Work and business
Virtual number or landline? What a small business actually needs
A landline ties you to a desk and a contract. A virtual number on your mobile gives you the same local presence with business hours, voicemail, forwarding and recording, and moves when you do.
For decades the landline was the sign of a real business. It came with a local area code, a phone book entry and a desk. Today the phone book is gone, the desk is optional, and the area code is the only part customers still notice. A virtual number gives you that part, on the mobile you already carry, and adds features a landline never had.
What a landline gives you
A local number, a fixed device, and a monthly line rental whether or not anyone calls. Voicemail if you set it up, call forwarding if the provider offers it, and a contract that assumes you will be in the same building next year. Miss a call and it is missed; the record of it lives on the handset, if at all.
What a virtual number gives you
The same local number, chosen from the country and region you want, ringing in an app on your phone. Around it:
Business hours. Set the days and times you take calls; outside them, callers reach voicemail with your greeting. See Set up voicemail and business hours.
Forwarding. Send the line to a colleague's phone with one switch when you are out, and back when you return. See Forward your calls to another phone.
Recording. Record calls when you need a record of what was agreed, subject to the recording laws where you operate. See Record a call.
Texts. Customers can text the number and you reply from it, which most landlines never supported.
History and cost. Every call, text and voicemail is listed under the number, and every debit appears under Expenses.
Portability. Move office, work from the kitchen table or spend a month abroad; the number follows the phone.
Where a landline still wins
If you need several staff answering the same number simultaneously, with queues, transfers and a receptionist, you need a business phone system rather than a single virtual number. If your premises has no reliable mobile data or Wi-Fi, a fixed line is the safer bet, because a virtual number carries calls over the internet. And some customers, particularly older ones, still read a mobile-style number differently from a local one, which is an argument for choosing a local rather than a mobile number when you buy.
Making the switch
Get a local number in your area, name it after the business and set the hours. Put it on your website, signage and invoices. Keep the old landline running in parallel for a while, forwarded to the new number if the provider allows, then let it go when the calls have moved. Because the virtual number belongs to your account rather than a location, it will not need changing again.
Frequently asked questions
Is a virtual number a "real" phone number?
Yes. It is a local or mobile number allocated in the country you choose, the same as one issued with a SIM or a landline. It rings in an app instead of on a fixed handset.
Do I need special equipment?
No. Second Phone runs on the iPhone or Android phone you already have, over data or Wi-Fi. There is no hardware to install.
Can I keep my existing landline number?
Second Phone gives you a new number rather than moving an old one. Many businesses run both for a transition period and let the old line lapse once customers have the new number.