Last Updated on September 26, 2024 by Hanson Cheng
As a business owner, it’s in your best interest to invest in the best technology and tools to edge against your competitors.
There are several tools you can consider adding to your marketing and operational repertoire, one of the best of which is a professional number.
Also known as business numbers, these numbers are virtual inbound numbers that allow callers to connect with your managed business line.
Unlike personal phone numbers, business numbers can only be initiated by the caller, usually the customer.
The plus side is that they are equipped with an array of features and functionalities that make a more streamlined and convenient operational, marketing, and customer service experience.
If you want to learn more about how a professional number can boost your business, we’ll lay it all down for you. Here are several reasons why you should invest in a business professional number.
Let’s jump right into it.
Enhances Professional Image
A professional number can be an excellent signal to prospecting customers that you’re operating a legitimate and credible business.
Business numbers are typically attached with a different area code compared to personal phone numbers, such as 1300 and 1800 numbers in Australia.
Using this business number across different marketing channels and touchpoints can convey a sense of professionalism to customers, making them more eager and less on guard when engaging with your business.
This is reinforced by the fact that professional numbers can also be configured with features that can enhance the customer experience. For instance, customers can enjoy immediate call-forwarding features, or be met with an automated voice response system to facilitate their initial call.
Furthermore, these numbers can also be a good opportunity for you to put the right foot forward to professional business partners, clients, and suppliers, which can strengthen business relations and increase your leveraging privilege.
If you’re a small company, a professional number can even make your enterprise look bigger than it actually is. This improved image can help increase your chances of earning a customer’s trust compared to the competition.
Improves The Customer Service Experience
The primary benefit for businesses to get a professional number is to gain access to features catered to enhance the customer service experience.
Think of it like a personal phone number on steroids, built specifically for organisations. Inbound numbers like 1300 numbers in Australia with Telcoworks are packed with tools and functionalities that streamline communication between your business and the customer, crafting a better experience for the parties on both ends.
For instance, professional numbers reduce the wait time of callers on the line, as they can automatically be rerouted to open and available lines. This reduces the manual switching of lines or calling people from across the room in your office to take the phone—which can take minutes that not everyone has the patience to wait.
Furthermore, call recording systems can also be set up, allowing your customer service agents and relevant internal parties to easily pick up on things that may have been missed during the initial call, reducing the need to make follow-up clarification calls.
These numbers are also easier to remember for your customers. This is especially true if the numbers are sequenced to spell out something related to their brand, like a flower shop having a business number 1300-FLOWERS.
So even if your customer hasn’t bought something from your brand in a while, this sequence can be easily recalled to memory—which isn’t always possible with personal numbers as they’re often unadjustable.
Separates Work From Personal Life
Many budding entrepreneurs may use only a single personal phone number to answer business calls—and it’s typically the same number for personal use.
While this can work for small-scale, home-based businesses, owners of bigger ventures with an office and a storefront deserve a greater degree of communication separation.
A business phone number achieves this by providing a dedicated line for professional use, ensuring that personal and business communications don’t overlap.
This not only helps your business have a dedicated phone line, but it also allows you (as the owner) to truly own your personal time.
Without one, it’s very possible for customers to call you while you’re eating dinner, in bed, or hanging out with friends. And if they’re unable to reach you, this can be a major strike against you in their business relationship and loyalty to your brand.
However, with a business line, this problem can be mitigated. You can also set up your business line in a way that supports customers such as automated voice mails and call forwarding systems.
In short, a professional number can greatly enhance your quality of life and ensure that your customers are always in the loop regarding business open hours.
Equipped With an Analytics Dashboard
A professional phone number isn’t only a phone number, it’s also a great information-gathering tool thanks to its built-in analytics dashboard.
The dashboard enables your business to track a wealth of KPIs and customer data. For instance, you can track the entire call volume over a specific period, an agent’s individual call pick-up time, peak call periods, and customer demographics.
These features not only make it easy for you to extract data on your customers and their purchasing behaviour, but they also track the performance of your agents with ease.
These pieces of information can help you make adjustments in the training, hiring, and internal processes of your team. The data can also help you create more targeted campaigns to help support your marketing efforts.
Simplifies Your Business’s Ability to Scale
It’s the goal of most businesses to earn profit and grow. A professional number aids in the scaling process, enabling your customers to reach you no matter where they’re located in the country.
Typically, with a generic phone number, customers will have to pay a higher toll fee for calls made outside their area code. This can dissuade customers from inquiring about your business, much less spend and foster a positive business relationship.
With some professional numbers, like a 13 or 1800 number in Australia, the toll rate is handled by only your business. This makes customers from all around the country more likely to engage with your business despite the geographical distance.
In a similar vein, business numbers can also operate and receive calls if the main receiver is in another territory. This makes it easier for businesses to relocate to a new office address without having to change their phone line. It also enables a remote setup and a team that spans multiple regions.
Furthermore, and most importantly, business owners can also adjust the terms and pricing plans of their business number with ease. They’re not bound to a long contract with their number but are instead able to scale up or scale down depending on the business needs, which can help in managing the cash flow.
Provides Cost Savings
It’s easy to see how professional numbers can cost a pretty penny, but the truth is they’re fairly affordable and arguably even cheaper than getting a new personal phone number.
These virtual phone numbers eliminate the need for you and your staff to get a new number and dedicated phone hardware, saving you hundreds of dollars of upfront cost and more over the long-term in monthly bills.
Furthermore, it also has the potential to lower your plan since they’re meant to take nationwide and international calls with ease, unlike generic phone numbers. There are also pricing plans that can be as affordable or as expensive as you need it to be, further helping you keep your costs and operational needs delicately balanced.
With a professional number, you can enjoy all these benefits in even just the most affordable pricing plan. We hope this article has helped you understand the benefits of an inbound phone number.
Good luck with your business!