So, you’re in the market for a new business number and your service provider is throwing terms like “local access number,” “SMS-enabled mobile number” and whatnot at you. How do you decide what is the best option for your company when you do not even understand the different options available? Let us help. Here we will look at the differences between mobile and local phone numbers, in words you will understand.
Mobile vs Local Phone Numbers
So, what is being referred to when virtual phone service providers mention mobile or local phone numbers? Providers offer a variety of phone number types that can be used by different businesses, based on what they need. For example, a local business that just wants to connect with clients and customers within their immediate area can use a regular phone number. On the other hand, companies that want to give their callers a free way to connect with them may choose to buy a toll free phone number. Furthermore, an enterprise with customers all over the world will find that having multiple local numbers for different regions is ideal.
So, what exactly is the difference between local phone numbers and mobile numbers?
Local Phone Numbers: Target Locally and Geographically
Local phone numbers correspond to a particular city or state in a country of your choosing. Local virtual numbers work similarly to regular local numbers and have an area code at the beginning. These numbers are most popular because they are reachable from anywhere in the world and from most mobile networks as well. For example, say, you want to connect with clients in specific cities or states such as New York in the United States, Sydney in Australia, and Dublin in Ireland. All you need to do is purchase local numbers for these areas which come with local area codes.
Global Call Forwarding offers local numbers for many different countries across the world. Corporations that have offices or clients spread across different cities and states prefer buying multiple local phone numbers. This way, they always have a quick method of connecting with business contacts and clients, when needed.
Additionally, customers connecting with these businesses do not need to pay high international charges for their calls. Instead, they pay the regular, local calling charges because the call is going to a local number. That call then gets routed through a forwarding service to reach your business, no matter where it is located.
Mobile Numbers: To Mobile, or Not to Mobile?
Mobile virtual numbers function similarly to local numbers, that is, they may or may not be bound to a specific geographical location. Calls made to these numbers are not free and depend on where the call is coming from. And these numbers, too, can accept calls from outside the country, making them reachable from anywhere in the world. They begin with a specific number range such as 06 or 07 in France, 07 for the UK, 04 for Australia. The United States, however, does not have a number range.
More importantly, what separates mobile numbers from local phone numbers is that they can be SMS-enabled. For example, Global Call Forwarding offers inbound SMS forwarding. This enables customers to connect with your business through SMS (instant messaging). Your business will receive these incoming texts as emails with the sender’s caller ID. This is yet another easy and convenient way for customers to reach out to a business.
So, Which Does Your Business Need?
Texting and calling are personal and quick ways to connect with a business. As a business that depends highly on customer interaction, you may want to provide as many ways of connecting as possible. SMS, international call routing, callback widgets on your website, live chats, and more can be utilized. The easier you make it for prospects to contact you, the more connections your business will make. Additionally, remaining accessible is key to building confidence and trust in a company. Want to learn more? Call 1 (561) 908-6171
