When you first hear about virtual phone numbers, you might be a little apprehensive about using them for your business because it seems as if this is an entirely different kind of number, but it actually works just the same, and in some ways better than a number you would get from a phone company.
A virtual number is not a soft phone number, it is not a VoIP number, and it is even more versatile than a conventional number.
A virtual number works just like the numbers you’re used to.
When you say, “virtual number”, it sounds like it’s not quite a real number, or that there’s something strange about it, but this is not the case.
You receive calls in the same way, and when someone calls your virtual number, they will be instantly connected to you from anywhere, as you would expect.
They can also be local or toll free, just like a number from the phone company. It does, however, have unique advantages.
No service commitments or contracts.
If you have ever registered a number with your local phone company, then you know that they generally require that you purchase their service, and sometimes you will have to enter into a contract with them.
Long-term contracts are especially common with VoIP service providers. When you register a virtual phone number from Talkroute, no contract is necessary and you may cancel service at any time.
No extra cost for call forwarding to any phone.
Your local phone company is likely to charge you extra fees to forward your number to any alternative service (e.g., cell phone), but when you have a Talkroute number, forwarding to any phones, regardless of the service provider—whether it be a landline, mobile, or VoIP number—is included with your account.
When calls come into your Talkroute number, they can be routed to any phone you want.
Register your virtual number in business directories.
A virtual number can be registered in all major business directories, and when searched, it appears the same as any business number.
Not only that, but the CNAM record can be set for your number, so that your business name will show up on caller ID for outbound calls.
Take your number with you.
Once you have service with a telephone company and register a number with them, many times they will reject your request to take it with you if you change service providers and move outside of the local area.
Whereas if you ever decide to leave Talkroute, you can take your number with you and transfer it to a new provider with no hassle.
A virtual number is fundamentally no different from the numbers we’ve always used, with enhanced capability that we never had in the past.
Stephanie
Stephanie is the Marketing Director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.
Stephanie is also the chief editor and contributing author for the Talkroute blog helping more than 100k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.