How your business can benefit from a local phone number

Choosing a number for your business can be difficult. There are so many different types of numbers, and just as many reasons why you would opt for each one. But at a time where most businesses are looking to go global, appearing local could make you really stand out. Here is why a local phone number might be for you.

You don’t have to be local. Just appear so. You can do this with a geographic number.

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What is a geographical number?

A geographical number is just a normal, local phone number – one that shares the same prefix as your neighbor, your local store, and the person that serves you in that store.

Geographic numbers are recognizable to callers in a specific town or city and are therefore trusted too. They aren’t, however, limited to just these callers, they can be reached from anywhere in the world.

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What to love about a local number

A geographical or local number makes it free and easy for local callers to get in touch with your company, consequently inspiring more trust and confidence.

While you must also have great customer service, pre-existing expectations of certain number types are sure to influence whether or not the customer calls and does business with you in the first place. This is purely psychological.

Because your number type is recognizable, customers will be happy to call it and, as a result, it’s easier for them to resolve a problem or find more information about your product or services.

Callers think they’ll dial through to a local person on the other end of the line, who will answer questions swiftly and friendly, and the call won’t cost them a fortune because calling costs are taken out of a mobile phone’s contracted minutes. This improves customer experience, service, and satisfaction, resulting in increased brand loyalty.

This number type is not just good for customers, but also allows you more flexibility as a business. Because of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and cloud computing, you can often choose whichever prefix you like when ordering a geographic number, meaning you can appear local to whichever town or city you’re targeting.

And why stop there? Buy and activate numbers from surrounding towns to really grow your presence without the costly overheads associated with setting up a new office.

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Geographic numbers aren’t the only option

Your target audience, however, is key when deciding what number type to purchase. If you’re playing on the global stage and want to appear more local to a specific country, rather than town or city within that country, you should opt for a national number.

A national number isn’t tied to a particular part of a country, instead is a singular number that can be accessed from anywhere, and abroad. It adds a level of professionalism that isn’t possible with geographical numbers, which can be a big benefit for companies looking to have a national, not regional, presence, while still appealing to those who prefer to deal with home-grown businesses.

You must consider, however, that these numbers are often perceived as more corporate.

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Is a local phone number right for you?

Of course, whether or not you opt for this number type will depend on where you see your customer base coming from and the type of branding you want to establish.

a local number is particularly important for sole traders, for who being down the road is a real asset, but not so much for the McDonald’s’ of the world.

Regardless of which number you choose, purchasing it from a virtual phone number provider like MCXess saves you money. Instead of pulling out for costly infrastructure and line rental, you can instead choose a number for wherever you need it, wherever you are.

Want to find out more? MCXess provide a breadth of phone numbers and call routing packages, both including and exceeding those discussed in this blog post, and can help guide you to the right option for your business.
Phone numbers ordered via MCXess are processed through a fully automated widget, which activated in just a couple of clicks.