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3 Phone Numbers In One Line

U

ultrabold

New Member
Hi there

I am a self employed webdesigner and I will move from Switzerland to Glasgow in 2 weeks.

I'm a bit puzzled, because it seems to be a big issue if you need 3 telephone (landline) numbers for your business.
Because I work in my home office, I always used one number for private calls, one for business and one was directed to my fax.
My telephone can ring in a different way dependent on which number is called. So I know in advance whether it is a business call or a private call.

I called BT this morning, because I couldn't find any information about how many numbers I could add optionally to a landline contract.
It seemed to be a rarely asked question because it took them 20 mins to find out whether it is possible to add 3 numbers to one appartment.
In the end they offered me to take 3 contracts.

So I'd like to now, how small businesses in Scotland who need a fax and a landline number deal with this issue?
Which provider is recommendable for having multiple telephone numbers in one line?

Many thanks in advance for your responses
Alu
 
U

ultrabold

New Member
Thanks, frockery, for your reply.
Yes, I also use VOIP to make cheap calls abroad. But it is dependent on an internet connection.
I need the 3 landline numbers mainly for incoming calls and faxes.
Local landline numbers will make my customers feel that the business is somehow more established, I think.
This is the main reason.
 
Scottish Business Owner

Scottish Business Owner

New Member
You can get VOIP numbers that are local and have as many as you want all coming through the one line. All you need to do is enable CLI (Caller Line Identification) and this will tell you what number has been dialled. Try looking at www.voipfone.co.uk as they can probably explain it better than me. All you need would be a VOIP handset and you're ready to go.

In this day and age I wouldn't use a traditional fax machine. It's easy enough to set up a fax 2 email service and get it routed direct to your inbox. Have a look at www.fax.co.uk - very easy to set up and work with and will probably be cheaper. Is is possible to send out the same way as well.

If I've not given enough info let me know and i'll expand :)
 
U

ultrabold

New Member
I asked at voipfone.co.uk how to solve my problem and they offered me this:

"..You could have 2 UK local voice numbers at £2 per month each and 2 PBX extensions at £1 per month each.
You could then have a Snom 300 for £80, then have the two extensions programmed into the phone, each line gives a different ring tone.
We could help get this set up for you.
You would then have a number assigned to its own extension but both ring to the same handset.
We do offer UK fax numbers at £2 per month each, however fax services with us, are fax to email/email to fax."


It seems that this is what I wanted, except that I'll be always dependent on a working internet connection.

Thanks for your hints. I think I'll give it a try.
 
U

ultrabold

New Member
Hm, I see that the VOIP company has only limited data transfer packages. But I need sth. truly unlimited.
So, could I pick "the best" from every provider?
Like: only the broadband from provider A, the VOIP local telephone numbers from provider B, maybe a TV package from provider C?
 
Gemma Rowlands

Gemma Rowlands

New Member
I agree about not really having any need to use a traditional fax machine. Have you managed to find a system that suits your needs yet? I don't even have a phone system with my business yet, because we tend to communicate with clients solely via email, and if one of my staff do ever need to call someone they just do so from their own phone. But then again we are very very small at the moment; I am sure that I will have to improve the way that things work in the future.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
U

ultrabold

New Member
Have you managed to find a system that suits your needs yet?

Hi Gemma, thx for your reply. Yes, I use voipfone.co.uk now with two extensions for phonenumbers and 1 for fax. I need a fax very rare. But some of my customers still use it and expect a "real" company somehow to have one. I'm very happy with this solution now.
 
Gemma Rowlands

Gemma Rowlands

New Member
Hi Gemma, thx for your reply. Yes, I use voipfone.co.uk now with two extensions for phonenumbers and 1 for fax. I need a fax very rare. But some of my customers still use it and expect a "real" company somehow to have one. I'm very happy with this solution now.

Thanks for replying! I'm glad you've found something to suit. Obviously if you need a fax then that's your choice, but it's great that you've found something that can accommodate everything you need.
 
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