The world has truly become globalized. It’s not only easier to offshore your call center to a different country to take advantage of cost-saving opportunities, but it’s also possible to reach and serve clients anywhere in the world. However, this does bring up an interesting question: what is the best way to serve customers in their local markets when your contact center is based in an entirely different country? 

Boundaries don’t restrict email and chat communications, but phone numbers are precise to a location, and customers may be much less inclined to answer an outbound phone call from a foreign country than a local number. 

That’s where International or Virtual Phone Numbers come into play. 

What Are Virtual Phone Numbers?

Virtual phone numbers are domestic numbers used for each country where your business operates. They resemble local phone numbers and are not subject to hefty international call rates - customers can also call the business at standard or toll-free rates. The phone is connected to a device like an IP phone, mobile phone, or computer via the Internet, not a standard fixed phone line, although it can also be forwarded to a PSTN number. 

What Are the Benefits of Having a Local Number in Each Market?

There are several benefits to having a virtual phone number, including improving customer service, building trust, and cost-saving benefits. Here are a few of the ways local numbers can really boost your call center performance:

1. Global Reach, Local Rates

Calls can be made by and to customers from anywhere globally, at the same rate as a local number. There is no need for customers to subscribe to an international dialing plan. Using a company like PhoneIQ, your business can set up call centers with a local number in more than 50 countries worldwide. 

2. Productivity Boosters

Customers may be worried about additional costs if they see that an international number is calling them. They are also more likely to answer a call from a familiar, local dialing code than an unknown international number. Your local number will boost your local brand presence and build trust between your customers and your business by simply being “close to home.”

3. Affordable to Set Up

Compared to setting up traditional phone lines for your international calls, your virtual phone line costs a fraction of the price. A small monthly fee gives you access to the entire local market at affordable rates. 

4. Building a Strong, Worldwide Presence 

Building a global presence isn’t limited to the biggest and wealthiest companies in the world. With a virtual number, any business (even a small business) can reach out to customers from different countries and expand its operations. There is no need to set up a call center or phone line to have some visibility. Your international phone number makes it seem like you have a fully-fledged office in each country, which builds a positive image of your company with customers.  

5. Unlimited Numbers

Businesses have none of the restrictions and complications associated with acquiring additional numbers. Companies can hold many local phone numbers for several countries or different numbers for their sales and support departments. The business can have as many numbers as they’d like without completing laborious application processes and paying exorbitant fees.

6. Additional Features 

A virtual phone system from PhoneIQ can do more than just provide a local virtual number. It can enable inbound and outbound calls from anywhere globally, enabling remote working for any agent with access to a laptop or other mobile device.

Features include:

Call Queuing: Create customized call queues that sort calls based on rules set in the app to direct them appropriately.

Call Recording: Automatically record calls for compliance or training purposes.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Create an IVR menu to help your callers find the correct department or agent for their query. 

SMS/Text Messaging: Don’t depend purely on the phone for communication. Send text messages to individuals or groups with ease.

Introducing Local Presence Calling for Salesforce

Local Presence is a new tool for customers in the US and Canada using a Sales Dialer that displays a local area code when calling a customer. The first hurdle every sales agent faces is getting clients to answer the phone - Local Presence helps improve connectivity rates by presenting clients with a local number. 

Here’s what Local Presence can do for you:

Improved Connectivity Rates

Local Presence doesn’t display telemarketing or toll-free numbers that can drive your connectivity rate down. The feature shows a local number on the customer’s phone, increasing the odds of them answering and ultimately offering better returns on your Power Dialer. 

Geo-Targeting Insight

Local Presence uses geotargeting software to determine which information (e.g., dialing codes) should be displayed to users based on their location. This information will be accessible to call center owners and can be used to analyze geographic customer information and gain new insights into your customer base. 

Call-Back Routing

When a representative calls a customer, the customer will see a local area code. However, if that customer calls the representative back, Local Presence will route them directly to the representative they spoke to by default. 

Shared Local Presence 

PhoneIQ provides a Share Local Presence Pool, with thousands of numbers covering 95% of the area codes in the US and Canada, but calls are tracked, and the inbound caller is routed to the correct user every single time, with 100% accuracy. 

Improved Customer Experience

Your customer success teams have to dig deeper into what customers need. Because each client is assigned a phone number with an area code that matches their location, agents gain additional insights via Local Presence that can improve customer service. 

Conclusion

A local number will significantly improve productivity for your contact center by boosting connectivity rates, providing customer insights, and building a robust and global presence for your business. 

To learn more about creating a virtual phone number for your business, sign up for a free 7-day trial with PhoneIQ.