Research has found that potential customers are up to 77% more likely to call a local phone number over a national phone number. As such, using local phone numbers in place of a national phone number can be an easy way to improve the number of inbound calls from sources like the Yellow Pages, Thomson Directory and local newspapers. With the invention of virtual phone numbers, it has never been easier or more affordable to implement a network of local virtual phone numbers for use in local advertising. This article will detail how local virtual phone numbers work while providing an overview of the virtual phone services on offer at TTNC.
How virtual phone numbers work
Virtual phone numbers are special phone numbers that are not attached to a physical phone line or mobile phone. Any calls made to the virtual phone number are forwarded to a phone number of choice, whether that is a landline, mobile phone or any other type of telephone.
Multiple virtual phone numbers can be forwarded to send calls to a single phone number, too, which is important when building a network of local virtual phone numbers.
Since virtual phone numbers aren’t connected to a physical phone line, there is no line rental to pay, which can greatly reduce costs. Most virtual phone number providers charge a modest fee, but it’s usually far less than the cost of purchasing and setting up a physical landline.
Additional functionality provided by TTNC virtual phone numbers
TTNC’s virtual phone numbers also provide a great deal of extra functionality over a standard phone line.
Call management services like voice mail and voice menus can be implemented easily, allowing for an improved customer telephone experience that also makes a business seem more professional.
Call whispering services are also incredibly useful as they make it easy to quickly identify the source of a call. With a call whispering service, before a call is transferred through to a forwarded phone number, a brief recorded message is played to the person receiving the call. This message can be personalised for each virtual phone number.
In the case of local phone numbers, this message could state which local phone number the caller is using. For example, if a caller is using a local phone number for Leeds, the recorded message could state “this caller is using the Leeds phone number”, allowing for a personalised greeting unique to the location of the caller.
TTNC call statistics
Call statistics are vital for improving business performance as they allow for informed decisions to be made in regards to the performance of an inbound call network.
TTNC’s call statistics service is able to monitor call volumes and call lengths, allowing the cost of an average call to be calculated easily. Inbound call volume trends can also be monitored, allowing for resources to be shifted to better match call volume activity.
Call handler performance can also be tracked with statistics provided for a number of different performance areas, including the time taken to answer an inbound call. By analysing this data, it’s possible to find and eliminate any issues with the call handling process.
Finally, TTNC’s statistics service is able to identify where a caller is calling from. This feature is essential for businesses looking to deploy a network of local virtual phone numbers.
Using this feature, it’s possible to find areas where local phone numbers are performing well and areas where local phone numbers are performing poorly. As such, resources can be allocated around as needed, ensuring that more resources are allocated to areas with higher inbound call volume while fewer resources are allocated to areas where inbound call volume is lower.
This means that, if a particular local virtual phone number is performing well, advertising can be increased in the area it belongs to, thereby increasing overall custom from that particular area. However, if a particular local virtual phone number is performing poorly, advertising can be reduced in the area it serves, thereby helping to reduce costs.
Conclusion
Virtual phone number networks provide an easy way to deploy a nationwide network of local phone numbers to help improve the number of inbound calls from local advertising. Call statistics also make it possible to easily identify areas where the network is performing well and areas where the network is performing poorly, allowing resources to be allocated to where they are needed most. TTNC’s virtual phone services are amongst the best in the UK, with affordable prices and a great deal of extra functionality available to use.
For more information please visit – www.ttnc.co.uk
