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16th September 2020 blog, Customer Service

Global Customer Support: 8 Strategies to Get More Global Customers

9th September 2020 blog, Business Phone Numbers

How Much Does an International Toll Free Number Cost? [2026]

31st August 2020 blog, Call Center

How to Reduce Hold Time in a Call Center

A photo of communication tools for global expansion.

27th August 2020 blog, Cloud Telephony

7 Must-Have Global Expansion Tools for Communication

26th August 2020 blog, Business Insights

Top 5 Countries for Global Expansion in 2026

The ultimate list of bring your own device (BYOD) policy pros and cons

24th August 2020 blog, Cloud Telephony

The Ultimate List of BYOD Policy Pros and Cons

20th August 2020 blog, Business Insights

How to Start a Business in Mexico as a Foreigner

A photo of bring your own device policy byod essentials

17th August 2020 blog, Sales Management

8 Key Points That Any Bring Your Own Device Policy Must Have

best practices in a work from home call center.

10th August 2020 blog, Call Center

Work From Home Call Center: 4 Best Practices [2026]

Global Customer Support: 8 Strategies to Get More Global Customers

Beny Mouen 16th September 2020 blog, Customer Service

Supporting a global customer base may seem overwhelming and unattainable. However, with the right tools and business moves, bringing aboard more global customers can be a piece of cake. Here are 8 proven tactics to appeal to an international customer base and offer excellent global customer support.

What is Global Customer Support and Why is it Important?

Global customer support or global customer service is the process of offering excellent service to your customers across all platforms, channels, and markets. It also means developing key strategies and support systems to assist global customers spread around the world. By taking time to execute a strong global customer support system, you can improve brand awareness and customer support on an international scale. As such, multinational and mid-large-sized businesses invest the necessary resources to be available for their international clientele.

How Can You Support International Customers?

In order to support your global customers, you will need a plan or strategy. This involves identifying ways in which your business will provide global support, investing in tools and technology needed, financial planning, and more. The first step is to create a CX and customer support strategy for your global customers. Once you have a plan in mind, you can start taking steps towards building a robust international customer support system.

Global Customer Support Strategies: 8 Surefire Tips

Bringing on new global customers requires a few different strategies working at the same time. For example, you will need to increase business visibility and awareness through advertising and international marketing. Then, you will have to make your business easily accessible to customers in these global markets. More and more companies are adopting a Follow the Sun model to offer global customer support and stay in touch with their international clients. Read on for specific tactics you can use to entice new customers as you expand globally.

1. Hire Locals

Work with local recruiters to bring locals on board who know how to work within these target markets. Hiring locals means you can offer customer support in that area’s time zone and in regional languages. Furthermore, these employees know what the purchasing and buying culture is like within that country, state, or city. And this information can be used to better appeal to customers and vendors.

2. Work with Remote Teams

Hiring employees for global markets does not always mean opening field offices or relocating your current employees. Your chief client officer can easily hire and manage remote workers and teams by using a virtual phone system that allows users to centralize business communications from any location and any device. This lets you hire locals without needing to worry about getting an office space, equipment, etc. This helps you keep communication costs low as well as save on moving or office costs.

3. Plan to Offer Customer Support in Different Time Zones

To reach maximum global customers, it is important to offer support in current time zones. This means making your agents available in the time zone of the region you are targeting. This can be done by hiring locals from the countries or regions where you want to offer global customer support. Then, you can have incoming calls forwarded to those agents and remote workers during certain times of the day through time-based routing or location-based call routing. This way, global customers can get support quickly.

4. Invest in Multilingual Support Tools

A global expansion best practice is being able to reach global customers in languages and terms they understand and appreciate. More than 29% of businesses in a recent survey conducted by Inside Intercom said that they lost customers by not offering multilingual support. This is why it’s essential to use multilingual support tools to make your business more accessible. Consider investing in:

Multilingual agents
Language and location targeting
Localization services
Machine translation features to translate your website
Chatbots that support different languages, etc.

This can help you reach a larger audience and improve brand awareness and visibility giving your business an international reputation.

5. Consider Automation

Automation can help offer global customer support, especially when agents are unavailable. For instance, you can develop a cloud IVR system to answer incoming calls, identify the purpose of the call, and take action accordingly. This automated voice response service will interact with callers, ask pre-determined questions, and present callers with pre-recorded menu options. Then, based on caller input, the system will offer support, transfer the caller to the right agent, or send them to voicemail. The same goes for chatbots.

These automation services can help reduce the burden agents feel by taking care of smaller concerns, giving employees the time needed to work on more complicated issues. Automation also helps provide support during off-hours and the weekend, making your business more reachable to global customers when they need you most.

6. Use Multiple Social Media Platforms

If your business is not on social media platforms, then it is lacking in business awareness. Social media has grown into an important and effective global marketing tool. Use your platforms to demonstrate your business’ (geographical) reach, its values and products, customer reviews, events, and more. Engage with followers, respond to queries and concerns, and adopt a neutral, non-political stance.

7. International SEO

Consider search engine optimization or SEO for international marketing. This usually includes boosting your website and increasing your business’ visibility through country targeting and language targeting. Develop content that is original and relevant and use keywords that will draw local as well as international traffic to your website.

8. Display Quality Testimonials and Reviews

Lastly, highlight reviews and testimonials from your global customers. Social proof goes a long way in showing new prospects how your business values its customers and how your business works. You may even choose to publish case studies on successful clients, detailing how your product or service benefits them, and so on.

Need Communication Tools to Reach Global Customers?

Global Call Forwarding can help you get the right communications tools for global expansion. Call us today at 1 (561) 908 6171 to find out how we can help you improve the customer experience for your global customers. Improve business awareness and make your business a reliable one by offering global customer support.

How Much Does an International Toll Free Number Cost? [2026]

Nadine Sampson 9th September 2020 blog, Business Phone Numbers

International toll free numbers can help you expand your company’s reach by creating communication channels between your company and interested customers in other countries and states. Here we will outline how much an international toll free number costs and what important factors to take into account when getting a new international toll free number.

International Toll Free Number Costs: Factors to Consider

International toll free phone numbers are toll free numbers for different countries across the world. Residents within those countries can call your ITFN for free while incoming calls are forwarded to a location or line in a country of your choice.

This enables your business to offer sales and customer support to international countries. For instance, you can get a UK toll free number and have calls forwarded to your office in Singapore.

How much an international toll free number costs depends on the following factors:

1. How you answer calls
What device you answer calls on can affect the ultimate price you pay for an international toll free number service. For instance, calls answered on a mobile phone may be more expensive than calls answered on a VoIP or SIP phone.

2. Where calls come from
One of the biggest contributors to the international toll free phone number cost is the location of your callers. That is, where your callers are calling from. For instance, calls from China may be more expensive than calls from the UK or Singapore. Furthermore, what device — landline or mobile — is used to call can also affect the cost.

3. Talk time per month
What is your business’ call volume per month? How many calls and how much call time do you expect? This is also important to consider when getting an ITFN service. The more you talk, the more you pay. However, there are plans that reduce cost per minute when your call traffic increases.

4. Additional features and services
What additional features or add-on services do you need? These additional features can increase your overall cost. Important features like outbound calling, IVR, call forwarding, etc., should be easily accessible. If the prices for these services are too high, you may want to consider a different service.

5. Extra fees
Lastly, don’t forget to take into account any additional fees such as set-up or installation fees, cancellation fees, long-term contracts, etc. Look for a provider that doesn’t need set-up or cancellation fees so you can switch providers if needed.

Note: If you want an international toll-free number that supports both inbound and outbound calling, check out our Toll-Free 2-Way Voice service. The price for this will depend on your inbound and outbound phone plan for the desired country.

Global Call Forwarding: ITFN Price Breakdown

Here we breakdown our current international toll free number costs for the most popular countries. We include our basic monthly plan, SIP trunking price, and forwarding rates.

1. US Toll Free Numbers

To buy a US toll free number, you can simply review the below pricing information and sign up on our homepage.

- Cost of a US ITFN: $12.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $.02 – $.04 per additional minute

2. Germany Toll Free Numbers

With Germany virtual toll free phone numbers, you can now offer German residents a free way to connect with your business.

- Cost of a Germany ITFN: $17.95
- IP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.05- $0.07 per additional minute

3. UAE Toll Free Numbers

UAE 800 numbers can help your business offer sales and customer support to individuals and businesses located in UAE.

Cost of a UAE ITFN: $28.95
SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.43 – $0.47 per additional minute

4. UK Toll Free Numbers
Use UK freephone numbers to create reliable communication channels between your business and its UK clientele.

Cost of a UK ITFN: $12.95
SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.063 – $0.083 per additional minute

5. Singapore Toll Free Numbers
Buy Singapore toll free numbers to create a business in Singapore and add locals to your customer base.

Cost of a Singapore ITFN: $27.95
SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.063 – $0.082 per additional minute

6. Japan Toll Free Numbers

Japan toll free numbers will help you enter the Japanese market without increasing the cost of operations.

- Cost of a Japan toll free phone number: $68.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.33 – $0.37 per additional minute

7. Hong Kong Toll Free Numbers

Use Hong Kong toll free numbers to increase sales and offer customer service to local consumers by making your Hong Kong business accessible and easy to call.

- Cost of a Hong Kong ITFN: $27.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.063 – $0.082 per additional minute

8. Australia Toll Free Numbers

Want to expand to Australia? Australia virtual numbers can help you test the market and see how your product performs before you open field offices.

- Cost of an Australia toll free number: $13.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.063 – $0.082 per additional minute

9. China Toll Free Numbers

Use China toll free numbers to sell to local Chinese residents and businesses. Enter the Chinese market and advertise locally.

- Cost of a China ITFN: $44.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.37 – $0.41 per additional minute

10. India Toll Free Numbers

Doing business in India? Connect to India’s telecommunication network to make global communication easier and less expensive.

- Cost of an India ITFN: $38.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.25 – $0.35 per additional minute

11. Mexico Toll Free Numbers

Mexico toll free numbers can open your business to include a Mexican customer base.

- Cost of a Mexico ITFN: $12.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.063 – $0.073 per additional minute

12. Canada Toll Free Numbers

Get Canada toll free numbers today and start selling your product or service in Canada. Improve brand visibility and awareness by advertising locally.

- Cost of a Canada toll free number: $12.95
- SIP trunk pricing for outbound calls: $25 for 10 channels
- Rate for forwarding to IP: $0.02 – $0.04 per additional minute

Choose Your International Toll Free Number Now!

ITFNs make it easy to do global business without incurring exorbitant international calling rates. Get an international toll free number based on the countries and regions you want to target and expand your business to. With these numbers, you can add new customer bases, improve sales, offer global customer support, and become a reputable international brand. Sign up today or call us to learn more!

How to Reduce Hold Time in a Call Center

Miguel Isabal 31st August 2020 blog, Call Center

Are customers abandoning calls because they are waiting in line for too long? This can hurt your business if not taken care of quickly. Long call waiting times lead to frustrated and dissatisfied customers. Here we will look at a few different ways you can reduce average hold times in a call center.

Call Center Hold Time Standards

No one wants to wait on hold forever. There is a growing demand for quick and responsive customer care, leading to new call center hold time standards. Customers who are left on hold or stuck in a queue for more than 15 minutes will hang up and find another business to resolve their issue. And if they are an existing customer, then you risk losing a valuable customer by making them wait long to get support.

Average Hold Time in a Call Center

So, how long is it acceptable to wait? There is general consensus on the average wait time for inbound calls coming into a call center. Call center hold time standards suggest that calls must be answered within the first 20 seconds.

When you place a customer or caller on hold, it is a good practice to let them know how long it may take. This is especially necessary if you need to place them on hold for longer than 20 seconds. And, if you take longer than the time you previously mentioned, check in with the customer and let them know you are still working on finding the solution. Don’t abandon them in the abyss. Setting the right expectations can reduce frustration.

However, a more effective solution would be to meet call center hold time standards and reduce the call waiting time in your call center.

How to Reduce Average Hold Time in a Call Center? 7 Tips

A call center is meant to handle calls made to the businesses they represent and offer quick and reliable customer service. However, if your callers are on hold or in long queues, then they will take their business elsewhere. And that is not good news for your call center. Here are 7 tips to reduce average hold time in your call center:

1. Experiment with Call Routing Strategies

The most effective way to reduce hold times is to distribute calls effectively. If all calls are going only to a handful of agents, then they will be easily overburdened. Consider implementing different call routing strategies that route calls based on:

The time of day
The location of the caller
Skills required for the call (language)
Caller history
A predetermined line or schedule of agents
Simultaneous ringing, and more

These different call routing strategies will help you effectively distribute calls, thus ensuring that callers receive service quickly.

2. Invest in Cloud IVR Tech

Cloud IVR or an interactive voice response system is an automated voice response system. This system is designed and customized by you to meet your specific needs. The IVR system answers an incoming call and provides the caller with menu options such as Press 1 for ___ and Press 2 for ____. Based on caller input, the call will then be forwarded to the next set of options or to a representative ready to help.

Having a cloud IVR system handle and distribute calls can ensure calls are sent to the right agent and not passed around. Furthermore, the IVR may even be able to assist the caller without the help of the agent.

3. Train Agents Effectively

You can reduce long waiting times by training agents effectively. Even if new agents come with some experience, it is essential to train them for your specific call center. That includes how to use software and tech involved, how to navigate to your support or knowledge base, how to resolve common issues, and what to do when they do not have an answer, etc. To learn more in this regard, check out our article about managing virtual call center agents.

4. Study Call Traffic

Another way to reduce hold time is to pay attention to the days and times when most calls come in. Identifying high call traffic periods can help you schedule more agents or route calls to remote agents as well during those times. Either way, your team can be better prepared if they know which periods will be hectic.

5. Consider Chat & SMS as Communication Options

While phone calls are still the most preferred option for customer support, there is a whole section of the population that prefers non-phone options like SMS, live chat, email, etc. Having an SMS and live chat option can help your agents multitask and resolve queries without keeping users on hold for very long. It is therefore highly recommended that your business invests in technology that lets you send and receive text messages and also offer live chat on your website.

6. Create a Knowledge Base

A knowledge base is an online support portal with posts meant to help current users troubleshoot common issues, learn how to quickly add new services, and other useful information. Most knowledge bases will teach users about:

Billing services
Adding new services or accounts
Managing their current account
Resolving common issues

Make your knowledge base easily accessible so that users can get to it quickly and agents can share a link to callers. If most of your callers can resolve their issues on their own, then you will have fewer hold times in your call center.

7. Monitor Agent Performance

Lastly, monitor how your agents are performing. You may choose to join calls or record calls and review them. Track important call center KPIs such as:

First call resolution rates
Average hold time
Average time in the queue
Abandoned calls
Response time, and so on

These KPIs can help you understand how your agents are doing and which areas need improvement.

Get Virtual Call Center Software with Global Call Forwarding

Global Call Forwarding can offer you the tools you need to improve and reduce hold times and customer satisfaction. You can get cloud IVR, call recording, call detail records, and more with us. Call to get started today!

7 Must-Have Global Expansion Tools for Communication

Beny Mouen 27th August 2020 blog, Cloud Telephony

Expanding internationally and entering new markets can be unsuccessful if not planned properly. One of the most important parts of global expansion is preparing to communicate overseas and across borders. To communicate better across borders, your business must invest in global expansion tools. What are some useful communication tools for international businesses?

Global Expansion Tools: Communication Better

The following 7 global expansion tools for international communication can help you maintain good communication with your employees as well as future clientele when you expand internationally.

1. International Business Numbers

First and foremost, consider using international toll free numbers. These are essentially toll free numbers for international countries. Depending on where you want to expand, you can get international toll free numbers for that area. For example, if your US business wants to extend sales to Asia, you can get India or Singapore toll free numbers, and so on. Calls made to these numbers can be forwarded internationally to a number or device of your choice, including your US office.

Individuals calling from these countries will think of your number like any other local number and your business as locally accessible. This allows you to enter new markets and encourage customers to call your business number for free. And since you use a global inbound service, you won’t be paying high international calling rates. Instead, you pay according to your subscription plan.

2. Local Phone Numbers

Virtual local phone numbers are numbers with local area codes. These are useful when you are targeting specific states, cities, or regions in different countries. For instance, you can get a Dubai local number or a Sydney local number. Locals calling a local number are charged regular rates, even if the call is forwarded internationally to your business in the US.

Both ITFS and local phone numbers give your international clientele and business contacts convenient and inexpensive ways to connect with your business, irrespective of its location.

3. Outbound Calling

One of the most popular global expansion tools is an outbound calling service. Outbound calling is a telecom service that supports your outgoing and cold-calling efforts. An outbound calling strategy will help you contact local and international customers through any device or number. You can even display a local or domestic toll free number as your outgoing caller ID to present your business as local. Global Call Forwarding’s outbound calling service comes with a web dialer that is easy to install and use. You can save contacts, update caller history, and more with our dialer.

4. Live Chat and 24/7 Customer Support

Offering live chat on your website with either agents or chatbots can assist web visitors who want to learn about your products and services or need troubleshooting help. You may choose to hire remote agents located in the areas falling under your global expansion strategy. These agents can provide around-the-clock customer support via chat and phone conversations. They will also be able to offer services in regional and local languages and time zones.

With live chat and 24/7 customer support, you can increase customers’ reliability on your service and company.

5. Text Messaging Services

You may also consider getting an SMS plan along with your business number. Doing so will give interested prospects another easy method of contact. While most customers prefer to interact via phone calls, some customers prefer email or text messaging. You can appeal to this target group by making the option available.

6. Ticketing and Problem Tracking Software

Additionally, having a reliable ticket or case tracking system will prove useful when customers need quick support. Consider investing in an online help desk that allows customers to submit a ticket and track the ticket’s progress. Furthermore, train employees to quickly resolve tickets as they come up. This can help increase customer satisfaction and trust in the company.

7. Social Intranet

A social intranet refers to a private hub or network that only certain members of an organization have access to. A social intranet for your business can enable internal communication and collaboration. You can develop your office’s intranet by using a content or project management system. Furthermore, an intranet is a recommended solution for companies executing a Bring Your Own Device or “BYOD” policy.

Prepare Well with Global Expansion Tools

To successfully enter your business in the global market, one must be prepared in many ways. And global or virtual communication becomes an important aspect. To learn more about how Global Call Forwarding can help you build a strong communication system, speak with our global specialists today!

Top 5 Countries for Global Expansion in 2026

Nadine Sampson 26th August 2020 blog, Business Insights

Is global expansion on your agenda for 2026? Then it’s time to look at the top 5 countries to consider expanding to this year. Here we highlight countries to consider and resources such as important contacts and business phone numbers.

Global Expansion in 2026: Top Countries to Consider

This list of top countries for global expansion in 2026 is based on:

Availability of skills
Quality of infrastructure
GDP growth
Connectivity
Complexity of the landscape

What do you need to make your global expansion successful? Here are a few best practices to pay attention to:

Before entering new markets:
- Conduct market research to determine which countries are suitable for your business
- Plan how to target and enter these markets
- Test marketing to see how your product may do in new markets
While entering new markets:
- Local authorities to work with
- Local partnerships to develop
- Business phone numbers to establish contact
- International SEO to boost marketing strategies
Once you’ve entered and established business in the new market:
- International toll free service to offer locals a free way to contact your business
- 24/7 customer support to increase customer satisfaction
- Regional offices to develop a stronger local presence

Keeping these in mind, let’s now look at the top 5 countries to consider for global expansion:

1. Singapore

Singapore continues to attract international attention with its flexible market, strategic location, and favorable environment for foreign investment. Singapore ranks high for the availability of skills and innovation.