Owning and operating a small business is a ton of work. Oftentimes, it’s on you to figure out every aspect of the business, from inventory management and timesheets to advertising and attending local events. It’s no wonder, then, that some things get lost in the shuffle.
Something that doesn’t often get the attention it needs is your business phone number. There are so many aspects to consider and reconsider that most business owners just don’t have the time to handle it. Enter virtual phone numbers; the little application that could take you to the next level. It won’t be easy, but using a virtual number can turn your phone line from a simple point of contact into a boon that elevates your business to new heights of success. Here are 3 professional and 3 personal reasons you should use a virtual phone number.
Professional Reasons
There are plenty of professional reasons that business owners should use virtual phone numbers.
#1: People Prefer Local Phone Numbers
The numbers don’t lie; people prefer local phone numbers. Research has shown that people are nearly 4 times more likely to call and answer phone numbers from the same area code compared to a toll-free number. People trust local phone numbers and local calls. Having a local phone number is a great way to get your business the exposure it needs.
Virtual phone number services like Call.com will allow you to use a phone number in any area code. By utilizing virtual phone numbers, your business can establish itself as a local operation in any city or locality you want to.
#2: Numbers from the Same Country are a Must Have
This isn’t relevant for all businesses – just those operating internationally. However, if you do business in more than one country, then you absolutely need a local virtual phone number. Everything relating to trust with local numbers is true ten-fold for international numbers. People simply do not answer international phone calls, especially if they are not expecting them. This can be a death knell for a business.
Even if customers are trying to contact you, international phone numbers will turn them off. International calls come with extra fees, complications, and doubts that can scare off potential customers. If you use a phone number from a country that your customer is not in, then you are inviting tons of unnecessary complications into their customer experience. That’s why virtual phone numbers are a necessity: virtual phone numbers will give you the ability to become a local in almost any country on the planet.
#3: No dedicated hardware to set up a phone system
In today’s world, more and more businesses are forgoing dedicated office spaces. Remote working has a lot of benefits for businesses that make the switch. Something that they leave behind, unfortunately, is any hope of a traditional phone-routing system for incoming calls. Luckily for those businesses, virtual phone numbers can be utilized like a phone system.
Virtual phone numbers from Call.com can be forwarded to another number or person. So, you can forward phone calls to a secretary, a support line, or anyone else. On top of that, virtual numbers can also be transferred to a colleague if you discover that they are better equipped to help the person you are talking to.
Virtual phone numbers have all the benefits of a more typical, hardwired phone system. Unlike a typical phone system, however, virtual numbers can be routed to employees without dedicated hardware. There is no need to tie yourself or your employees to a desk or office space. On top of that, setup time is shorter for virtual numbers because there isn’t a need to physically install hardware. Instead, Call.com can be set up as a virtual phone system in just a few minutes. Then, you and your employees can take calls anywhere, anytime.
Personal Reasons
There are more than just business reasons for a business owner to use a virtual phone number; there are plenty of ways it can help your personal life as well.
#4: Easily maintain a work life balance
Finding a way to maintain your personal life on top of your business’s needs is a struggle that many small business owners know well. If you aren’t diligent, then you can lose any separation between the two. That’s where a virtual phone number comes into play: creating a break.
Creating a clear, apparent break between your work and your personal life can help you start to make time for both. Using a separate phone number for your work life and your personal life will make it easier to leave business calls for business hours.
There are additional features of virtual numbers from Call.com that will help you maintain a work life balance, too. You can set the availability of your virtual number so you won’t receive work calls outside of work hours. If life happens and you can’t take calls, then you can forward your calls to one of your employees. If you’re taking an extended break, you can even transfer the number to someone else so that your business can continue operating while you aren’t around.
Starting with a separate phone number may seem small, but starting anywhere at all is the hardest step. Speaking of separating your personal and business phone calls: