Buying a Virtual Phone System: Everything You Need to Know

Are you a busy small business owner trying to streamline your business?  The Internet has changed business as we know it. Each day we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data—Superman would certainly be impressed with this speed!

The Internet does more than Google searches, social media, and news articles. You can get a virtual phone system with more features than any landline could ever provide. Let’s take a look at how to choose the right system for you and your business.

What is a Virtual Phone System?

A virtual phone system is a platform that runs over the Internet without wired phones and cumbersome hardware. These communication platforms are designed specifically for businesses. They offer customizable features like voicemail, fax, messaging services, call routing, and extensions.

Everything works virtually with desk phones, computer-based softphones, or even your cell phones. You have control over your virtual phone numbers and can make your business more effective and efficient by routing calls the right person, allowing your employees to work remotely, and save money while doing so. 

When callers dial your business’s main number, they are forwarded to the appropriate employee’s phone automatically. The employee can be virtually anywhere—in a remote office, on the road, or at the business office. With 70 percent of the global workforce working from home at least one day a week, you won’t have to worry about missing phone calls.

These systems are perfect for businesses with remote employees and regular travelers. This is because it is still more professional than handing out a personal phone number.

Benefits

We touched on some of the benefits of a virtual phone system. There are still more worth noting.

These systems are efficient. Conventional business phone systems can be expensive to maintain. They are also more expensive than virtual phone systems, so you could save money by switching.

The set-up is easy. Everything works over the cloud. You can set everything up in a matter of minutes because there is no hardware.

You can connect with people anywhere whether it’s global or local. You can a local presence and increase your visibility to potential clients anywhere.

Features 

You can choose which features you need. You can choose between standard features like:

• Voicemail to email: sends you an email of the voicemail transcript
• Call transfers
• Call logs
• Call screening
• Call forwarding
• Address book
• Local numbers
• User extensions
• Toll-free numbers
• Automated transcription
• Caller ID
• Business SMS
• Menus (or IVR): interacts with callers to route calls to the right department or employee

You can also get more premium features if you need more. Some of the premium features include:

• Call Recording: you can check on customers call and track your employee’s performance
• Video Conferencing: have virtual meetings with your team or clients
• Live Receptionist: keep your business professional if employees are in different areas with consistent messaging and greetings
• Custom numbers: choose a number you want if it is available

These are just some of the benefits and features available. Virtual phone systems work for you and you can find just about any feature you need. 

Choosing a Number

You can search and find local and toll-free virtual numbers for your business. All calls go through this main number that you can list on your website, business cards, or any other contact information. 

Having a local number gives your business of being local even if you are based somewhere else. Customers love toll-free numbers and they give your business credibility.

You can also have an international number if you want global customers to reach you. Get a number from just about anywhere in the world.

Already have a number? No problem, you don’t need to choose a new one. With number porting, your number can be transferred to your new phone system with ease. 

You can also get multiple numbers. There is no need to stick to just one number—so get a local, toll-free, and international number (or two) if needed.

Getting Started

After you decide what features you need and a phone number, your phone should work in a few minutes—or immediately. You don’t have to wait for someone to come set it up because it’s all done virtually.

You can also update services if needed. Businesses change, so you shouldn’t be stuck with the same features if they don’t work for you anymore. You can update your features on the cloud.

If you have phones, you may be able to use what you have. If not, you can find phones for your business. Cell phones and computers work through an app if you don’t want a traditional phone.

Create the menu and directory, so customers go where they need to go. You can do this in minutes as you set-up your system.

Decide where you want the calls to go and if you have a certain schedule. If you are using a cell phone, you can make personal phone calls go directly to voicemail during business hours or specified times. It’s all up to you.  

Support is available 24/7. Have an issue at 2 a.m. on a Sunday? No problem, you can get the help you need—and on holidays too!

You can change your plan or add features because you are not bound by a contract. Go into your app and add extensions as needed, and there are unlimited extensions available to help your growing business.

Maintenance

You can manage your phone system online or through your app. Changes are made immediately and you can tweak as needed.

Since you don’t have any hardware, you don’t have to perform upgrades on your end. You don’t need to do any maintenance. New features will be added automatically so you will have the latest and greatest.

Ready to Update Your Phones?

With all these features and the chance to save money, are you ready to switch to a virtual phone system? Remember you can change and customize your plan at any time. 

Not sure what features you want or want to see how the system works? No problem, contact us today for a free demo to see what Phone.com can do for your business.