How to Buy a Specific Phone Number

Buying a specific phone number is a great way to promote a business or brand.

Our How to Buy a Specific Phone Number guide will help you choose the best phone number to promote your business.

Recommended: RingCentral.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of the numerous features and low-cost pricing.

How to Find Available Phone Numbers

If you open an account with a business phone service provider, you will automatically be assigned a number. However, you can get a specific phone number once your service starts. The provider will provide a list of available phone numbers. The same applies if you're trying to get a toll-free number for your business.

Likewise, if you already have an account with a business phone service provider, you can ask your service provider for a list of available phone numbers. If there’s one available that you like, you can ask to have your existing phone number changed.

Note that it’s possible to either rent or purchase vanity phone numbers from phone companies and VoIP services. If you plan to have the vanity number for a long time, we suggest purchasing it to avoid needing to renew your subscription at the end of each rental period.

Recommended: To come up with a unique vanity phone number, visit our vanity phone number generator.

Which Phone Services Let You Choose Your Own Phone Number?

Many small business phone services allow you to choose your own phone number. You can even request a vanity phone number for an additional cost. Toll-free number providers and Google Voice for Business also let you choose your own business phone number. Once you do, be sure to get your business phone number listed on Google. This will make it easier for people to find your contact information.

1. RingCentral: $19.99 to $49.99 per Month

RingCentral offers a complete cloud-based unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform that connects various communication and collaboration technologies. These technologies include voice, business messaging, team collaboration, video conferencing, and online meetings, to name a few. In addition, RingCentral helps connect all devices — smartphones, tablets, desk phones, and computers — making it the perfect business phone service for any business.

Looking for a business phone system that gives you everything? Learn more about RingCentral.

2. Phone.com: $10.39 to $39.99 per Month

Phone.com provides affordable, reliable, and easy-to-use cloud-based VoIP phone service and virtual office solutions. Features include a local or toll-free number, unlimited calling, voicemail to email, conference calling, and more. Entrepreneurs, small businesses, and anyone who wants to make their business more professional will find Phone.com to be a great solution.

Looking for the best business phone service? Try Phone.com.

3. Talkroute: $19 to $99 per Month

Talkroute is a business phone service provider that uses voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to help small businesses appear like large corporations. The company offers call routing, business hour settings, call forwarding, free number, hold music, SMS text messaging, visual voicemail, and many other useful features.

Need a small business phone service with a big business presence? Learn more about Talkroute.

4. eVoice: $10 to $14 per Month

eVoice is a virtual business phone system that lets you receive calls anywhere using its cloud-based PBX phone line. It also offers a live receptionist service that will take calls, book appointments, collect customer information, process payments, and provide other services.

Looking for a live receptionist to take your calls? Learn more about eVoice.

5. Grasshopper: $26 to $80 per Month

Grasshopper offers a range of features like auto-texting customers when you can't make and receive calls. It also offers hold music, a free number, call logs, and other business VoIP phone service features.

Try Grasshopper if you to give your business a professional edge with advanced features.

Why Buy a Specific Phone Number?

There are many reasons to get a specific number, otherwise known as a vanity phone number, including:

Increased traffic
Improved brand image
Better customer service
Increased competitiveness

Increased Traffic

It’s often easier to remember a vanity number than a random one. This will indirectly increase traffic to your company’s website because it will be easier for people to contact you.

You can provide information about discounts, listen to their feedback, and otherwise engage with them to keep them coming back to your website.

A vanity number can also make your company seem more authoritative, trustworthy, and legitimate to first-time customers. This can increase website traffic as well.

Improved Brand Image

Choosing a vanity phone number that is easily remembered improves brand image. For example, 1-800-FLOWERS conveys what the company is about.

Having a vanity number is an easy way to make your business more recognizable and differentiate yourself from the competition.

Better Customer Service

If your phone number is easy to remember, it will be easier for customers to contact you. This is especially true for existing customers.

A vanity phone number is another way to signal to existing and potential customers that you have their interests at heart and want to make it simple for them to get in contact with you.

Increased Competitiveness

Increased traffic, improved brand image, and better customer service all help make your business more competitive.

How to Choose a Custom Phone Number

To select a custom phone number:

Choose a Local or 800 Number

It’s not as important to provide customers with a toll-free number these days because long-distance domestic charges are largely a thing of the past.

However, if you plan to expand to other locations and/or sell online, a national toll-free phone number will make it easier to do that. Moreover, toll-free numbers are universally recognized and provide important safety features.

A local vanity number can work fine if you only want to do business in one area. It has the advantage of making your customers feel like your business is directly connected to their community.

Choose a Number That’s Easy to Remember

This is one of the primary reasons to get a vanity number. Choosing a memorable number will make it easier for customers to call you. It also shows that you’re sensitive to the information overload that everyone experiences.

Choose a Number That Represents Your Business

The vanity number you select should not only be easy to remember, but it should also represent something about your business, brand, or products and services.

You can choose a phone number with your company’s name in it (e.g., 1-800-XFINITY) or one that says what you do (e.g., 1-800-HOMEBUY for a real estate agent).

To get started, make a list of keywords that relate to your company and industry and try to incorporate one of them.

Consider Buying More Than One Phone Number

It’s best for branding and search engine optimization (SEO) to have one main phone number for your company. However, purchasing multiple phone numbers and trying them on various advertising channels can help you track which channels provide the most sales leads.

Buying a Specific Phone Number FAQ

Can I get a specific phone number?

You can get a specific number by contacting your phone service provider or cell carrier and asking to choose one from a list of available options. The cost will depend on your existing phone plan.

Can I buy a phone number from someone?

You can’t buy a directory number from an existing user of a given phone service like RingCentral. Directory numbers are only issued by phone service providers to individual subscribers. Toll-free phone numbers can be purchased from an online marketplace.

How do I generate a vanity phone number?

Visit our vanity phone number generator to generate a list of possible vanity phone numbers. Then choose the ideal number for your business and see if it’s available from your service provider.

What is the difference between a vanity phone number vs. a toll-free number?

Toll-free numbers are numbers with a specific dialing code that can be dialed by users at no charge. Within the US, toll-free dialing codes include:

On the other hand, a vanity phone number is a phone number with a particular sequence or spelling that makes it particularly memorable to callers. Vanity phone numbers can be both local or toll-free numbers.

Examples of vanity toll-free phone numbers include:

1-800-BUILDER
1-734-BALLOON
1-888-BEACHES