How to Get a VoIP Number – Complete Guide [2024]

A VoIP phone number is no longer a luxury for established corporations. In recent years it has become an affordable tool and one that is essential for everyone who wants to succeed in a competitive market.

In fact, it is especially appealing to small and mid-size businesses (SMBs). By 2025, SMBs are likely to grow by more than 15% in the VoIP market.

A report from Blueface shows that 61% of companies switched to VoIP-based systems after their contract with landline carriers expired. 

If you are thinking about getting a VoIP number, searching for a functional solution, or simply wishing to change your current provider, keep reading. 

This guide answers every question about virtual phone numbers that you may have. 

Key Takeaways

• A report from Blueface shows that 61% of companies switched to VoIP-based systems after their contract with landline carriers expired.
• VoIP numbers offer helpful features like IVR, which guides callers through menu options to reach the right department, and Skill-based Routing, which automatically directs calls to the most suitable agent based on their expertise. These features streamline communication, ensuring callers are efficiently assisted and enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
• Free business phone numbers provide a cost-free option for a separate virtual line, but come with limited features like Voicemail and Call Forwarding. Ideal for small businesses or startups, they serve as a temporary solution until growth demands upgrading to paid plans for more advanced features and scalability.
• VoIP Number Porting allows businesses to keep their essential phone numbers when changing providers, avoiding the inconvenience of updating materials and informing clients. This process is crucial in high costs or inadequate service quality with the current provider.

What’s a VoIP Number: Essential or Optional?

First, let’s give a brief definition of what a VoIP number is. You may also know it as a Voice over IP number. It is a real telephone number assigned to a specific user, yet not to a specific phone line.

Of course, there are other options for how you can handle phone calls. Old-fashioned hardware phones, while familiar to most, have more disadvantages than advantages. They’re usually more expensive than VoIP numbers, require more maintenance, and restrict your mobility. 

You can also use free VoIP numbers, but as we will explore later, those are not sustainable for businesses with more than 5 to 10 employees. 

So VoIP numbers seem like a pretty good idea, right? We can’t decide for you, but generally, IP phone numbers have much more benefits than drawbacks.

Here is an overview of VoIP number advantages by business size:

• Small Businesses: If you own a “young” start-up, it’s possible you don’t have an office yet. Being able to take and make calls from anywhere at a minimal cost is, therefore a huge advantage.
• Enterprises: For big companies that need many phones and phone numbers, VoIP is a huge help. You can configure and assign virtual phone numbers to any device from a central control panel. 
• Call Centers: This type of business has a huge database of phone numbers. With VoIP, they can be easily assigned to various devices or even different users – including agents. 

You can also check our brief video guide on VoIP basics:

Where You Can Get a VoIP Number

To purchase a virtual number, you can use an online dashboard. There are plenty of VoIP service providers available, so it’s important to narrow down your focus. Determine exactly what you’re looking for, and try to pick a provider that meets your business’ needs.

If you don’t want to use the “trial and error” approach, we recommend that you explore all of the options on the market and make a what options the market offers based on your requirements.

Main attributes to put on your checklist: 

• Customer reviews 
• Level of customer support
• Available plans
• Range of features
• Pricing 

Only a detailed overview of the options will enable you to get the tool that meets most of your requirements.

Choose a Trusted Solution

Based on your business’ needs, you can shortlist options that seem like they’re the best fit for you.

There is one system, though, that should definitely make the cut: CloudTalk.

We offer one of the best virtual phone services. We’re also one of the best-rated SaaS providers. Together with your new VoIP number, you will get 40+ integrations and almost 70 advanced features. 

Our software is currently powering more than 2,500 call centers and phone systems around the world. The trust we’ve earned from our loyal clients serves as proof that CloudTalk is a safe, reliable software for obtaining your VoIP number. 

See it for yourself in our customer reviews:

Capterra: 4.4 / 5

G2: 4.3 / 5

Of course, we wouldn’t want you to choose CloudTalk without trying it first.

5 Reasons to Get a VoIP Number

Let’s start by seeing what other businesses consider to be the strongest reasons for purchasing an IP phone number.

Here are 5 top factors for VoIP migration according to Blueface report:

Reliability: 69.5%

Price: 19%

Features: 5%

Flexibility: 4%

Scalability: 2.5%

Now that you know what other businesses value, let’s take a closer look at the top 5 reasons why obtaining a VoIP number will make your work easier. 

#1 It Saves Money

VoIP numbers work over the internet, which eliminates costly phone bills for long-distance and international calls. According to TechCo, making international calls via virtual phone numbers can save you up to 90% of expenses and up to 40% in the case of local calls. 

Here’s another advantage: by purchasing a VoIP number, you subscribe to a precise virtual number plan with a service provider. You, therefore, know exactly how much you will pay each month. That makes your costs predictable and steady unless you want to upgrade. 

The majority of providers don’t require a contract at the start of the term. It allows you to easily terminate the service without further obstacles. 

#2 It Provides Mobility and Reliability

The best virtual phone services offer a consistent calling experience. 

If you consider how expensive basic international calls can be, voice-over IP phone numbers offer an efficient and affordable way to connect with customers worldwide. That helps you to expand and create a multinational network. Put simply, if you want your business to cross borders, a VoIP number is a great choice for you. 

Having a VoIP number also means you need little more than a headset to conduct business. You are no longer tied down to a single location. VoIP allows you to communicate with clients from wherever you are, as long as that place has a stable internet connection. 

You can therefore hire remote employees or allow 100% remote work, which can save you a great deal of money. Rental fees, electric bills, all things of the past. 

#3 It’s Flexible

When you use an internal network, you have a limited amount of phones you can add to the existing system. With VoIP networks, the only limitation is bandwidth (The maximum amount of data transmitted over the internet connection in a specific time). VoIP solutions usually don’t use a lot of bandwidth. For example, a mere 10 MB connection can handle 100 calls at once. 

You’re also able to use one virtual phone number on multiple devices. Since you can assign a VoIP number to a person instead of a location, you are able to access it from any device — a laptop, tablet or whatever else. Some VoIP providers also offer smartphone applications. In CloudTalk, we have the CloudTalk Go app that serves as a remote-ready pocket-sized call center. 

With a virtual phone number, you can also forward calls to other numbers of a choice. 

Another flexibility aspect of VoIP numbers comes with SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)trunking. It allows you to store and manage all communication from a single platform, providing you with a practical overview of all customer interactions. 

#4 It Increases Productivity

With VoIP phone systems, businesses can save around 32 minutes on calls per day per team. Portal FinancesOnline claims that 77% of small companies report improved productivity levels due to VoIP features.

These tools make communication and call management much easier, mainly thanks to higher agent availability, an advanced level of automation and the elimination of repetitive tasks. Therefore, you can provide better customer service and achieve higher CSAT (customer satisfaction) scores.

#5 Better Voice Quality

Assuming you have a stable internet connection and enough bandwidth space, calling through an IP phone number provides better voice quality than analog phones. That is because VoIP uses advanced compression technology – codecs – that digitally convert sound.

Yet, of course, nothing is spotless. Issues may occur, so make sure your provider has you covered. For example, with us, if a call quality drops below a certain level, CloudTalk automatically changes the call route in real time. That eliminates latency and jitter.

10 Features You Can Get With VoIP Number

VoIP systems offer more than just an efficient way of calling. Together with your virtual phone number, you get plenty of automatized features that make your everyday work easier. 

Here are 10 examples of tools that you may find useful: 

• ACD (Automated Call Distribution): Efficient queue distribution of inbound calls based on all available data makes sure that callers are always directed to the most qualified agent or agent group.
• IVR (Interactive Voice Response): A menu that guides the caller through different options and makes sure they are always directed to the right department, agent or group of agents. 
• Ring groups: Makes sure that customer calls ring multiple or all agents at once. 
• Skill-based routing: Inbound calls are automatically routed to a specific agent based on their fit and skills required by the caller. 
• VIP Queues: Always give priority to customers of your choice.  
• Call recording: Automatically records all virtual phone calls.
• Call forwarding: Automatically forward your incoming calls to external mobile or landline phone numbers each time your agents are busy or unavailable during business hours.
• 3-way calling: You can easily add a third person to the line when circumstances call for it. 
• Voicemail: A storage of all unanswered phone calls. With CloudTalk, you can listen to them directly from the internet browser.
• Personalized greetings: Greetings that are played to the caller based on specific situations (outside business hours, on hold, etc.)

How to Get a VoIP Number? Your Go-To Guide

Just follow these 6 simple steps to get your virtual phone number easily:

Step 1: Identify Your Service Needs

Understand your business priorities and select features based on criteria such as price, security, reliability, and quality of service. Make sure to look for reliable customer support to help you when you need it the most.

Step 2: Choose the Right Provider and Plan

Select the best provider for your business needs; CloudTalk offers 4 plans — Starter, Essential, Expert, and Custom. The Custom Plan allows you to tailor your experience and adjust for specific preferences and requirements, ensuring you get what you need.

Step 3: Get your VoIP number

Once you’ve chosen a provider, a CSM will help you obtain your VoIP number.

This usually happens right after signing up for your chosen VoIP plan.

You can choose a local, toll-free, or international number when getting your VoIP number, or even transfer your existing phone number. Once you pick a provider, a Customer Service Manager (CSM) will assist you in getting your VoIP number.

Step 4: Configure Your VoIP System

Get started by setting up your voice-over IP phone number and configuring VoIP devices for seamless call-making and receiving. This involves tasks such as creating user extensions and setting up voicemail. Don’t worry, it’s simpler than it sounds, and you can usually handle these tasks conveniently from the dashboard.

Step 5: Deploy VoIP Software or Hardware

After configuring your VoIP system, the next step is to deploy the necessary software on your devices or set up VoIP-enabled phones based on your intended usage. Some providers may also offer convenient mobile apps, allowing you to seamlessly integrate your VoIP service with your smartphone.

Step 6: Validate Your VoIP Number

Conduct thorough testing of your VoIP number to ensure its functionality. Place a few test calls to assess sound quality and confirm that all the configured features are operating as expected. This step is crucial to guarantee a smooth and reliable communication experience for your business

Get Advanced VoIP Number add-ons with CloudTalk

Our telephony solution offers plenty of useful additions to your default VoIP number. These tools give your company a competitive advantage over other businesses, save you money and help you acquire new customers. 

• International numbers: If your company operates in several countries, you can have a phone number for each of them. That is a huge advantage. 
• First reason: it allows customers from abroad to call you at standard local rates or free of charge. 
• Second reason: With a local phone number, you appear more trustworthy. People often don’t pick up foreign numbers.  

Useful tip 

Check our list of area codes for free international calling.

• Toll-free numbers: This type of virtual phone number enables your customers to call you for free or split the price of the call between you and the caller. With CloudTalk, you can get a green toll-free number (0800) or a blue number (0850).
• Short numbers: This tool allows you to have a five-digit phone number – 16 xxx, 17 xxx, or 18 xxx. You can use short phone numbers for customer support, special information services, transport services, and more.

Free Phone Numbers for Business: What are they?

Free business phone numbers are another option to get a virtual number. This type of VoIP service gives you an additional number that is separate from your personal one and completely free of charge.

It surely does have advantages. For example, it eliminates the process of signing up for a paid VoIP plan. Yet the benefit of free service comes with its price. Free virtual phone numbers include a limited number of features. Such as text messaging over WiFi, Voicemail, Call blocking, Call forwarding, or Caller ID.  

Free business phone numbers are, therefore a good deal for small companies, start-ups, and teams of 10 or fewer people. If you fit the description, a free number may be a good temporary solution until your business grows bigger. 

A free number can also be an alternative to main company lines. 

Pros and Cons of Free Business Phone Numbers

Now, let’s review the positives and negatives that come with free business numbers.

Pros:

Here is a table of free business numbers’ strongest advantages.

Cons:

Now, let’s take a look at the most significant disadvantages of free business phone numbers.

VoIP Number Porting

Your business phone number is crucial for customers to get in touch with you. Many of your loyal clients may even know it by their mind.

Here is where number portability proves itself as a useful tool. It allows you to port your already established phone number from an old VoIP service provider to a new one. With no need to change it. Therefore, you don’t have to go through the malicious process of updating all of the materials or contact forms, informing all your clients, etc.  

There are many scenarios where you may need to change a provider, thus also may have a use of number porting.

For example:

• Your current VoIP solution is too expensive
• Your current VoIP system lacks features vital for your business
• Your business is overgrowing the current VoIP service capabilities
• Your current VoIP solution is of an insufficient quality (e.g. lacking audio)
• There is a lack of support from customer service
• You are experiencing an unfair treatment from the side of your current VoIP provider (e.g. hidden fees)

How to Port Old Number into a New VoIP System?

First, reach out to your new VoIP provider. Afterwards, new and old VoIP service providers work together to port your phone number, ensuring all the process happens successfully. 

Important: 

Always contact your current provider in advance and let them know that you are planning to port your phone number. Sometimes agents reject a port-in request before the process is completed, which can cause delays or a temporary outage.

Also, wait for a successful transition to a new provider before you terminate the contract with your current one. 

Check out how VoIP Portability works within CloudTalk.

Step by Step Guide to Set up VoIP Number With CloudTalk 

Setting up our virtual phone number only takes a few minutes. 

Here is how to do it:

First of all, contact us and choose your VoIP subscription plan. Decide which one fits your business needs the best. 

Then, we will go through following steps:

#1 Creating a Cloudtalk account

#2 Installing CloudTalk application

#3 Activating 14-day free trial 

#4 Call handling setup 

#5 Inbound numbers 

#6 Verification 

#7 Choosing VoIP number

Once these steps are done, you can start using your new VoIP system on laptop, tablet or smartphone right away. 

If you feel like you would like to discover CloudTalk in greater depth, you can request a 1-on-1 demo with one of our customer success specialists.