How to get a virtual phone number in USA?

When finding a virtual telephone number supplier make sure they are able to port numbers. Porting a number is the ability to move your new number between phone suppliers, if they are not able to port numbers you may have to sacrifice the number and have to choose a new number when you move to a new company. You should also see how long the company has been around and the features they provide, for example some suppliers require manual editing of the forwarding number or may not provide voice mail features. The process of buying a number is easy for most countries, all you have to do is signup as a member and choose a plan, there are however some destinations that require documentation, which includes having a local presence and identity proof.

What are virtual phone numbers?

A virtual number is a number not directly linked to physical telephone line, which means you can have several numbers from different locations all going to the same telephone line. Virtual numbers allow you to purchase a number from another city or country outside of your business location, if you live in Australia but have clients from USA you can buy a virtual number and forward the call to your Australian landline number. The benefit is reducing your clients costs to call your company from overseas. More technically speaking a virtual number can link to a PSTN or SIP network. Note that virtual number usage is subject to that countries regulations.

Why get a 1300 or 1800 phone number?

1800 numbers are normally referred to as toll free numbers (free phone) for the caller, however the business who operates the number pays higher cost. 1300 numbers are normally referred to as a landline number due to clients calling 1300 numbers pay a local rate. Choosing between the 1300 & 1800 numbers depends on your business model, whether you want to absorb more of the clients calling costs.