What is Outbound Calling for Virtual Phone Numbers?

If your business has been using virtual phone numbers or has been curious about adding them to your business model, you may have heard about how they can put your business in touch with callers in markets around the world. This works for callers that are trying to reach your business without interruption, but there’s a catch: when calling out from this number, the Caller ID of the recipient won’t match the number you’ve selected. Instead, your destination number — where calls are routed to and from — will show up. This may be off-putting to international customers, who don’t recognize your number as originating in their country. Is there a way to fix this?

The answer is yes, through the process of "outbound calling." In this article, we’ll discuss what outbound calling is and how you can sign up for outbound calling with virtual number service provider Global Call Forwarding.

What is Outbound Calling?

As discussed in the introduction, virtual phone numbers route phone calls from one phone number to another (known as the destination phone number). When a caller dials your virtual phone number, that call is instantly forward to a location of your choosing. This is known as inbound calling.

However, outbound calling is the reverse and it comes with its own challenges. For many service providers and softphone apps, outbound calls are possible, but they come with a catch — on the caller ID of a person’s phone, they’ll notice an unfamiliar set of digits that don’t correspond to a local area code or country code of where they’re located. This can be an extreme impediment to the localization process that potential customers and clients appreciate.

Luckily, service providers have realized this obstacle and now offer outbound calling that allows users to route their calls and have that number correspond to the virtual phone number you’ve chosen. This solves the challenge and allows your business to directly get in touch with customers instead of waiting for them to find your business through marketing efforts, like listing your business’ phone number on a website or another directory.

How to Get Outbound Calling Service

So, you probably realize the value of outbound calling and how it can impact your business. Now, the next step is to sign up and add this service. In this example, we’ll use a leading service provider Global Call Forwarding to show how you can get outbound calling service as an add-on by subscribing for virtual phone numbers.

Step 1: Visit Global Call Forwarding’s homepage at www.globalcallforwarding.com. There, you’ll find several dropdown menus. Select the country code of the international location you want your number to reflect.

Step 2: Select the type of virtual phone number your business needs. This includes a number of options based on availability, but some options include "Toll Free Numbers," "Mobile (SMS Optional)," and other choices. If you select "Geographic," you can further hone your search to a city or region that reflects your choice in number type and area code.

Step 3: After selecting the country and area code, you can then select a phone number from the list of those available. That completes your selection for a virtual phone number, and now you can enter your destination phone number where calls will be routed to.

Step 4: You’ll be then given the option of a number of payment plans based on your needs. Below that, you’ll find "Optional Features" to increase the functionality. Below that, you can click on the box underneath "Outbound Calling" to bring this functionality to your virtual number.

Step 5: After you’ve made your selection, you’ll enter your payment and billing information, click the box ensuring that you’ve read the Terms and Conditions, and have a chance to review your purchase.

Once you’ve subscribed, your virtual phone number with outbound calling functionality will be available within 24 hours or less.