What is a Virtual Extension?
A virtual extension is a unique phone number that a business can send out to customers. It’s an office telephone number, not an employee’s one. A virtual extension may be in numerical sequence with other numbers in a business’s phone book, which is good optics. For further information and pricing on phone systems, click here.
UK VoIP Providers |
Company |
Price |
Free Trial |
Customer Rating |
Who is it Best For |
|
£19 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.7 |
Small businesses with big growth plans
|
|
£9 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.6 |
Small businesses looking for a cheap and easy solution
|
|
£12 per user, per month (billed annually)
|
✓ |
4.4 |
Telesales teams and small businesses with high turnover
|
|
£6 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.4 |
|
|
£10 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.3 |
Companies that need to communicate remotely
|
|
£7.99 per user, per month (billed annually)
|
✓ |
4 |
Small businesses with varied departments
|
|
£14.99 per user, per month
|
X |
3.9 |
Small companies that are based online
|
How Does a Virtual Extension Work?
- In some cases, a virtual extension is also referred to as a “shorthand” for a local call.
- In a business, an extension is a phone number tied to a particular physical phone.
- The person who receives the call must be on the phone to answer it.
- A virtual extension is a phone number that isn’t tied to a specific physical device. This means that you can send all inbound calls to your answering service, and when you’re out of the office, the call will route to a cell phone or an answering machine.
- Because virtual extensions are completely unattached from a physical device, you can use them for many purposes.
- Another great thing about a virtual extension is that it’s cheaper than a regular phone number.
- You’ll be able to transfer calls to it as needed without the need to give out multiple phone numbers.
A virtual extension also helps you avoid the inconvenience of providing multiple phone numbers to your customers. By eliminating this step, you’ll be able to provide better customer service.
So, how do you set up a virtual extension?
When setting up a virtual extension, you should set up your telephony system so you’ll have a single phone number for all your employees. This way, your customers will not be confused about who is calling who. They can pick the number that suits them best, and the corresponding number will route the call to the appropriate person. You’ll be able to answer calls on all the phones in the group and get your work done without worrying about your personal life.
There are other ways to set up a virtual extension.
For instance, you can programme a function key to receive calls from that extension. If you have a virtual extension, it will automatically ring in any user’s mode. By choosing a function key, you can program your phone to accept calls from all of the different modes that the company provides. When you are in business, a virtual extension can help you save money, which is why it’s so important to know what a virtual extension can do.
What are the benefits of a virtual extension?
A virtual extension is a phone number that can forward a call to another phone number.
- This feature makes it easier for customers to communicate with the right people.
- It also helps to save money on your phone bills. Businesses that use virtual extensions should be aware that they may not be the best option.
- The only way to get the most out of these services is to invest in a plan that allows unlimited minutes.
- This way, they can avoid paying for more minutes than they need to.
- Businesses with mobile employees can use virtual extensions to avoid multiple phone numbers and keep all the calls coming from the right place.
- For example, a plumbing company can add cell phones as virtual extensions and assign them to a group of phone numbers.
- This way, all incoming calls are directed to their employees’ mobile phones.
- They can even be routed to voicemail if needed.
These features are popular in companies with mobile workers and need to be accessible from their mobile phones. A virtual extension is a phone number that allows your customers to receive calls from multiple numbers. You can assign a virtual extension key to the last function key that is visible. Then, you can assign that same phone number to the same group of phones.
When you have a group of phones, you can create a virtual extension for each. You can use a different service for different types of customers. If you have a mobile workforce, you can assign each phone to a different phone line.
Other Useful links
Sugar CRM
Teamwox
Workbooks
Remember to Compare Your Business Costs is here to help your business every step of the way, from business advice or saving you time and money on your business purchases such as:
Ally Cox is a dedicated Copywriter and Blogger for CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk. In under two years, the platform achieved the esteemed accolade of ‘Website of the Year’. Since its award-winning debut, Ally has been instrumental in fostering organic growth for the website, expanding its offerings to encompass comparisons across a diverse range of over 20 products to help serve all your business needs.