Expanding into the United States is a dream for many businesses. The US market is massive, diverse, and offers endless opportunities, but it’s also highly competitive. Earlier, starting a business in a new country meant spending months opening a physical office, hiring staff, and setting up infrastructure – just to interact with the clients.
Today, communication no longer depends on physical presence. With VoIP, you can activate a US phone number online in just a day, no matter where you are. This is a good and affordable way for companies to test the waters of the US market.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to instantly connect your brand with local clients using virtual phone numbers, and what cloud telephony tools can be utilized to make customer experience better.
Step 1. Find a provider and order a number
Even in the age of chatbots, social media, and messengers, phone calls remain one of the most trusted and widely used communication channels. To build customer trust and make it easier to reach you, it is important to have a local number.
How to get one? The process is simple: find a provider that offers virtual US phone numbers, for example Zadarma, and order a number online. Before ordering a number, it is good to know what types exist:
- Mobile numbers are the most versatile option, as they receive both calls and SMS. They are perfect for customer support and online verifications;
- Landline numbers are ideal if you want to emphasize on the presence in a specific city.
You can choose the area code you need, for example 646 for New York or 323 for Los Angeles, and instantly look like a part of the local market; - Toll-free numbers are suitable for hotlines that receive calls from all over the country. Calls are free of charge for the customer and are paid by the owner of the number.
Once you select the right type, place the order. The number can be used immediately after the activation, as it does not require any physical SIM. For calls, you just need to install the app that works on SIP protocol on the phone or computer.
Step 2. Configure the system
We know that the number alone cannot manage the entire call flow. That’s why all Zadarma customers get access to free cloud PBX. It is an all-in-one communication solution for business that manages how calls are routed and handled. Set up takes less than 10 minutes, but saves a lot of time in the long run.
Within the PBX, there are plenty of features focused on improving customer experience and making the work easier for the call center agents. You can add voice greetings and IVRs, enable call recording, configure call flow for working and non-working hours, set up forwarding to voicemail, and manage call queues.
Customers get clear directions from the PBX to reach the needed department, your agents get calls in the apps – as simple as it can be.
Step 3. Test the setup and start calling
Before launching your new communication system, it’s worth spending a few minutes to test how everything works. Make a few test calls from your new US number to check sound quality, how calls are routed, how apps work and what details you get after the call ends.
It’s also useful to simulate a real customer scenario: call the number, follow the IVR, and see how long it takes for an agent to answer. Every interaction is logged and accessible through PBX statistics, so managers can listen to the recorded calls and track performance of the team members.
Once you are satisfied with the system, it is ready to receive calls from your customers. If you want more control over the calls, clients data and want to build an integral system, you are ready for the next step.
Step 4. Explore advanced tools
A big part of doing business is knowing what happens after the phone rings. Our platform includes CRM and automation tools that collect this information automatically. All integrations are free and their list constantly grows.
Every call, SMS, recording, and note can be linked to a customer card via a CRM. You can see who contacted you, when, and what was discussed. This makes it easy to keep a comprehensive record, follow up and track satisfaction.
Automation tools like Zapier and Make make it easy to build custom workflows without programming, adjusting it to your needs. For example, a new missed call can trigger a follow-up SMS, a lead from your Google Form can be transferred to CRM, or a new message on Facebook Messenger can be answered directly from Teamsale. These small automations allow you to turn your CRM and PBX into an omnichannel platform that stores info about all your customers.
Another tool that is becoming increasingly popular is integration with AI agents. They can automate routine tasks or even handle entire calls without human involvement. Common use cases for voicebots are collecting customer details, providing order updates and answering basic inquiries outside business hours. The PBX participates in routing calls to and from bots, as well as gets call recording afterward. If you haven’t heard about AI agent platforms, you should definitely check it out, as this technology can be useful for all businesses.
Why this approach works
With over 18 years of experience in telephony, Zadarma knows exactly what businesses need to communicate efficiently. Our system is designed for quick setup and smooth operation, so you can focus on the customers, not on worrying about configurations.
Having a local number may seem like a small detail, but it’s often the first step to real market entry. By connecting a US virtual phone number, you instantly get more trust from local clients. Combine it with free PBX, CRM, automation tools integration – and you get a complete communication gateway in a single day.
Get a number in Zadarma today, and we will provide every other tool you need.
