In recent years, we’ve seen an especially high rate of video calling. This medium is an effective way for employees to collaborate in real-time and stay connected regardless of their location. However, despite the popularity of video calling, it is still important for businesses to provide employees and customers with options for how they join meetings. This means availability of easy dial-in options and accessible phone numbers so callers can join with audio only. Since flexibility is forefront in collaboration, voice communication remains a tried-and-true channel – and it’s at the center of Flowroute’s product offerings.
Outlined below is a refresher on Flowroute’s phone numbers API that powers meaningful voice communications. In this post, we also detail how Flowroute’s numbers support scalability and why, as a company, we do not charge extra for our call paths. You can also learn more about these offerings on Flowroute’s voice capabilities webpage.
Local Numbers
As likely known, a local number begins with an area code for a designated region, city or state. Consumers often feel more comfortable answering a call from a business that has a local phone number because they believe a local number is more likely to be a legitimate caller. Many consumers also prefer to call a local number for customer service, trusting their call will be answered and their issue resolved in a timely manner. This perceived trust is a vital reason why businesses use local phone numbers.
Flowroute’s local numbers help businesses expand into global markets, while establishing a local presence –even if their offices are based elsewhere. Flowroute customers can select local telephone numbers by area code in any location across 112 countries.
One use case for local numbers is a business that places frequent long-distance or out-of-state calls. For example, a trucking company that has drivers making delivers around the country, should consider establishing local numbers in their service regions. Customers can then receive and place calls to the driver if either party needs to communicate updates. A missed delivery or pickup could have significant profit losses, so trusted communications through the form of local numbers can help mitigate missed or screened calls.
Toll-free Numbers
Many are familiar with toll-free numbers from old-school infomercials. These are telephone numbers with distinct three-digit codes at the beginning (i.e., 800, 888, etc.). These numbers can be dialed from landlines with no charge to the person placing the call.
Toll-free numbers also allow callers to reach businesses out of their area without incurring long-distance fees. These numbers are especially useful for customer service operations because they offer a low-cost and convenient way for customers to contact the business for support. Flowroute offers a large selection of toll-free inbound numbers in more than 160 countries across the globe. These cloud-based numbers make it easy for businesses to scale communication offerings up or down.
Toll-free numbers continue to be popular among businesses because they can be used any time, available 24/7. The call is then directed to the appropriate representative to address the issue. Businesses that receive high volumes of calls can rely on toll-free numbers to streamline management of seemingly never-ending inquiries.
Vanity Numbers
A vanity number is an alpha-numeric number that spells out a word or features a memorable set of numbers. A few examples of well-known vanity numbers are 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-800-CONTACTS.
One of the main reasons businesses use vanity numbers is recognition. These numbers are often easy to remember, recognize or jot down quickly. As a result, vanity numbers can boost brand awareness, help with steady lead generation and strengthen brand reputation. Flowroute’s large inventory of vanity phone numbers make it easy for customers to design numbers and phrases that are relevant to their offerings and easy for customers to remember.
How Flowroute Enables Scalability
In addition to understanding the variety of Flowroute’s numbers, it’s important to know how cloud-based numbers support scalability. After customers set up toll-free, local or vanity numbers, they can easily scale quantity up or down because Flowroute’s solutions are software centric. In addition, customers only pay for the time they spend using the numbers, which helps the business manage and forecast costs.
Further, if customers decide to maximize usage of all of their Flowroute numbers there is no impact to quality of service. Flowroute provides unlimited call capacity and scalability for domestic numbers.
Why Flowroute Doesn’t Charge Extra for Call Paths
Flowroute knows communication preferences evolve. Therefore, it’s important the telecom solutions provided support an agile, modern business environment. That’s one of the reasons Flowroute does not charge extra for call paths.
For background, call paths (or trunks) refer to the number of calls a Flowroute user has going simultaneously on an account. Given the variety of numbers and use cases shared above, the number of call paths can truly vary depending on a customer’s location, industry or communication patterns. Therefore, cost flexibility with call paths can help businesses grow, offer support, and connect with customers without worrying about surprising bills.
Instead of charging customers for additional call paths added to their phone lines, Flowroute only charges for the phone numbers used—and the number of minutes customers use them. Other carriers may charge for every call path a customer adds or will limit the number of paths they can connect to an account. But with Flowroute, we don’t set limits. You can scale as you need and when you need. To learn more, check out our new video detailing call paths.
By offering core communications capabilities like voice calling and phone numbers, Flowroute sets the groundwork for durable, yet flexible business communications strategies.
