We all know by now that VoIP technology has transformed business communications, but there’s stil so much to explore in terms of the different ways it can help companies thrive. If you’re new to learning about this telecommunications solution, you’ve probably run into the subject of choosing a fixed or non-fixed VoIP service and you’re not entirely sure what that means.

There’s no need to worry! This guide will tell you everything you need to know.

We’ll cover the difference between fixed and non-fixed VoIP, the pros and cons of non-fixed VoIP, and offer some use cases that could very well match your business needs.

What is a non-fixed VoIP number?

What is VoIP?

Fixed vs non-fixed VoIP phone numbers

Pros and cons of non-fixed VoIP

3 use cases for non-fixed VoIP business phone systems

A non-fixed VoIP number is a virtual phone number that's not assigned to a specific device or location. Instead, it's assigned to a person. To better understand what this means, let's start with the basics:

What is VoIP?

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows users to make and receive phone calls over the internet. It’s different from the traditional phone line setup in the sense that it doesn’t rely on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and analog lines to carry voice signals from end to end.

When you use a VoIP phone or app (also known as virtual phones), or when a person calls you with one, your voice signals are converted into data packets. These data packets are transmitted over the internet and converted back into voice signals at the receiving end.

Fixed vs non-fixed VoIP phone numbers

As previously mentioned both fixed VoIP and non-fixed VoIP phone numbers rely on a VoIP system (meaning you only require an internet connection to make a call using these numbers). It’s just that there there are key differences between these two types of VoIP phone numbers to bear in mind.

You can find a quick summary of what makes them distinct from each other below:

Beyond that, there are things they have in common, such as:

• Device-agnostic. Both non-fixed and fixed VoIP can work with the device you want to use for internet-based calls. This includes VoIP phones, personal computers (just download your provider’s softphone program), and mobile devices like cell phones or a smartphone (just download your vendor’s VoIP app)
• More affordable. Because these numbers don’t need physical lines and specialized equipment to be assigned to specific devices, you can cut maintenance-heavy hardware out of your expenditures. Long-distance and international phone calls also cost less thanks to the reduced reliance on specially-designed gear.
• Flexibility. These numbers are both technically virtual numbers (though some may argue that non-fixed VoIP is “more virtual” than fixed VoIP). This means they’re more open to advancements in configuration—the best example of which is that they can be set to send and receive SMS. This means you can use one number for your business calls and your text messages for work

You can also use both types of numbers with your VoIP-enabled Private Branch Exchange (PBX), assigning fixed for some users and non-fixed for others or simply choosing one type for all. You just need to understand—beyond the basic distinctions between these two options—the pros and cons.

Both the pros and cons of non-fixed VoIP need to be taken into consideration when setting up a virtual phone system for business.

It’s true that non-fixed VoIP phone numbers can be seen as better than fixed VoIP numbers as they:

• Offer more flexibility. You can assign and reassign them to different users easily, regardless of where they work
• Are easier to scale. Because you don’t need to firmly associate them with an address, you can get more and deploy more of these numbers more quickly
• Help you implement global communications within your organization. Even if you have a smaller budget and don’t necessarily need to have an international presence, you can still employ and work with talent from all over the world when you give them a non-fixed VoIP number.

But that doesn’t mean they have no shortcomings. Below, we can explore the good and the bad of non-fixed VoIP phone numbers.

Pros

We’ve briefly touched upon some of these above, but let’s cover them in more detail.

Local presence across the world

With a non-fixed VoIP virtual phone system, you can request virtual phone numbers with local area codes even if you don’t have offices or physical addresses in that geographical location. That means you have access to a localized business phone number for North American, South American, European, Asian, African, and Australian customers while operating from one place.*

This is great for businesses that need global communications but also want to cultivate a local presence. All your virtual phone numbers can be managed in one account, regardless of area codes.

Communicating with customers using a local number will reassure them that you’re not a spammer, scammer, or fraudster—and it grants your business authority and authenticity in that physical location.

_{* Special note: Availability of a local number may depend on which areas or countries can be supported by your VoIP service provider, so make sure this is brought up when you’re exploring your options.}

Send and receive texts with SMS APIs

With the help of application program interfaces (APIs), sending and receiving text messages is also possible with a VoIP phone number for business. It can be configured to send and receive text messages. Users who use mobile devices for business communications can download their provider’s app to use SMS texting powered by Voice over Internet Protocol. They can also set up their VoIP service to forward text messages their non-fixed VoIP number receives to a regular cell phone.

VoIP service providers like 8x8 offer fully integrated business telephony communications, so you can use one app and dashboard for making VoIP calls, sending texts, and video calling.

Easy to scale

Another benefit of nonfixed VoIP is how easy it is to scale. In the past, expanding your business required leasing more phone lines and even setting up offices across the world. Now, you can just contact your VoIP service provider to increase the number of users on your plan and you’re good to go.

This also makes it easy to scale up and down according to your business communication needs. For example, if you need more call center users during busy periods, you can increase your users temporarily and reduce back to your usual plan after.

Access a range of calling features

Non-fixed VoIP numbers can give you access to all the calling features a business needs. Caller ID, call routing, conferencing, voicemail, and call recording are all standard functionalities on VoIP phone systems.

VoIP service providers also offer smaller operations advanced features they can’t get with traditional landline phone services for SMBs. For example, an auto attendant can automate call handling by presenting a menu of options whenever a person calls your company. Using the caller’s responses, the auto attendant can route calls to the right department or live agent, giving your business a professional appearance regardless of its size.

Low-cost alternative to traditional landlines

A non-fixed VoIP number is often sold as part of the Software as a Service (SaaS) model, meaning customers pay for a monthly plan—no upfront costs or expensive installation and maintenance fees. Unlimited long-distance and international calls are also often offered with lower or no additional fees by VoIP providers offering non-fixed VoIP numbers for business.

While this is also true of fixed VoIP, non-fixed VoIP lines tend to cost less to procure and can sometimes even be acquired in bulk because they don’t need to be associated with a location.

This makes VoIP much cheaper to set up and scale than traditional PBX phone service.

Easy to set up

A VoIP phone system can be set up in minutes and immediately accessed through a non-fixed number. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, your administrator can create an account, add VoIP users, and manage the company’s VoIP service from an easy-to-use administration portal and dashboard.

This also makes onboarding a smooth and easy process. New users can be added in minutes and set up with a VoIP phone and virtual number. Employees who prefer using mobile devices instead of desktop-style VoIP phones with their VoIP service can download mobile apps so they can manage all their business communications from their smartphones.

Cons

No emergency calling

Making emergency calls to hotlines like 911 can get tricky when you’re using a non-fixed VoIP phone number. This is because it isn’t associated with a physical location, meaning emergency operators (and by extension, first responders) can’t independently trace the call to the correct location of the caller. Of course, this can be a big problem if the person calling is prevented from speaking and telling the authorities where they are. If your business has a physical office that you want to be found in case of a catastrophe, make sure you have a fixed VoIP line or a landline so you can call emergency services when you need to.

Important note: If you’re using your business VoIP phone system, make sure that you have e911 activated. This entails registering an address that you want emergency services to associate with a particular fixed VoIP number—and if you have several different offices, make sure each location is assigned a number for e911 purposes. Talk to your VoIP services vendor about their e911 implementation process.

Lacks trust factor

Because tracing nonfixed VoIP phone numbers is difficult on account of them not being associated with an actual street address, they tend to be favored by people engaged in scams and fraudulent activity. As such, non-fixed VoIP has gained a bit of a bad reputation.

You can avoid suspicion of questionable ventures while still using non-fixed numbers by displaying each of your local phone numbers on your website. That way, if a customer sees your caller ID and searches for the phone number online, they’ll be able to see it as a legitimate contact detail. That being said, this can still be a challenge if you use a lot of local phone numbers for sales and marketing campaigns—it makes publishing all your numbers on your site impractical.

If the many benefits of non-fixed numbers haven’t convinced you yet, then you probably need more concrete examples of how non-fixed VoIP numbers can help your company. So, here are three typical use cases of non-fixed VoIP for businesses.

1. Cloud contact centers
2. Remote teams
3. Growing small businesses

Cloud contact centers

VoIP technology is already exciting for businesses that have a contact center or customer support lines because it allows them to scale and adapt affordably. But when they get a contact center solution that uses non-fixed VoIP lines, multiple local and global VoIP numbers are assigned to one team or department. This way, your agents can communicate with customers via local numbers across the world.

As mentioned earlier, it’s easy to add more users to your plan, so you can scale your contact center whenever you need to without needing to buy actual phones or lease more phone lines.

Remote teams

Non-fixed VoIP phone numbers are also great for remote teams and mobile workers. Whether your teams work from home or are on the move, a VoIP service can give each employee a business phone number that can be used on their own cell phone or any mobile device they prefer for personal use.

This removes the need to have employees at your business’s physical location just so they can make phone calls. Remote working and hybrid work models are easier to implement with non-fixed VoIP numbers, giving you the option to hire staff from across the country and even the world.

Growing small businesses

Getting a VoIP account with a VoIP provider is a great option for small businesses that have a growing customer base. The ability to make and receive calls using a localized phone number even when you don’t necessarily have a street address in that location means you can connect with all the customers you serve.

Voice over IP in and of itself is easy to scale, cost-effective, and highly flexible. That’s why so many growing small businesses are choosing VoIP solutions over traditional landlines. But when you use non-fixed virtual numbers with this solution, these benefits are amplified.

Get started with VoIP

Whether you’re a part of a small but growing business or your enterprise needs a streamlined phone solution, a VoIP phone system could benefit your operations in more ways than one.

8x8 offers VoIP solutions for businesses of any size. Whether you need a non-fixed VoIP phone number to use for your small consultancy firm or several non-fixed numbers for a sales campaign run by your contact center, it can provide for your specific internet calling needs.

And if you ever decide to take your business communications beyond simple telephony, 8x8 already has your back. Our VoIP solution is part of a full-fledged unified communications platform that includes video conferencing, team messaging, and advanced contact center capabilities.

Want to learn more? Contact our sales team today.