Save Money By Using A Virtual Switchboard And Never Miss Another Call

When starting out with a small business operating from home, one of the first considerations is what phone number to use in order to be able to effectively handle phone calls. Three options immediately become apparent:

1. Use a mobile cell phone for business, which may not seem professional.

2. Or immediately stand the cost of an extra business phone line.

3. Or use a home phone and again run the risk of seeming unprofessional when one of the kids picks it up.

A fourth option is to use a human answering service but again that adds unnecessary cost to a start up business.

Thanks to modern phone switch technology, small business start ups now have a fifth option called a virtual switchboard. And for those who are based in the United Kingdom, it is often free.

A virtual switchboard enables a small business to enjoy all the features of a small business phone system without any capital expenditure

or other costs such as installation, rentals, maintenance etc. In fact all you need is your home phone on which to receive calls.

This is how it works. Most virtual switchboard operators in the UK provide a free non-geographic phone number with a 08 prefix. When someone calls your 08 number, the call will route through the phone company's switch. And it is the switch that does all the clever work.

The caller hears an announcement that says something like "please hold whilst we connect your call". Simultaneously your home phone will ring. When you pick it up you'll hear something like "You have a call for the sales department. Please press any key to accept". This is how you know it is a business call. If one of the kids has picked up the phone, this is their signal to pass the phone to you to accept the call. This same feature can be used to enable you to don an appropriate hat for sales, support, accounts etc.

If you are particularly busy, most virtual switchboards will advise the caller of their queue position and play music on hold. And if you are engaged, the call can be routed to a colleague at a different number. If you don't answer, the caller will be sent to voicemail where they can leave a message.

Many virtual switchboards will also send voicemail messages to your email inbox as voice file attachments that you can listen to on your computer. And if the caller hangs up without leaving a message, you'll receive an email with the caller's phone number so you can return it. In fact, unless the caller withholds their phone number, with a virtual switchboard you need never miss another call.

It isn't just business start ups that can benefit from a virtual switchboard. Another major use is to track advertising response. By placing a different 08 phone number into each advert, calls can be tracked in two ways. First, when answering a call it can be announced, as described above, by the name of the source that generated the enquiry. Second, by referring to the call statistics made available by most virtual switchboard operators. This means you can easily verify which adverts produce an acceptable level of response and which do not.

There are many situations when a recording of a phone conversation can be of immense value either as a training aid or to resolve disputes about precisely what was said. Some credit card companies now require merchants to record all credit card transactions that are made by phone. But to record conversations requires a capital expenditure on specialised recording equipment. However, many virtual switchboard operators offer a call recording facility as well.

A virtual switchboard can be used for your main business phone number or as a way to easily obtain additional phone numbers for other purposes such as marketing, customer services or support. Because your 08 switchboard number can easily be rerouted, it's also useful when certain services, such as product support, have been out sourced. If you change to a different outsource company, it is a matter of moments to reroute calls to a new one.

All in all a virtual switchboard can be of enormous value to businesses of all sizes in all sorts of situations that require calls to be handled effectively.