What Does Your Phone Number Say About Your Business?

By Tom Senkus

There’s more to a phone number than just a series of digits. In fact, it may surprise you when you learn what potential customers and your competition think when they look at your phone number. In this article, we will take a look at what your phone number says about your business, including:

• Professionalism

• Vanity Numbers

• Global Accessibility

• Directories 

Professionalism When it Comes to Your Business Number

One of the first things that your phone number communicates to others is the nature of your operation. Using a personal phone number is fine for a new business, as it gives you a direct line to your clients. However, you should know that this is the mark of an amateur. In reality, personal phone numbers are great for “localization” in smaller markets, but you’ll inadvertently also give away where you conduct your business. 

How Using Your Personal Number May Impact Your Personal Life

Things also become a bit blurred when you’re trying to establish a functional work-life balance. That’s why many consultants and freelancers only offer their personal phone numbers for time-sensitive/mission-critical projects. 

That’s where toll free numbers come into play. Similarly, toll free numbers are normally associated with high-volume organizations that are capable of accommodating a large number of customers/clients. Likewise, they’re also geographically-agnostic, meaning that callers aren’t exactly sure where the call they are placing is received. To understand the professional appeal of toll free numbers, think about the last time you called the DMV. Or, your cell phone service provider, government organization, and so on. Chances are, it was a toll free number and you subconsciously knew that you were dealing with a professional organization.  

Using Vanity Numbers

Some of the top brands in nearly every industry incorporate vanity phone numbers to gain wider exposure. These phone numbers have either an attractive, easy-to-remember series of digits, or they have letters that correspond to a marketable word/phrase. Depending on which service provider you choose, such as United World Telecom, you may have the option to choose from a large inventory of vanity numbers to advertise your business. 

International Toll Free Numbers

On a similar note, you should consider having a non-domestic toll free number for international callers. Long-distance fees, out-of-network service blockages, and upsetting customer preferences are all avoided by using non-domestic toll free numbers. These numbers are available as:

• ITFS numbers (International Toll Free Service Numbers)

• UIFN (Universal International Freephone Numbers)

Using Directories to Your Benefit

The functionality of your phone number also plays a huge part in how others perceive your business. When a customer dials your phone number, they are greeted with a directory, and it shows that your company is efficient. This places the control in the hands of the caller, which reflects positively on your business. Instead of spending a long time on hold, callers can navigate through the directory, contact the individual/department they need, and then go about their business. 

By enabling your customers to efficiently navigate through your directory, you empower your customers to handle their business in the most efficient way possible - and not get stuck on hold or endlessly transferred by an operator. 

Gaining Global Accessibility

If you’re doing business in multiple countries, it’s probable that your business has foreign phone numbers for clients to call. By using foreign phone numbers, you immediately show that you’re globally accessible and accommodating to customers abroad. This shows that your business has the capability to handle customers beyond its headquarters. 

Above all, it’s impressive to offer a foreign phone number to impart an “exotic” aura to your business, as international numbers aren’t easy to connect. That’s where virtual numbers can help your business gain a global audience without using multiple service providers. In their most basic definition, virtual phone numbers use the Internet to connect callers in a seamless fashion.

Author Biography - As a technology writer, Tom Senkus shares his knowledge about entrepreneurship in the 21st century. His work has been featured in more than one hundred publications. Find out more at tomsenkuswriter.com.