What is a virtual phone number?

You may have heard the expression “virtual number” but not understood what it means. This article will help you to understand the pros and cons of virtual telephony.

Virtual number: how it works and what you need it for

A virtual number is a service from phone companies. In essence it is a usual multi-channel phone number. The main difference from the traditional number is that a virtual number does not require a tie to a physical telephone set or PBX.

How does the Virtual PBX work?

Principle of operation is to transfer data via Internet (also you can work without internet, if you set forwarding from virtual number to mobile or landline). To start to work with Virtual PBX, you need to make settings in your personal cabinet. You can use any number of virtual numbers (depending on selected tariff) and connect any number of SIP-accounts to the system.

How virtual number works:

An incoming call is received by the provider.
The call is forwarded to the virtual station server.

Depending on the settings, the PBX redirects the call to the correct device. The order may depend on various factors. The call may come to the first available manager or the one who received the least number of calls.

Advantages of a virtual phone number

A virtual phone number will always remain with the company when moving to another area or city. It combines all of the company’s existing numbers into one and distributes the workload to employees, depending on set scenarios. It also provides employees with free calls within the organization. You can put a voice greeting and menu, listen to call records, study call statistics and much more on such a number (more about features).

Disadvantages of virtual number

Operation of virtual number requires a stable Internet connection. If there is a loss of Internet, the connection in the company will be lost. However, this risk can be avoided by setting up automatic forwarding of calls to cell phones in case of emergency. Virtual PBX is unprofitable for large companies. It’s easier to install their own PBX and hire a specialist to maintain it. If you decide “buy a virtual number or PBX” we recommend to calculate and understand what is more profitable for your company.

How to buy and how much costs

Prices for virtual number (or virtual PBX) UIS are much more profitable than the proposals of traditional operators and start from 840 rubles per month. It’s easy to connect to virtual PBX: choose tariff, favorite number and leave your contacts. I hope that after reading this article you’ll understand what a “Virtual number” means. If you need a similar service in the future, our team will be happy to hear from you.

Virtual Number Extras

In addition to the basic services when using a Virtual PBX, you can connect additional services that will make communicating with your colleagues and customers as easy as possible.

Work with the virtual telephone exchange is facilitated by such additional services:

recording of calls, which allows you to monitor the quality of conversation with customers;
The ability to turn on background music (used for legitimate reasons), to make the waiting for the operator’s answer as pleasant and comfortable as possible;
IVR menu will help to get to the right department of your company quickly and easily;
A callback widget (site phone) will allow your customers to order callbacks from your site;
“Blacklist” allows you to block the numbers from which you receive “trash” calls, which takes up operators’ time and clogs statistics, while the “Anti-spam” feature automatically blocks calls from numbers that have ever been “flagged” in spam attacks;
Call Distribution allows you to receive incoming calls according to a set schedule, and distribute them among different departments and employees in a rational way;
voice mail will allow the customer to leave information if he could not get through;
using the call forwarding function, a call from the client can be redirected to a mobile (or other) device if it is impossible to answer from the office phone.