As a business owner, you’re always on the lookout for new ways to reduce costs, increase brand awareness and grow. But with so many services and products vying for your attention, how do you decide which ones are worth the investment? A virtual phone number offers a range of business benefits and does not require a significant investment of time or money. Check out our top five reasons why a virtual phone number for business should be top of your list of “must-haves”. 

1. Never Miss an Important Business Call
   
   The number of start-ups has reached record levels in recent years and many entrepreneurs begin running their enterprise from home. Funding is a major concern for new businesses and most owners have to set up on a small budget, so removing the cost of renting premises makes sense. However, there are some corners you should not cut when running a small business. Using a personal mobile number as the main business number may seem like an economical choice, but relying on one mobile device seriously limits the communication capabilities of a business.
   
   If the mobile network goes down or a fault occurs with the handset, customers and prospects will be unable to reach you. Even if there are no such incidents, there will be times when you are unavailable and calls go unanswered. This will result in frustrated customers and lost business.
   
   A virtual telephone number allows you to divert calls to any device you choose. The business is not reliant on one piece of hardware. Advanced features such as auto-attendant, divert on busy and voicemail allow consumers to reach a business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers receive a consistently high standard of service and you never miss an important business call. 
   
   
   
2. Reduce Costs
   
   Getting a virtual phone number can save a business considerable amounts of money. Calls to certain numbers, such as international numbers, are likely to be much more cost-effective with a virtual number provider than with a traditionally based carrier. Costs are also reduced for the customer. If you select a local business number for a target location, consumers in that area will pay the local rate even if the call routes to a national or international number. 
   
   A virtual business number does not require any specific hardware; it works with existing devices. Your virtual phone system will operate in the cloud and route calls to selected devices — such as a mobile phone, desktop computer or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system. There are no expensive set-up or maintenance costs.
   
   
3. Improve Credibility and Brand Reputation
   
   Running a business via a personal mobile phone not only makes it vulnerable to communication system failures, but it also looks unprofessional. Potential customers will be dissuaded from calling a personal mobile number as it makes the business appear untrustworthy and small-scale. Even if your business is a start-up, it’s important to convey to customers and prospects that it is reliable and you have the necessary expertise to meet their needs.
   
   There are several types of virtual phone numbers, including toll-free numbers, local numbers, national numbers and international numbers, to name a few. You can even create a bespoke “vanity number”, such as 0800-BUILDER, that will help promote the business and drive customers your way. Virtual numbers boost the credibility of a business in several ways:
   
   National numbers such as 0871 can establish a national reputation for your business even if you’re operating out of a bedroom. Consumers are more likely to trust a company that appears established enough to have a national reach. As a bonus, these numbers can even turn a profit as customers pay a higher rate for their call.
   
   Local numbers that use the area code for a specific location allow a business to establish a local presence in a target area without the need to set up premises. Many people search for services or product providers in their local area, e.g. “plumbers in London” and are more likely to reach out to local companies.  
   
   Toll-free numbers suggest a business is invested in providing excellent customer service. Consumers are more likely to make a free call than one they have to pay for. Offering a toll-free number for customer service, support lines or inbound sales will enhance the business reputation.
   
   
   
4. Manage Business on the Go
   
   Why restrict yourself to working in one location when you could have the freedom to handle business from anywhere in the world? A virtual number is not tied to a particular device — unlike a mobile or landline number. There is no need for a traditional phone line. You can route calls to wherever you choose. Most entrepreneurs start a business to be their own boss and give themselves the ultimate flexibility and control to manage their work as they see fit. A virtual number offers the ultimate flexibility. 
   
   It’s easy to route calls to a mobile phone, to other members of staff or voicemail. With Time of Day Routing, calls automatically divert to any chosen number at set times. Perhaps you want to send all calls to your mobile in the evening and voicemail during the weekend? 
   
   A virtual number also allows staff to work flexibly. Route incoming sales to the relevant team members even if they are working remotely from home. Remote working is an increasingly popular “work perk” that attracts top talent and increases employee retention. 
   
   
   
5. Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance
   
   Business owner burnout is on the rise and this is often due to long work hours and feeling overwhelmed. Technology is sometimes blamed for making people feel they should be constantly available — responding to emails on mobile phones and taking calls on holiday. However, if used wisely, it can also promote a healthy work-life balance.
   
   Using a personal mobile number to run a business means there is no separation between work and personal lives. Getting a virtual business phone number allows business owners to control when they are available to work and when they need some downtime. Set up the business phone system to route calls to voicemail or another staff member outside of your chosen work hours. Advanced call routing makes it easy to set up a routing plan that ensures work calls are confined to work hours and you’re not interrupted during free time. 
   
   A virtual phone number for business is a savvy investment. It involves minimal time, money or effort to set up and maintain yet it can deliver considerable business benefits. 
   

Take a look at the range of virtual numbers available at City Numbers and learn about the additional incoming call features that could transform your business. Contact us to discuss your requirements today. 

A custom phone number is a great way for small businesses to improve brand recognition and credibility. A phone number can reveal a lot about a company — its location, how established it is and even how much it values customers. In this guide, we’ll explain the types of custom number available, the business benefits of getting a custom number and how to get a custom number for business.

What Is a Custom Number?

A custom number, also known as a “vanity number” is a telephone number that has been specifically chosen by a business or individual. Customers can select the seven digits that follow the area code. These can be numerical or alphabetical, for example, 0800-FLOWERS. Vanity phone numbers are a type of virtual business phone number,  meaning calls can route to any device chosen by the business owner.

What Types of Custom Phone Number Are There?

There are several types of custom number to choose from. Each type has its benefits. To determine the best one for your business, consider what you want to achieve and what budget is available.  

Custom Free Phone (Toll-Free) Numbers

In the UK, 0800 numbers are the most popular toll-free phone numbers. 0808 and 0500 are also free to call, but these numbers are less familiar to people. Providing a free way for customers and prospects to contact a business shows a strong commitment to customer service. Support lines or customer service often use toll-free vanity numbers. They can also be used to increase the number of incoming calls to the sales team. An 0800 number is instantly recognisable as a toll-free number. Add a business-relevant word to the code to make it even more memorable and boost brand recognition.

Custom Local Phone Numbers

Local numbers, also known as “area call numbers”, “ghost numbers” and “remote call forward numbers” are a simple and cost-effective way for businesses to expand into areas where they do not have a physical office. In this way, they can save a business thousands of pounds in rental costs. A company based in Nottingham could use a custom local number for London to attract consumers from that area without paying the high rental costs of setting up an office in the city. Callers dial the local area code and are routed to a chosen device, for example, a mobile phone or the head office. The caller is unaware of this process as they only see the local business number. 

Why Should I Use a Custom Number?

A custom number can be great for business for several reasons:

Enhanced Brand Recognition

Some area codes, such as 0800, are instantly recognisable. Adding a word that is relevant to your business can make a business telephone number even more memorable. It gives a powerful boost to a company brand.

Improved Customer Service

Toll-free numbers allow customers and prospects to contact a business at no charge, even from a mobile phone. This represents excellent customer service and instils trust in the company. It can also increase the number of inbound calls,  meaning your sales team will have more leads to work with. Local numbers also keep costs low for the caller and the business.

Greater Credibility

Developing a reputation as a reliable and trustworthy company can take time and it is often difficult for startups to compete with more established businesses. A business using a mobile phone number as its primary business number will look unprofessional and untrustworthy. An 0800 or 0845 number will make a company appear established with national reach. 

Track Marketing Activities

There are several creative ways you can use a custom number in marketing campaigns, including tracking marketing activities. By linking a custom number to an advert, it’s easy to track the number of calls generated from that marketing campaign. This allows a business to identify successful marketing activities that they can expand or repeat and to cut spending on campaigns that are not delivering results. 

How to Get a Custom Number for Business

Step 1. Choose the custom number you want. This could be a string of memorable or meaningful numbers or a word. There are three to four letters assigned to each number on a telephone dial pad. Make a note of the numbers that correspond to the word you wish to spell out. The seven numbers selected will be added after the area code. Make the number as memorable and relevant to your business as possible.

Step 2. Choose an area code. Do you want to offer customers a toll-free number? Or is the priority to branch out into a particular geographical area with a local number? 

Step 3. Identify a telephone service provider. City Numbers offers highly memorable 0800, 0845, 0844 and 0771 numbers. There are over 4000 virtual city phone numbers available, covering most of the world. Our state-of-the-art portal allows businesses to manage calls, assess real-time statistics and access additional features. 

Step 4. Contact the telephone service provider to find out if your chosen number is available. As there are multiple letters assigned to each number on the dial pad, another business may be using your chosen combination.

Step 5. Consider your expected level of usage and select an appropriate plan. The easiest way to do this is to look back at recent phone bills to get an idea of the number of minutes per month you are likely to use. City Numbers offers three price plans, allowing businesses to scale the service as they grow. For 0800 numbers, the Pay As You Go plan starts from as little as £5 per month.

Step 6. City Numbers can have your business up and running with a new number in minutes. Once we have accepted your payment plan and payment has cleared, your number will be live and ready to use.

A custom number offers a range of business benefits. It’s a great way to increase brand recognition, expand into new locations and enhance the customer experience. Obtaining and setting up a custom number is quick, easy and cost-effective. What are you waiting for? 

Find out more about the local numbers, toll-free numbers and international numbers available from City Numbers and take your business to the next level with a custom number. Contact us today to discuss your requirements.

by Audrey Oh

According to research by RescueTime, people spend an average of three hours and 15 minutes on their phones every day. Worldwide, there are 5 billion people with the capacity to send and receive SMS messages. It’s no wonder that businesses are increasingly taking advantage of the opportunities provided by SMS marketing. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of SMS in business communication. 

What Is SMS Marketing?

Companies can use SMS, or “Short Message Service”, marketing to reach a wide audience at a click of a button and without busting their budget. Under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), consumers must “actively and voluntarily consent to receive your message”. Once they have done so, the company can send them messages detailing promotions, product updates, event information and more (depending on the level of consent given). SMS marketing is a fantastic way for a company to build a solid database of engaged customers and prospects, which can be used to increase customer loyalty and convert leads into sales.

Advantages of SMS Marketing for Business

For businesses wishing to communicate with and engage their community, whether customers, partners or prospects, SMS marketing offers several benefits. 

Awesome Open Rates
The average open rate for SMS marketing campaigns is 98% — compared to just 20% for email. This means a business can almost guarantee that its marketing campaign will reach the intended target audience, making it an incredible investment. Research by Mobile Xco suggests that 48.7 million people will opt-in to receive business SMS messages by 2020, which represents an increase of 23% on its current levels. With open rates as high as 98%, that’s a staggering increase in the potential audience for businesses’ marketing efforts.

Impressive Response Rates
The response rate of marketing texts is nearly 30%, while the average click-through-rate for email marketing campaigns is around just 2.5%. Consumers are also 10 times more likely to redeem promotional codes and vouchers sent via text than any other platform. This is great news for Marketing Managers seeking to achieve stakeholder or senior leadership level buy-in for an SMS marketing campaign, as they can demonstrate the potential return on investment (ROI) compared to alternative methods.

Immediacy
On average, it takes just one to three seconds for SMS messages to be sent and received. Although not all messages will be delivered, 90% of all text messages are read within three minutes, and the average person replies within 90 seconds. This allows businesses to send flash sales, last-minute deals and other time-sensitive promotions and be more likely to elicit a response.

Cost-Effective
An SMS marketing campaign will consume more budget than sending out bulk emails, but it’s still a relatively low-cost option when compared to other marketing activities, such as running a PR campaign, printing and distributing flyers or purchasing ad space on Facebook. SMS marketing can also often be included in a business phone service package at a relatively low cost, allowing you to take advantage of the many benefits of having a professional number. Taking into account the potentially high ROI due to the exceptional open and response rates, SMS marketing represents a cost-effective option for any business. 

Customisable
Personalised marketing can return a significantly higher ROI than a blanket approach if it’s done right. Receiving a text is a more personal experience than being shown an advert on social media or receiving a mass-produced marketing flyer in the post. With bulk SMS software, it’s easy to send promotional messages to an entire contact list, a sub-group or an individual. By sending consumers only relevant messages, an SMS campaign will achieve a higher response rate while delivering better customer experience. Many SMS marketing services also allow consumers to “blacklist” themselves if they do not wish to receive further promotional messages, meaning your SMS list becomes a goldmine of highly targeted and primed customers ready to engage.

Reliability
Marketing emails often get filtered out by an individual’s inbox spam settings and it’s impossible to ensure 100% deliverability. Recent research revealed that over half of all email traffic worldwide is categorised as “spam”. Mobile spam filters are much less stringent and if a consumer has opted to receive marketing emails from a company, it’s unlikely that marketing messages won’t reach the intended recipient. This makes SMS marketing an extremely reliable method of business communication. 

Disadvantages of SMS Marketing for Business

No marketing method is perfect and there are some potential disadvantages of SMS marketing for business.

Content Restrictions
SMS messages are restricted to 160 characters, so marketers have to be much more concise than they would in an email. It is possible to exceed this limit, but the message will be split across multiple texts, which could prove costly for the business and frustrating for the recipient. 

The Requirement for Opt-In
If a customer or prospect declines to opt for marketing texts or restricts consent to a specific purpose, they cannot be included in SMS marketing campaigns.  Equally, if an individual opts out, the company must stop sending them marketing messages. There is a benefit to this, though, in that all customers on your mobile marketing list will be highly qualified — you won’t want to waste budget sending SMS messages to consumers who are unlikely to buy.

The Need for Fresh Content
The highly personalisable nature of SMS marketing means that content cannot be recycled and repurposed in the same way it can on social media or for display advertising. One sure-fire way to disengage customers and have them opt-out is to send repeat text messages with identical content. Marketing teams must continually create new content for their mobile campaigns. 

The advantages of SMS marketing for businesses far outweigh any potential disadvantages. SMS is a cost-effective and highly personalisable channel for marketing, allowing businesses to expand their database of contacts and run engaging and reliable campaigns that deliver a high ROI.

Find out more about the advanced business phone service features City Numbers can offer your business or contact us to discuss your requirements today.

by Audrey Oh

If you’re a small business relying on a traditional landline, you’ll be familiar with breaks in service, costly bills and limited features. A virtual landline is an essential service for any business looking to succeed and grow. Virtual landlines are a cloud-based service that allows you to divert calls to any device you choose. This ensures faults connected with a particular device or events such as business relocation will not impact your business. A virtual number offers many benefits, such as lending credibility to your business and negating the need to publish your personal number in marketing content. 

Virtual landline services often include a wide range of additional services that can significantly benefit your business, such as call queuing and forwarding. All of which means a better experience for your customers, enhanced brand reputation, more sales and increased profit. Read on to find out more about the different types of landline services available and how to get a virtual landline number. 

Types of Virtual Landline Services

A virtual landline means your business telephone number is not fixed to a particular device. You can divert calls to any device you choose. Beyond this, there is a wide range of virtual numbers and services to choose from. 

Freephone numbers such as “0800” allow people to contact your business without paying a penny. These numbers are a great way to boost incoming calls and give your sales team more leads to work on. 

Local rate numbers such as “0845” keep costs low for callers and your business. They hide your geographical location making it easy for small and startup businesses to create the impression of being an established company with a wide reach.

National numbers such as “0871” can become an additional revenue stream as callers pay a higher rate to place calls. They are often used to reduce the number of incoming calls, for example to out-of-hours support lines. 

Local numbers allow you to build a customer base outside of your geographical location by using a local area code. Worldwide numbers work similarly, allowing a small business to establish a presence in another country. 

To find out more about alternate phone numbers for business, read our blog. 

Additional virtual landline services include: incoming call features such as fax to email, voicemail and call queuing, telephone answering and audio conferencing. Virtual landlines offer so much more than a traditional landline. They can help you to manage calls during peak times and deliver outstanding customer service. Virtual landlines also expand your reach and increase the number of warm leads your sales teams have to work with.

How to Get a Virtual Landline Number

So we’ve convinced you, your business needs a virtual landline number. But how do you get one? 

First of all, identify a provider you can trust and that offers everything your business needs. Look for experience, breadth of the service offer and transparent pricing. City Numbers has over 20 years of experience in the industry. We make it easy, quick and cost-effective to set up a virtual number. 

1. Select Your Preferred Type of Virtual Number. City Numbers offers Freephone 0800, Local 0844 and 0845, National 0871, 0300 for public services, UK virtual numbers, worldwide virtual numbers and international toll-free numbers.
2. Choose Where to Route Your Number To. You can divert calls to mobiles, landlines or VOIP numbers, depending on the service you select.
3. Set up a Monthly Payment Agreement We do not tie you into lengthy contracts and there are no hidden costs. We offer a variety of tariffs for different services and users. Pay As You Go starts from as little as £5 per month for 0800 numbers.

4. Choose Additional Services Virtual landline services offer a wide range of useful business services. You can tailor-make a package to suit your specific business needs by selecting the additional services you require. Incoming call features such as IVR (auto-attendant), call queuing and voicemail can help you to effectively manage calls even at peak times.

5. Go Live! Once your order is complete and payment received, we can set up your new number within minutes during business hours.

If you’re a small business or a startup, it’s always daunting committing more of your budget to new investment. A virtual landline number can increase service levels, cut costs, increase profits and boost your company’s image. It’s a cost-effective solution to a host of business challenges and an investment you won’t regret! 

If you’re not sure which is the best virtual landline service for your business, contact us. We can supply, test and support numbers in the UK and internationally. We are committed to providing transparent pricing, outstanding customer service and innovative services that are constantly evolving. Let us help you to grow your business.