Getting a Business Phone Number

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Articles

• Best Small Business Phone Service 2024
• Best Vanity Phone Number Service 2024
• Best VoIP Phone Service 2024
• Using Google Voice for Business

Phone Number Types and Uses

Business communication is evolving rapidly, with various phone number options available to match different enterprise needs. Whether it's maintaining a local presence or adopting modern VoIP solutions, the right phone number can elevate brand perception and streamline operations. 

Getting a Business Phone Number – Transcript

A business phone number gives your company credibility. It increases brand recognition and allows you and your team members to keep personal phone numbers private. It can even become an integral part of your brand. It increases customer trust and can separate you from your competitors. 

In this video, we'll take a closer look at what a business phone number is, types of numbers that you can get for your business, key features, and how to get a business phone number. 

Hey everybody, Will Scheren here from Small Business Startup Guide by TRUiC. This video is part of a larger course dedicated to helping small business owners cut through the noise and get to the essentials of starting and operating their business. If that sounds like it would be really useful to you, be sure to like and subscribe. 

What is a business phone number? – These days, professional business phone numbers aren't tied to a specific phone system. This means that you can use the same business phone number on different devices and in different locations through a provider's app. They're really easy to set up – you just have to download a business phone number provider app, select your desired phone number and plan, and pay for the service. These services can often be set up in very little time. 

Why you need a business phone number – having a business phone number offers several benefits over a traditional landline and even smartphone numbers. The most obvious as they provide a more professional appearance for your brand. But there's several other reasons to get a business phone number for your business as well. 

Multi-device access – first, you'll be able to use a business phone number on the device of your choosing, whether that's your standard desk phone, a laptop or desktop computer, your smartphone, or even a tablet. These numbers offer excellent portability and flexibility, so you won't be consistently tied to your landline waiting for that all-important call. Plus, business phone number apps offer basic features like call forwarding, meaning if you miss a call on one of your devices or phone numbers, it'll be forwarded to another. If your customer calls your business phone number but doesn't get an answer, the call could be forwarded to your personal cell phone number. 

Additional communication channels – business phone number apps also have additional communication channels like SMS texting and online faxing. Virtual faxing allows you to send customers important files like contracts or project documents without all the bulk equipment and without tying up your business phone line. SMS and MMS business texting lets you instantly respond to simple customer questions or tell them when you'll be able to speak via phone if you miss a call while you're in a meeting. 

Advanced features for better call management – virtual business phone numbers also streamline call management better than traditional landlines. Call screening lets you know who is calling, making it easy to decide whether or not to take the call and ensuring that you're better prepared for the conversation If you do pick up. Real-time notifications from missed calls and voicemail messages, along with call logs, help to prevent you from not returning phone calls in a timely manner. And voicemail transcription is another service offered by a lot of business phone number providers so you can read and not listen to voicemail messages. This saves time and allows for better callback prioritization. 

The different types of business phone numbers – not all business phone numbers are created equal, and the type you choose for your business is a key consideration. The main types of virtual business phone numbers are local numbers, toll-free numbers, vanity numbers, and VoIP numbers. 

Local phone numbers should be used to establish a local presence. Since they're tied to a specific location or area code, local phone numbers give your business a more trusted local presence. Note that you can choose local phone numbers in area codes that aren't necessarily tied to the physical location of your business. In fact, many businesses purchase multiple local phone numbers to seem like they have a presence throughout the country. Local phone numbers can be claimed for free with tools like Google Voice and can be purchased for $10 per line per month with fast and simple setup. We've placed a link below this video for you to get access to. Google Voice. 

Toll-free phone numbers offer affordable professionalism. Toll-free numbers, sometimes called 800 numbers, begin with number prefixes like 800, 888, 877, or 866. These numbers are free for customers to dial, and they're not tied to any specific location like local phone numbers are. You can set up toll-free phone numbers through your phone service provider or have numbers forwarded to existing lines. With an average cost of $10 per number per month, these numbers are an affordable option that makes your business seem more nationwide as opposed to just being local. 

Vanity phone numbers can provide better name recognition. A vanity phone number is a customizable, personalized, toll-free number that allows you to spell out relevant words or phrases. 1-800-FLOWERS is perhaps the best-known example of a vanity number. Vanity phone numbers can be a memorable extension of your brand; however, many vanity phone numbers are already taken, so creativity will be key in finding a vanity phone number that makes sense for your brand. Vanity phone numbers are slightly more expensive than standard toll-free numbers, ranging in price from $10 to $50 per line per month. We've provided a link to our website that can help you get a vanity phone number below this video. 

VoIP phone numbers are for businesses who need advanced features. A VoIP number is assigned to you when signing up for a business VoIP service which allows you to make or receive calls over the internet. With an average cost between $20 and $50 per user per month, this type of number is more expensive than the other type of options here, but it comes with scalability and additional features that are not available on all the other types. Like the ability to integrate phone calls into marketing software like HubSpot. We would strongly recommend getting a VoIP number for your business if your business will sell complicated or expensive products that will primarily be sold by a salesperson, as automated sales funnel activities will be a needed component of your business's growth. 

Selecting the right phone number provider for your business – if your business is a local business and will not be reliant upon phone calls for the majority of their sales, then finding out who the local landline providers are in your area and explaining your phone needs to them will likely be a fine option for your business. If you will be the only person working on your business, and phone calls will not be a primary method for you to interact with your customers, then setting up a Google phone number and adding that phone number to your existing phone will also likely be a fine option. But for just about every other type of business, setting up a VoIP number would be a valuable decision. 

Getting a VoIP business phone number is simple. You'll need to find a VoIP phone provider and find the best package for your business. Keep in mind that the value of these services can vary significantly depending on the package and the provider in question. 

For your convenience, we've provided links below this video to each of these providers with the best pricing that we found for these providers as well. Simply get in contact with any of these businesses, explain to them what you believe your initial phone needs will be, ask them for pricing information, and ask them why you should trust them with your business phone needs. Make your decision, and your business will have the phone number or phone number as it needs to start doing business. 

For more information on finding a phone number for your business, we provided links to articles on our website where you can take a deeper dive. In the next video in the course, we'll take a look at another business back-office essential concerning how you will manage your business's bookkeeping. 

This video is part of a step-by-step course that gives business owners all of the essential information for starting and operating their business. We provided a link below this video for you to get access to all of the free and discounted business tools that we mentioned in this course. 

Be sure to like and subscribe to get more of this content. We’ll see you in the next video, and if you have any questions, let us know.