What is International Call Forwarding?
International call forwarding, also known as global call forwarding, is a service that routes incoming calls from a virtual phone number to another destination anywhere in the world. Calls can be forwarded internationally to any phone number(s), PBX, or SIP destination worldwide.
How International Call Forwarding Works
International call forwarding is the redirection of incoming calls to an international destination. When you set up international forwarding on a virtual number, calls to that phone number can be automatically routed to another office location or device that you have set anywhere in the world.
Callers will typically not notice that their call is being forwarded. Modern technologies have developed a number of features that make the forwarded phone calls indistinguishable from regular local calls. For example, you can set a local ringback tone that corresponds to many countries’ unique local dial tones or even configure a customized greeting in a local language.
Forwarded Phone Conversations Have Two Legs
A single forwarded phone conversation actually consists of two phone calls – which are commonly referred to as “Leg A” and “Leg B.”
First, there is Leg A – this an inbound call, from your customer for example, to your forwarding number. Leg A gets connected to your service provider’s network. After connecting to the network, Leg A call needs to get forwarded to the destination you chose.
Leg B is the outbound call from your provider’s network to the pre-specified destination. Subscribers are usually billed for both legs.
How Long Does It Take?
A subscription is required. International call forwarding can be set up in just a few minutes. Further, the full service can be integrated in less than a day. Some countries, however, require basic documentation in order to enable calls to be forwarded internationally. Once that documentation is taken care, calls are then seamlessly forwarded to your destination.
This service used to be reserved for large companies with international operations. Recent advancements in technology, however, have made it now possible for businesses of all sizes to use international call forwarding. In most cases, the forwarding takes place instantaneously.
However, there can be some latency issues associated with very long-distance calls. For example, a call from Australia to the United States has a long distance to travel. This can lead to minor delays.
To combat this, top service providers like United World Telecom have global infrastructure to minimize any potential delays. We know how important it is for calls to get forwarded instantaneously and with superior voice quality.
Can I Forward Calls to More Than One Phone?
The best part about a call forward service is that calls can be routed seamlessly to more than one phone. The service was created for business usage and it comes with a number of features to enhance this capability. For example, there are settings to enable simultaneous ringing, sequential ringing, and time-of-day routing, which forwards calls to different numbers at different times of the day. International call forwarding can support an unlimited number of extensions.
Top 3 Benefits of International Call Forwarding
We’ve been helping international companies expand across borders for more than twenty years. These are the most common international call forwarding benefits that real customers have reported to us over the years.
Working Remotely
Telecommuting has become a fast-growing trend for businesses in 2020. Major institutions like Facebook and Harvard have started to work remotely. In some companies, in-person operations have been replaced completely by remote work! One of the benefits of international call forwarding is the ability to work remotely.
A phone forwarding service enables employees to work from anywhere in the world. Not only can an international forwarding service help companies comply with an immediate need for remote work, it can also expand a potential talent pool to include candidates from other countries.
Expanding Internationally
As the name suggests, international call forwarding helps businesses expand internationally. The service is available from most of the 195 countries worldwide and it enables any business to establish a virtual telephone presence in those countries. There is a very minimal charge and the service is without commitment.
Enhancing Customer Experience
Let’s face it – your paying customers don’t want to have to pay more to get in touch with you over the phone. But that’s what happens when a multinational business doesn’t have international call forwarding set up.
Offer a free way for international customers to get a hold of your business over the phone. It will undoubtedly enhance your customer experience.