How to get a business phone number: Everything you need to know

Despite the rise of email, video conferencing, and chatbots, the phone remains the king of business communication. A 2024 study found that more than two-thirds of business professionals said voice calls are vital for resolving customer issues and making sales.

If you’re looking to find out how to get a business phone number — one you can use exclusively for work — your choices may seem clear on paper. But you might not know that some options allow you to operate your business more smoothly and make customers happier.

In this article, we share all the key benefits of getting a business phone system. We also cover the best phone technology you can use and how you can get a business number today. Let’s dive in!

How to get a business phone number in 4 steps

Getting a business phone number might be overwhelming, but these steps will help you simplify the process.

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1. Select a business phone provider

Start by researching business phone providers that offer features that align with your business needs and fit your budget. Make sure the phone system is easy to scale, offers reliable customer support, and can integrate with your existing tech stack. The best modern business phone systems let you try out their platform for free.

For example, you can try out Quo, formerly OpenPhone, free for seven days.

2. Choose a plan

Select a plan that aligns with your business needs. Some providers, like Nextiva or RingCentral, may limit minutes or charge extra for texting, while others offer more flexibility. 

For example, Quo’s base plan includes unlimited domestic calling, unlimited toll-free minutes, and unlimited SMS and MMS, making it a cost-effective option. Evaluate these features against your expected usage to avoid overpaying or running into restrictions.

3. Select a phone number

Once you’ve chosen a new phone provider, it’s time to choose a phone number that reflects your brand and makes it easy for customers to reach you. You may want a local number to establish a presence in a specific area or a toll-free number for nationwide accessibility. Vanity numbers can also enhance brand recognition, while international numbers are ideal for businesses with a global reach.

4.  Install apps and customize business phone settings

Once you’ve selected your business phone number, install the VoIP app on your preferred devices to begin making and receiving calls immediately. With Quo, no hardware is required, but you can add equipment like headsets if desired. 

Next, customize your settings to optimize your workflow. We recommend setting up voicemail greetings, business hours, a phone menu, and call routing to direct callers to the appropriate department or team member.

Watch below to get a sneak peek of how to get started:

Call me maybe — 5 types of business phone numbers to choose from

Phone number type	Description	Pros	Cons
Local number	Phone number with an area code tied to a specific city or region	Increases the likelihood of calls being answered	May not convey a national presence
Toll-free number	Number with 888, 877, or other toll-free prefix	Covers the customer’s cost of calling	Some providers charge extra for toll-free minutes
Vanity number	Number that spells a word or phrase like 1-800-FLOWERS	Easy for customers to remember and gives a larger presence	Limited availability and costs can be prohibitive for small businesses
VoIP number	Virtual phone number that uses the internet for calls and texts	Lower costs and supports multiple types of numbers: local, toll-free, or international	Requires a stable internet connection
International number	Local number in a country outside the US or Canada	Builds credibility with international customers	Often expensive and not always available from all providers

1. Local business phone number

Local phone numbers have area codes tied to specific cities or regions. These numbers allow you to build a local presence in the markets you serve. When prospects and customers don’t have your phone number saved, they’re more likely to answer your calls if they recognize the area code associated with the local number.

While traditional phone plans only allow you to get phone numbers with your local area code, VoIP services let you choose area codes from any supported region, including those in other countries like Canada.

Typical cost: $15-$25 per month depending on provider

2. Toll-free business phone number

Toll-free numbers allow your business to foot the bill on behalf of its callers. This lets current and potential customers reach out to your business — and not worry about the cost of international calls.

Toll-free phone numbers can help you build a global presence and attract customers who live abroad. They can also help you appear more professional since larger businesses typically use them as the main corporate phone number. 

With North American toll-free numbers — which have dedicated area codes like 800, 888, and 844 — you can let customers in 20 countries across the continent call you without paying long-distance fees.

Typical cost: $15-$25 per month depending on provider. Make sure you read the fine print with the provider you choose. Some providers restrict toll-free minutes in their plans, and purchasing additional minutes can get expensive quickly. 

3. Vanity business phone number

Vanity phone numbers, often used as commercial phone numbers, are phone numbers that spell out a word or phrase. For example, if your vanity number is 1-800-CALL-SAM, customers can reach you by entering 1-800-225-5726 on their keypads.

Vanity numbers make it easier for people to remember your number — even if they scroll past your ad in seconds — and call or text your business.

Typical cost: $15-$50 per month depending on provider

4. VoIP phone numbers

VoIP numbers, also called Voice over Internet Protocol numbers, are virtual phone numbers you can use to reach callers through an internet connection. All you need is WiFi and a device connected to the internet to make or receive calls from almost anywhere in the world.

Keep in mind you can use any of the number types above as VoIP numbers. In other words, you can own a toll-free VoIP number or a local VoIP number — or even have both on the same account.

Plus, phone services like Quo allow you to easily call and text from a business VoIP phone number using your computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. This means you don’t need to buy expensive hardware, and you don’t have to stay tied to your desk. 

Best of all, compared to cell phone numbers or landline numbers, VoIP phone numbers are just a fraction of the cost. With VoIP providers like Quo, each member of your plan costs $15 per month.

Typical cost: $15-$25 per user per month depending on provider

5. International phone numbers

International phone numbers are local numbers in a country outside the US and Canada. They allow you to set up a local presence and build trust with customers in global markets. They start with a different country code, such as +52 for Mexico.

The main downside is that international numbers can be expensive, and not all VoIP services or traditional phone plans offer them. You’ll have to use a third-party service provider or make a special request to get an international number.

Typical cost: $10-$25 per month depending on country and provider

Do you really need a business phone number? Signs point to yes

If you’ve been using your personal phone number for work, you’re missing out on greater peace of mind. Here are five signs it’s time for you to get a dedicated phone number for your business:

1. You need to distinguish between work and personal calls. With a business phone number, you don’t have to worry about accidentally answering a call unprofessionally because you thought someone was calling your cell number. You and your team can see whether an incoming call is for work or business, which means you always start conversations the right way.
2. Customers are calling after you clock out. Instead of fielding calls at all times of the day, a business phone number lets you set business hours to control when clients can reach you. You can also send calls to voicemail with “Do Not Disturb” mode whenever you’re busy without affecting your personal calls.
3. You want to project a more professional image. A dedicated business number on your website, social media pages, and other marketing channels signals legitimacy to potential clients. A local area code quickly builds trust with customers in that region, while a toll-free number helps you establish a national presence. 
4. You have a growing team. If you’re no longer a solopreneur, you can assign business phone numbers to your team members so they can contact clients without sharing their private contact information.
5. You need advanced phone features. If you get your business phone number through a VoIP provider, you can set up phone menus, professional voicemail greetings, and integrations to help you deliver a professional phone presence and save your team time.

Keep reading as we break down the best solutions for business phone systems.

5 Best business phone number providers

If you’re looking to test out more than one phone solution before moving forward, you can compare five of the top business phone systems below.

Provider	Starting price	Unlimited calling to US & Canada	SMS/MMS to US & Canada	Shared phone numbers	Additional phone numbers
Quo	$15 per user per month	✓	✓	✓	$5 per number per month
Google Voice	$10 per month	Unlimited calls to Canada from the US only	US customers only	Requires upgrade for ring groups only	X
Dialpad	$15 per user per month	✓	For US and Canadian customers only	✓	Requires upgrade, then $5 to $15 per month
Ooma	$19.95 per user per month	✓	Requires upgrade	✓	Starts at $9.99 per number per month
Grasshopper	$14 per month	✓	MMS messaging for local numbers only	X	$9 per number per month

Here’s a closer look at the top business phone systems for your small business.

1. Quo: Best business phone system for small businesses

Quo is the #1 business phone system as voted on G2 by thousands of other growing teams.

Plans start at just $15 per user per month which includes unlimited calling and texting to the US and Canada. You also have access to local and toll-free numbers for the US, Canada, or North America.

Here’s what a few Quo customers have to say: 

• “An affordable and super clean phone system for individuals and teams. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone I meet!” — Billy Davidson, Occipital Salon Marketing
• “We love seeing all the conversation history in one chat and it makes it very easy to remember the details on all the previous calls. Definitely recommended.” — Arif Gozel, Esq., Gozel Law Firm
• “Quo gives us clear visibility into both individual and team performance, which allows us to coach more effectively and make data-informed improvements.” — Hayley Tiger, Care Works

You can easily add more users to your Quo account as your business expands. Each user comes with one free phone number so you can support different departments, direct phone numbers for each person, or expand to multiple cities. Any additional numbers are just $5 per number per month. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg: Quo lets your team easily build a professional phone presence and save time by using features like phone menus and auto-replies for texts. If you’re looking to continually improve your customer experience, Quo lets you record calls and review conversations for potential coaching opportunities using AI-generated call transcripts.

With Quo, you can integrate with popular business apps to save time on repetitive tasks like sending appointment reminder texts. Don’t want to copy/paste information between different platforms, for example? You can automatically log OpenPhone conversations into your CRM using our HubSpot or Salesforce integration.

Users can also share existing numbers with team members to manage calls and texts. Everyone on a shared number receives the same calls and texts, so they can manage incoming messages without letting conversations fall through the cracks. Collaboration is easy with features like:

• Adding notes to contacts
• Starting internal threads
• Assigning tasks within the platform

You can see why Quo is the best choice for getting a business number by signing up for our free seven-day trial.

2. Google Voice: Best solution for teams that use Google Workspace 

Google Voice for Google Workspace is popular with businesses that already use Google Meet, Calendar, and other Google products. Although getting a personal number from Google Voice is free, the business version starts at $10 per month for a solo plan.

It offers the basic features to growing businesses like voicemail transcriptions, call forwarding, and unlimited US calling. But it lacks toll-free numbers, Google Voice caller ID, auto-replies, and other ways to save time texting. 

Speaking of texting, you should know that sending texts through Google Voice is a luxury reserved for US customers. And since Google Voice doesn’t integrate with anything outside of Google products, you won’t be able to automate repetitive but essential tasks.

Here’s what a few past customers had to say: 

• “I had consistent dropped calls when traveling even local travel in my city. Also, the call would often never connect.” — G2 user
• “It’s just old and clunky and doesn’t deliver on anything that improves my workflow.” — G2 user

Google Voice makes it more difficult to catch up on conversations, as all calls, texts, and voice messages are in separate folders. Plus, if you’re getting a business number so you and your team can have a better work-life balance, Google Voice may not be for you. This platform doesn’t distinguish between personal and business calls, which makes it difficult to know how to respond when picking up the phone.

3. Dialpad: Best solution for teams with large contact centers

Dialpad is a VoIP business phone system tailored to call centers and larger teams. Dialpad’s pricing plans start at $15 per user per month which includes transcripts and call summaries, video meetings, and integrations with Google Workspace and Office 365. 

On higher-tier plans, there’s an AI-based training feature for call center agents, which can be helpful in their day-to-day work. There are also ways to scale your business with business app integrations and feedback on team members’ speaking speed.

But if you’re a small business just getting off the ground, Dialpad’s extensive range of features may not necessarily streamline your workflows. You have to pay additional costs to perform basic tasks, including charges for porting multiple existing numbers. And if you want access to multiple business phone numbers per user, be prepared to pay for the second-tier plan which costs $25 per user per month.

It takes quite a bit of time to learn how to use Dialpad — and according to past users, navigation is confusing at best: 

• “If you’re unfamiliar with VOIP products and/or Dialpad specifically, it could be a bit complicated to get things running.” — Kirk M. on G2
• “I want its user interface to be more intuitive. Currently, it’s a bit clunky and tends to complicate navigation.” — Becky S. on G2

4. Ooma: Best option for large retail centers and warehouses

Ooma provides phone systems for residential and business use. Teams working from a retail store may find their paging feature useful since they can easily reach people in wide-open spaces.

The kicker, though, is Ooma’s small business plans come with features you may never use. You may not need analog fax machine support or IP phone paging, but you still have to pay for it on the basic plan which costs $19.95 per user per month.

Here’s what a few past users had to say: 

• “Ooma was costly, antiquated, and gave me zero visibility into my business.” — Shayne Jasper, Suplay Wrestling Co.
• “The call quality was lacking. There was a lag time between when I would speak and when the other person would hear me. This caused issues of us seeming to talk over each other.” — Micheal H. on G2

Plus, some of Ooma’s best features are hidden behind a paywall. Important features like voicemail transcriptions and texting are only available with an upgrade to the second-tier plan which costs $24.95 per user per month. Even their desktop app isn’t accessible until you upgrade, which is not ideal for growing brands. 

To summarize: Ooma misses the mark on many necessary features while including services like overhead paging — something few small businesses need.

5. Grasshopper: The best choice for teams that prefer multi-digit phone extensions

Grasshopper is a legacy small business phone system provider with an unconventional pricing model. Unlike most providers that charge per user, Grasshopper charges per phone number. Plans start at $14 per month for one phone line and one extension. 

Grasshopper’s most expensive plan is limited to just four phone numbers, which may require switching to another provider as your business grows. Plus, all additional phone numbers cost $9 per month each, which is more than twice the cost of additional numbers on more competitive platforms.

Plus, many users find Grasshopper’s UI to be outdated and clunky at best: 

• “I tried a few different VOIP products including Grasshopper and found the software to feel very outdated – kind of like a webpage from the late 1990s or early 2000s.” — Kelly Saunders, Chargy
• “It freezes a lot. It asks for multiple updates, and it does not update. Sometimes calls drop without a notice, and if they close the call, then it freezes and we have to restart the app.” — Samuel M. on G2

And while you’re paying a premium to access all of Grasshopper’s functionality, you still can’t plug into CRM integrations, use shared numbers, or record any of your calls automatically.

How to determine the right business phone system for your needs

You’re looking for a robust business phone system that checks all the boxes. Here are a few considerations to help you choose the right one the first time. 

1. Scales as your team grows

It should be easy to expand your phone system as your business grows with a virtual phone system. Business phone systems give you access to US, Canadian numbers, and toll-free numbers. With Quo, each user on your plan receives one free number, and you can add more for just $5 per month each.

2. Enables collaboration

With features like shared numbers, call routing, and internal tagging, a business phone system promotes collaboration among team members. This ensures calls and messages are efficiently managed and attended to, helping customers get faster service.

3. Offers options to save time on repetitive tasks

Automation features such as auto-replies and text message templates help save time for team members and set expectations for customers. For example, if you want to make sure clients aren’t left hanging when you miss a call, you can automate texts for callers who don’t leave voice messages. If most of your calls are appointment booking requests, you can include a calendar link in your auto-reply to make your workflow more efficient. 

When you’re available to respond to your clients, you can continue saving time by using templates you can create and save. Simply fill in the blanks instead of typing out the same messages over and over again.

4. Helps you provide a better customer experience

A business phone allows you to customize your texting and calling experience for customers more than a traditional cell phone. For example, Quo users can schedule a text in a contact’s time zone without doing any math. Quo shows your contact’s local time zone based on their number’s area code so you can quickly queue up your message for the right moment. 

Just like customers would rather not be messaged in the middle of the night, they also would prefer not to repeat information when they reach out. Phone solutions like Quo display all phone communication with a contact in a single inbox view so you can catch up on conversations and follow up faster.

You won’t have to jump between inboxes to see all your call recordings, voice messages, and texts, making it easier to keep up with all your communications.

5. Provides fair and transparent pricing

Your budget will vary depending on your business size and the desired use case for your business phone number. Still, some things to watch out for include: 

• Transparent pricing: You’ll want to find a phone provider with clear pricing based on your plan and the features included. Keep an eye out for any set-up fees, porting fees, and additional fees for things like adding numbers. 
• Equipment costs: If you’re a traditional landline, you may have to purchase additional hardware such as routers, VoIP adapters, or desk phones. However, you can avoid these costs if you choose a VoIP solution.
• Per minute charges: Be sure to check the provider’s cost for international calling and toll-free number calling rates.

Start using a business phone number today with Quo

A dedicated business phone number can help you protect your and your team’s privacy, maintain a work-life balance, and operate more smoothly. Choosing the right phone service provider is key if you want to save time and give customers the best experience possible.

Compared to landlines, VoIP services are more cost-effective solutions that allow you to work from anywhere on any device. And Quo is the business phone system that can scale with your company. With every Quo plan, you can access features like:

• Free unlimited calls, SMS, and MMS in the US and Canada
• Unlimited US, Canadian, toll-free, and vanity numbers
• Mobile app for managing phone calls and texts from anywhere
• Free phone number porting
• Shared phone numbers
• Auto-replies, snippets, and scheduled texts
• Call recordings
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Custom business hours, voicemail greetings, and auto-attendants for call handling

With upgrades, you can unlock features like call transfer, CRM integrations, and call analytics to further improve your business communication.

See for yourself why thousands of businesses use Quo — and get a business number in minutes. Sign up for a free, seven-day trial of Quo.

Frequently asked questions about business phone numbers