How to quickly launch temporary phone numbers in an emergency

99% of the time, organisations will only ever need one phone number, which anyone can call and get the help or information they need. However, there are some situations where it’s useful – or even vital – to have a second number (or third, or fourth…). Here are a few examples:

• A charity that needs a dedicated line so people can phone and donate in response to a catastrophe
• A public body that wants to give concerned people a number to call in a crisis – for example, if there’s been a suspected terrorist attack and friends and family fear that they’ve lost someone
• A company that’s having a PR disaster – potentially due to a product that needs recalling – and needs to give customers an easy way to get in touch and ask questions

In the above examples, it wouldn’t make sense for the organisations to invest in a lengthy contract when they realistically only need the number for a few weeks or months. Fortunately, there are options available for anyone who needs a temporary or disposable phone number.

Traditional phone system vs virtual phone system

The debate on traditional vs virtual has been going on for the past few years. We’ve previously argued why we believe virtual phone systems are better and have analysed the pros and cons for both. When it comes to phone numbers, there is no contest on what’s better. Virtual phone numbers are super cheap and you’re able to add and remove them easily from your accounts without any hassle. The same can not be said about adding a number to a traditional phone system, which will need a second physical phone line to your business property in order to support an additional phone number – doesn’t sound very temporary!

If that sounds expensive and laborious, it’s because it is; BT, the UK’s biggest telecommunications provider, charge a whopping £140 for installing an additional phone line, then you’ll pay at least £17.90 per month for line rental. You’d also usually be locked into a 12-month or 24-month contract. If you only require the number for a limited period of time, a virtual phone number is almost always going to make more sense from a cost perspective!

Setting up your temporary number

A virtual phone number is also super fast to set up (and then take down when it’s no longer needed). With Nimvelo Phone, you simply log into your dashboard and add a new phone number to your account. This will be usable immediately – all you need to do is set up any extensions and features on it like you would your primary number.

In comparison, adding a number with a landline provider would require you to call them up, arrange an appointment for an engineer to come over at a mutually agreeable time, then sit and wait for a week or two to get connected. Not ideal if you’re looking to get a number live quickly in a crisis!

We may be biased, but we think the virtual option is the clear winner when it comes to needing a new number in an emergency. Even though you’d often expect to pay a premium for something to be done quickly, virtual phone numbers are a lot more cost effective than their landline counterparts. Nimvelo also offer a free phone service for registered charities, allowing them to spend their money on the causes that matter.

Need more convincing that a virtual phone number is right for you? Click here to find out more about how Nimvelo Phone can help your organisation.