1. Decide what the number needs to say about you
A local area code (0113, 0161, 020) signals you're nearby, which matters for local trades and services. An 03 number reads as national and costs callers the same as a mobile call. An 0800 freephone number suits businesses selling to consumers who expect a free call. You can hold more than one and point them all at the same phones.
2. Check where calls can ring
The cheapest services forward to a single mobile. That's fine for a sole trader, but if you ever add a second person you'll want the number to ring several phones at once, or in sequence. Ask whether calls can ring:
- a mobile app as well as the mobile number itself
- several people simultaneously, so the first free person answers
- a desk phone in the office alongside mobiles
3. Look at outbound calls, not just inbound
Plain call-forwarding gives you an inbound number only — when you call a customer back, your personal mobile number shows on their screen, and that's the number they'll save. A proper system lets you dial out showing the business number, which is the whole point of keeping the two separate.
4. Sort out-of-hours before you need it
Decide what should happen at 7pm on a Friday: straight to voicemail, on to the person covering emergencies, or a recorded message with your opening hours. Any system worth paying for lets you set this on a schedule rather than remembering to toggle it.
5. Understand how missed calls are handled
Voicemail-to-email is the minimum — the message lands in your inbox as an audio file so you can deal with it between jobs. Missed-call alerts by text or email are just as useful, because a missed number you can ring back in ten minutes is still a live lead.
6. Read the call charges, not the headline price
Some forwarding services advertise a low monthly fee then bill per minute for every diverted call. If you take a lot of calls, an inclusive per-user plan usually works out cheaper and far more predictable. We cover the numbers in the costs and contracts guide.
7. Check you can take the number with you
UK numbers are portable, but the process is smoother with some providers than others. Confirm before you sign that you can port your number away later — and that you can port your existing number in. See keeping your number when you switch.
Where to go next
If you want the short version, our comparison of virtual landline options puts the main types side by side, and our plans start at £19 per user per month with calls included.