deeper level of trust and connection with the local community. For example, if your business is community-centered, such as a local store, service, or practice.

Toll-free business phone numbers

Toll-free numbers are phone numbers with a national area code, like 800, 855, etc. When callers dial this number, it’s free for them. Charges for toll-free calls are handled by the company. However, don’t worry about big bills. Most VoIP providers offer unlimited plans for toll-free calls, so all you pay is a monthly fixed price. If you have an online business, offer an online service, or do e-commerce, you need a business phone number like this that’s not tied to any specific region.

Vanity business phone numbers

Vanity phone numbers use a combination of letters and digits. For example, 1-800 FLOWERS is an example of a toll-free vanity number. 1(201) 455-CATS is an example of a local vanity option. Businesses opt for these numbers since they are great for advertising. As to dialing, they make use of the phone’s dial pad, which has letters associated with all digits, so they’re dialed just like any other normal phone number. These numbers work for any type of business.

International business phone numbers

International phone numbers are numbers that have an international country code and a local code. For example, +33 1 09 75 83 51 is an example of a French number. +33 is the country code, and 1 is the Paris area code. Businesses that have an international presence should get numbers that are specific to the countries they operate in. This makes calling accessible for customers from that particular region.

Key Features of Telephone Numbers for Business

• Call recording: automatically record all incoming and outgoing calls. The person on the other end will be notified automatically.
• Auto attendant: the auto attendant gets callers where they need to go by following pre-established rules you’ve set up. Conversely, by setting up pre-recorded messages, you can also help them without having them end up speaking with you.
• Call forwarding: Call forwarding allows you to send calls to any internet-connected device at hand. You can receive calls on a mobile phone while keeping business calls separate from personal ones.
• Caller ID: with inbound caller ID, you can be sure of who is calling you and prevent spam calls. Outbound caller ID, or CNAM, lets you announce your presence to those you are calling.
• Voicemail-to-text: automatically get your voicemail transcribed and sent to your email with the right voice over IP provider.
• Communications history: View your entire history of calls and communications, delegate tasks between team members, and use analytics tools to boost performance.

How Do Business Numbers Work?

Business phone numbers function via VoIP technology. The Voice over Internet Protocol systems allow audio, text, video, and other formats to be transferred over conversations over the internet. This technology allows you to communicate via any device that connects to the internet. Instead of being bound to a landline, desk phone, or cell phone, any internet device effectively becomes a phone.

The business telephone numbers need software (an app or a web browser) to function. Once the account is created and paid for, users can log in and start making calls with the number they purchased. Depending on the provider, multiple users can log in on different devices.

Difference Between Business Telephone Numbers and Regular Numbers

Choose a Business Phone Number

• Toll-free numbers

1-800 toll-free working numbers work great for nationwide companies and/or those that want to encourage calls.

• Local numbers

Connect with your community. MightyCall offers company phone numbers for every area code in the U.S.

• Vanity numbers

Take the opportunity to brand your small business with a word or phrase so customers remember you better.

• International numbers

Allow your customers to call your business from anywhere and make calls around the world at low prices.

• Online phone numbers

Manage your calls over a Wi-Fi connection. On-the-go work has never been easier.

• Virtual phone numbers

Buy a phone number for business and enjoy the full feature set without needing a second phone.

• Internet phone numbers

With an internet phone number, your small business will have better and easier access to every customer call.

• VoIP phone numbers

Get better call coverage and dozens of virtual phone number features for less than your personal cell plan.

Comparison Table of Business Numbers

Benefits Of Company Phone Numbers

Enhance Retention

Virtual telephone number systems typically include a large number of free features as part of the plan. These features will allow you to easily transfer calls from one team member to another and have text notes and recordings transcribed for all the conversations. This way, your team will be more efficient and will be able to retain more customers than without a company phone number.

Work from Anywhere

As long as you have a stable internet connection, you and your teammates can work from anywhere. All you will need is a device with a system that supports the VoIP calling app. Any additional devices, such as headsets, are complementary and can be used at the user’s discretion. Work on the beach in Sri Lanka, in your favorite cafe downtown, at home, or in the office.

Enjoy Affordability

Since there is no need to install special equipment or invest in expensive hardware, all you will be paying is the same monthly or yearly service fee as regular office phone service, but you will get more features for that price. You will have a whole ecosystem that can be fully integrated into your work, purchase additional phone numbers for a cheaper price, and more.

Improve Efficiency

Have everything in one place, overview your call statistics, and see how each operator is performing. With the right provider, you will be able to effortlessly transfer calls between departments, have business hours, a multi-level IVR, a call waiting feature, and more. Company phone numbers make it easy for everyone.

Best Practices for Choosing a Commercial Phone Number

The question of how to get a phone number for a business directly relates to your business development strategy. Which of the following best applies to your business, not just today but in the near future?

• Geographically targeted business: get a work phone number with a region-specific area code to establish a local presence in any city or branch of your business. You may get several local phone numbers for different locations.
• E-commerce, online, and/or national organizations: a national toll-free number is an attractive option for out-of-state callers. It expands the capacities of your sales and customer service teams.
• Advertising purposes: Vanity numbers give a personalized touch to both local and national numbers. If you run ad campaigns, these are way easier to remember than random sets of digits.
• Global organization: If your business is multinational, you need an international number or several phone numbers for different global locations, accessible in whichever country you’re operating in.

Feel like more than one of the above applies to you? You can choose both types of numbers or add them as you expand.

How to Choose a Business Phone Option

Just like with any technology, with VoIP, you can’t bake a cake for everyone. Here are the essentials to consider about the provider:

• Scalability. Does the provider offer you room for growth? You may be a solopreneur today, but grow into a small team in a year. Always select a provider that offers subscription plans with different tiers and versatility.
• Learning curve. Does this service look accessible for your team, or is it so advanced that it looks like rocket science to you at the moment?
• Price. How does the pricing fit into your budget? Don’t forget to count how many users will be connected to your company phone.
• Numbers offered. What kinds of phone numbers—and how many—does this provider offer? Do they have local, toll-free, and vanity options? Will you be able to add extra numbers without switching providers?
• Features and integrations. What calling features come with the plan? Does the provider offer CRM integration or other popular integrations with the business tools you use daily?
• Free trial. The best way to know you’re getting the best for your money is same old: try before you buy. Opt for services with a free trial or demo of the product you’re interested in.

Types of Business Telephone Number Providers

VoIP providers

These provide online work phone numbers and are cloud-based because they do not rely on physical hardware. They are frequently more than just phone numbers, as they provide numerous features and can be used by large corporations, small businesses, and solopreneurs. Companies like Vonage and 8×8 fall into this category.

Free business phone numbers

Lots of people wonder if you can get a new business number without having to pay for it. Some people want a stripped down service. They often turn to companies like Google Voice, which offer free numbers without many features. A free business number can have some obvious benefits, like the fact that you are not paying for it, but it can also have drawbacks, such as the fact that business numbers usually either don’t come with features or come with weak customer support.

Standalone business numbers

Some folks want to get themselves standalone business numbers when they get a business number. These standard phone numbers frequently lack features that can be used on desk phones or cellular devices. You can get business numbers like this through big companies like Verizon or Comcast. Even when it comes to these, though, you can get some variety by getting numbers like vanity phone numbers. Any number you use for your company will ultimately be your business number, so it’s important to make a good choice as to what kind you’d like.

Business phone number apps

Several companies base their phone systems around a downloadable app, oftentimes available for both iOS and Android devices. From this app, you can do a lot of things you can do with normal VoIP providers; you just have to centralize it through the app. Other companies, like MightyCall, base themselves around a web portal you can access on any computer while also offering an app to offer more flexibility.

Scale Your Business by Getting a Professional Phone Number

The best part about telephone numbers for business is the flexibility of choice they give you. Choose as few or as many numbers as you need. Start with one phone number, and as your organization and team grow, add more for additional employees, departments, or services.

Port your number at any time when you want to switch phone companies without losing your brand identity. When you get a phone number for business from a reliable business-centric provider like MightyCall you have nothing to lose, and the whole (business) world to gain!

About MightyCall

MightyCall has been serving the small business community for nearly a decade, transforming into a streamlined engine that works for any company. With over 10,000 customers boosting their customer communications, MightyCall brings cutting-edge telephony tools to every corner of the continent.

Small and mid-sized businesses are the backbone of America, and MightyCall takes pride helping Main Street stay relevant against Wall Street.