A virtual phone number is a cloud-based number that businesses use for routing incoming customer calls to suitable agents based on customer inquiry. A virtual phone number is a telephone number that is not connected to any physical network and is capable of handling unlimited concurrent calls. The calls that land on a virtual phone number can be tracked and monitored for performance.
Setting up a virtual phone system is no big deal, you just need a stable internet connection and you can start right away. Through a virtual phone system, you can receive incoming calls and make outgoing calls on a desktop app, mobile phone, or desk phone.
How does a virtual number work?
When customers call on your virtual number, the call gets forwarded to your agent’s mobile number or office telephone number. Virtual numbers work with voice over internet protocol (VoIP) systems that take voice signals, convert them to digital signals, and send them over web lines. This makes it possible to send sound and video over the web. VOIP providers set up a massive network of data centers so that in case of harsh weather conditions, servers can automatically switch to them.
How is a virtual number different from a regular number?
A regular number is tied to a phone line or SIM card provided by a local or national phone service provider. For office systems, this means installing telephone lines throughout the building to connect each phone, which is expensive and needs regular maintenance.
Virtual numbers, on the other hand, allow you to access the phone through multiple devices and locations. The infrastructure needed for a virtual number, such as data backup and software, is usually hosted by the service provider, leaving minimal maintenance at your end.
What kinds of virtual numbers are available?
There are four kinds of virtual numbers available in India — mobile number, landline number, toll-free number, and the local number.
Mobile number: A virtual mobile number is a ten-digit number, that looks like a standard mobile number, typically assigned to field agents to make secure calls to customers. Agents can make calls from their existing mobile devices while differentiating easily between personal and work calls.
They are still cloud-based and not associated with the field agent’s mobile device or SIM. Therefore, this number needs to be integrated with a CRM or similar app to work, and may not support SMS.
Landline number: Virtual landline numbers are those in the format of a local landline number — typically with STD code and an 8-digit number. This is especially useful for intra-organization communication and to channel calls to other devices to ensure continuity in remote work. Many sales organizations and small businesses also prefer to have virtual landline numbers as their office number.
Toll-free number: A toll-free number is typically free for the caller to call, the charges are incurred by the business. Organizations make toll-free numbers available for situations when they need customers to call them. For instance, the sales line might be toll-free, so can the number to call to report fraudulent activity or contact emergency services.
Local number: A virtual local number is one that’s modified to resemble phone numbers from the locality. This improves pick-up rates as customers might be wary of answering calls from unrecognizable numbers.
How can a business use a virtual number?
Most businesses begin by using a virtual number to make or receive calls. But they can do a lot more. Some of the other possibilities with the virtual number are:
Remote work
Recently, many businesses, both SMBs, and enterprises are using virtual numbers to enable remote work. With a virtual number, remote employees can access the business phone system the same way they would while they are in the office.
Lead engagement
Virtual numbers not only help to identify the source of leads but helps to convert them by locating them within an appropriate call flow. You can set up prioritization based on the lead score. You can also set up notification triggers to ensure that agents follow up faster.
Track Offline Marketing effectiveness
You can assign a different virtual number to each advertising campaign, channel, location, language, etc. to get an accurate idea of the leads generated by each. It also helps track the RoI of offline campaigns.
Customer disputes
Using a virtual number through a cloud platform that automatically records all incoming and outgoing calls can help maintain records to resolve customer disputes.
Employee training
If your sales and customer engagement is done entirely, or even largely, through the telephone, you can use the virtual number-based system as a training resource too! You can use call analytics to measure KPIs and identify training opportunities. You can also use call recordings of the top performers as samples during the onboarding process and to help other agents perform better.
How to get a virtual number for your business?
Step 1: Choose a cloud telephony service provider.
Step 2: Customise your calling plans according to call volume and workflow or choose from existing plans.
Step 3: Install and integrate the telephony service within your communication infrastructure with minimal downtime. You can choose what your virtual number will look like too!
Step 4: Use the virtual number as you please. Scale up or down as you wish by adding or removing numbers or agents.
Muzztech gives you the added benefits of unlimited channels, top voice quality, regular analytics reports, multi-level security. Speak to us today to get your own.