Some of the most impressive technological innovations don’t arrive in our lives with a bang. They’re adopted more steadily by those users who are convinced enough to advocate for it in their peer groups. A virtual mobile number is one such innovation that’s gaining acceptance among business owners, contractors and freelancers because of word-of-mouth endorsement from existing users.

Maybe you’ve heard about it and asked yourself, “Do I need a virtual mobile number?” To help you make a decision, here are some of the best ways to use a virtual mobile number.

What is a virtual mobile number?

A virtual mobile number is a number that’s not linked to a telephone line or a particular location. It’s internet-based and so doesn't require a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or a fixed address. It uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to receive and make calls.

The calls you receive on your virtual number will be forwarded to your primary phone number. You can decide which device will receive those calls. You can also change them whenever you need to. Individuals, businesses and even families can use a virtual mobile number as their secondary number.

The individual making the call would never know that they’re calling your primary number. This makes a second number for work the ideal option when you don’t want to share your phone number with everyone. Along with the anonymity a virtual mobile number brings, there are other significant advantages if you know how to use it for your business.

5 ways to use a virtual phone number for your business

Use it as a local number

You won’t have to pay for an additional local number if you have a virtual number. You’ll be able to use it as a local number to assure your customers that you’re rooted in the area. You can also use your virtual number as a customer support number or in your advertising campaign as a toll-free number.

Protect your primary number

As a small business owner, you invariably end up sharing your personal number with all your customers, clients and vendors. This can potentially lead to privacy violations, not to mention getting spam calls and messages. With a virtual number, your private number stays private.

Direct calls

If a client wants to know about their invoice, they should be talking to someone in accounting and not you particularly if you’re in the middle of another business task. A virtual number with a menu can direct calls to the concerned individuals. A customer with a query can now reach someone in customer support without having to disturb you.

Send auto-text replies

With a second-line app, you’ll be able to set auto-text replies for missed calls. When you’re out with your family and are not in a position to take a call, the app will send an automated text telling the caller when they can expect you to respond and what they can do in the meantime.

Separates personal and business lives

As a small business owner, you can use a virtual number to define your working hours. Any call that you receive after your working hours or during holidays can be directed to either voicemail or replied with automated texts.

The benefits of getting a virtual phone number from Chalkboard

Why are more business owners shifting to virtual phone numbers? Because they provide a host of demonstrable benefits:

Separate work and personal

Your Chalkboard virtual number allows you to have a dedicated phone number for your business, separate from your personal number. You can easily switch between work and personal calls, without having to use two different devices and without the hassle of sharing your personal number. This is perfect for small business owners, entrepreneurs and remote workers who need a virtual mobile number solely for work.

Easily manage business calls

With a virtual phone number, you can set up custom voicemail greetings, forward calls to multiple devices and even have multiple numbers for different departments within your business.

Easy to set up

A traditional phone system requires devices, additional hardware and a physical network. Even if you use mobile phones for business, you need separate SIMs or devices. All these are expensive and cumbersome.

A virtual mobile phone number is like any other app that you can download on your smartphone – they are exceptionally easy to set up and don’t require any outside help.

Lower costs

Virtual phone numbers don’t require additional devices, making them extremely cost-effective, especially for local businesses, startups and freelancers.

By opting for a virtual phone number, you will make significant savings if your business involves long-distance or international calls. Thanks to Chalkboard’s subscription structure, you’ll never pay for extra features – all the features you need from a virtual phone number are available as standard for a fixed monthly fee.

Unified communications

A virtual phone number will help you to unify your business communication. All your employees, no matter where they are, can share the same number. This creates the impression of a unified office to customers.

Mobility

A virtual mobile number for business gives you the freedom to take calls from anywhere. Whether you’re in the office, at home or on the move, as long as you have a reliable internet connection, you will be available to your customers and team members.

With remote and hybrid work more common than ever before, your distributed team can function as a cohesive unit. And if you’re a digital-first business, you may not need an office if you can unify work and communication. Not to mention, it’s much easier to hire people when your system is remote-friendly.

Mobile numbers

You can use virtual mobile numbers as an alternative to using personal numbers for business. The mobile number will let you make and receive phone calls on your mobile phone or cellphone using a virtual number that looks like a regular mobile phone number.

Scalability

When starting a business, you should have a clear idea about the number of phone lines you need. Similarly, before expanding your small business, you may not think much about the additional lines your business will require. When you do need an additional number, the process will be significantly easier if you have a virtual phone number.

There’s no need to buy additional devices and hardware and worry about their installation.

Business tools

If you’ve previously been using your personal number for work, a virtual mobile number gives you a dedicated number that you can use for business calls and messages instead. This separates work and personal communication and improves your digital security.

You also get contact organisation, auto-reply, broadcast SMS and number sharing. All these will enhance your business communication and improve productivity.

Endless potential

A virtual mobile number has immense potential for not just small businesses but for freelancers, contractors and even those working remotely. Considering how cost-effective it is, and the fact that you don’t have to buy any new devices to get started, it’s one of the smartest decisions a business owner can make to improve their business’s efficiency.