Factors Affecting the Cost of Virtual Phone Numbers

As most of us are already aware, virtual phone numbers have become a cost-effective and popular option for businesses of varying trades, sizes and goals all over the world. But, how much does it cost to get virtual phone numbers? Predicting the exact cost of virtual numbers is difficult because the price depends on several factors, including the provider you use. Sure, you can get a free virtual phone number for your business, but it usually comes with limited features and the quality may also be not what you are after. If you are wondering how much budget you need for signing up for a virtual number, you need to be aware of the factors that affect their price.

What are these factors? Read on to find out:

The type of virtual number

Also known as local VoIP numbers or DID numbers, local virtual numbers are those that allow you to forward calls to any location in any part of the world. These are also referred to as shared cost numbers because the callers have to pay a local call rate, even though the call is being forwarded. There are also toll free virtual numbers that enable callers worldwide to get in touch with your business free of cost.

Call origination

Your call charges are greatly influenced by the country from where the call originates. The origination and termination location of the call has a huge impact on the per-minute call rates and these tend to differ considerably between countries. As a matter of fact, some countries also have different rates for calls that are forwarded from mobiles and landlines.

Call termination

Routing calls from one provider to another is a process known as call termination. The rates of call termination are different not just in countries, but also in terms of providers and the receiving device or phone. As a virtual phone number usually operates over the internet, termination charges can be eliminated by forwarding calls to a SIP or VoIP address. This makes room for more reliable and cheaper international calls. The termination rates are different for every provider as well as country.

Call volume

Your cost will also depend on your call volume because the higher the volume, the more the charges. Luckily, some virtual number providers offer bundled minute packages that have reducing per minute call rates depending on your anticipated call volume. This can be helpful in consistently reducing and budgeting your overall call costs.

Add-on charges

While you can find lots of virtual number providers offering very competitively priced packages, many do not come with some essential call management features. Therefore, you need to go over the features that a particular provider is offering before you settle on one. Take a look at cancellation fee and setup costs, add-on fees for basic call functions like outbound calling, basic virtual attendant, custom caller-ID and time-of-day routing. Also check additional charges for outbound calling.

Now that you know what factors can affect the price of a virtual number, you can look for a provider in your budget.