More companies are beginning to realize that the global market can be tapped into at a very low cost. And since the majority of the world’s economic output is located outside of America, it’s a smart business move for any company. The best part is that acquiring an international virtual phone number from almost any country in the world is as simple as placing an order online.
Because of the advancement in telecom technology, businesses have several options when it comes to choosing a provider and because of this, virtual phone numbers are more affordable than ever. This combined with the rise of globalization, there are virtually no borders or barriers in place where you would not be able to successfully market and sell your product.
That does not mean that international expansion does not come with its fair share of problems, though. You still need to have a strong plan in place before purchasing your first international phone number. For example, understanding the culture, language, and taxation laws in the international country of your choice are foundational steps before expanding your business overseas. Many large corporations have failed when expanding into other countries because their teams did not properly research the nuances of the country.
In the past 20 years, many telecommunication advancements have been made. These include 5G mobile networks, the ability to share WiFi connection from your cell phone to your computer, the invention of smartphones and tablets, mobile entertainment, GPS tracking, and probably the most important – VoIP communication services.
VoIP stands for “Voice over Internet Protocol.” VoIP is the technology used to make services like Skype and international phone calls work. VoIP is a result of cloud computing and it provides the ability to transfer huge volumes of information through a network of servers. This huge step in technology gives businesses the ability to communicate globally, instantly.
Virtual phone numbers are a powerful tool for businesses because even though the concept of the virtual phone number is simple, the rewards are abundant. A customer located in India can dial the international virtual phone number that you have provided for your business and they will be instantly routed to the destination phone number of your choice. There is absolutely no delay during the forwarding process which had previously been a major problem for businesses in the past.
International virtual phone numbers are expanding globally and can be found in almost every country. Most providers will allow you to choose from local phone numbers, mobile numbers, or toll free numbers in that country as well. These numbers match the exact area codes and country codes of the international territory of your choosing. As previously mentioned, it is very simple to find a virtual phone number service provider and the set-up is fast. You will be ready to begin making calls instantly.
At United World Telecom, we offer a number of features that are included or can be added-on and augmented to the needs of your particular business. For example, add-on features include “roll-over minutes” in which you can keep your unused minutes and add them on to your next month for no additional charge, and SMS. SMS is a text messaging service that is a popular way to get into contact with your customers and vice versa.
It is important to understand the country that you are marketing to before making the decision of which add-ons you would like to have. In places such as America, most people prefer to communicate over text message, but in China, they prefer to use voice messaging and most people will not be impressed by a long text that they have to read.
One of the best features of virtual phone numbers is “time of day routing.” Time of day routing allows you to choose where and when your phone calls will be directed. Since you are doing business in an international country, there will be time difference issues. By using the time of day routing feature, you can be sure that you never miss a phone call by re-routing the call to a call center that is open when your business is closed for the night.