6 Tips for Setting Up an International Toll Free or Local Virtual Number

Whether setting up shop in an overseas country, traveling abroad, or making it easier for your international contacts to reach you, setting up an international virtual number is an excellent communications choice. Use the tips below to get the most out of this affordable communications method.

1 Choose a reliable call divert service that supports the countries involved.

Some international call forwarding companies use VoIP technology to keep costs as low as possible. However, sound quality and reliability remain concerns. Choose an international virtual number service provider who uses traditional phone networks rather than Internet technology to divert your calls. Not only will you be happier with the sound quality, you’ll likely find that rates are competitive. Naturally, you’ll need to focus on a service provider that also supports each of the countries involved.

2 Set up local ring tones.

Not all service providers offer local ring tones. If yours does, make sure to set it up. This will generate tones to your local callers that sound just like the tones they are accustomed to hearing when dialing other phone numbers.

3 Choose a pay-as-you-go plan

especially if your need for international call forwarding is expected to be relatively short. Paying as you go ensures that you aren’t stuck with monthly payments or expensive early termination penalties.
within their countries. Without this feature, the tones they hear could be disorienting.

4 Learn how to quickly change your ring to number

Whether via an online portal or your phone’s keypad, you’ll get much more out of your international virtual number if you know how to quickly and easily change its ring to number. For example, many people use their international virtual number to make cheap international long distance calls by changing the ring to number so that it rings to their desired recipient’s phone. Once the call is over, they then reset the ring to number.

5 Use time of day routing

This feature becomes quite important when significant time differences are involved. By using time of day routing, you can control which phone rings and when based on the time of day the call is placed.

6 Set up a greeting and voicemail

Did you know that an international virtual number can serve as an auto attendant (if such a feature is provided in your plan)? If your plan offers auto attendant features, set it up so that your callers are automatically greeted and prompted to select from several predetermined options.

Get the most out of your international virtual number by using these tips. Don’t have an international virtual number yet?

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The Ultimate in Phone Portability – a Virtual Phone Number

Ensure your callers can reach you regardless of where you are or which physical phone you currently have access to.

Not too long ago, moving to a new home or office location meant abandoning your old phone number and getting a new one. Not only was getting a new phone number a hassle for you, it was also a hassle for all of your contacts who needed to change their records and automatic dialers. Businesses could convert their old main numbers to call forwarding numbers but tended to phase those out over time.

For residential users, VoIP and telephone number portability eventually arrived, opening the doors to taking your old phone number with you. Those options still exist, but a new option has emerged offering the ultimate in phone portability: the virtual phone.

Why Order a Virtual Phone?

A virtual phone is one that essentially resides in the so-called cloud. When you order a virtual phone, you are issued a phone number which you can then assign to ring to any other phone number in existence. Because you can change your virtual phone’s ring to number at will, you can take your virtual phone with you wherever you go. The possibilities are unlimited.

For example, you could use your virtual phone to:

Route calls to your mobile phone
Route calls to your home’s landline
Route calls to a hotel room phone when traveling
Route calls to your main office
Route calls to a back office line
Route calls to a temporary workspace phone
Route calls to a colleague’s phone
Make cheap international long distance calls by changing the ring to number
Route calls to a disposable cell phone when visiting another country
Use the virtual phone number’s calling features to create a virtual PBX system
Ensure your callers can reach you regardless of where you are or which physical phone you currently have access to

Where to Get a Virtual Phone

Due to its virtual nature, you’re not buying a physical phone per se but rather a call divert service that routes incoming calls to a designated phone number. aitelephone.com offers an affordable virtual phone service suitable for domestic and international call forwarding. Simply select an international virtual number that makes the most sense for you and sign up for a pay-as-you-go virtual phone plan.

Once established and configured, give your new virtual phone number to your contacts and let them know that they can use this number to reach you no matter where you may be. From there, you can use the online account management tool to change your ring to number as needed and change any personal preferences you wish.

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Should You Get an International Virtual Number?

Let’s say that you advise technology startups in Silicon Valley. It makes sense to have an office in Palo Alto, and you do. However, you’ve noticed that a lot of your clients have moved to Dublin, Ireland.

If you do business internationally, getting an international virtual phone number (or several of them) may make sense.

With an international virtual phone number, you can create a “local” presence in a designated country without having to actually establish a physical office there.

The international number looks like any other local number to your overseas customers and partners, but it rings to your designed phone located in another country.

Who Needs an International Virtual Number?

For example, let’s say that you advise technology startups in Silicon Valley. It makes sense to have an office in Palo Alto, and you do. However, you’ve noticed that a lot of your clients have moved to Dublin, Ireland.

They still have strong ties to Silicon Valley, and you don’t want to lose business simply because of geographic differences. At the same time, opening a second office in Dublin is cost prohibitive.

Your clients want to speak with you regularly, but they hesitate to do so due to fears about international long distance costs. The answer: an international virtual phone number.

In this example, you’d need to order a Dublin virtual phone number and designate your Palo Alto office phone as its “ring to” number.

Whenever a Dublin-based client needs to call you, he or she would dial a local number for Dublin. The call would then be forwarded to your office in Silicon Valley where you can advise your client just as you would have done had your client stayed in the area.

That’s just one of any number of possible scenarios where a business could benefit from an international virtual phone number.

On a larger scale, you could have multiple international virtual phone numbers for any number of countries where your business has a presence.

In order to handle all of these calls, you could route them to a single call center staffed with agents who speak the languages involved. To ensure that the right agents handle each call, set up call routing based on country code.

For example, all calls originating in Portugal and Brazil could be routed to agents who speak Portuguese while calls from Germany would go to agents who speak German.

Advantages of Using an International Virtual Number

Using an international virtual phone number is a fantastic way to create a local business presence in countries where you do business. It eliminates cost concerns and looks familiar.

Your customers will feel more confident dialing a familiar looking phone number than they would feel if presented with an overseas phone number. They may also feel more confident in your abilities to serve them because you don’t appear to be located on the other side of the Earth.

In addition to appearing local and eliminating cost concerns, an international virtual phone number can save you a great deal of money.

There’s no need to rent office space or hire a local representative. Instead, international call divert routes those calls to your existing office staff in your home country.

Finally, international virtual phone numbers are extremely portable. You can set them up to ring to any phone, at any time. For example, if you decide to travel to Dublin to meet with your clients in person, you could change your Dublin international virtual phone number’s ring to number to a temporary mobile phone that you buy once you arrive in Dublin. Your clients could then reach you using the same phone number.

Likewise, should your main call center need to go offline due to a natural disaster, you can use international call forwarding to route your international phone calls to a secondary call center located elsewhere.

Should you get an international virtual phone number? If you conduct business overseas, the answer is yes.

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Stay in Touch While in another country with International Call Forwarding

In addition to booking flights, lodging, and various tours, make sure to add planning your communications to the list.

Summer will be here soon, making it important to begin planning your vacation. In addition to booking flights, lodging, and various tours, make sure to add planning your communications to the list.

After all, your cell phone may not work as expected when traveling overseas and high international calling costs could catch you off guard. Even if your cell phone does work, you could be subject to outrageous per minute international roaming fees.

By the time your bill arrives, it will be too late. Avoid this potentially costly problem altogether and stay in touch at the same time by using an international call forwarding service to divert your calls and lock in some of the most competitive rates in the world.

How to Make Low Cost International Calls When Vacationing or on assignment Overseas

First, you’ll need a means of calling your family, friends, business partners, and other parties back home. As mentioned earlier, your cell phone may not work overseas. Thus, you may want to buy a disposable cell phone locally once you arrive. However, while a local cell phone will be useful for making and receiving local calls, on its own it doesn’t solve the challenge of low-cost calls home. You’ll need an international call forwarding number to do that.

For example, if you are traveling to Paris, France and need to call your office in the United States while you’re on vacation, order an international call forwarding number that’s local to Paris, France and then set up the “ring to” number so that it rings to your US office.

Whenever you need to call your office in the United States, simply dial the French call forwarding number on your cell phone. This call will be treated as a local call by the mobile phone carrier. You will be billed separately by the international call forwarding service at its low per minute rates.

If you don’t feel the need for a mobile phone, you can use this same strategy to avoid excessive international dialing costs imposed by French hotels. Again, order an international call forwarding number local to Paris, France and set the ring to number to the international phone line of your choice.

You can change the ring to number as often as you’d like. From your hotel’s perspective, these calls will be treated as Paris-to-Paris local calls. Thus, you’ll bypass the hotel’s international long distance charges.

How to Receive Low Cost International Calls When Overseas

What about your contacts back home? How will they get in touch with you? Whether you want to ensure that your immediate family can reach you no matter where you go or you have an international business deal that requires you to be on call, setting up a global call forwarding number will do the trick.

In this case, you’ll create a global call forwarding number that’s local or toll free for your contacts back in the United States. Give them this number and let them know that it can be used to reach you while you’re on vacation. You’ll need to set the ring to number so that it rings to your hotel room or disposable cell phone at each destination.

Though setting up multiple international call forwarding numbers and managing their ring to numbers does take a bit of work, it can slash your international communications costs dramatically.

If you need to stay in touch while traveling overseas, international call forwarding is an affordable way to do it. Best of all, month-to-month, pay-as-you-go plans are available with no long term contracts or early termination penalties.

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3 International Call Forwarding Tips for Budget Conscious Businesses

For example, if your main office is located in Barcelona, Spain and you will be spending a week in Beijing, China, you could order an international call forwarding number local to Beijing and configure its ring to number to ring to your office in Barcelona.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur on a budget or an executive tasked with reigning in costs, international call forwarding can play a role in your business plans.

Global call forwarding numbers are readily available for hundreds of countries around the world, and you can use them in a variety of cost-effective ways.

Here are three tips for using international call forwarding to trim costs and stay in touch.

1. Creating an international presence around the globe. Whether your main office is located in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, or Africa, you can help customers and business partners connect with you by ordering local toll free phone numbers for the countries of your choice and then forwarding those calls to your main office. These international call forwarding numbers give your business the appearance of having a local office; however, you do not need to operate a physical office. Instead, your staff answers the phone at your main office or at a call center located elsewhere. Time-of-day routing, local ringtones, and other features can be used to enhance the experience.

2. Making low-cost international phone calls while traveling. In addition to using international call forwarding numbers to route global calls to a central location, many business professionals order personal call forwarding numbers to use to make low-cost international phone calls while traveling. For example, if your main office is located in Barcelona, Spain and you will be spending a week in Beijing, China, you could order an international call forwarding number local to Beijing and configure its ring to number to ring to your office in Barcelona. Whenever you need to reach your office while in Beijing, you’d simply dial a local number (thus avoiding high international long distance costs and hotel surcharges) and be billed according to the rates offered by your international call forwarding service provider.

3. Remaining available while traveling. Unless you have a pricey global satellite phone, traveling from one country to the next usually means that your mobile phone may or may not work due to cellular network differences. Even if your mobile phone does work in a foreign country, international roaming charges may make communications cost-prohibitive.

While you could let everyone know your hotel phone numbers, this is an impractical solution that requires a great deal of coordination. Plus, you won’t be at your hotel room the entire time. A better option is to order an international call forwarding number in advance, give that number to anyone who will need to call you while you’re gone, and then set it up to ring to voicemail temporarily. Once you arrive at your destination, purchase a no-contract cell phone and then re-configure your international call forwarding number so that it rings to your new cell phone. Repeat as needed as you travel from one country to the next.

International call forwarding is a low-cost solution to several business challenges. Whether you need a temporary phone number in a foreign country or want to build an international presence for your business, affordable global call forwarding plans are available on a month-to-month basis with no long term contracts or early termination penalties.

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What You May Not Know About International Call Forwarding

For example, if the person who usually handles all incoming calls from Italy calls in sick, you could change the ring to number for your Italian call forwarding number to ring to another qualified, Italian-speaking person in your company.

Think that all there is to using an international call forwarding number is getting the number and then setting its “ring to” number? Think again. Yes, setting up an international call forwarding number can be as simple as that.

However, to squeeze the most value out of your global phone number, you may want to learn more about international call forwarding and the numerous features available to you.

Make an Impact with International Call Forwarding

Getting a global call forwarding number could immediately transform your local business into one with international appeal. For example, if you’ve recently begun selling products in Brazil, listing a toll free Brazilian number on your product packaging would reassure consumers that your business is readily accessible. In contrast, listing a number for a company located in North America, Europe, or Asia may cause Brazilian consumers to reconsider their purchase.

Sound Local with Local Ring Tones

Did you know that the sound of a ringing telephone varies from region to region? A caller may hear a different ring tone when dialing London than when calling Hong Kong. For those who frequently call specific countries, a mismatch between ring tones could be jarring. Avoid confusing callers by using local ring tones whenever possible.

Handle Global Phone Calls Night and Day with an Auto Attendant

One of the biggest potential problems with issuing an international call forwarding number and answering it on the other side of the world has to do with time zone differences. Fortunately, this problem can be handled by an auto attendant. For example, you can set up your global call forwarding number so that it rings to different phone numbers (such as various call centers located around the world) based on the time of day a call comes in. You could also roll calls to voicemail at a specific time.

Create a Virtual PBX with an International Call Forwarding Number

You can take call routing even further by configuring your international call forwarding number so that it serves as a virtual PBX system. For example, you could set up your call forwarding number to greet callers with a recorded greeting. From there, the auto attendant could instruct callers to push specific buttons on their keypads in order to: speak with a customer service representative, reach technical support, get directions to your office, leave a message, or anything else.

Never Miss a Call with Simultaneous Ringing

What happens if ten people call your international call forwarding number at the same time? One option is to set up simultaneous call forwarding to multiple phone numbers at the same time.

Eliminate Your Fax Machine

Tired of paying for an extra phone line for a fax machine that rarely gets used? Your global call forwarding number can accept faxes. Any incoming fax will be converted to a PDF or image document and then emailed to the email address of your choice.

Month-to-Month International Call Forwarding

International call forwarding numbers can be ordered and used on a month-to-month basis with no long term contracts. If you need a temporary or long-term call forwarding solution, these plans provide fantastic features, low rates, and the flexibility your business needs.

Change Your Ring To Number On the Fly

It’s possible to change your ring to number quickly and easily, and as often as you’d like. For example, if the person who usually handles all incoming calls from Italy calls in sick, you could change the ring to number for your Italian call forwarding number to ring to another qualified, Italian-speaking person in your company.

These are but a few of the many ways you can use international call forwarding numbers. Don’t just “set it and forget it,” take advantage of your global call forwarding plan’s advanced features.

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International Call Forwarding – A Frugal Tool for International Calls

You will be billed by the global call forwarding service provider for the call forwarding service at its low per minute rates.

Your college student just announced that she’s been accepted at a prestigious international university.

Though everyone’s excited, you may wonder how you’ll stay in touch or be concerned about the cost of international phone calls.

International call forwarding is a frugal option for international college students and their parents.

Low Cost Ireland to US Phone Calls

Let’s use Ireland and the United States as an example. If your college student will be attending a semester in Ireland, she’ll need an inexpensive way to call her family and friends in the United States. Likewise, you’ll need a cheap way to call her in Ireland.

Start by ordering an international call forwarding number that is local to the city in Ireland where her university is located. Set the “ring to” number to your home phone number. When in Ireland, she will dial a local Irish phone number whenever she wants to call home. The phone will ring at your house in the United States. In Ireland, that call will be treated as any other local phone call. Her local phone carrier will not impose international long distance charges because it is essentially a local call. You will be billed by the global call forwarding service provider for the call forwarding service at its low per minute rates.

Low Cost US to Ireland Phone Calls

Next, set up an international call forwarding number that’s local to your family in the United States. For example, if you live in San Diego, get a local San Diego phone number in your local calling area. Set up this number’s ring to number to your daughter’s dorm room number back in Ireland. Since you’ll dial a local San Diego phone number each time, your phone company will treat it as any other local call. Again, your international call forwarding service provider will bill you its low-cost international call forwarding rates.

Depending on how generous you want to be, you could share this local phone number with your college student’s friends who remain in the area. Keep in mind, however, that you will be billed for any calls others make using your call forwarding number.

Using a global call forwarding service while your college student is studying abroad is a fantastic way to keep your communications costs low during the school year. Month-to-month plans and low international call forwarding rates make global call forwarding a fantastic, frugal choice.

Virtual Business Tools: How International Call Forwarding Can Help

Whether you need to be available for calls from important clients or your family members back home, an international call forwarding number makes reaching you a simple matter with no additional work or international long distance expenses for your callers.

Did you know that a single phone number can partially automate your business?

Getting an international call forwarding number is like having a virtual secretary who can track you down no matter where in the world you may be.

Not only can your global virtual phone number ensure that you can be found, the right international call forwarding service can also deliver a fantastic user experience to your callers.

How a Virtual International Phone Number Can Find You

An international call forwarding number is a virtual phone number that is local to a given country. It does not have a physical location connected to it. Instead, it can be configured to ring to any phone that you designate. For example, you could get a virtual phone number for Ontario, Canada and set it up to ring to your main office, your mobile phone, your home office, or any other phone number you choose – at any time.

You can also set your virtual number to ring to ALL of your designated ring to numbers at once or to ring them sequentially until you pick up. Having a number follow you around is ideal for business professionals who frequently work at different locations. It also allows you to reduce your reliance on your cell phone for business calls when sitting behind a desk. Thus, you can conserve your mobile phone’s minutes. A virtual number also allows you to receive mobile phone calls when necessary while simultaneously keeping your mobile phone number private.

What happens when you need to leave the country? Your international call forwarding number can find follow you. Simply change the ring to number to your overseas contact number such as the phone in your hotel room or temporary office space. Your colleagues back in Canada would call you as they always do by dialing the same phone number. Meanwhile, you would receive the call in a different country. Callers may not even realize that you’re not in your Ontario office!

Virtual Number Benefits to Callers

This brings up another important point about international call forwarding: your callers’ experience. Whether you need to be available for calls from important clients or your family members back home, an international call forwarding number makes reaching you a simple matter with no additional work or international long distance expenses for your callers. They simply call you as they normally do using the same local or toll free number.

On your end, you can configure your virtual number in a variety of ways to enhance the caller’s experience. For example, if you’ve traveled out of the country and into a different time zone, you might want to set up time of day routing so that calls are routed to voicemail while you sleep.

Creating a Virtual PBX

Whether traveling abroad or setting up your main office, you may want to create a virtual PBX with your international call forwarding number. Advanced auto attendant features allow you to greet callers and prompt them to make specific choices such as “press 1 for sales; 2 for service.”

A single international call forwarding number can serve a variety of purposes and partially automate your business. Use a virtual number to receive calls no matter where you may happen to be, to ensure a consistent caller experience, and project a professional image.

Best of all, international call forwarding plans are affordable and available on a month-to-month basis – and hundreds of countries are supported.

Global Call Forwarding – The Perfect Solution for Businesses and the Pros that Power Them

While you could skip the international call forwarding number and simply inform all of your contacts of your temporary phone numbers, doing so requires you to inform everyone who may possibly have a need to reach you.

Global call forwarding is a versatile telecommunications method that helps businesses and business professionals stay in touch around the globe. From a business perspective, setting up an international call forwarding number makes it possible to appear local in various countries while also allowing for affordable international calls. From a business professional’s perspective, global call forwarding ensures that calls continue to come through despite frequent international travel.

How Global Call Forwarding Connects International Customers to Businesses in Faraway Countries

Businesses often establish local phone numbers in external countries and then use call forwarding to route those calls to their main office or call center.

For example, if you operate a business in the United States and would like consumers in Brazil to be able to call your US office, you have two choices:

Give them the direct line to your US office (because a North American toll free number won’t work in South America)
Establish a local number in Brazil and call forward it to your US office.

Think about perceptions for a moment. If you give a Brazilian customer a US number to dial, the customer may worry about costs or be concerned about dealing with an international company. There may also be concerns about language or time zones.

In contrast, if you give a Brazilian customer a Brazilian phone number to call (either local or toll free), the customer will see a familiar number and costs won’t even be considered. From the customer’s perspective, it’s a local phone number; thus, language and time zone differences are not a concern either.

In addition to overcoming concerns about costs, time zones, and language, a global call forwarding number can also be used in lieu of establishing a local office. Imagine the costs of renting office space and staffing local offices in just three countries compared to ordering three international call forwarding numbers.

Now multiply that by the number of countries you want to serve. The savings are significant, and you would be able to handle all of those calls in a central office.

How Global Call Forwarding Allows Business Professionals to Be Found Around the Globe

Global call forwarding is also beneficial to business professionals who travel frequently. By setting up an international call forwarding number, you can be found wherever in the world you may be. Not only can you be reached internationally, your callers can do not need to do anything special in order to reach you. Below are a few of the many benefits of global call forwarding:

One number can reach you anywhere in the world – Once you establish a global call forwarding number, you can set it up to ring at the number of your choice at any time. For example, you might start by setting its ring-to number to your main office phone number. When you head to Hong Kong for a few months, you can set your ring-to number to your office phone in Hong Kong. When you go on vacation in France, you can change your ring-to number to your hotel room in Paris. No matter where you are, your callers can reach you.
Easy for callers – While you could skip the international call forwarding number and simply inform all of your contacts of your temporary phone numbers, doing so requires you to inform everyone who may possibly have a need to reach you. Not only that, your callers may be hesitant to dial an international phone number due to unfamiliarity with the process as well as concerns about international calling costs. By forwarding your calls as needed, you no longer need to inform others about how to reach you and your callers no longer need to be concerned about the technicalities or costs involved in reaching you when you’re out of the country.
Complete control over access to you – Setting up an international call forwarding number also gives you complete control over when and where you can be reached. Using advanced features such as time of day routing ensures that if a call comes through in the middle of the night, it will be sent to voicemail. Likewise, if you’d prefer not to give out your cell phone number but need to take calls on your cell phone when out of the office, you could simply forward your calls to your cell phone when needed. This allows you to take the calls at your convenience when out and about without having to reveal your personal cell phone number to customers, colleagues, and business partners.

Whether you would like to extend your business’s reach to other countries or need a convenient way to receive phone calls when traveling outside of the country, global call forwarding is the perfect solution.

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Types of Virtual Numbers

Virtual numbers with simultaneous call processing also ensure that callers do not hear a busy signal.

Virtual numbers come in two basic flavors

Local and Toll Free. With a local virtual number, you are not restricted to numbers available to your locally. In other words, if you live in San Diego, California, you are not restricted to San Diego numbers. You can get local numbers for cities all over the world and have them ring to any phone you choose.

Toll free numbers are toll free versions such as 800 and 888 numbers. Like local virtual numbers, you can get toll free virtual numbers for various countries including the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and dozens of other countries.

Both local and toll free virtual numbers involve routing calls to the phone number that you designate. As the virtual number account holder, you would be responsible for paying the costs associated with forwarding those calls to your ring-to number.

You can choose a plan that includes monthly minutes or begin with a buy-the-minute plan and can decide to change the plan later after you know your typical usage pattern. The plans are month-to-month so there are no long term contracts.

How Virtual Numbers Make You Look More Professional

Having a toll free number for your business immediately makes your business look larger and more professional. It shows that you are serious, and it eliminates any concerns callers may have about dialing long distance.

If you’d like your business to appear more professional, consider setting up your virtual number with an auto attendant. This is an affordable alternative to a traditional PBX. You could assign separate mailboxes for individuals or departments and have the auto attendant route calls based on the caller’s choices. For example, your auto attendant could prompt users to “press 1 for sales, 2 for accounting, and 3 for shipping.” This is an efficient way to route calls to the appropriate person, and it can also give the illusion of a larger operation.

In addition to routing calls based on caller input, you could also take advantage of a lesser known feature called time of day routing to route calls. For example, if a call comes in after 5:00 PM, you could have it automatically sent to voicemail. You could do the same at lunch time.

Virtual numbers with simultaneous call processing also ensure that callers do not hear a busy signal. When several callers dial the virtual number at once, the extra calls will be sent to the next available extension or voicemail.

In addition, virtual numbers can also double as fax numbers. Whenever someone needs to send you a fax, they can fax documents directly to your virtual number and you’ll receive it as an email attachment. You’ll never miss a fax again due to a lack of paper, toner, or ink. Plus, you’ll no longer need to maintain a separate fax line and fax machine.

Virtual numbers can also make you look local which in turn can increase your credibility.

For example, if you run a small mom-and-pop graphic design firm in a rural community, you may have difficulty competing with firms from New York City simply because of your rural location. By ordering a virtual number with a New York area code, your business can overcome this perceptional problem.

Overseas example

You offer a service on the Web and are located in London. Since your customers are located worldwide, you want to make it easy for a customer in Argentina or Costa Rica to reach you. You have the option to own an Argentina local number in Buenos Aires or an Argentina toll-free number. For Costa Rica, choose from Costa Rica toll-free or a national Costa Rica number. The possibilities include your ability to acquire a local number in a country of your choice spanning most of the civilized world.

From setting up a toll free number to creating a virtual PBX system and beyond, virtual numbers can help small businesses and solo professionals look more professional. Even better, virtual numbers are an inexpensive alternative to traditional phone systems and fax machines.

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10 Ways to Use Global Call Forwarding

Use global call forwarding numbers to appear larger and more capable.

Global call forwarding using virtual phone numbers can be used in a variety of ways, allowing you to connect with international friends, family, colleagues, partners, and customers using a single virtual phone number. Below are 10 ways to use global call forwarding to connect with others around the globe.

1. Use a global call forwarding number to keep in touch with family members living abroad. If you have family members living in another country with high international calling costs, consider ordering a global call forwarding number that’s local to that country. Once established, your family members would dial a local phone number that forwards to the destination number in your country. You would pay a fixed per minute price that’s typically much lower than the host country’s rates.

2. Using a virtual number to stay connected when traveling the world. If you travel around the world, you could order a global call forwarding number that’s local to your home country and give that number to your family, friends, and colleagues to call.

As you move from one country to the next, simply change your ring-to number to your new local phone. Your contacts back home would dial a local or toll free number and you’d pay a low per minute rate.

3. Set up shop in another country. Want to start offering products and services overseas? Instead of setting up a physical location in another country, consider setting up a virtual location with an international call forwarding number. Your customers would dial a local phone number to reach you no matter where in the world you actually are.

4. Use a global call forwarding phone number to receive international faxes. Instead of maintaining separate international phone and fax lines, sign up for a global call forwarding number with a fax-to-email feature. Whenever someone needs to send you a fax from that country, they’d simply fax the document to you using the call forwarding number. You’d then receive an email containing a PDF of the faxed document. Not only does this eliminate the need for a separate phone line, it also means that you can get rid of your fax machine and its ongoing expenses.

5. Use global call forwarding numbers to appear larger and more capable. If you would like your business to appear larger, ordering several virtual phone numbers can instantly give your business an international boost.

6. Use virtual numbers to establish yourself in a given country. Are you headed to an international conference where you have the potential to close business deals with partners around the world? Consider establishing global call forwarding numbers in your target countries and then print up business cards with your new phone numbers. Your prospects will likely feel confident calling you from their home countries thanks to your local presence.

7. Use global call forwarding to avoid costly international roaming rates. When traveling internationally, your mobile phone may or may not work at your destination. Even if it does work, you could be faced with sky-high international roaming rates. A better option is to order a global call forwarding number and then buy a disposable cell phone at your destination. You can then designate your new mobile phone as the ring-to number and receive your calls no matter where you go.

8. Use global call forwarding to control when and where you receive international phone calls. International call forwarding plans typically allow you to change the destination phone number on the fly. In addition, many plans have a “time of day” routing feature where you can preprogram how calls are handled based on the time of day they are made. For example, if you do not want to be disturbed between 6:00PM and 5:00AM local time, you can configure your phone number to route any calls between those hours to voicemail.

9. Use global call forwarding in an international call center. Global call forwarding numbers can be routed to an international call center where you can have customer service agents available to handle incoming calls. If you have multiple call forwarding numbers, you may want to route calls to specific agents based on country codes. Similarly, you can route calls to different call centers based on time of day.

10. Use global call forwarding to reduce international calling costs. With low international calling rates and the ability to switch ring-to numbers on the fly, many people have found that global call forwarding is a cost-effective way to make international long distance calls. Rather than dialing directly, you can change your ring-to number to the number you’d like to call and then dial your global call forwarding number. This bypasses the traditional system, puts you on your call forwarding provider’s network, and gives you access to low per minute international calling rates for dozens of countries around the world.

Global call forwarding is a versatile solution to a number of international calling scenarios.

How will you use your global call forwarding number?

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Virtual Numbers for Startups and Small Businesses

After all, some callers won’t think twice about calling you at all hours. By giving callers your virtual number, they can call you 24/7 yet you won’t necessarily have to hear the phone ring while you’re trying to sleep or spend quality time with your family.

Startups and small businesses need to be accessible, yet they often run on a tight budget. Virtual numbers allow entrepreneurs, startups, and small business owners to receive phone calls professionally without the expense of a PBX system. Not only that, virtual numbers are highly portable.

Whether you need to work out of a temporary location at first before moving into your office, your virtual numbers can follow you wherever you may go – and your callers will never be aware of your movements.

How Virtual Numbers Work

Virtual phone numbers are essentially call forwarding numbers that are not associated with any given phone line or device. You can order virtual numbers with specific country and area codes so that they are “local” to a given region. For instance, you could order a virtual phone number for Los Angeles and another for Ireland and then set both of those numbers to ring to your New York apartment.

People in LA would see a familiar area code and think that they’re calling your Los Angeles office. At the same time, your contacts in Ireland would see a familiar local number and feel confident dialing your Ireland office without any concerns about paying international long distance charges.

As the account holder of those numbers, you would pay your virtual call forwarding service provider for each minute of service. Depending on the plan, you’d likely pay different rates based on the country of origin. Virtual numbers are quite similar to toll free numbers both in terms of how they work and how they are billed.

With a virtual number, you have complete control over the destination phone number. You can change this number at any time online. If you plan on working at the local coffee house for a few hours, you could change the ring-to number to your cell phone.

When you return to your home office, you could then change the ring-to number to your home office phone. Similarly, if you need to leave the country, you could change the ring-to number to your hotel room or temporary office space. Meanwhile, your callers will not notice any disruptions because they can reach you as they normally do.

Virtual numbers are available for locations around the world. In addition to domestic and international virtual phone numbers, you can also get toll free virtual phone numbers if desired.

Benefits of Using Virtual Numbers for Your Startup or Small Business

Using virtual numbers can deliver several important benefits for startups and small businesses. Below are just a few to spark your imagination:

They can help you compete with “local” bidders. If you’re bidding on a project in another city or country, decision makers may have a preference for doing business with local companies. Getting a local call forwarding number, even if it’s just for short-term use as part of the bidding process, can give your business a local credibility boost.
Easy split testing. Use different virtual numbers to split test your advertisements and landing pages. Which phone number receives the most calls? Which phone number generates the most sales?
Look bigger. While your startup may be excelling despite the fact that you’re running it out of your garage, you may not want to appear as though you’re working out of your garage. By establishing a toll free number and a few virtual numbers in major cities, you can instantly appear to be a larger company. Many virtual number service plans include auto attendant, music on hold, and multiple mailbox features that can also help your company to look bigger than it currently is.
Protect your privacy. As an entrepreneur, you need to be readily accessible, but you may not want to give out your personal mobile phone number or home phone number. After all, some callers won’t think twice about calling you at all hours. By giving callers your virtual number, they can call you 24/7 yet you won’t necessarily have to hear the phone ring while you’re trying to sleep or spend quality time with your family. You decide when to accept calls from your virtual number and when to send them to voicemail or to an assistant.

Virtual numbers are ideal for startups and small businesses alike. With one or more virtual numbers, you can immediately establish your business in a given community as well as appear bigger than you are.

You can also move from one location to another, control where those calls go, compete with local bidders, test your ads, and maintain your privacy. Best of all, you can get virtual numbers on a pay-as-you-go basis with no contract or minimum usage requirements.

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Virtual Call Forwarding Numbers and Enhancing Customer Service

For example, your callers in Italy would dial an Italian toll free number which would then be forwarded to your designated ring-to number in the US.

Do you serve an international customer base?

Global call forwarding can play an important role in your customer service strategy as well as deliver several important cost advantages. Whether you run an international call center or a small business that serves a couple of different countries, using call forwarding smartly can improve service levels.

Connecting with Customers with a Global Call Forwarding Virtual Number

When properly configured, global call forwarding can ensure that your customers from around the world can reach a customer service representative with minimal hassles. Did you know that a toll free number issued in one country doesn’t necessarily work for callers in another country? While you may have a US or Canada toll free number, callers from other countries such as Italy, Egypt, or China will not get through if they attempt to dial that number.

If you want callers from other countries to be able to reach your business without incurring toll charges, you will need to establish toll free global call forwarding numbers specific to each country. For example, your callers in Italy would dial an Italian toll free number which would then be forwarded to your designated ring-to number in the US.

Setting up a global call forwarding number is not difficult. In fact, the process is similar to setting up a traditional toll free business number. Like a traditional toll free number, toll charges for an international toll free call forwarding number are paid by the account holder and not the caller.

By setting up a toll free global call forwarding number for each country that you serve, your international customers will not need to incur any long distance charges to call your customer service center.

In addition, seeing a local number overcomes potential concerns about calling outside of the country as well as gives callers the impression that they are dialing a company located within their country.

While global toll free numbers work in much the same way as domestic toll free numbers, time zone and language differences add complexity to the equation. If you are serious about serving a global audience, consider staffing your call center with native speakers during hours that coincide with business hours in the callers’ countries. Depending on where your call center is located, you may need to schedule native speaking CSRs to answer calls in the middle of the night.

To ensure the best service possible, you can set up calls to ring to specific extensions based on their country codes as well as route calls based on the time of day they are made. For example, if a call originates in Spain, you could route that call to one of your Spanish-speaking CSRs.

Similarly, if a call from Spain originates after-hours, you could send that call to voicemail as callers are not expecting to be served after-hours.

Global call forwarding isn’t just for large businesses who can afford to staff international call centers. Small businesses often use call forwarding on a smaller scale. For example, if you’re a business consultant with clients in the Philippines, you could establish a phone number in the Philippines and then route those calls to your home office.

Your clients will appreciate being able to call you without incurring high costs, and you can become more accessible. In fact, you’d likely have an advantage over a business consultant who has not bothered to establish a local presence.

Because time differences are a major concern, consider adjusting your work schedule to accommodate clients in your target country. You may have just a small window of time each day that works for both you and your clients. However, by letting them know the best time to reach you, you’ll be better able to connect.

Another option is to use an answering service to prescreen calls that arrive in the middle of the night. Provide your answering service with guidelines as to when to notify you of an urgent call. This can ensure that you’re available to handle emergencies yet not constantly bothered at all hours with non-urgent matters. At the same time, your international callers will reach a live person regardless of when they call you.

Cutting Costs with Global Call Forwarding

Many businesses use global call forwarding as an alternative to physical locations. The cost savings can become significant. It is far more efficient to have a central office than it is to lease office space and staff offices around the world. By keeping operations central, you can also reduce your travel costs as you will no longer need to travel from one office to the next.

Whether you run a large business with international call centers or a one-person consultancy that caters to international clients, global call forwarding is a great way to deliver customer service.

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Become More Flexible with Global Call Forwarding

At the same time, you could establish several international forwarding numbers in countries around the world and have them ring to your call center.

Whether you run a small business or an enterprise organization, global call forwarding can help you become more flexible and agile.

With global call forwarding, you have several options. For example, you could establish a virtual number that follows you no matter where in the world you may happen to be.

At the same time, you could establish several international forwarding numbers in countries around the world and have them ring to your call center.

Imagine the possibilities! Below are just a few examples of how your company can take advantage of global call forwarding.

Using Global Call Forwarding to Stay in Touch Globally

As an individual who travels frequently, you may want to check into using global call forwarding as a means of staying in touch with employees, clients, and family members back home when you travel overseas. As you know, your cell phone doesn’t always work in other countries, and when it does, international roaming rates make accepting calls from people back home an expensive proposition.

Many business travels find it cheaper to buy a disposable mobile phone once they arrive in a country but that brings problems of its own. For example, you need to inform everyone that you have a new number for them to call if they need to reach you when you’re in that country. Since the phone number is local to the country you’re in, your contacts will face international long distance charges should they need to call you. Plus, once you dispose of that phone, you’ll need to tell your contacts that that phone number is no longer valid.

With global call forwarding, you establish a local phone number within your own country (or a toll free one depending on your preferences). You can keep this virtual number indefinitely. The beauty of global call forwarding is that you can change the “ring to” number on the fly. When you purchase a disposable mobile phone in a new country, you simply switch the global call forwarding number’s ring to number to your new mobile phone. You do not need to inform your contacts. They simply dial the same number they always dial. Since the virtual number is local to your own country, your in-country employees, clients, and family members do not need to worry about international dialing costs.

Meanwhile, if you use a reliable, low-cost global call forwarding service, the rates that you are charged will be far more affordable than international roaming rates. In fact, you can view per minute rates for each country you frequently visit before you sign up for a plan.

Using Global Call Forwarding to Establish an International Presence

Another way to use global call forwarding for your business is to establish local phone numbers in the countries that you serve and then have those calls diverted to your call center or main office. To customers in various countries, the phone numbers are completely local. They may even feel as though they’re dialing a business across town thanks to the way the number appears and even the sound of the ringtone. However, the phone will ring to your designated number whether it’s in the same country or not. This provides your business with a flexible alternative to setting up physical locations around the world.

Using Global Call Forwarding to Route Calls by Time of Day

Having a global call forwarding number in a different country does bring with it one challenge: global time differences. However, those differences can be dealt with using time of day routing. For example, if a caller calls you during local business hours, how do you want the call handled if it’s the middle of the night your time?

With time of day routing, you can send calls to a live answering service, call center, or voicemail based on the time of day calls take place. Since callers don’t expect to be helped after business hours, you could send those after hours calls to voicemail as expected or, if those calls occur during your normal business hours, you could exceed expectations by handling those calls in real time.

Time of day routing is a flexible feature that allows you greater control over how incoming calls are routed based on the time of day they occur.

Global call forwarding is a convenient, low-cost choice for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a globetrotting executive who needs to stay in touch at all times, a mid-sized business owner who wants to make it easy for international customers to reach your office without investing in a physical location, or a call center manager who needs to staff a call center to handle incoming calls around the clock, global call forwarding can help you become more flexible.

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Time to Get a Virtual Number

This virtual number is not tied to a given phone jack or device; it is completely virtual.

Whether you run a small business or perhaps operate out of your home, your customers, suppliers, partners, and others need to be able to reach you.

While you may have an office phone number and a mobile phone, you may want to add a virtual number.

Some customers add or several virtual phone numbers to the mix to create a phone presence in other countries where they do business now or would like to do business.

Virtual numbers are the most portable numbers you can get, and you can change where they ring on the fly. This allows you greater control over when and where you can be reached. Not only can a virtual number make you more accessible, it can also pay for itself. Here’s a quick look at what a virtual number is and how it can pay for itself.

How a Virtual Number Works

If you’re familiar with how a toll free phone number works, you’re already familiar with how a virtual number works. After all, a toll free number rings to whichever local phone number you assign it to.

When your business moves to a new location, your toll free number moves with you. You simply change the “ring to” number to your new office’s phone number. There’s no need to change your marketing materials and business cards when you move your office. The same is true of a virtual number. However, virtual numbers may or may not be toll free, and you can get international virtual numbers.

With a virtual number, you are assigned a local, toll free, or international phone number (depending on your preferences). This number is not tied to a given phone jack or device; it is completely virtual. When you first order your virtual number, you are prompted to designate a ring to number which can be any number you want such as your main office number, your mobile phone number, or your home phone number.

You can change this ring to number at any time and as often as you want. For example, if you want your virtual number to ring to your hotel room when you’re on vacation, you could do temporarily switch the ring to number to your hotel room’s phone.

The Benefits of Getting a Virtual Number

Having a virtual number is beneficial in many ways including, but not limited to, the following:

You can control when and where you can be reached – While you could give callers your mobile phone number, do you really want to be accessible 24/7? With a virtual number, you can be as accessible as you want without having to give up your personal phone numbers. For example, if you need to be accessible while at a conference, you could have your virtual number ring to your mobile phone. Those callers will never know your mobile phone number. Thus, when you’re at your son’s soccer game over the weekend, you won’t necessarily be bombarded with business calls on your cell phone.
You can create a business presence virtually anywhere – Whether you serve several cities within your own country or have customers located around the world, you can get a virtual number that’s local to each of your markets and have all of those calls routed to your main office or call center. Your callers will dial a local number, yet the phone will ring wherever you designate the ring to number.
Your number is portable – There’s no need to change phone numbers when you move your office.
You can use your virtual number to create a virtual PBX system – Several advanced features common with virtual numbers combine to form a virtual PBX system with features that rival costly systems. Start by creating a custom greeting and configuring the auto attendant to route calls in a manner that makes the most sense for your business.

How a Virtual Number Can Pay for Itself

When you order a virtual number on a no-contract, pay-as-you-go basis, you will incur charges based on usage on a per minute basis. If you have a domestic virtual number, your rates will be flat whereas they will be variable for international virtual numbers. In both cases, you’ll pay for your calls by the minute according to your service provider’s rates. While adding another bill to your business might give you reason to pause, many business owners find that a virtual number quickly pays for itself.

For example, if you travel internationally, receiving phone calls on your mobile phone can result in international roaming rates as high as $1.99 per minute. With a virtual number, you can route your incoming calls to a disposable cell phone purchased at your destination country. Instead of paying nearly $2 a minute, you’ll pay your plan’s rates for the countries involved.

You can also use your virtual number to receive faxes, allowing you to save the cost of a fax machine, separate phone line, and fax supplies such as toner or thermal paper.

Finally, you can use your virtual number to bypass your local long distance carrier and make cheap international phone calls. Simply change the ring to number to whatever number you need to call and dial your virtual number. This allows you to take advantage of your international call forwarding service provider’s low per minute rates for the countries you need to call.

Getting a virtual number can make sense on many levels, and it can pay for itself by slashing your costs in other areas. Is it time to get a virtual number?

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International Call Forwarding for Non-Profits

Using call divert, calls can be routed virtually anywhere the organization needs them to ring at any given time. For example, if a small non-profit organization usually operates in the United States, it could have its international forwarding number ring to its main office in the United States most of the time.

Non-profit organizations, like their for profit counterparts, must increasingly do more with less. Pressure from stakeholders and donors often prompt non-profit organizations to take a harder look at how to shave administrative costs so that more of their resources can go toward providing much-needed services or emergency help.

Non-profits can both cut costs and become more accessible internationally by using international call forwarding.

International call forwarding involves establishing an international forwarding number and routing calls to that number to a different phone number known as the “ring to” number.

However, when the entire team is mobilized to provide aid in another nation after a catastrophe, it could use call divert to route those calls to its temporary office in the affected nation, a mobile or satellite phone, or to an alternate call center located elsewhere in the world.

Non-profits can use international call forwarding in a variety of ways to cut costs or become more agile – or both. Below are a few ideas for using an international forwarding number.

Create an International Presence with International Call Forwarding

Imagine that you run a small non-profit based in the United States that provides food, clothing, and financial assistance to people in Haiti. While most of your donors are likely located in the United States, some may also be located in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, France, Canada, and the Bahamas.

In fact, each of these countries have a large population of Haitians, many of whom may share your commitment to helping the impoverished nation.

As you develop marketing materials targeted to these nations, you realize that your US toll free number won’t work internationally with the exception of Canada. With international call forwarding, you could create local toll free numbers for Haiti, Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, France, and the Bahamas and use your main number as the “ring to” number.

To your international donors, your international call forwarding number looks as if it rings to a local office when in reality it rings to a phone in another country. The localization effect can inspire confidence, add a local feel to your non-profit, and overcome potential concerns about making an international long distance phone call.

Create a Virtual PBX with International Call Forwarding

Many international call forwarding service plans come with auto-attendant and call routing features commonly found in more expensive PBX systems. For non-profits that would like the advanced features of a PBX but can’t justify the expense, international call forwarding may be the answer. You can create a customized greeting and divert calls to the appropriate voicemail box or live attendant based on time of day or country of origin.

Receive Incoming Faxes

Fax machines require separate phone lines, plain or thermal paper, and/or ink and toner cartridges. Instead of maintaining a standalone fax machine and regularly spending money on fax supplies, your international forwarding numbers can double as incoming fax numbers. Rather than receiving a paper printout, your incoming faxes are routed to your email address as an image attachment. Since you can check your email from virtually any computer or mobile device connected to the Internet, you can receive faxes even when away from your office.

Make Low Cost International Phone Calls

Since you can change your international call forwarding number to ring to virtually any number in the world, you can also use it to make cheaper international phone calls. You’ll need to double check your per minute calling rates for the countries involved and compare them to the rates of your carrier. If they’re cheaper, and they very well could be dramatically cheaper, then temporarily change your ring to number to the number that you would like to call. Instead of dialing that international number directly, dial your virtual number which will then ring to your designated phone number. This bypasses your local carrier and gives you access to your international call forwarding service provider’s network and rates.

From ensuring that your team can be reached wherever it happens to be deployed and enabling low cost calls from international donors around the world to creating a local presence, gaining access to advanced PBX features, receiving incoming faxes, and making cheap international calls, international call forwarding is a terrific choice for any non-profit organization with a global mission.

Create a global presence and cut your costs at the same time with international call forwarding.

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5 Ways to Use Virtual Numbers for Business

Many business owners prefer that local callers use their main number instead of their toll free numbers due to costs.

Need to expand access to your business globally or locally?

Virtual numbers are a special type of phone number. Because they are “virtual,” these numbers can ring to any phone that you choose worldwide.

They do not need to be installed at your office or permanently associated with a local or mobile phone number. In fact, you can change a virtual number’s ring-to-number as often as you’d like – in real-time.

This flexibility makes virtual numbers extremely portable and beneficial to businesses. Here are five ways (of many) that you can use virtual numbers in your business.

1. Use virtual numbers to test advertising

As you know, advertising is expensive. It is imperative to find out which ads work and which ones don’t. One way to do this is to use a unique virtual phone number with each advertisement. From there, you can look at each number’s activities to see which advertisements are resulting in actual phone calls.

In addition to looking at the total number of calls each advertisement generates, consider the duration of the calls. Six-second calls, for example, are likely hang-ups whereas five-minute calls may indicate a closed sale.

While your phone records can provide robust insights into the performance of each ad, it’s also wise to have your customer service representatives source each sale. With some services, it’s possible to set up incoming calls from virtual numbers to display the virtual number in the caller ID field.

2. Use virtual numbers to create a local presence in a distant city or country

If your business is physically located in Miami, Florida, it makes sense to have a local number as well as a toll-free number for your business. Callers from other cities and states would most likely opt to use your toll-free number when calling your main office. However, what if you specifically serve cities outside of Miami such as Orlando, Florida, or Los Angeles, California? You could get virtual numbers for those cities and then route the calls to your Miami office. By establishing local phone numbers in the cities that you serve, your business instantly appears to be a local company. This strategy can be applied internationally as well. Simply order international virtual numbers and use global call forwarding to route those calls to your main office.

3. Use virtual numbers to ensure you never lose your “main” number due to an office move

Publishing your main office number allows local callers to call your business directly. Many business owners prefer that local callers use their main number instead of their toll-free numbers due to costs. However, if you have to move your office, you could lose your main phone number. When that happens, you will have to either re-do all of your advertising, stationary, business cards and invoices so that they have your new phone number or pay the phone company the going rate to forward your calls to your new number. By using virtual numbers from the beginning, you can keep your “main” number regardless of where your office is located. In fact, you can switch your main office on the fly if so desired. For example, if you want to work from home one day and then work from the office the next, you could instantly switch the ring-to number to ring to your physical location.

4. Use virtual numbers to receive calls on your mobile phone while keeping your mobile phone number private.

If you need to be accessible occasionally but hesitate to give out your cell phone number due to concerns about people calling your cell phone 24/7, consider using a virtual number. When you need to accept calls on the go, you could route the virtual number to your mobile phone without having to give out your private phone number. This is a great way to ensure availability when it’s warranted without being subjected to intrusive calls on your cell phone when it’s not. When you are not on a call or when you want to have uninterrupted family time, you can route your virtual number to your assistant, voicemail, an answering service, or some other alternative.

5. Use virtual numbers to control international calling costs.

Since you can change the virtual number’s destination number to any phone number in the world, consider using your virtual number when making an international phone call. Of course, you’ll want to compare per-minute rates to ensure that using your virtual number is the cheaper option. In many cases, it will be, especially if you have an international virtual number plan with low per-minute rates. When the time comes to make the international call, simply change the ring-to number to the number of the person you need to call. From there, dial your virtual phone number. After the call, make sure to change the ring-to number back to your regular ring-to number or voicemail.

These are but a few of the many ways you can use call-forwarding virtual phone numbers for your business. Test advertising,

Here’s a UK virtual phone number database that displays all UK virtual phone number choices. You could use this to view available UK phone numbers if, for example, you wanted to create a UK phone presence for your business and take those UK calls at your phone located anywhere globally.

Additional ways to benefit from Virtual Numbers

Advanced International Call Forwarding Tips

Once you have a global call forwarding number, your international customers can dial a local number without concerns about international calling costs or conventions.

International call forwarding provides companies of all sizes with a convenient way to communicate with an international customer base.

Once you have a global call forwarding number (or dozens of them as the case may be), your international customers can dial a local number without concerns about international calling costs or conventions.

Meanwhile, call divert allows a single call center to handle calls from around the world at affordable per minute rates. If you’re familiar with local and global call forwarding, you likely have the basics of this communications method down. Get more out of your virtual number by following these advanced international call forwarding tips.

1. Set up local ring tones

Did you know that the ringing sound you hear when you dial a phone number is sounds different in various countries? After a lifetime of making calls within your own country, wouldn’t you be distracted if suddenly the ringing sound sounded different? Though it’s not overly alarming, a foreign sounding ring tone could cause your callers to pause. It draws attention to itself. If you’d prefer not to distract your global callers in any way or draw attention to the fact that your international forwarding number is unlike other numbers your customers dial, use an international call forwarding plan that has a local ring tone feature. This ensures that your international callers hear the same ring tone that they always hear when calling companies within their countries.

2. Use time-of-day routing

Perhaps the biggest challenge associated with international call forwarding is time differences. Business hours for your main office will not always align with your customers’ business hours. With time of day routing and creative staff scheduling, you can overcome this problem. For each country that you serve, you will need to determine which hours to answer calls live and which to route to voicemail based on local time in the targeted country. With time of day routing, you can designate how calls will be handled based on when those calls take place. For example, you’ll likely want to have agents answer calls during normal business hours for the countries that you serve even if that means you need to bring staff into your call center in the middle of the night. Since call volume is likely to drop after five local time, you can then route those calls to voicemail which frees your staff to handle calls in other time zones.

3. Set up a customized greeting

When your international callers call your virtual number, you can either answer the call in person, send it to voicemail, or let an auto attendant greet the caller and then route the call to the appropriate extension or mailbox. A short, customized greeting in the caller’s language is a friendly, professional option. Each virtual phone number that you have can have its own unique auto attendant greeting.

4. Use Caller ID to route calls to the best agent

Another challenge with global call forwarding involves language differences. If your US-based business serves customers in Italy, Spain, and Brazil, you will have callers that speak Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Obviously, you will want to staff your call center with agents who speak these languages. While you could set each virtual number to ring to your main call center number and then have your agents transfer callers to someone who speaks their language as needed, it’s smarter to use Caller ID to route calls to the right agent in the first place. For example, you could set up routing so that anytime a call comes in using your Italian virtual number, those calls will be routed to the desks of your Italian-speaking agents. The same is true of calls originating from Spain and Brazil. When using Caller ID to route calls, you have two options. You can either have the virtual number displayed or the caller’s own caller ID number. Many companies find it easier to route calls based on the virtual numbers that they have while others prefer to see the caller’s actual phone number.

5. Adjust maximum wait times as needed

Virtual numbers can forwarded through a sequence of numbers, ensuring that should a call go unanswered at one location, the call will be diverted to an alternate number or voicemail. For example, if you have three work-from-home Italian-speaking agents, you could set up your global call forwarding number to ring to agent 1 first. If that call is not answered within a given time period, the call would then be diverted to agent 2, followed by agent 3. One of the problems with such a sequence is that the wait time may be too long; your customer could hang up before the call is finally answered. Fortunately, maximum wait times can be adjusted. You may need to experiment with wait times to find the right balance.

6. Set up simultaneous ringing

If you’d rather have calls answered as quickly as possible, use simultaneous ringing. In the example above, instead of going through a sequence with wait times, all three agents’ phones would ring at the same time.

International call forwarding is an effective tool with a variety of features. Fine-tune your global call forwarding numbers by using advanced features and ensure that your callers receive prompt service from a friendly agent who speaks their language.

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International Call Forwarding for Small Businesses

Global Small Businesses can grow with International Call Forwarding Virtual Phone Numbers

As a small business owner, you may not necessarily consider your business an international one. However, you may have customers, vendors, manufacturers, suppliers, partners, and colleagues located in other countries. Even if you don’t currently, that could change in the near future.

Whether you currently work with others from around the globe, expect to, or want to, setting up an international call forwarding number for your business is an option with numerous benefits for small businesses. Here’s a quick look at what international call forwarding could do for you.

Facilitate International Collaboration

Are you working with an important client from another country? Have you outsourced a part of your business to another person overseas? Setting up an international call forwarding number is one way to avoid international dialing confusion and concerns about costs.

With international call forwarding, you establish a virtual number that is local to the country in which your client, partner, supplier, or other party resides. That number looks the same as any other phone number issued in that country; however, it rings to a phone located in your country such as your home office phone or mobile phone.

For example, if you’re based in the United States and have an important client in Portugal, you could get a virtual number from Portugal and set it to ring to your office in the U.S. Your client dials a local number to reach you and does not need to worry about international calling costs or operator assistance.

As the international call forwarding account holder, you will pay for forwarding costs on a low per minute basis based on the countries involved.

Enable International Sales from New Overseas Markets

Many small business owners use international call forwarding to enter new markets. For example, if you offer a product or service that appeals to consumers in Brazil, you could establish a Brazilian presence simply by getting a virtual number for Brazil and marketing your offer. Consumers would see a familiar phone number that’s local to their country, yet the phone would ring at your desired location.

Create a Larger Image for your Small Business

Many small businesses appear larger than they are thanks to the ability to add international “locations” through the use of virtual numbers. For example, let’s say that you run an eCommerce store that sells products to customers in North America and the United Kingdom.

While you may run your site and coordinate drop shipping out of your home, your customers don’t need to know that. By using international call forwarding, not only can you have an 800 number for your U.S. and Canadian customers to call, you could establish country-specific numbers for callers from Mexico and the United Kingdom to call. At first glance, it appears as though you have offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the U.K. In addition to appearing larger, these local numbers help to ease customer concerns about dealing with a local company.

Reduce International Calling Costs

As the owner of a small business, containing costs is likely a top priority. If you make a lot of international phone calls, you may find it advantageous to use international call forwarding as an alternative to direct dialing.

This strategy takes a little price comparison to ensure that your per minute virtual number rates are lower than your phone company’s international calling rates. If they are, then use your international call forwarding’s online account management dashboard to temporarily change the destination phone number to the international number that you intend to call. Once set, dial your virtual number; the phone will ring to the number you just entered.

Enjoy your conversation with the knowledge that you are saving money. Once the conversation ends, make sure to go back into your account management dashboard and change the ring to number back to its primary one.

Keep Connected When on International Trips

Another great use for international call forwarding arises when you travel outside of your own country. In many cases, your cell phone won’t work internationally. If it does, international roaming rates may be cost-prohibitive.

Set up a local international call forwarding number before you go and distribute it to your family, friends, and colleagues who may need to reach you while you’re gone. When you arrive at your destination, buy a disposable cell phone and then set up your virtual number to ring to it.

Whether you need to collaborate with overseas partners, enter new markets, make your business appear larger than it actually is, reduce international calling costs, or stay connected while traveling, international call forwarding can play a role in making it happen.

Not only can international call forwarding help to do all of the above, it can do so more affordably than you may realize. Pay-as-you-go plans with no minimum usage requirements or penalties are available with both excellent service and attractive rates. You may not consider your business international, but it could be. Get your international virtual number today!

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Virtual Number Call Forwarding When Traveling

Virtual Number Travel — Virtual Number and Travel

Using Virtual Number Call Forwarding When Traveling

Virtual numbers are not only an indispensible business tool for many enterprises but also a very useful travel aid.

Whether you’re a busy professional who travels frequently or a casual traveler, anytime you leave your home base, you often leave behind your ability to communicate using your main phone number.

While you could give everyone you know your mobile phone number or use the phone company’s call forwarding option to transfer calls to your cell phone, doing so is a hassle. Plus, mobile phone companies will not divert calls overseas so unless you’re traveling within your own country, you will need a virtual number to transport your calls abroad. Virtual number call forwarding is the answer.

What is Virtual Number Call Forwarding?

Virtual number call forwarding is a telecommunications service where you order a virtual telephone number that is not attached to any given phone. For example, your home phone number is associated with your home phone while your mobile phone number is associated with your cell phone. With a virtual phone number, you control which phone rings whenever someone dials that number.

When you first sign up for virtual number call forwarding, you will be issued a virtual number and prompted to designate a “ring to” number. This ring to number can be changed as needed, making virtual number call forwarding especially convenient to business and leisure travelers.

Virtual Number Call Forwarding in Action

Let’s use “Bill” as an example. Bill is a US-based sales manager living in New York City who has several trips scheduled in the next few months: an international conference in London, a trip to Japan with his wife, a regional sales meeting at his company’s Chicago office, and a trip to Atlanta to help his son get settled into college.

Bill is concerned about his clients and young adult children being able to reach him when he’s overseas. He also does not want anyone to have to dial complicated country codes or incur international long distance charges when trying to reach him. At the same time, he’s unsure that his cell phone will work in London or Japan.

Bill had heard about virtual number call forwarding from one of his colleagues and decides to give it a try. Here’s what he does:

He signs up with a virtual number call forwarding service provider on a no annual contract basis.
He orders a local virtual number in New York City so that his local clients and most of his young adult children will not incur charges when calling him. He also has the option to order a toll free virtual number.
He initially designates his cell phone number as the default ring to number. When traveling in the United States, he finds that this works well most of the time. He eventually discovers that it’s easy to change the virtual number call forwarding to other phones and enables simultaneous ringing so that both his cell phone and his temporary extension at the Chicago branch office would ring at the same time.
As expected, his mobile phone didn’t work in London or Japan. Bill was able to quickly change the ring to number to his hotel room number when he first arrived. In London, he purchased a disposable mobile phone and set his virtual number call forwarding to ring to his temporary mobile phone. It worked so well, and was such an inexpensive solution, that he did the same in Japan.
His clients and family members were able to reach him no matter where in the United States or the world he happened to be.

Using Virtual Number Call Forwarding When Traveling

Like Bill, you could use virtual number call forwarding when traveling. However, like Bill, there may be time zone issues involved. If you intend to give callers your virtual call forwarding number which will ring to you several time zones away, it’s possible that you’ll receive phone calls in the middle of the night. Fortunately, you can control how your incoming calls are routed based on the local time of day.

For example, if you want to be available for calls at a specific time of day, you can set your virtual number call forwarding to ring to your designed phone at a specific time. If someone calls at any other time, the call can be routed directly to voicemail. You could even set your calls to ring to an answering service, call center, or other phone at a specific time of day.

The Benefits of a No-Contract Virtual Number Call Forwarding Plan

Monthly virtual number call forwarding plans with no contracts and no cancellation fees are a terrific choice for anyone who needs a virtual phone number. These plans come with a variety of features including:

Exceptional call quality
Simultaneous ringing
Sequential forwarding
Customized greetings
Advanced PBX features
Rollover minutes
And much more…

Whether you need a disposable virtual phone number for a short time or want to try out the service without a long-term commitment, you can enjoy the benefits of virtual number call forwarding.

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