Virtual Landline Numbers

Virtual Landline Numbers

As the name suggests these virtual landline business phone numbers physically look just like normal landline numbers, just like a typical traditional BT landline.

Looking at the number it would be impossible to know if the number was a virtual landline or a normal traditional landline number. A virtual landline however is totally different to a traditional one. A virtual number is not actually assigned to any line as such in the same way as a traditional line is, but instead exists as a live call-able number within a telecom carrier cloud network so the number sits as active on an inbound call handling platform.

A call plan can be applied to that number, this usually involves some or all of any calls made to the number routed to normal landlines or mobiles where real people can then handle those calls.

A virtual landline number will always start with 01 or 02.

The most common requested virtual number ranges are 0207, 0208, 0203, 0161, 0121, 0151 & 0191. These are specific to an area, the 0161 is a Manchester code. To read more about virtual local numbers, click here.

Note you cannot physically call out from a virtual landline number as it has no line linked to it to do so. You can only receive calls on to any virtual number which then need to be routed to a real line or mobile handset in order to be answered by a real person.

On that point a DTMF response to pre-recorded complex IVR can offer prompts to the caller through a logic flow of their potential requirements which then may mean there is no actually require a real person to physically talk to that caller. Voice recognition also works so well now and is a relatively easy to activate so it is possible for any virtual landline number to handle the calls in the cloud, detecting the callers responses and dealing with their needs accordingly. Data from the callers inter-action can then be held and collated and displayed. To do this on a traditional line number requires a PBX and third party software.

A landline business phone number is always supplied on to a single line, an ISDN2 or an ISDN30 or SIP line/s. These are the actual line types that are required for voice lines calls to be carried from your offices. A landline number on a single line can only receive one call at a time. An ISDN2 can only receive two simultaneous calls, an ISDN30 up to 30 calls, depending upon number of active lines. A virtual landline number because it is virtual does not have such fixed restrictions. Callers to a virtual landline number should never hear an engaged or unanswered tone nor hear the call just ring out, as those responses are all unnecessary on a virtual business phone line number.

One of the major benefits of a virtual landline number means that call handling in not restricted to a line capacity, for example the ninth call to a virtual landline number which routes to eight lines/calls on to an ISDN30 would not hear an engaged to tone but should hear a response which reflects that call is actually really valued still but unfortunately cannot be handled by an agent at that time.

A virtual number reflects that the number is held in the virtual call platform and so is not restricted by any specific call capacity in fact it would literally be the telecom carriers platforms total capacity to handle simultaneous calls and not the capacity of the lines at the office location so then any over-flow calls can always be given a much better experience/response than the caller ever getting an engaged.

You can also split calls by percentage on a virtual 0207 number for instance so that some of the calls received could then be routed to one destination number and the rest to another. Many multiple combinations of inbound features can be applied instantly to virtual landline numbers resulting in a powerful inbound call handling solution.

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