Get a business phone number in minutes
Need a phone number for your UK business? With Dialpad, you can set up a business phone number in minutes, included with a fully-fledged unified communications platform for only £12 per user, per month. You’ll have access to voice calls, video meetings, messaging, and much more—including one free local business number.
Try it free for 14 days.
What is a business phone number?
A business phone number is a dedicated phone line for your organisation. It provides customers with a direct line to your company, making it easier for you to take customer calls, reach out to vendors, and do all those other things that keep business ticking over.
With Dialpad as your provider, you’ll have access to a range of additional features, such as real-time call transcriptions and video meetings.
Why get a UK business phone number with Dialpad?
With Dialpad, you get much more than just a business phone number or even a business phone system.
You’ll be equipped with a truly unified communications platform with built-in VoIP phone system, team messaging, video conferencing, and more. All alongside a free local phone number and unlimited inbound and outbound calls within the UK, US, and Canada.
And because your virtual phone number is linked to your online account instead of a specific physical address, you’ll be able to use it from any device and any location with an internet connection. And those aren’t the only reasons UK businesses choose Dialpad:
Easy setup
Whether you want a new business phone number or just want to port your existing number over, it’s incredibly easy to do in Dialpad. In Dialpad, you can add a new virtual phone number (or manage phone numbers for your team) at any time with a click of a button.
Call forwarding
Heading out of the office but don’t want to miss an important business call? Dialpad's call forwarding feature will send all your incoming calls to another mobile phone, office phone, or even your colleague. Worried about reception? Set a landline number as one of your call forwarding options! You can set up call forwarding to five external call forwarding numbers.
Customisable caller ID
Dialpad is designed to let you work from anywhere, and that includes letting you make calls on your personal mobile phone while shielding your personal number. When you make a call from Dialpad’s desktop or mobile app, you can choose which business number you want to pop up on caller ID.
Keep your work-life balance
If work-life balance is important to you, then a “do not disturb” feature is essential, especially if you’re using your personal phone for work. With Dialpad, you can have incoming calls sent to your voicemail inbox (or someone else)—and keep using your phone for personal phone calls and messaging—without worrying about clients calling you after business hours.
Get started with a free business phone number...
... Along with a unified communications platform. Sign up to try Dialpad for free, or take a self-guided product tour and play around with the app on your own first!
You just type in the area code and there’s always a list. I’ve never not been able to get one, and then it’s attached to a phone and done. It’s just super quick to provision a phone.
Randy Tanenhaus
IT Manager at ClassPass
Any device, anytime
One of the best things about Dialpad is that you can use its softphone app on any device. Whether your personal mobile phone is an iPhone or Android—or even if you’re using a PC or Mac—Dialpad works on all of them (yes, even iOS devices like iPads). Plus, Dialpad's call flip feature lets you flip a phone call from your computer seamlessly to your phone (and vice versa) without dropping the call!
Call recording
Some business phone providers charge exorbitant amounts of money for call recording. Dialpad doesn’t. Call recordings are useful in so many ways—they’re great for training because new hires can hear firsthand how to handle difficult calls, they can help your team adhere to compliance measures, and much more.
Excellent call quality
With Dialpad’s global voice network, which is designed to prioritise call quality, your phone calls will be crystal clear, no matter where in the world you’re calling. Hey, we have HD video—why not HD audio?
Auto attendant
An auto attendant or virtual receptionist is a feature that greets callers when they call you and presents them with the different menu options. Once your caller makes a choice, the auto-attendant automatically transfers the call. If your business gets a lot of inbound calls and needs some help with call management, or if you're spending too much time on manual call routing, you probably need this!
4 types of business phone numbers you might need
Here are the four most common types of business phone numbers—the main difference between these is how much they charge, to whom, and what the phone number looks like:
1. A local phone number
Local phone numbers are associated with specific areas in the UK. For businesses that want to establish a local presence, this can be useful, as it helps customers recognise your business in local directories or online searches.
Also, when you call a prospect or client using a dialling code they don’t recognise, they’ll be less likely to pick up your call, especially when long-distance costs are a concern.
Local phone numbers tend to receive higher answer rates and incoming call volumes. Even if your business doesn’t have a local presence, adopting a local number can enhance your credibility.
2. An international phone number
International phone numbers let you handle calls from overseas. Adopting an international business line is ideal if you’re trying to establish a more global or national presence and communicate with clients worldwide.
Customers can reach your international line by inputting the country code, followed by the dialling code, and, finally, the phone number.
3. A freephone (toll-free) number
A freephone or toll-free number allows callers to get in touch with a business without incurring charges. Instead, the charge is paid by the company being called. These numbers can improve accessibility and make your organisation appear more established.
4. A vanity phone number
Vanity phone numbers are made up of distinct and memorable number combinations. These are great for marketing purposes, as they’re instantly recognisable to customers. Think 0800 00 1066 for Hastings Direct—a vanity number that uses a combination of the date of the Battle of Hastings and an advertising jingle to make it more memorable.
In the UK, vanity numbers are sometimes also known as non-geographic numbers or NGNs, as they aren’t specific to a particular geographic area.
Get a business phone number in minutes with Dialpad
Offering much more than just a business phone line, Dialpad arms you with a user-friendly, scaleable, and feature-rich unified communications platform.
With even the most basic paid plan, you’ll have access to all the features listed above, unlimited calling in the UK, US, and Canada, and a free local business number.
And Dialpad works from any device, anywhere—whether your business uses desk phones, mobile devices, computers, or a combination of these. You’ll also be able to flip calls between devices whenever you want if you need to step away from your desk.
Equipping employees with a UCaaS system and virtual phone number for business communications will allow them to make and take calls on the go and work remotely with ease.
Need a business number?
Get one in minutes — along with a unified communications platform. Sign up for Dialpad’s 14-day free trial to get set up with a business phone number now!
FAQs about business phone numbers
Today, the most efficient and cost-effective way of equipping yourself with a business phone number is by signing up for a virtual business phone number with a cloud service provider like Dialpad.
Dialpad gives you access to a completely unified communications solution with a built-in virtual phone system.
When you sign up for a free trial, you’ll immediately be set up with a new business phone number. After your trial, simply select one of Dialpad’s tiered payment plans and decide if you want more local, freephone, or international numbers (or all three).
Many organisations have different phone numbers per department, and it might also be useful to provide team members with their own numbers. From there, you can add users, set up voicemail and your call routing options, and start using your new business phone number right away.
Alongside calling capabilities, you’ll be able to make use of additional helpful features like visual voicemail, instant messaging, call recording, and more.
Yes, some services say they’ll give you a free business phone number. But it’s important to do your research. While these might be a decent option if you’re only looking for a business phone number, you won’t have access to any other valuable features to help you with your business communications.
For businesses looking to scale, a cost-effective unified business communications system like Dialpad is a much more sustainable long-term solution. Dialpad offers a free business phone number within the UK with all of its plans, plus a range of advanced features.
There’s not really a right or wrong answer here. 0800 numbers (freephone or toll-free numbers) and local numbers each come with their own benefits. You’ll need to pick the type of business phone number that best suits your business goals.
For businesses looking to develop a national or international presence and allow customers to reach out for free, an 0800 number may be better. Freephone numbers also create a more professional and established image.
Local numbers, too, can lend businesses credibility in local areas and reduce the cost of calls to your standard local call rate. They make your number more recognisable to locals and help to establish your organisation as part of a local community.
Prices for business phone numbers vary depending on the level of service and service provider. Some providers make these available free of charge, but you’ll find that these come with extremely limited features and functionalities.
The best option for any organisations—from startups to large enterprises—that need a more scalable and professional business phone service is to sign up with a provider like Dialpad. You’ll be able to pick a plan at a price point that works for your business and scale up and down as and when needed, according to demand.
Dialpad’s Standard plan starts at as little as £12 per user, per month. This includes a free virtual business phone number within the UK, unlimited calling, messaging, AI-powered call and voicemail transcriptions, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations, unlimited video meetings, web and chat support, and more.