How to Get a VOIP Number and Use It
Are you one of the 620,000 new business owners getting started this year? If so, will you have a physical office location, where your employees will come to work? Or will you be operating remotely?
In either instance, business communication is essential. Whether your team members are a few cubicles away, or they are a few states away from each other, they need to be able to communicate.
New advances in technology, such as VoIP phone systems, are making communication much easier and more cost-effective than ever before. Wondering how to get a VoIP number, and how can use implement a VoIP call system in your business?
Keep reading to learn how you can get your new business phone number up and running today.
What Is VoIP calling?
VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol or voice over IP. It allows you to have a specific phone number assigned to an individual. But that phone number is not linked to a specific location or device.
Your cell phone number is linked specifically to your cell phone. If you have a landline at home, the phone number used is specifically used for that landline.
But with VoIP, the internet allows you to use this phone number across many different devices, and from any geographical location. The call takes place over the internet, rather than through a traditional phone company.
Phone lines use physical copper wires to transmit the data of the call from one location to another (outdated technology). But the internet uses global data networks (modern technology).
This allows the call to be routed to its final destination in the fastest and most efficient way possible, making this service much easier and more affordable than long-distance calling through a phone provider.
How to Get a VoIP Number
Getting a VoIP phone number is quick and easy to do. There are many VoIP providers that allow you to sign up and claim for paid or free number right away, so you can start making and receiving calls.
By going through a VoIP provider, you can have it set up on your devices in a few minutes. No service technicians or physical installations are required.
Popular VoIP providers include Ring Central, Vonage, Zoom, and Nextiva, though there is no shortage of providers available.
When signing up for a VoIP number, you’ll need to select a service plan. Cheaper plans typically only include voice calls and text messaging. Enhanced plans will include video calls.
VoIP is mostly used for businesses, though some people replace their home and cell phone service plans with VoIP since you can use it anywhere that you have an internet connection.
Some service providers even provide users with a free number, though they won’t get to choose their phone number, area code, and will have limited features available.
Choose Your VoIP Number
On most VoIP plans, you can choose your phone number. Many users like to choose a number sequence that is easy to remember.
More important than the actual phone number, however, is the area code. The area code does have an impact on your phone calls, and on your business image.
For example, if you’re team works remotely, but your company headquarters is in a particular city, you might want all of your team members to use that local area code.
This will give your brand a cohesive image, which is important for customers and clients.
You can also choose an area code and phone number that won’t get flagged. For example, when submitting inquiries on business websites, particularly those outside your home country, you may need to put in a phone number.
Having a legit, active phone number is important, or your inquiry might be flagged as fraud. Is a phone number active? Many businesses have software that can check to tell if you provided a real or fake phone number.
So make sure to choose the area code that makes the most sense for who you will be calling and where they are located.
Using Your VoIP Number
How you use your VoIP number is determined by your provider. Many of the big-name VoIP providers have an app that you can download on all of your devices.
By simply opening this app on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you use your VoIP number to send and receive calls, messages, and videos. This helps you track all of your business communication in one place, keeping it separate from personal communication channels.
If you have an office phone, you can also link your VoIP number to that phone, so that when you’re at your desk, you don’t have to rely on your personal cell phone.
Benefits of VoIP Systems
If you’re a freelancer or solo business owner, you can sign up for an individual VoIP number. But if you’re part of a larger team, it’s easy to add as many numbers as is needed.
VoIP can be scaled up or down with ease, whereas traditional phone systems are much more complicated to adjust. All you have to do is increase your bandwidth in order to add more phone numbers to your business network.
Plus, pricing is very affordable. The more numbers you add to your plan, the bigger discounts you’ll receive.
With VoIP, you can always reach your team members. Whether they are currently in the break room, working from a coffee shop, or sitting in an airport, halfway across the world, you can use their same phone number to reach them, on any device, wherever they are.
In the modern world, where employees are on the move and teams are dispersed, this kind of flexibility and affordability is crucial to success.
Bring Your Business Into the Future
In 2022, we have more communication channels available to us than ever before. From video conferencing to communication apps, to live chat, and everything in between, communicating with customers and team members has never been easier.
But the need for phone calls will never be replaced. Verbal communication will always be necessary. But how we handle those phone calls is becoming much more efficient and user-friendly.
Now that you know how to get a VoIP number, it’s time to bring your business into the future and claim your number today.
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