What is a VoIP Number – The Ultimate Guide

What is a VoIP number? How does it work? What are the pros and cons of a VoIP phone number? Should you get one, and how do you do it? If any of these questions have ever crossed your mind, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to find out more.

What is a VoIP number?

The easiest way to describe what is a VoIP phone number is by comparing it to a traditional telephone number. 

In a nutshell, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone number is the number you get the moment you sign up for a VoIP telephony service. In contrast to a traditional phone number, the VoIP one is not assigned to a particular device but to a specific user. 

Thanks to the way VoIP phone numbers are structured, having one of them automatically opens the door to a world of possibilities. For example, you get plenty of advanced features, such as call monitoring. That is especially useful when it comes to long-distance calls.

How does VoIP work?

In essence, VoIP technology works by turning data-driven devices into phones that you can call from. VoIP number is, therefore, a virtual number. That is why you mainly need stable internet access to use it.

Whether it’s a traditional cell phone, a tablet, or a desktop computer, with VoIP phone numbers, you can make calls easier and quicker. You will need a special solution (such as CloudTalk) or access to a cloud-based platform to do so.

Should you get a VoIP number?

VoIP phone numbers are rising in popularity – there’s no doubt about that. It is predicted that approximately 3 billion people will become mobile VoIP users by 2021. 

Traditional phones are also starting to become a thing of the past as more and more businesses decide to switch to VoIP phone systems and, therefore, VoIP phone numbers. 

VoIP has lots to offer. Just check out these 12 awesome call center tools!

Read for free

Pros of using a VoIP number

We will start with the pros of VoIP numbers, as there are more of them than cons. The most commonly listed are:

Lower cost 

When you’re running a business, you surely pay close attention to your bottom line. If that’s the case, a VoIP phone number may be a good choice for you since it can save you a lot of money in the long run. 

Since you can use the same number on various devices and there’s no need to purchase specific devices to make phone calls,  your business can significantly reduce costs. 

With platforms like CloudTalk,  you can get a VoIP phone number starting from as little as $25. That’s much less compared to what you would pay using traditional phones. 

Higher scalability 

Small and fast-growing businesses are in need of tools that can be easily and quickly adapted to their often demanding requirements.  Imagine a tool that grows with you, and any developments and upgrades you need can be applied straight away. 

This is exactly the way office VoIP systems and phone numbers work. 

You get and pay for what you use, and when you wish to expand your access to other services, you can do so quickly and efficiently.

Better voice quality 

Everyone knows how important good voice quality is. Once your audio starts failing, you could experience issues like miscommunications or misunderstandings, longer call resolution times, lack of satisfaction from your customers’ side, and annoyance in your team. 

With VoIP phone numbers, as long as you have no issues with maintaining a stable Internet connection, your experience with voice quality will be flawless. There are even special tools to enhance your voice quality further, such as noise-canceling microphones or special headphones. 

Multitasking-friendly 

Making calls is not the only thing you can do with VoIP phone numbers. Well-developed and modern platforms can allow you to do much more than that. Sending documents? Maybe photographs? How about short video tutorials? You can share it all with a reliable VoIP phone number without having to end a call. 

Amongst other benefits of using VoIP, we could distinguish useful factors like increased accessibility, high portability, and a great deal of flexibility, as well as a variety of features facilitating teamwork.

Cons of using a VoIP number

Even the best technologies may have some drawbacks, and this is totally normal. The most important thing you should do, however, is to assess whether or not these potential ‘dark sides’ could act as real threats to your business.

The need for a steady internet connection

As we mentioned, to make VoIP phone numbers work, you need a stable and reliable Internet signal. Otherwise, you may encounter issues like lost connection, poor call quality, or other network disruptions. But as long as you don’t have problems with access to the Internet, this aspect shouldn’t be a concern for you. 

Data packet loss

Packet loss is quite a common occurrence. Sometimes packets of data get lost on their way to the receiving end, and you may experience various disruptions. There is a way to prevent it from happening, though. Issues with packet loss are usually caused by problems with your wireless/wired devices. 

Once again, don’t forget to check your network connection, too. With these simple steps, you can ensure a great quality of VoIP phone calls and stop worrying about the potential threats of this technology to your communication.

Dropped calls 

Dropped calls occur when your device disconnects from the network you’re using. While this situation can affect any user of a VoIP phone number, only those who plan on making a lot of outbound calls on a high-volume network could be potentially worried. Often, an issue with dropping calls can be fixed with a simple software update, so this isn’t the end of the world.

How to get a VoIP number

Now that you know all about VoIP phone numbers, we think it’s safe to say you may be getting one soon. 

All you have to do is find a reliable VoIP service provider. Whilst there are many VoIP service providers out there, you should be focused on picking one that will meet your demands. Simply put, provide you with the best experience possible. 

You may wish to look at various options before fully committing to one company. Look at things like customer reviews, the range of features your possible choice offers, or the pricing. Only detailed, thorough research will allow you to choose the best solution for your company’s needs. 

You may shortlist a few solutions, but we know the one that should definitely make the cut.

It’s CloudTalk.  

Numbers speak for themselves: 

• Over 2,500 call centers and phone systems are powered by our solution.
• On Capterra, we got hundreds of reviews with an average rating of 4.5.
• We have a 14-day free trial for you to give the VoIP feature (and 40+ others) a kind go. 

So, is a VoIP phone number the right choice for you?

It’s certainly worth knowing how VoIP phone numbers work, even if you are not using one just yet. As mentioned in the article, this type of telephone number is rising in popularity, and you ought to take advantage of it now. 

If you enjoyed this blog, make sure you check out our other posts around the topic of calls, communication, and VoIP.