Category: Business Phone Numbers

If you’ve recently started a business, you’re going to have to establish some type of business phone line. No matter if your business is large or small, or if you’re a B2B business or B2C type of establishment, you’ll need to give clients a way to reach you via telephone. Whether you need to set up a structured VoIP phone system or are going to have calls routed right to your cell phone, virtual phone numbers provide a great way to make business phone numbers memorable and build client trust. If you’re wondering how to get a business phone number that benefits both your business and your clientele base, here’s how to get started.

Choose Your Business Phone Type

Before you can go about setting up and choosing your new number for business, you’ll need to choose the type of business phone line you’ll need. Fortunately, with advancements in cellular and internet technology, you no longer have to establish phone systems and call rooms. Rather, you can simply have your business phone number set up directly on your smartphone. In either case, virtual phone numbers provide the flexibility and free calling services for your customers you want to provide.

In many cases, business phone lines may differ due to varying business sizes and needs. For example, if you have a virtual call center and don’t have a physical office where you and your employees meet, you may want to choose to establish your business number on cellular devices. And, you can even add extensions to each line so each employee has a personal business line. But, on the other hand, if your business consists of a physical establishment with multiple departments, you may wish to consider the functionality of a VoIP system.

Select Your Business Phone Number

Now that you know which phone you want your business number routed to, you can select your business phone number. At United World Telecom, we offer a few different options for the type of phone number you select. You can either choose a local number in your area or that of your target client base, or a toll free number. Local numbers can help to reach consumer bases in target areas, even if you aren’t located anywhere close. And, toll free numbers offer you the ability to create your own branded telephone number. As well as offer your customers a completely free way for them to call your business.

The Option of a Vanity Toll Free Number

When choosing a toll free number, think of numbers that can translate into lettering that benefits your branding. For example, if you own a taxi service, you may want to choose a toll free vanity number like 800-CAB-TAXI (800-222-8294 translated on the keypad). This way, your customers can more easily recognize your number and will be more willing to pick up or call you back.

Set up You Customized Business Phone Line Options

After you’ve chosen your number and verified that it’s available, it will be connected to your chosen phone line system. Then, you can go about setting up your customized business greeting and creating your voicemail recordings.

The business phone greeting is optional. But, it’s a simple way to have an idea about what a customer might be calling about right off the bat. When a customer dials your business phone number, a recorded greeting will provide them with options to more easily forward them to the correct department. Or, simply give you a better idea of what the call may be about. For example, you could set up your greeting to provide an option like, “For customer service requests, press 8.”

When you’re not around, you can have your virtual phone line forward calls to another number. Or, you can go the traditional route of a voicemail. If you want to give your customers a way to leave you voice messages, you’ll need to create a business voicemail recording once your phone line is set up.

Set up Your Employee Extensions

Instead of having to forward calls to the right employees every time a customer calls, extensions give employees individual phone numbers. But, they are all extensions of the same number: your business number. So, if you’d rather not have to forward calls and give your employees the capability of giving out their own business phone numbers, you’ll have to select extensions, which are usually four-digit numbers, that are designated to each employee. Once established, your customers can dial your business phone number with the additional extension to reach the specific employee of their choosing.

Getting Your Business Phone Number Through United World Telecom

Now that you know how to get a business phone number, it’s time to get started. Here at United World Telecom, we offer businesses many customizable options when it comes to choosing a business phone number. Whatever feature you need for your business, we can help to provide a business phone number that does what you need. If you need a new business phone number, visit our website to learn more about all of our vanity phone number features. It’s time you allowed your customers to reach you the way you want them to!

Productivity is a crucial factor in any business however large or small. If it starts to wane, then profits begin to plummet. One of the best ways you can boost productivity is by using virtual phone numbers.

These days, more and more employees are juggling family, school, and other commitments outside of work. These are some of the main reasons why so many employees prefer to work from home. Before you rule this idea out, think about it carefully. Allowing your employees to work from home can be beneficial to you and your company in many ways. Here are just a few examples:

• Cutting down your overheads: If your team works from home, you don’t have to provide them with an office. This means you can save money by not having to rent a workspace for them.
• Increasing flexibility: Because employees are working from home, they can flex their hours. This means you can have someone available to cover customer service whenever you need them. And that means no dissatisfied customers because they will be tended to.
• Employees love telecommuting: They can kiss goodbye to those stressful rush hour commutes and work from the comfort of their own home. Many employees, particularly millennials, are actively seeking jobs they can perform from home.
• Increased productivity: People who telecommute are 20 percent more willing to work over 40 hours per week. What’s more: studies show that telecommuters are 20 percent more productive, and they miss far fewer days of work than their in-house colleagues.

How to Optimize Productivity When your Staff are Telecommuting

You can get the most out of your staff when they are telecommuting by using a virtual telephone system. United World Telecom is a leading provider of virtual telephone numbers. Virtual phone numbers eliminate communication gaps between you and your team members and your employees and your customers.

You can assign virtual phone numbers to individual members of staff or to a group of users. With virtual phone numbers, you can also set as many extensions as you need so that customers can connect with the department or employee they need. Extensions also make it easy for you to connect with your team members.

With virtual phone numbers, calls can be routed to the number or numbers of your choice, whether it is your office number, landline, or your employees’ personal cell phone numbers. This is particularly valuable if you have customers overseas who are located in a different time zone. You can make sure your team never misses a call.

No Need for Technical Training

Because virtual phone numbers are easy to use, you can control everything using an online interface – there is no need to pay for technical training for your employees. Your virtual phone number provider takes care of everything else, so you don’t have to purchase expensive software.

Furthermore, when you sign up for your virtual numbers with United World Telecom, you will also have access to a suite of advanced features, which can help to boost your brand and make your company look more professional. These include:

• Call recording
• Simultaneous calling
• Local ringback tones
• Black and white lists
• Rollover minutes
• Voicemail to email
• Fax to email
• SMS to email
• Failover forwarding

Making and receiving calls from a virtual phone number has never been easier.

Other Advantages of Telecommuting Using Virtual Phone Numbers

If you are still not convinced that you can boost your productivity with virtual phone numbers, here are some more benefits for you and your telecommuting team:
Optimal connectivity: Because you are combining bring-your-own-device with intelligent call forwarding, it is possible to make calls from anywhere in the world. It’s virtually impossible to miss or drop a call when you have so many options.

• Ultimate communication management: Using just your smartphone, you can use features which allow you to process incoming calls from multiple channels. You can also assign call back requests, emails, and missed calls to specific employees.
• Immediate deployment: Because virtual phone numbers require no dedicated hardware to operate, as soon as you have signed up for them, you are good to go. United World Telecom can help you pick from local or toll free virtual phone numbers.
• Superior flexibility: All the available features are completely customizable. These include recording a personalized greeting, routing patterns, voice menus, and black and white lists. You can activate and deactivate numbers and features as you see fit.
• Ultimate control: You can tend to all your virtual phone number communications using United World Telecom’s online dashboard. The interface documents every activity that’s going on within the virtual phone system, including all incoming and outgoing calls, even missed calls, voicemails, faxes, SMS activity, and internal interactions. You have all these metrics at your fingertips. You can also record any or all incoming and outgoing calls, which is great for customer support training and resolving customer disputes.
  Contact United World Telecom today and ask for a free trial without any obligation!

Virtual phone numbers not only help to keep your business from inserting itself into your personal life, but they can also help you crush your competition. There are several incredible benefits to having a virtual phone number, such as a variety of built-in features, their low costs, hardware, and a reliable network.

If you’re not familiar with what a virtual phone number is, then you probably aren’t sure why you need one for your business. Virtual phone numbers work for companies because they are an easy way for customers to reach you that isn’t tied to a specific telephone line. You can access your phone calls from any device, including cell phones, tablets, and computers, freeing you from being tied down to your desk all day for fear that you will miss an urgent phone call.

Virtual phone numbers are also great ways to save costs on long distance phone calls. If you have several clients overseas, you can purchase an affordable local phone number in those specific areas and avoid long distance fees. Even these international phone numbers are virtual so they can be tied to any device you currently use without issue.

Fulfilling the Needs of Your Customers

Contact centers are one of the business types that benefit significantly from the use of virtual phone numbers. Using local phone numbers helps agents to offer a more personalized touch with their customer service. Local phone numbers also help to alleviate the costs that some of your customers or clients would have to pay if your store is located outside of their local area.

The features provided with your virtual phone number contract can help your business portray a very successful and professional image, even if you’re working from your kitchen counter. Virtual numbers allow you to have as many numbers as you need, and they come with impressive features such as time of day routing (which will enable you to go out for lunch and not miss an urgent phone call). You can also add a customized greeting when your customers call. When a customer calls the number provided, they will be prompted by a professional greeting and then taken to a menu page that will allow the customer to choose which sector of the business they would like to speak with. For example, they may be prompted to press “1” for customer service, “2” for sales, and so on.

Virtual phone numbers also come with a feature called “call recording” in which you will be able to record phone conversations between customers and your employees. You can then use these files to figure out what works and what doesn’t work within the employee/customer dynamic. This can be a valuable tool to use when training customer service staff.

Creating a Local Presence

As previously stated, having a virtual phone number can give you a local presence in international countries, and it also allows you and your employees to work from anywhere in the world. Not only are virtual phone numbers flexible enough to allow you to step away from your desk, but you can also travel anywhere in the world. This is also a great way to keep international teams working together with functionality and ease.

Virtual phone numbers are also very affordable. Small teams and businesses have the option of choosing a flexible plan that will provide the minutes and services that they need, instead of paying extra costs for things they don’t. Because virtual phone numbers can be set up to reach most devices, you won’t need to purchase expensive phone lines. All work can be done on just one device if you choose, and you will still be able to keep everything in your business separate from your personal life and phone line.

One-Up Your Competition with Virtual Phone Numbers

The fantastic features and cost-saving benefits of a virtual phone number can genuinely give you the edge you need over your competition. If you’re thinking about purchasing a local or international virtual phone number for your business, contact us at unitedworldtelecom.com to get started right away.

Toll free numbers began gaining popularity during the early days of the payphone. The demand for a toll free phone number was apparent in those days because people could make toll free phone calls to businesses from their landlines or from payphones and not have to pay a fee to make the calls.

But it’s 2019 and payphones are a thing of the past. So why are toll free phone numbers still so popular among businesses? While most people do have a free national calling plan for their cell phones, customers can still benefit from calling a company with a toll free phone number. Here are a few of the advantages to having a toll free number for your business:

1. Marketing

Businesses who purchase vanity toll free numbers gain the benefit of marketing their business while providing their customers with one easy-to-remember number. Vanity numbers such as 1-800-FLOWERS smoothly flow off the tongue and make for great marketing strategies on billboards, in commercials, radio ads, and more. Besides, if you are a flower delivery service, you’re going to be more memorable to more people by using a vanity number than as a business who has a regular local phone number. You will often see these vanity numbers used as a marketing method for a variety of companies, including attorneys and real estate agents.

2. Toll Free Numbers Are Used As Customer Service Lines

Many companies can benefit from providing a toll free customer service line for their customers. While some issues can be resolved using a chat feature or over email, some things are more urgent and need to be addressed over the phone. Not only that, many people prefer to speak with a live customer service agent to resolve their problem rather than sit around waiting for an email to hit their inbox.

3. Call Routing

Toll free number providers offer a variety of features with their phone lines. One of the benefits to these VoIP service providers is that they can provide your business with easy call routing. Since VoIP services usually work in the Cloud, they can reroute phone calls to any phone line in many different locations. Therefore, if some of your employees work remotely, this feature will allow calls to be routed to that remote employee quickly and effortlessly. This is also a great benefit to your customers who may need to be redirected to the right employee for their particular issue.

4. Expand Your Presence

Your local business can now reach millions of people when you choose to get a toll free phone number. Whether your company sells internationally, nationally, or both, you can use a toll free phone number for the benefit of your customers. If your business currently only serves a local part of your area, think of how a toll free phone number could help expand your business. Not all local businesses need a toll free phone number, but if, for example, you run a retail store in your local neighborhood, but also cater to a national and international population online, then you and your customers will benefit from having a toll free phone number.

5. Portability

If your business is expanding, toll free phone numbers can grow with it. Why? Because toll free numbers are portable. You do not need to be tied down to one retail location, which means you can move your business around and still keep your toll free phone number. Even if you decide to leave your current phone provider, they should still be able to port the number to another carrier. Once your business has a toll free number, it becomes an asset to your company, and it would not be a good business move to part with it. Especially if you get a vanity number that works very well for your company, you would not want to get rid of it because there are only a finite number of toll free numbers that are able to be given out.  s have had to be introduced because the 1-800 numbers had dwindled drastically.

If you’ve just started a business, you may be wondering if you need to get toll free numbers. You may not know how a toll free number works and you might ask yourself if you will need one for your business.

You’ve seen toll free numbers advertised in commercials, on billboards, business cards, and on websites but if you are a small business owner, you’re probably wondering if you need one or are they really just for the big guys?

Benefits of Toll Free Numbers

The truth is, all businesses can benefit from having a toll free phone number associated with their company. Not only is it better for your customers (because you don’t want them to have to pay to contact you, right?) but it also helps your business stand out amongst the competition. 800 numbers encourage communication between customers and companies. But that isn’t there only use. Check out these essential uses of a toll free number for businesses.

Purchasing Toll Free Numbers

Toll free phone numbers are available for purchase from several different phone forwarding services. These companies provide a virtual phone number that can keep you connected to your customers 24/7. When a customer dials your toll free phone number, they will be patched into wherever you want that call to go to. That means you can take calls from your store, office, home, cell phone, or connect the call to a virtual call center.

How to Get a Toll Free Number

Having a toll free number is as simple as signing up for one. There aren’t any surprise expenses or costly equipment to purchase. Plus these services often come with a variety of included features. These features include email, fax services, voicemail set-up, call recording, and forwarding services.

Create Both a Local and a Broad Presence

Having Toll free number allows you to be in two places at once, as well as to be two businesses at once. Whether you are after the group that prefers a clean, corporate image, or you are interested in local customers who like to buy from their communities, you can target both! Virtual toll free number providers offer local numbers as well as numbers at meager costs which means you can have a national presence and a local presence no matter where you are located.

The Portability Factor

If you want to move your business, a toll free number and other virtual phone numbers are easy to port from one place to another, including from one telephone provider to another. So there is no need to fear commitment to one provider as long as you are committed to your business. And if you do happen to move across the world or out of the state, you can still maintain your relationships with the customers you had in your first location with your toll free phone number.

Customer Relations

Toll free numbers do improve customer and business relations. If a customer can’t get in touch with a business, why would that person want to do business with them? Would you want to buy from a company that you can’t get a hold of? What if there is an issue with the product? Where would you turn? Toll free phone numbers include customer service and when customers have a reliable number to call when something goes wrong, or they only wish to compliment your product, you begin to establish trust in the relationship and eventually, that trust turns into customer loyalty. The more comfortable you make communication for a customer, the more likely they will be to return.

Toll Free Numbers have a Big Impact

Customers won’t forget you. Toll free numbers are such a hit because they’re easy to remember. They are even easier to remember if you choose to purchase a vanity number. Vanity numbers generate more sales because words are much less complicated for people to remember that over a sequence of numbers.

Tracking your marketing efforts is more straightforward with a toll free phone number. Having a toll free phone number allow you to create extensions, one that you can trackback from an advertising campaign, the phone book, and another for your website. After a campaign has a run or an amount of time has gone by, you can go back and look up how many people called from each particular extension. Were more people calling from finding the number on the website? Or did the campaign you ran double your numbers? It’s all effortless to figure out just by glancing at your account management page.

With all of the benefits of having a toll free number, it’s no wonder that businesses across America have used them for years. And now thanks to giant strides in the technology industry, these toll free numbers are easier to purchase than ever before.

Expanding your business to the United States marketplace has become very simple thanks to the rise of the digital age, international trade rules, and globalization. Getting a US phone number can assist businesses by giving businesses outside the US the opportunity to establish their organization. There is no need to pick up and move your entire business to a foreign land when you can create a virtual presence by simply using a virtual phone number.

Open Up Greater Communication with US Phone Numbers

Virtual phone numbers will give you an advantage over your competition in the US by allowing your business to establish communication with your American clients. Investing in a toll free number will allow your business to be accessible to customers across the world at any moment.

United World Telecom offers toll free phone numbers and local US virtual numbers packed with easy-to-use features that will put you ahead of your competition and increase your ability to make sales. Set up your virtual phone number to start building your company’s reputation in America.

If you are not sure whether getting a US phone number is the right decision for your company, check out these benefits and features of a virtual phone number and see how a virtual number can positively impact your business.

• Virtual phone systems allow you to stay in contact with customers overseas without taking on international costs. If your company already has customers in the US and you or they are spending huge amounts of money on calling fees, then the choice to switch to a virtual phone number is easy. Stay within your budget by getting a cost-effective virtual number.
• Since you’re not overspending your budget on international phone calls, you can use your virtual phone number to grow your relationship with your customers overseas. They will have better access to your customer service lines, and you can address their issues and questions right away.
• You can establish a presence in any geographical location of your choosing without constructing a new building.
• Your team will be able to stay in touch and collaborate easier.

Virtual Phone System Features

Now that you know all about the benefits, put them into action with the range of features offered in a virtual phone system:

• Direct Inward Dialing: route calls to your PBX from more than one US number.
• Call Recording: You can keep a record of all calls that are being made, then you can use that data to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your team. Your team will grow stronger, and your customers will take notice when their needs are being properly met.
• Voicemail: Customize a professional voicemail for holidays and hours outside of regular business operation.
• Call Forwarding: Whether you choose to use sequential forwarding or simultaneous ringing, you enhance your chances of answering the phone. With sequential forwarding, you can customize your settings to be sent to one phone first before being sent down a list of offices. For example, you can set your phone calls to go to your desk phone before they are sent to your mobile device. With simultaneous calling, multiple phones will ring at one time, and the first person to answer will be connected with the caller. This tool is great if you utilize a call center.
• SMS Messaging: A majority of Americans use cellular phones and prefer text messaging as their way of communicating. It also raises the chance that your message will be received since many Americans screen phone calls. This additional feature is great if your target audience is millennial Americans because you are much more likely to get a response from a millennial through text.

Getting a U.S. Phone Number

You can obtain your virtual US phone number by contacting United World Telecom. Either call their toll free number at 1 (888) 908 6171 or visit their website to find a new virtual phone number.

On the website, simply choose the virtual phone number that you want, either toll-free or mobile, and enter your destination number (the number you would like the calls forwarded to). From there, you can choose the plan that best suits your business’ needs and add any additional features. If you are not sure if the service is right for you, start with the free seven-day trial. Then enter your contact and account information to begin making and receiving calls right away.