Creating a virtual number for WhatsApp Business is a transformative solution for businesses looking to streamline communication, maintain privacy, and enhance professional presence. Whether you’re a small business owner or managing a large enterprise, a virtual number allows you to manage customer interactions efficiently and separate personal and business communications.
This guide will explain the entire process, from choosing the right virtual number provider to configuring your WhatsApp Business account. You’ll learn how to interact with customers globally while keeping personal numbers private, ensuring seamless and professional client connections. Read on to understand the steps and benefits of integrating a virtual number into your business strategy, making communication more efficient and effective.
What Is A WhatsApp Virtual Number?
A WhatsApp virtual number is an online-hosted phone number that operates without a physical SIM card, specifically tailored for WhatsApp use. It functions like a regular phone number and can be accessed through various third-party apps and platforms. This setup allows businesses and individuals to separate their business communications from personal ones, enhancing professionalism and improving global customer interactions. By using a virtual number, businesses can establish a local presence in multiple regions, increasing accessibility and trust without the constraints of a physical location.
How To Create A Virtual Number For WhatsApp Business
Setting up a virtual number for WhatsApp Business is a great way to enhance your professional communication and customer engagement strategies. Creating a virtual number for WhatsApp Business involves several steps. It is often facilitated by third-party applications that specialize in providing virtual phone services.
Here’s how to set up a virtual number for WhatsApp Business and how to choose the best provider for your needs.
1. Choose A Reliable Provider And Activate WhatsApp Business App
1A. Activate WhatsApp Business App: Before setting up a virtual WhatsApp number for your business, ensure you have installed the WhatsApp Business app from your mobile app store (or Play Store).
1B. Choosing A Provider: Selecting a trusted third-party app/provider is essential for a smooth setup and reliable service. Here are factors to consider in the selection procedure:
- Instant, Hassle-Free Setup: Choose a provider that offers an easy and quick setup process to get your virtual number up and running without technical difficulties or delays.
- Flexible, Low-Cost Contracts: Look for providers with flexible pricing plans that fit your budget and business needs. Avoid long-term contracts that lock you in without providing adequate value.
- Comprehensive Customer Support: Ensure the provider offers robust customer support, available through multiple channels such as phone, email, or live chat. This will be crucial if you encounter any issues or need assistance with your virtual number.
- Additional Features: Evaluate extra features like call forwarding, voicemail, SMS capabilities, and integration with other business tools. These features can enhance the functionality of your virtual number.
- User Reviews And Reputation: Research user reviews and the provider’s reputation in the market. A provider with positive feedback and a solid track record is more likely to offer reliable and high-quality services.
- Scalability: Choose a provider that can scale with your business. As your business grows, you may need additional numbers or enhanced features, and your provider should be able to accommodate these needs.
1C. Popular Providers: Some trusted providers include TextNow, Hushed, Twilio, Talkatone, Grasshopper, CallHippo, Numero eSIM, Blacktel, Phone.com, VirtualPhone, KrispCall, and others. Each offers different features and pricing, so choose one that fits your business requirements.
2. Sign Up & Set Up
Register with the chosen app. During registration, you’ll typically be asked to provide basic information and select the type of service plan that suits your business needs.
3. Select Your Virtual Number
Choose your desired number from available options, considering local or international preferences. Many services offer numbers from various countries or regions, allowing you to establish a local presence anywhere in the world. Get your preferred phone number type (mobile, national, toll-free, or local).
4. Activating Your Virtual Number
After selecting and purchasing a suitable pricing plan based on your budget and subscription, follow the provider’s instructions to activate the number. This may involve configuring settings through their web portal or app.
5. Configure Features
Set up features like voicemail, call forwarding or auto-responses. These features will help you tailor the virtual number to serve your business operations and customer service needs in a better way.
6. Integrate With WhatsApp
Once your number is active, link your virtual number with your WhatsApp Business account. Follow the app-specific instructions to verify the number with WhatsApp, ensuring it’s ready to use for messaging and calls. Enter the number in WhatsApp and wait for the verification code, which you’ll receive via SMS or call. Enter this code in WhatsApp to complete the setup.
Follow these steps and carefully choose a reliable provider to effectively create and start using a virtual number for WhatsApp Business. This step plays a key on in enhancing your professional communication and customer engagement strategies
How To Effectively Use A Virtual WhatsApp Number For Your Business
After acquiring a WhatsApp virtual number for your business, it’s crucial to understand how to maximize its potential. While regular WhatsApp Business accounts offer limited benefits with virtual numbers, leveraging a WhatsApp Business API through a reliable provider can significantly enhance functionality.
1. Centralized Management Through A Business Dashboard
A WhatsApp virtual number provides access to a business dashboard that allows you to manage all interactions across your virtual numbers effectively. This dashboard not only displays conversations and call insights but also offers tools for better organization and customer service management:
- Efficient Message Handling: Quickly view, sort, and assign unread and urgent messages to appropriate team members.
- Conversation Rules And Labels: Apply rules for automating tasks and use labels like sales, complaints, or customer service to organize chats.
- Integration And Insights: Gain insights into customer service performance and integrate with existing business tools for streamlined workflows.
2. Collaborative Team Access
Virtual WhatsApp numbers enable multiple team members to manage customer interactions from a single account:
- WhatsApp Business App: Register your business account with the virtual number and link it to up to four other devices. Team members can scan a QR code to access and respond to customer chats from their devices.
- WhatsApp Business API: For businesses with high volumes of messages, the WhatsApp API allows adding unlimited users to manage conversations from a unified inbox. This setup enhances privacy controls and simplifies chat management across multiple devices.
3. Chat Management And Labeling
Effectively manage customer conversations by assigning and labeling chats:
- Chat Labels: Enhance communication by tagging conversations with labels like new orders, pending payments, and customer support. This helps in prioritizing and personalizing interactions.
- Assign Chats: Distribute conversations to the relevant team members, ensuring all chats are attended to promptly and efficiently. This method helps optimize team collaboration and customer satisfaction.
4. Promotional Messaging To Drive Sales
Utilize your virtual WhatsApp number to send promotional messages, which can significantly boost sales:
- Global Reach And High Engagement: Reach a global audience of 2 billion WhatsApp users with promotional messages that enjoy up to 98% open rates. So, this will enable businesses to establish local phone numbers in different countries, making them appear more accessible to international customers without physical offices.
- Use Cases: Send updates about product releases with special discounts, offer regular discounts to existing customers, re-engage inactive customers with attractive offers, and upsell to your current customer base.
5.Other Effective Uses
- Professionalism And Privacy: A virtual number separates personal and business communications, maintaining a professional image while protecting your personal number from public exposure. This ensures privacy for both business owners and employees.
- Operational Efficiency And Marketing ROI: Virtual numbers facilitate targeted marketing campaigns based on geographic or demographic data, optimizing advertising efforts and customer interaction strategies, and improving the return on investment.
- Better Work-Life Balance: Separate business communications from personal ones to manage work-life balance more effectively, reducing stress and increasing productivity.
By strategically utilizing a virtual WhatsApp number through these methods, businesses can enhance their communication strategies, improve customer engagement, and drive business growth effectively.
Features Of WhatsApp Virtual Business Number
Virtual WhatsApp business number has various features designed to streamline communication and enhance customer interaction.
- Number Masking: Protects personal and business numbers of both customers and employees, promoting privacy and professionalism in communications.
- Automated Call Handling (Forwarding & Routing): The incoming calls are forwarded automatically to any of your chosen personal or office phone number. So, you never miss a call, even offline.
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR): To greet customers or guide them through different options, including customer support, leave a message, or get information about services and products for enhanced customer experience.
- Caller Identification And Segmentation: Identify & segment incoming calls based on the number, allowing you to tailor your responses based on customer data. It is used to segment marketing efforts and provide personalized customer service.
- Cost-Effective Integration: Integrating this number with WhatsApp Business is cost-effective, allowing use across multiple devices and locations without physical SIM cards or international calling costs.
FAQs:
Virtual numbers are generally secure, especially if provided by reputable companies. They offer privacy by masking your personal number and often include security features to protect your data.
Yes, there is usually a cost associated with obtaining and using a virtual number. The cost varies by provider and plan, but it is typically more affordable than traditional phone lines, especially for international communication.
No, you need a phone number but no physical SIM to register for WhatsApp Business. However, this can be a virtual number, which allows you to avoid using your personal/private number.
Yes, most virtual numbers allow you to receive incoming calls and business calls. They often come with additional features like call forwarding and voicemail.
Yes, many providers offer the option to get multiple virtual numbers, which can be assigned to different team members or departments, enhancing internal communication and customer support.
Yes, they are legal. Unlike any typical phone numbers linked to a local provider, these numbers aren’t attached to any network operator or a specific location. You can use this virtual number on existing internet devices like a smartphone, laptop, or VoIP desk phone by installing a dedicated third-party numbering app.
It improves support by enabling personalized messages, automated responses, interaction tracking, and CRM integration for more efficient communication management. This provides a more responsive and personalized service, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Conclusion
By incorporating a virtual WhatsApp number into your business strategy, you’ll gain access to a multitude of benefits. From maintaining a professional image and protecting privacy to streamlining communication and delivering exceptional customer service, virtual numbers offer a powerful and cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. Take control of your communication strategy and unlock the potential of WhatsApp Business with a virtual number today!
We hope this guide helped you to create and use the virtual WhatsApp number for business improvement. Feel free to share your queries with us in the comments section below. We will respond promptly and resolve them.
