An Exhaustive Guide on Virtual Numbers in 2022

The landscape of customer experience and businesses is changing fast. Businesses can now go beyond their local geographies and serve customers beyond its regional limitations. Globalization has made it possible for businesses of sizes and types to function as if they are an entity much beyond its ambits. It is only possible for businesses that are robust in their approach towards customers and internal operations that go so far.

Robust communication forms a central part of excellent customer service. In this write-up, we will understand what a Virtual number is and how it enhances customer engagement for a brand.

What exactly is a Virtual Number?

A Virtual Phone Number is a type of cloud hosted solution. There are various cloud telephony solutions like Cloud Call Center, Virtual Phone Number , IVR, etc. A Virtual Phone Number is hosted on the cloud and is not physically tied to any infrastructure or phone devices. It lets a business redirect and route calls to various devices, locations and phone numbers. Because a Virtual Phone Number is hosted on the cloud, it is also called an online number.

A typical phone number was designed to function with a physically attached phone. The phone would connect to the service provider’s lines. Calls made to the traditional telephony number could only be received on the designated phone device. However, in current times, such a tool is not beneficial, where remote work is an everyday possibility. For a business of today, a Virtual Phone Number provides easy scalability, immense flexibility and much more control over operations and functions like Sales, Support, etc. A Virtual Number is not tied to any infrastructure or hardware. Hence, there is less requirement of CapEx infusion. There are a number of Virtual Phone Number Providers that offer excellent Virtual Numbers for various business needs.

Different types of virtual numbers

• Mobile Numbers
• Landline Numbers
• Local numbers with specific area codes
• Toll-free numbers

Why Should You Consider Getting a Virtual Number?

Cost-Effectiveness

Higher Conversion Rate

Effective engagement with your leads is the key to maximizing your sales conversions from inbound and outbound calls. By answering calls quickly, you can reduce the call waiting time and set up shift-based call forwarding. Remember! Great customer service response leads to higher conversion on new leads.

Identify Quality Leads with IVR

IVR enables your business to Lead routing to direct these calls to the most qualified sales rep for their question. IVR systems can be used to categorize each call based on its concern and route it to the appropriate agent who is trained to address that issue.

Also, a well-designed IVR system will allow you to automate customer service operations and reduce your costs. The IVR feature contributes to higher customer satisfaction along with improving contact center efficiency and KPIs.

Number Masking

Human data is constantly sought after by hackers. Either these data are sold and used on the black market, or they are used for phishing and blackmail. We do not wish to scare you! However, the story is true. To avoid such a scenario, keep your personal number secure at all times.

Those who use the same number as their business's number to make all their transactions through apps are at greater risk. You should avoid displaying and offering your personal information on websites. Get a virtual number for business use. It also safeguards your customer's privacy by hiding their details.

Optimize Operational Efficiency

Your communication infrastructure does not need to be uprooted and reinstalled whenever you move. The calls can be transferred to a new location easily.

To track the leads generated by each advertising campaign, channel, location, language, etc., you can assign a virtual number to each. Additionally, it helps track the ROI of offline campaigns.

Real-time Data Insights

Our solution offers detailed insight into contact center operations - calls made, duration of each, time of each call, and who made how many calls, etc. In addition, call records can be detailed and accurate within a secure environment.

Be Omnipresent with International Numbers

Using a cloud-based virtual phone number enables you to make and receive international calls from any part of the world. You can easily redirect international calls to your Indian line. This makes it convenient for businesses that want to establish their presence in multiple countries without having to set up international offices.

How can you get a Virtual Number for your business?

Installing a new phone line is harder than getting a cloud-based phone system number.

Step 1: Contact Knowlarity’s expert for cloud telephony services.

Step 2: Choose a call plan based on your call volume and workflow or create your own.

Step 3: Integrate your telephony service into your communication infrastructure with minimal downtime. In addition, you can choose what your number looks like!

Step 4: Utilize it however you wish. Adding or removing numbers or agents will enable you to scale up or down.

It doesn't just help to build trust with future customers; it also serves to reassure them, even if you're thousands of miles away, that you're part of a local community.

Using virtual phone systems allows your businesses to use your smart devices for making and receiving phone calls, just like email. With such an AI-based integrated technology at your business' disposal helps you to go global like a piece of cake.

How Virtual number enhances real-time customer engagement ?

1. Run a single Customer Care Number

A company must use a single business number for customers to reach out. The Virtual Number can be related to many teams and processes in the business and when a customer/lead calls, they can be easily directed to certain teams or the right agent. This results in seamless customer experience for callers by reducing the need of multitudes of phone numbers that a customer may find.

2. Protect and enhance the privacy of its customers

For businesses of today, everything isn't done in-house. Voice support is even leased to 3rd party BPOs. This definitely helps a business optimise its resources, however this may lead to several privacy concerns for the business. Customer information like phone number, addresses, and other crucial information might be leaked. An easy way to manage this is by getting a Virtual Number. A business can integrate other cloud communication services like Number masking to do the same.

3. Run customer support 24 x 7

A Virtual Number is not related to any phone lines or infrastructure and that makes it extremely suitable for businesses that want to serve its customers 24x7. Customer calls can be directed to another device or the phones of a support team working remotely. It is seamless to do so since a a Virtual Number is hosted on the cloud.

4. Be fully aware of Customer

A Virtual Number can be integrated with the company’s CRM seamlessly. A CRM has information on customers, past interactions, older purchases, new orders, etc. An agent, whilst on call with a customer, can view all this customer information to give more personalized service to a customer, leading to higher CSat.

5. Integrate with other cloud-hosted solutions

A Virtual Number when integrated with other cloud-hosted solutions can enhance customer engagement by leaps and bounds. A Virtual Number when integrated with IVR can automate customer engagement to a certain level. It can even integrate with Missed Call Solution to enhance marketing efforts.

Users can receive calls using a virtual phone number, just like when you are using a traditional phone number from anywhere in the world, and the process is just as easy. When the Pandemic hit the world, it became imperative for companies to pace up their tech and develop an efficient working system.

Virtual numbers served as rescues for many businesses by offering flexibility to customer support teams, who are still working from home.