Cloud Telephony

Need to upgrade your business phone system? Thanks to advancements in telecommunications, a virtual phone system can help you organize and manage calls while expanding your reach. Follow these steps and set up your business communications quickly!

What is a Virtual Phone System?

In short, a virtual phone system is just like a traditional phone system, except that it works virtually. With such a system, you can run communications from any location or device. You are not limited to your immediate physical location. Additionally, since communications are virtual, you can connect with long-distance clientele more quickly and with lower calling charges.

A virtual or hosted phone system is made up of:

• Virtual phone numbers such as toll free, local, and international numbers.
• VoIP or PBX set-up.
• Features such as call forwarding, call routing, IVR systems, extensions, call recording, and more.
• Online account management.

With a virtual or cloud phone system, you can keep communications running no matter where you are located. Plus, it facilitates easy communication between remote offices and employees. To get a virtual phone system, you need to sign up with a virtual phone service provider. Here are key steps to keep in mind.

1. Determine Your Needs

Before getting a virtual phone system for business communications, you first need to determine what you need from your virtual phone system. What type of connections do you want to maintain: just local or international as well? Do you need multiple toll free and international numbers?

Consider the various features virtual phone service providers offer. What features would you like your communication system to have? Do you need to record calls or a dynamic caller ID to display custom caller IDs?

Finally, what is your budget and how high are you willing to go? There are countless providers out there but you need one that can accommodate all your requirements and still fit your budget.

2. Research Virtual Phone Service Providers

Once you have a good idea of what you want from your business virtual phone system, start researching the market. Review various virtual phone service providers, how long they’ve been in the market, their pricing and list of features, customer reviews, etc.

Global Call Forwarding has been in the business since 2007 and continues the legacy of its parent company, United World Telecom, established in 1996. Global Call Forwarding has been offering toll free, local, and international numbers to businesses through number hosting in more than 160 countries across the world. We also offer common and premium communication features such as call forwarding, IVR and extensions, call recording, outbound calling, and more. You can choose a plan suitable for your size and needs from our 5 plans.

3. Sign Up for the Service

Now, sign up for the provider that gives you everything you need at a price you desire. You can sign up for our service through our website or by calling 1 (877) 898 8646. Activate your service and start advertising your new number!

4. Set Up Call Forwarding

The main component of a virtual phone system is forwarding incoming calls to devices or lines of your choice. This is especially beneficial when receiving international or long-distance calls. To better explain, when you purchase an international or toll free number for a different country, residents of that country can call this number for local charges or for free. However, that call is routed through a call forwarding service to your office line, field office, or home office, as desired.

Therefore, if you purchase multiple numbers for different cities, states, and countries, then the first step is to map out how calls will be forwarded and where to. Route calls based on the location of the incoming call or the time the call is being made.

5. Set Up Features

Next, set up and organize the features you purchased. For example, create your custom greetings and voicemail messages. Map out and design your IVR system. If you have an outbound calling service, you may want to download the web dialer or outbound dialer that comes with your service and update it with current contacts and records. This way, you can start placing calls quickly.

6. Start Placing and Receiving Calls!

Now that everything is set up and ready to use, start making calls to local and international clients and prospects. And be prepared to offer excellent customer service to customers located in your target areas.

Get Your Virtual Phone System with Global Call Forwarding

Want to learn more about how we can help you build an ideal virtual business phone system? Reach out to one of our experts today and find customized solutions for your business!

Businesses ranging from large corporations to small businesses must continuously improve and maintain good customer relations. Therefore, the choices you make regarding what phone system or multimedia channels to utilize matter significantly.

Setting up call forwarding for your office line is one such important decision. Whether your company handles calls through one phone or multiple numbers for different offices, call forwarding can help streamline call management and boost customer interaction. Let’s look at how to add this feature to a 4 line phone system.

Call Forwarding: Benefits for the Office

Call forwarding basically redirects incoming calls to a number different from the one dialed. This is convenient when you do not want to give out your real number. Or, when you want calls to be forwarded to different departments or offices at certain times of the day. You can move calls around in an efficient way to ensure no calls or prospects go missed.

Global Call Forwarding offers a variety of virtual numbers with call forwarding. Virtual numbers route calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines, making them a cheaper option. You can get a toll free number or a local number for a specific geographical location. Toll-free numbers are free for callers as they charge the receiver. Local numbers have area codes for specific locations and this helps you have a virtual presence in a city or state without needing to physically move there.

Multi-Line Phone Systems

Standard phone systems carry audio between only two parties, that is, between the caller and receiver. However, multi-line phone systems, offered by Cisco, Grandstream, and other providers, allow multiple people to be on the phone at the same time. These lines can be 2 line or 4 line phone systems. You can set them up for internal communication between employees and colleagues or externally for customers.

Who Can Use Multi-Line Communication Systems?

Companies of any size can use a 2 or 4 line phone system to streamline and organize their calls. They can easily forward or redirect calls from one line to the next. There are different ways to set and organize multiple lines for your system.

With a 2 line phone system, you can have:

• One line for home and one for business.
• One line per employee and one for a fax number.

With a 4 line phone system, you can have:

• Two lines for salespersons, one for toll free number, and one for the marketing team.
• One line for customers in certain states, one line for local customers, and one for the remote team.
• One line per department.

Let’s look at a few scenarios where having multiple lines on one phone system can boost communication.

1. Businesses offering medical support, financial services, etc., will need to be constantly accessible to their clients. And so, having call forwarding set in such a way forwards calls to multi-site offices where someone will answer and help customers.
2. One-person or small businesses, freelancers, and remote workers can use this service to protect their actual numbers. They can provide a virtual number that directs calls to their phone, without having to share their personal number.
3. Restaurants and companies with high call volumes during rush hour or holiday seasons.
4. Businesses with employees that travel a lot for work.
5. Companies that want to provide around-the-clock service and improve their customer service.

Setting Up Call Forwarding on a 4 Line Phone System

Adding call forwarding to your 4 line phone system is easy and quick, and does not require expensive equipment. Just follow the steps below.

1)  Virtual phone service providers offer call forwarding and other communication features for businesses. We recommend Global Call Forwarding for its affordability and high-quality user experience.

2) Review plans and features: Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget from a variety of options. We offer 5 different plans based on business size and amount of minutes anticipated. Then, look at what other features you can add to enhance your phone system. For example, you can pair call forwarding with call recording, select country forwarding, interactive voice recording (IVR), or time-of-day routing.

3) Sign up for virtual service: Enter the necessary information on the sign-up page. For example, enter the type of number you want: toll free, mobile, UIFN, area code number, etc. Then, select the number you want from the options available. Finally, enter the destination number where calls should be forwarded. This could be your personal, office, or cell number. You can later go into your control panel and add additional lines.

4) Purchase multi-line phones: Purchase a desktop phone system that can run several lines. You can look at major phone companies for a device that works well for you.

Streamline, Organize, Control: Manage Your Call Volume Better

With a 4 line phone system and call forwarding, you can easily ensure that customers can reach your business at any time. Call Global Call Forwarding today at 1 (888) 908 6171 to learn more or to sign up for a virtual number with call forwarding now. It’s never too late to improve internal communication and customer service.