Local Phone Numbers

All the numbers purchased in our application will be DID (Direct Inward Dialing) numbers. DID is a VoIP business phone system feature that allows your organization to assign phone numbers to company extensions without needing separate phone lines for each.

DIDs are assigned through the VoIP provider which will also direct calls to a user’s extension and phone devices such as desk phone, softphone or mobile application. This is also a cheaper alternative to analog physical lines. Each DID is independent and does not require the purchase of a block of numbers.

The customer just makes a call and the call queue system takes care of the rest, automatically routing them to the next available agent.

The first benefit, and most obvious is cost reduction by eliminating multiple physical phone lines. Businesses can have numerous individual phone numbers routed through a single or a few physical lines. Also, DID services provide lower rates for long-distance calls.

DID numbers can be easily added or removed as needed without significant infrastructure changes, depending on business needs and seasonality changes.
Direct inward dialing is also useful for call management. Calls can be routed directly to the appropriate department or individual, reducing wait times and improving call handling efficiency.
Businesses can use DID numbers to mask personal phone numbers, enhancing privacy for team members whether they’re in office or working remotely.
They can be used to track and measure the impact of specific marketing campaigns using dedicated DID numbers.

For mission critical businesses or those that operate with large volumes of transactions nationally or internationally, direct inward dialing numbers are also useful for disaster recovery resilience. Calls can be easily rerouted to different locations or devices in case of a physical disaster.

DID numbers are assigned by local area code, whereas toll free numbers are formatted through a country code. So, DID numbers vary according to the city, and toll free numbers vary according to the country.
When a caller calls a toll free number, it doesn't incur him call charges; rather, the called party bears the costs. On the other hand, with DIDs, call charges are shared between the caller and the called party. Toll Free numbers have a professional appearance, and customers are familiar with it.

Toll Free numbers have a professional appearance, and customers are familiar with it. This is because they begin with a standard 1-800 code, which is easy to recognize. Whereas DID numbers give a local presence for the business, and they look like a regular phone number. Most businesses use one or two toll free numbers as their helpline and contact numbers. However, there can be multiple DID numbers for the same company so that the company can have a virtual presence in several cities in the world.

Choosing the right type of number depends on how you are trying to position the business - as a local, brick-and-mortar business or as a larger, more recognized company. If you want to be seen as a larger company, a toll free number might be the way to go. Typically, these are most valuable for businesses without a physical location and are looking to expand beyond their local market.

If your company has one physical location, earns most of its business within a few nearby cities, receives mostly short-distance calls and wants to establish a local presence, then DID numbers are the ideal choice, since your business would be spending more than it needs to on the toll fees.