CloudPhone Blog

Because food trucks are on wheels, foodie entrepreneurs on the go have the ability to travel anywhere the road may take them –even if it’s out of their local area. With food truck popularity on the rise all across the country, limiting yourself to dishing out grub in one place may hurt your selling potential, but you know the local food movement is also a crowd pleaser. So how can you use business phone technology to help you plunge into new markets while also staying relevant to those who want that local feel? Try a virtual business phone system.

Typically, virtual business phone systems offer both toll free numbers and local phone numbers so you can accommodate both local and widespread markets. Your clients will be able to easily reach you (aka to track you down for some lunch!) and they'll never need to know where your company originated –unless that's part of your marketing, of course. Maine lobster rolls, anyone?

To get started, you just sign up for a virtual phone service (for example, Voxox Cloud Phone!). From there you can choose what you want –local number(s), toll free number(s), or both. What’s even better is that all these numbers ring directly to your cell phone, or any phone you choose.

Here are a few ways to use a combination of both local phone numbers and toll free numbers to bring your growing food truck business to the next level.

Local Phone Number

Numbers with local area codes are a great way to establish yourself in markets where a recognized local presence is needed to reach customers. With Voxox Cloud Phone, for example, there is no limit on the quantity of virtual numbers you can add to your account, and you receive between 1 to 25 local or toll free numbers at no additional cost with your monthly subscription, depending on your plan.

Below are some useful features for mobile businesses, like food trucks.

1. Custom Voicemail

Don’t you cringe when you call a business and receive a generic voicemail? So do we. That’s why we think it’s so important for companies of all sizes to create a custom voicemail for their business line. Not only can you identify your business, but sharing useful information –like your weekly scheduled whereabouts or hints on where your clients can find you –will save you time from returning phone calls also keep your hungry suitors in the know. Here are a few more tips on crafting the perfect voicemail. 

Pro Tip: You can also create a custom voicemail with a toll free number!

2. Business SMS

Texting isn’t just for friends anymore. Customers today expect text support and in the food truck business this can be a huge bonus! Texting your client list your whereabouts, or providing text clues is an impactful way to interact with your followers and a fun way to attract new ones.

Pro Tip: Toll free numbers can also support SMS!

3. Marketing Tool

If you're marketing a product from a specific area, using an area code from that location could be to your advantage. Think a taco cart in San Diego and a lobster roll truck from Maine. Imagine if these two were switched –lobsters from San Diego and tacos from Maine. The hype may not be as well received. Use your phone number to your advantage!

Toll Free Number

Toll free numbers can be super handy for food trucks (and similar mobile businesses!) expanding their presence beyond select local markets.

1. National Presence

Toll free numbers are a great way to expand your business so you can reach new markets and instantly sound more established and credible. Whether you have a fleet of food trucks or are a one engine show, a toll free number will make give your clients the sense you’re a solid organization—and a central number to reach your team.

2. Memorable Number

Not all toll free numbers are created equally. A catchy or easy to remember sequence can be a lifesaver for clients who want to reach you fast.

3. Marketing Tool

Whether you’re using only a toll free number or a combo of toll free and local, displaying your toll free number on your marketing materials (truck, business cards, menus, etc.) is an easy way to stay relevant while you travel.

Putting the power of both a local phone number and a toll free number behind your food truck is a solid win for your business communications. Now go ahead and get started! If you need some more pointers, connect with us by commenting here or on our social channels -- we're happy to help!

Owning your own cleaning services company is tough. Whether you have a housekeeping services business or a mobile car wash, you are in charge of buying your cleaning supplies, coordinating calendars with a constantly changing schedule, keeping your books simple and accurate, and then finding time to actually clean. But to grow your cleaning services business you also need to find new clients and retain the clients you already have.

Some ways to alleviate administrative busy work include using digital services like Calendy for appointments, Amazon for supplies and Freshbooks for your finances – but something we'd like to focus on today is how to get a local phone line for your cleaning services business without the need to buy and maintain a traditional business phone system.

Virtual PBX services like Voxox Cloud Phone offer inexpensive business phone plans with professional features, including local phone numbers for the region(s) your cleaning company serves. With these local virtual numbers, you won’t need any special hardware or even an office phone because they connect directly to your cell.

Getting a local number through a virtual PBX service will help grow your cleaning services business in a few ways:

1. Handle all calls professionally.

Because all calls to your local business number are routed to your cell, you can answer on the fly or send calls to voicemail with just the touch of a button – whether you’re in the car on your way to an appointment or scrubbing a tub! Having complete control over your business’ phone communications, along with the support of a laundry list of professional features– auto attendant, call forwarding, SMS, call recording, etc. – means that your clients will always have the best possible customer service.

2. Appeal to the locals.

Using the area codes associated with the locations you serve will help build rapport with the community. People are often interested in supporting local service providers, and one way to spot a local contact is via their area code. Put these numbers on your business card, referral fliers and in local bulletins!

3. Enter new markets.

If you are actively working on expanding your carpet cleaning business to new areas, you can get a local phone number in a variety of places and reap the benefits. By expanding your service area, you’ll open yourself to more potential clients and more opportunity to grow your business. With Voxox Cloud Phone, for example, you can sign up for up to 25 different local numbers that all conveniently ring to the same phone –so you can find one, or several local numbers and neighboring area codes that fit your needs.

4. Manage your account on the go.

As a small business owner, you don’t have a lot of time to spare. So why waste those precious minutes managing two separate calling devices? With virtual PBX services (like Voxox Cloud Phone!), all calls are routed to your existing cell phone or that of your employees, as needed. You have different local phone numbers for various reasons, from tracking to marketing, but all calls end up ringing a single device. If you don't pick up, the callers are sent to a professional business voicemail, separating your personal and business communications seamlessly and efficiently. Plus, you can manage all of your virtual PBX features from your online portal – add more lines, remove numbers that you don’t need, etc. It’s simple, it’s fast and it will give you more time to focus on the things that really matter, like growing your business!

So, what are you waiting for? Go get a local phone number from a virtual PBX service and see how it can help your business grow. Set up is simple, painless and fast – but if you need help we’re here for that too.

Last night we reduced the cost of additional phone numbers from $5/month to $1/month. To celebrate I thought I would share some of the reasons for this change and provide some examples of how you can use multiple numbers to help grow your business.

Also, it's notable that if you already have additional numbers on your Cloud Phone account; the cost has also been reduced from $5 to $1 per month going forward.

At Cloud Phone, we aren't just trying to provide another virtual phone service. We are trying to provide an incredibly valuable service that also disrupts the marketplace and challenges our competitors. When I explain the service, a common response is often, "Oh, it's like Google Voice". While there are similarities to Google Voice, I could write an entire post on why Cloud Phone is far different and more valuable and why Google Voice would never be a good business solution.One of the most important ways that Cloud Phone is a better solution is that you can have more than one phone number with Cloud Phone.

Until now, we charged $5/month/number on your account. You get one included number at signup, but have to pay for additional numbers. The awesome news is that now numbers are only $1/month/number!

So the big issue for a lot of customers is why they would need another number to begin with. Here are the main reasons why additional numbers can help you grow your business:

1. Appear More Established & Professional
   Toll-free numbers are immediately associated with business, even more so - established business. Having both a toll-free and local phone number provides an immediate sense of professionalism that leads to credibility with customers.
   
   
2. Secure a Local Presence & Reach New Markets
   For some businesses, having a phone number that begins with a recognizable area code is key to capturing the market. Additionally, adding numbers in neighboring area codes or other markets can be a great way to reach new markets and grow your existing business. In just a few minutes, you can add office locations in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Dallas!
   
   
3. Measure ROI for Marketing Campaigns
   One way marketers track the ROI of campaigns is to use a dedicated local or toll-free phone number for various campaigns. With Cloud Phone, it's easy to measure incoming calls to a phone number and judge the ROI for that campaign. Real Estate? Assign a number to each property you are working.
   
   
4. Improve Responsiveness with Direct Lines
   While having a main company greeting and menu with options is great for general calls, it's not the best experience for established customers or closing new clients. Setting up a main number and direct numbers for each employee is a great way to improve customer satisfaction related to reaching staff directly.
   
   
5. Run Multiple Businesses!
   Today's entrepreneur is often working more than one opportunity. Maybe you aren't just a wedding planner, but also an event planner, florist, photographer, online seller, etc... Often, a single person is running many businesses. Having a dedicated number for each within a single account makes it easy to manage them all (and know which way is up) all from a single account on a single cell phone.

In conclusion, this just touches the surface of how to leverage multiple numbers for your business - but we are thrilled to have made it one step easier (and more affordable) tonight!

To add a number to your Cloud Phone account, here are the steps;

• Login to Cloud Phone from the web portal
• Navigate to the "Account" section
• Choose "Numbers" from the menu on the right side
• Click the "Buy a Number" button

Once you add a number to your account you'll be billed on your next statement. The charge will reflect $1 for the current month, and $1 for the upcoming month. After that, you'll be billed $1 each month per additional number.

You want to get a local phone number for your business, but you don't want a landline and you don't want to carry--or pay--for another cell phone plan. We don't blame you. Local phone numbers can be invaluable for businesses looking to gain credibility in a local market, especially with businesses built and run out of a personal home. Getting a dedicated "virtual number" that routes to your mobile is a financially practical and convenient solution for your home-based business.

Virtual numbers work directly with the cell phone you already have, which means you have no equipment to buy, nothing to service, and just one phone to keep track of throughout the day. Getting a local phone number for your business is easy - and inexpensive- if you know where to look. Here's what you need to know before you select a provider:
1. User & Department Extensions
Just because you're a one person (or small) operation working from your home doesn't mean your business phone communications should suffer. Some services that provide virtual numbers may also offer multiple extensions to allow you to either hook up multiple people to the same line or create "departments" to give your company a bigger business feel -- after all, as an entrepreneur you do wear many hats! The number of extensions can impact the price, so be sure to choose what best fits your current needs. Voxox Cloud Phone offers unlimited extensions, with the option to add or remove extensions on the fly as your business changes, without charge.

2. Minutes
Some businesses use their calling features all the time and some just don't. Knowing how often you'll be on the phone will help you pick the best plan for your needs, at the best price. From paying per minute to plans of 1,000 to unlimited minutes, it's easy to find a calling plan that's right for you.
3. Text Messages
Clients and customers of days past may not have appreciated a business-related text message, but as people rely more on SMS for everyday communications, business to consumer SMS is on the rise. Imagine being able to text your client a meeting location, or update them on the status of a project with a simple text--and vice versa. It's fast and it's easy. If you're not sure text is right for you, look for a plan with a lower number of monthly messages and move up as you see fit. Or go for unlimited and text your heart out.
4. Number of Lines
The number of lines you can have on your single plans differs from the number of user and department extensions. Lines refer to new numbers. So if you have a home office and want two lines (say one is for clients and one is for your suppliers) you'll need to choose a plan that allows multiple phone numbers. Providers like Voxox Cloud Phone also let you choose between local and toll-free numbers, or a mix of both if you sign on with multiple lines. Read more here on why both types of numbers might be good for your business.
5. Features
Not all virtual phone numbers are created equal when it comes to features. Some features, like voicemail, come standard, but other conveniences like conference calling and voicemail transcription might come at a premium. Check out the listings of included features before you select a plan, and make sure you're not getting charged extra for those features you really want.
6. Free Trial
Just because you think you need something, doesn't mean you do. By seeking out a provider that offers a free trial period of at least 30 days, you'll have a chance to try the service and see if it fits your needs. If you love it, keep it. And if you don't, look for another provider or communication channel that better fits your business.
7. Management
Being able to manage your account easily on your own, without having to call a representative and wait on hold, is a life saver for busy business owners. Voxox Cloud Phone, for example, offers a simple and intuitive online management portal where you can add and remove lines and extensions, and pay your bill. You can even track activity to see if your current plan is right for your changing needs. If you find out it's not--go ahead and choose a new plan with the click of a button.
8. Cost
The cost of getting a local phone number via a virtual number is lower than you may think – considering the convenience and much needed features that should come with it. With a basic plan starting at just $12 from Voxox Cloud Phone, you shouldn’t have a problem finding something within your budget. Plus, unlike traditional mobile and landline plans, you don’t need to buy any extra equipment, or pay technician or start up fees.
Is there anything else you may want to consider when looking to get a local phone number for your business? Let us know and we’ll help answer your questions. Check out our plans and features here.