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What is a VoIP Number? 

If your business owns a traditional landline system, your employees are probably tied to their desks all the time. You’re probably spending a lot of time, effort, and money maintaining it. Your phone bill is likely off the charts. And you may even be missing a lot of incoming customer calls. 
We understand—and you’re not alone. Thousands of local businesses have experienced these problems.
By switching to voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) and getting a VoIP number, you can:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Cut down your business phone bill.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Give your employees the flexibility to answer phone calls from multiple devices.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Deliver top-notch customer service.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tap into advanced features.</li>
</ul>
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves—what’s a VoIP number? And how do you get one? If you’re looking for answers, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together this blog post to help you understand what a VoIP number is, how VoIP numbers differ from traditional phone numbers, and the different types of VoIP numbers.
Let’s dive in.
<h2>What is a VoIP Number?</h2>
Did you know that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP">VocalTec launched the first-ever internet phone</a> for commercial use? Since then, VoIP technology has exploded like nothing we’ve ever seen before. <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211021005714/en/Global-VoIP-Services-Market-Report-2021-Market-Should-Grow-from-85.2-Billion-in-2021-to-102.5-Billion-by-2026---ResearchAndMarkets.com">A report released by Businesswire</a> indicates that the global VoIP market will probably cross the $100 billion mark by 2026.  
Upon signing up for a VoIP service, you’ll be assigned a VoIP number. It’s similar to a traditional landline number—the only difference is that it’s not location-specific. You and your employees don’t need to be stuck at your desks to make or receive calls. Instead, you can use a VoIP number to make calls from any internet-enabled device you own—whether it’s your desktop, cell phone, or a VoIP phone. 
Want to make an important business phone call at 9 PM? You don’t have to stay late in your office just so you can make the call. Don’t want to miss calls when you’re away from your desk? With a VoIP number, you can receive calls on your smartphone.
You can make outgoing or take incoming calls from literally anywhere with a good internet connection. 
Another benefit of a VoIP system is that you don’t have to spend too much time or effort setting up and maintaining it when compared with traditional landlines. Plus, VoIP isn’t limited to calling—instead, you can use your VoIP phone number for chatting or text messaging (depending on your VoIP service plan). 
Following are a few additional reasons businesses should switch to VoIP:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">It’s budget-friendly. You can cut down on your phone bill by <a href="https://tech.co/business-phone-systems/voip-statistics#:~:text=A%20business's%20average%20VoIP%20savings%20are%20between%2030%25%20and%2050%25&amp;text=Ballpark%20estimates%20put%20the%20saving,one%2C%20according%20to%20one%20report.">30-50%</a> upon switching to a VoIP phone system. However, it’s completely dependent on the size of the business and the use of calls. Kim Sayers, Content Creator &amp; Marketing Specialist at <a href="https://www.unitedworldtelecom.com/">United World Telecom</a>, said, “VoIP is highly affordable as it doesn’t require additional equipment, routine maintenance, and infrastructure upgrades. And since it uses digital pathways to transmit calls instead of traditional phone lines, businesses also save on long-distance and international calling fees.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">It allows you to tap into advanced features. VoIP offers a variety of advanced features like call recording, call routing, auto attendant, HD calling, advanced call management, instant messaging, and more.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">It can help you deal with security threats. VoIP offers encryption and improved identity management.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">It’s flexible. VoIP gives employees the ability to make calls from any place with a good internet connection and any internet-enabled device.</li>
</ul>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-25075 size-large" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--1024x555.png" alt=" what is a voip number" width="640" height="347" srcset="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--1024x555.png 1024w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--300x163.png 300w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--768x416.png 768w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--600x325.png 600w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--360x195.png 360w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--160x87.png 160w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--350x190.png 350w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--100x54.png 100w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number--633x343.png 633w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
<h2>How Do VoIP Numbers Differ from Traditional Landline Numbers?</h2>
A VoIP number looks just like a traditional landline number—it’s a string of digits that you enter on your dial pad. The only difference is the mode of transmission. 
Traditional landline systems are based on analog technology and transmit signals via twisted copper wires or fiber optic cables. On the other hand, VoIP is a business communication technology that is used to make or receive calls over the internet. 
Confused about whether VoIP is the right fit for your business? Check out: <a href="https://www.podium.com/article/voip-vs-landline/">VoIP vs Landline Phones</a>. 
The only two things you need to make a VoIP call are a reliable internet connection and an internet-enabled device.
Once you sign up for a VoIP service provider and choose a plan, you and your team will be assigned VoIP phone numbers. And the best part is that with VoIP you’ll have the ability to choose an area code outside your city or state for your VoIP number, allowing you to expand your business operations across different areas without scaling up your infrastructure (we’ll get deeper into this later in the article).
If you want to use your existing phone number with VoIP, you can do that as well. All you need to do is transfer your phone service to any phone carrier of your choice via number porting. 
That being said, let’s look at the types of virtual phone numbers.

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<h2>The 4 Types of VoIP Numbers</h2>
Headquartered in California and looking to expand your operations across different states? Or maybe internationally? Want to win your customers over by ensuring they don’t have to pay a single dime for making calls to your customer care representatives? Let’s learn about the different types of VoIP numbers and how they can help you accomplish your goals. 
<h3>1. Local Phone Numbers</h3>
Nowadays, you don’t need to set up offices in various locations to get state-specific local numbers. When you switch to VoIP, you can choose any available area code. This is a simple way to establish local credibility. Businesses can easily set up regional customer service departments to deliver top-notch customer service to customers regardless of their location.  
Another benefit of using local numbers is that your customers won’t get charged high for long-distance calls. 
<h3>2. International Phone Numbers</h3>
International calling is expensive. If you cater to customers across the globe, expecting them to cover these charges will make a bad impression. With VoIP, businesses can purchase international numbers, allowing them to easily cater to their global customers.   
So, if you run a business headquartered in the United States but also sell to customers in India, you can easily get a local Indian phone number that those customers can use to reach out to your customer service team. You can also buy toll-free numbers from across the globe to offer a free-of-cost communication channel to your international customers. We’ll touch on that in the next section. 
<h3>3. Toll-Free Numbers</h3>
You don’t want your customers to spend money reaching out to you, do you? If you’re looking to make a good impression, it’s important you cover these costs. Setting up a toll-free number is an easy way to allow your customers to reach out to you for free, which eliminates friction and increases the likelihood that they’ll do business with you. It also increases the chances that they’ll become repeat customers. 
Some additional benefits of toll-free numbers include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">They help businesses instantly connect their customers with dedicated support agents.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">They build credibility. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">They’re cost-effective—subscription rates for these services are typically less than traditional landline rates.</li>
</ul>
Keep in mind that toll-free numbers usually have prefixes like 855, 800, 888, 877, etc. Upon signing up for a VoIP service, you’ll need to choose the country as well as the prefix of the toll-free number that you’d like to purchase. 
<h3>4. Vanity Phone Numbers</h3>
Vanity numbers are local or toll-free numbers with number prefixes along with text strings. Let’s say your company’s name is MASTERMIND. You might request a vanity number that looks like this: 1-800-MASTER-MIND. You can choose from a variety of prefixes (depending on your VoIP service provider). The reason for having a vanity number? Vanity numbers are memorable—they make it easy for customers to remember how to contact you. 
To dial a vanity number, you press letter-by-letter to the corresponding keys. If your number is 1-800-MASTER-MIND, your customers will dial 1-800-627837-6463. 
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-25076 size-large" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-1024x555.png" alt="what is a voip number - podium" width="640" height="347" srcset="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-1024x555.png 1024w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-300x163.png 300w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-768x416.png 768w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-600x325.png 600w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-360x195.png 360w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-160x87.png 160w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-350x190.png 350w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-100x54.png 100w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium-633x343.png 633w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/what-is-a-voip-number-podium.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
<h2>Learn More about Podium Phones</h2>
Getting a VoIP number can help your business cut down costs, avoid unnecessary maintenance, deliver superior customer service, and more. 
Interested in modernizing your phone strategy? <a href="https://www.podium.com/phones/">Learn more</a> about Podium Phones today.

What is a VoIP Number?

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