How to Get a Business Phone Number Free?

Senior Writer: Supriya Bajaj

Published : September 1, 2023

Whether starting a new business or expanding an existing one, the first step is getting a business phone number. A business phone number adds a professional look to your business and helps you draw a line between your professional and personal lives. According to a PwC study, 75% of customers prefer phone calls to communicate over web forms and other mediums.

In this blog, we have outlined the different ways to get a free business phone number and the benefits of having one. If you are wondering how to get a business number free, this blog will help you chart your plan.

Expert Advice

"Irrespective of the size and scale of the business, having a dedicated phone number helps you streamline internal and external communication. While choosing a free business phone number provider, you must evaluate the platforms for the call management features, like call recording, predictive dialer, call prioritization, auto attendant, IVR system, etc."

How To Get a Business Phone Number Free?

While we have covered the benefits of having free phone number for businesses in the previous section, we have outlined the steps and best practices to get one for your business. If you are wondering how to get a business phone number free, read on.

1. Evaluate your business requirements

The first step in getting a business phone number is to evaluate your requirements. You must check the following.

1. Why do you need a business phone number? Is it to handle customer queries and inbound calls? Or to make outbound calls and run marketing campaigns?
2. Who are your customers? Are they located in a specific area? Or spread across the country/ globe?
3. What key features would you need regarding the business phone system? Do you need advanced features like multi-level IVRs, intelligent routing, etc.?

Understanding your requirements will help you choose the type of phone number and service provider that can solve your needs.

2. Choose a business phone number provider

There are many business phone number providers in the market. Evaluate the key features, pros, and cons thoroughly before choosing one. Read the reviews and check for the customer support quality. Also, evaluate the learning curve and usability. Choose one that is easy to set up and install so you don’t have to spend so much time configuring the system.

Once you finalize the service provider, you must sign up by providing basic details like business name, email, etc.

3. Choose the type of phone number

The next step after selecting the business phone number provider is to choose the type of phone number – a local phone number, toll-free number, VoIP number, or vanity number. Check what would go well with your business needs and choose one accordingly.

4. Pick a phone number

After selecting the type of phone number, you must choose a number. If you have opted for a local phone number, you must choose the area code and choose one from the available pool of numbers. Similarly, you must choose one from the available toll-free or vanity phone numbers list.

5. Configure the system

Next, select the features and configure the platform. Check the features and pick those that you think will enhance the efficiency of your business phone system.

For example, if you focus on outbound calls and marketing campaigns, you may have to choose a system with advanced dialer and call recording options.

On the other hand, to enhance customer support through inbound calls, you have to choose features like intelligent call routing, call prioritization, call queuing, call recording, IVRs, automatic call distribution, etc.

6. Add extensions

Once you sign up and configure the business phone system, you can add as many numbers as you want and set up extension lines for different teams and departments.

You May Also Read : How To Get A Virtual Business Address and Phone Number Free?

5 Types of Business Phone Numbers

Business phone numbers are not tied to a specific device or system, meaning they can be used on multiple devices so your team members can access the system anytime. With VoIP providers, business phone numbers have become simpler and more economical.

The setup is easier and relatively straightforward than the traditional systems. Configuring and customizing the phone system only takes a few minutes. We have listed the various types of business phone numbers.

1. Toll-free numbers

Toll-free numbers usually begin with prefixes like 888, 800, 866, 877, 833, 844, etc. Customers can reach the business agents for free using toll-free numbers. Businesses also use toll-free numbers for marketing campaigns and to make outbound calls.

Example- 1-800-XXX-XXX

A toll-free number increases the reputation and adds credibility to the business phone system. It must be noted that the toll-free numbers are not specific to a geographic location.  A downside is that toll-free numbers are more expensive when compared to local phone numbers.

2. Local phone numbers

Unlike toll-free numbers, local phone numbers are specific to a geographic location and are prefixed with an area code. Studies show that calls from a local phone number are 4 times more likely to be answered than otherwise. A local phone number builds a sense of attachment and connection between the business and the customer.

To get a local phone number, you must choose an area code of your preference. Many businesses buy more than one number to strengthen their local presence. A key benefit of a local phone number is that it increases the reach of your marketing campaigns. The only downside is that it may not work for businesses that aim to have a strong national or global presence.

3. Vanity numbers

Vanity phone numbers are completely personalized and carry phrases or words that help people associate with the brand. As they are easy to remember, vanity numbers help craft a profound impression in the minds of your customers. A study showed that 85% of people remember vanity numbers from an ad.

Example- 1-800-FLOWERS

4. Virtual phone numbers

Virtual business phone numbers operate over the internet and have advanced call management features like call recording, call forwarding, voicemail, predictive dialer, etc. You can customize and configure the business phone system as per your needs.

The phone number can be accessed from anywhere, which works well for businesses with a distributed workforce. Also, as you can add phone numbers to the system in a few seconds, it is easy to scale the phone system as your business expands.

5. International phone numbers

International phone numbers help handle customers located outside your geographical fringes. You must dial the country code in the prefix to make calls using international numbers. For example, to call US customers from outside the USA, you must dial +1; To reach UK customers, you must dial +44.

Benefits of a Free Business Phone Number

Now that you know the different types of business phone numbers, let us move ahead to understand the benefits of a free business phone number.

1. Deliver a professional experience

Having a business phone number adds a professional look to your calls.  Business phone numbers are the primary point of your connection with customers, clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders. If they cannot get a reliable phone number, they might lose the trust in your business.

2. Saves the cost of communication

Traditionally, communication and phone costs comprised a major portion of their business operations costs. Modern phone systems, particularly VoIP systems, have reduced communication costs to a notable extent. Free business phone numbers help businesses save operations costs.

3. Work-life balance

Free phone number for businesses helps draw a line between your professional and personal activities, promoting a better work-life balance. You can keep your number private and avoid the frustration of spam callers and robocalls.

4. Multi-device access

Business phone numbers offer portability and flexibility. Virtual numbers can be accessed on multiple mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. So, they are appropriate for streamlining call center operations.

5. Advanced features

A notable advantage of using business phone numbers is their advanced call management features. You can customize and configure the system to meet your business needs. Virtual phone numbers come with advanced features like call forwarding, call recording, predictive dialer, voicemail transcription, IVR systems, intelligent call routing, call barging, etc.

All these features enhance the productivity of the business teams and customer support agents.

6. Multichannel support

Traditionally, phone numbers were meant for making voice calls and sending text messages. Now, business phone numbers promote multichannel customer support. They help businesses communicate with customers over voice, video, text, etc.

Best Free Business Phone Number Providers

As mentioned earlier, several free business phone number providers exist. To help you choose a reliable provider, we have curated the 5 best free phone number providers and their key features, pros, and cons.

1. CallHippo

CallHippo is our best pick as it has a wide pool of business phone numbers. With an uptime of 99.99%, it has advanced call management features to enhance the productivity and functioning of sales teams, support teams, and call centers/ BPOs. CallHippo offers virtual numbers, local phone numbers, toll-free numbers, and vanity numbers.

CallHippo can be integrated with CRM tools like Zoho CRM, HubSpot, Salesforce, etc., and other project management tools like Slack. You can also access reports and analytics that can help you assess the performance and functioning of your customer support team and drive changes accordingly.

Pricing

• Basic: $0 Per user/Month
• Starter: $18 Per user/Month
• Professional: $30 Per user/Month
• Ultimate: $42 Per user/Month

*Pricing as of 05-11-2024.

2. Phone.com

Phone.com is a robust, unified communication and collaboration platform. You can avail of toll-free, custom, and global phone numbers. Beyond business phone numbers, Phone.com offers 50+ advanced call management and collaboration features.

With Phone.com, you can leverage features like live receptionist, call queuing, call screening, call transfer, hold music, etc. You can also determine and customize call-handling rules based on your business requirements. It also has audio and video conferencing options to host up to 300 participants.

Pricing

• Pro users – 27 USD per month per user
• Plus users – 18 USD per month per user
• Basic users- 12 USD per month per user

3. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a leading free business phone number provider known for offering local, toll-free, and vanity numbers. It has a huge inventory of business phone numbers, so you can find one you prefer, making Grasshopper one of the top picks for business phone number providers.

It must be noted that Grasshopper offers easy porting of existing phone numbers. Grasshopper can be integrated with other applications, like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc., to store contact details. Grasshopper provides a free trial so you can validate the phone system’s features before availing a subscription.

You May Also Read : How to Get a Corporate Phone Number?

Pricing

• Solo- 31 USD per month
• Partner- 51 USD per month
• Small Business- 89 USD per month

4. Google Voice

Google Voice is a free business phone number and is a cost-efficient platform for small businesses to connect with customers and streamline customer support activities. With a basic Google account, businesses and individuals can make calls. It offers a free phone number and lets you make calls, send texts, save voicemails, etc.

When you make a call using Google Voice, the caller ID of your recipient will only display the Google Voice number and not your phone number. You can customize the greeting message, block spam calls, and make international calls at very low rates using Google Voice free business phone number.

Pricing

• Personal use- Free
• Starter- 10 USD per user,
• Standard – 20 USD per user,
• Premier – 30 USD per user.

Explore More : Google Voice Personal vs Business

5. eVoice

eVoice is a popular phone system that offers free business phone numbers, including national, local, or toll-free. Beyond, it offers international and vanity numbers in its premium plans. eVoice helps you customize your auto-attendant system and professional greeting message.

With eVoice, you can set rules for call routing, and the best thing is that you can change these rules whenever needed. eVoice offers a mobile phone app for iOS and Android platforms that lets you handle business calls on the go.

Pricing

• Free trial for thirty days
• Elite monthly – 14 USD per user per month
• Elite yearly – 12 USD per user per month

You May Also Read : What is a Business Phone Line?

Wrapping up

A dedicated phone number adds a professional look to your business and promotes trust and credibility in the customer’s minds. Also, they help draw a boundary between your personal and professional conversations. In this blog, we have listed the five best free business phone service providers.

You must evaluate your business requirements and choose one with robust, advanced call management features to streamline business communication and save costs.

FAQs:

1. How to get a business phone number free?

You can get a free business number through CallHippo. Sign up and get a 10-day free trial that includes a business number. With a free trial, you can test the services and features before committing to a paid plan.

2. Is a Google business phone number free?

No, a Google business phone number is not free. There is a subscription fee that starts from USD 10 per user per month. 

3. What are the most important factors when choosing free phone numbers for business?

When choosing free phone numbers for business, consider factors like rand relevance, ease of memorization, and scalability. A number that aligns with your brand caters to your target location, and allows for future expansion can significantly enhance your business’s accessibility and appeal. Additionally, assess the provider’s call quality, features, and scalability to support your business needs.

4. What is the best option to get a free business phone number?

One of the best options to get a business phone number for free is CallHippo. It has multiple benefits, an easy-to-use interface, and cost-effective plans. CallHippo’s virtual phone system improves contact between companies, which makes it an affordable and reliable choice for startups and small enterprises.

Updated : November 10, 2024

Supriya Bajaj

Supriya Bajaj is a senior content developer with immense experience in the VoIP telephony domain. With a deep knowledge of VoIP systems and emerging technologies in the field, she provides insightful and targeted content. Known for simplifying complex topics and her thought-leadership articles, Supriya delivers actionable content for both technical and non-technical audiences.

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