Globalizing with International Business Phone Numbers

The Benefits of International Business Phone Numbers

Small and midsize companies in the U.S. can now expand worldwide with just one click. International business phone numbers have helped thousands of organizations establish a virtual presence in multiple countries, making incoming calls easier for their customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

In a nutshell, international business phone numbers allow companies in the U.S. to own local numbers in different countries, saving callers from the hassles of traditional international long-distance calls. For example, if a U.S.-based company has international business calling and a customer base in Australia, any resident could call a local Australian number to connect seamlessly with the U.S. headquarters.

Related: Business Phone Numbers: A Comprehensive Guide

Here are some advantages that make international business phone numbers helpful for the people who call you from abroad:

• Callers will not have to find international dialing codes to connect with your company. They will simply dial a local number from wherever in the world they are. This creates a user-friendly process and gives a sense of your staff being open and available to take care of your stakeholders’ needs. 
• Your customers and other parties based in other countries will save money when connecting with your business because they will not have to pay international rates per minute or call. Their phone company or VoIP service will charge them respectively based on local call rates.
• They will not need to subscribe to an international, long-distance calling plan or set up a budget for frequent calls to your company.
• In the case of problems, service claims, or technical inconveniences, customers will be much more inclined to call you to resolve these issues. Local numbers could bring your cancellations or unsubscribes way down only by making customers’ calls to your company in the U.S. much cheaper and more manageable.

Your business will also have several benefits when obtaining international numbers:

• The service is transparent. Callers from other countries will feel your company has a local presence and, therefore, will establish a closer connection with your brand, granting you more credibility. When customers or potential customers notice all they have to do is dial a local number in their region whenever they want to call your company, it creates the impression of having a real international business, a genuinely global company with local offices throughout the world.
• There is no need for your company to have a physical space or special hardware to enable international business phone numbers. Premium suppliers will offer Internet-based services you can activate with just a few clicks. 
• Leading phone services companies offer flexible and affordable business rates, which depend on the country in which you want the numbers and if the fee is per minute or call. Your fees are often lower than more traditional carriers or VoIP providers when you select the right partner.
• Your company does not have to sign a contract with local phone service providers in foreign countries to have international business numbers, easing billing hassles.

With this brief benefit recap, let’s go over a general overview of America’s foreign trade to reinforce the importance of acquiring international phone numbers for your business.

Related: How to Set up a Virtual Phone System for Your Small Business

A Quick Overview of Foreign Trade in America 

Having international phone business numbers is not only a need but a strategic decision for any small and medium-sized (SME) company in America that runs an operation with overseas countries.

As a reference, the Office of the United States Trade Representative reports interesting data about SMEs in the U.S. that export products and services:

• Small businesses which export account for 98% of all identified U.S. exporters.
• Top export destinations for U.S. small businesses include Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
• There are nearly 300,000 U.S. small- and medium-sized businesses exporting to foreign markets.  

On the other hand, data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reveals that in 2018, businesses with up to 249 employees in America were responsible for over $181,000 million in imports. The five main countries where imported goods and services came from are China, Mexico, Canada, Germany, and Japan.

These facts underscore the role small and midsize businesses play in dynamizing the American economy via foreign trade. Even more so after the pandemic, the globalization of communications became imperative for these organizations.

Related: Look Who’s Calling: Phone Numbers Options for Your Business

Step-by-Step Guide to Install International Business Phone Numbers

Giving your company a global presence shouldn’t take more than just a few minutes if you follow these easy steps.

Step 1: Choose The Right Supplier

As we briefly explained above, top companies have the best technology to offer an Internet-based approach to international phone business numbers. This will allow you to save money while quickly implementing your virtual lines. 

If communication quality is a concern, rest assured the right supplier will guarantee clear voice transmission as part of their offering. Hence, messages will flow seamlessly between your staff in the U.S. and any caller overseas.

Top-notch suppliers can connect your company with crucial locations abroad. They will offer affordable plans for your business to have a local phone number anywhere in the world you need it.

Make sure you ask what the protocol is should you run into any technical issues. Business continuity is critical, and you deserve responsive customer service to quickly solve problems for you.

Step 2: Sign Up for a Corporate Plan

You will likely need to pay for a corporate plan to obtain international phone numbers as an add-on. But don’t worry; with the right partner, these plans come with affordable monthly fees and a myriad of professional features, such as SMS text messaging, voicemail to email, video meetings, call routing, auto-attendant, hold music, and more.

Step 3: Pick a U.S. Number

Leading phone solutions will allow you to choose any U.S. local, toll-free, or custom number to receive your calls. You can then add as many international numbers as you like with a few online control panel clicks.

Step 4: Obtain and Share Your Global Numbers

After you gather all your international business phone numbers, you can start sharing them on your communication channels. You could begin by emailing your key contacts abroad with the updated information and then posting the numbers on your website and social media. If your company has local representatives abroad or staff who take care of the operations in other countries, you can update their business cards and email signatures with the new phone numbers.

Step 5: Pay Your Recurrent Rates

The process is basically complete after you set up the phone numbers. The rest is just a matter of maintaining the service with automated recurring payments. If you need to apply any changes, you can do so quickly via your supplier’s control panel. Billing details should automatically update. 

Phone.com provides work-from-anywhere VoIP communications solutions for today’s agile and mobile entrepreneurs and growing businesses. Our voice, text, video, fax, conferencing, and collaboration plans will professionalize your company in just a few clicks while helping it thrive in global markets. Sign up today.