Are you currently self-employed or seriously thinking about branching out on your own?
In today’s increasingly connected and mobile world, entrepreneurs and freelancers need to stay on top of potential business opportunities and the unrelenting demands of their clients and partners. Offices have become a virtual concept, home base being anything from the kitchen table to the truck to the coffee shop down the street. What’s more, self-employed workers very often take on every role in their business, acting as receptionist, president, operations manager, financial officer, and everything in between.
Traditional workplace boundaries will soon be a thing of the past; technology, mobility, and economic globalization have played a significant part in redrawing those lines. The standard nine-to-five, too, is steadily growing obsolete, with the virtual age allowing individuals to be available anytime and anyplace. And the telephone—now a mobile device equipped with smart technology—has become the cornerstone of the entrepreneurial lifestyle.
Entrepreneurs and freelancers use their phones to find information, check email, monitor accounts, draw up invoices, and manage their schedules—in other words, to run their business. Even more so than the laptop, the cellphone is a crucial tool not only for their everyday business activities, but also in their personal lives.
Separating the private and professional spheres
In a world that demands their undivided attention, it’s important for self-employed workers to find a way to balance their personal and professional responsibilities. Some do this by pencilling activities such as sports and family time into their schedules; others regularly take time off or have a separate cellphone just for work. Most, however, don’t make such deliberate choices, opting instead to take things one unpredictable day at a time.
No matter how they choose to tackle the work-life balance, every entrepreneur or freelancer will experience moments when their private and professional spheres collide. It might be getting a call from the daycare during a conference call with a couple of partners overseas, or having to put aside planning for a barbecue because a client wants to talk on a Saturday night. Moments like these simply come with the territory.
Working on your own means relying heavily upon access to technology, instant communication, and mobility. Yet these same factors can sometimes lead to a sense of losing control over the different aspects of your life.
Virtual numbers to the rescue
Some people tackle the issue by getting a second phone to use strictly for work. This option is however pricey,, and can become hard to manage.
Virtual phone numbers offer an efficient, cost-saving alternative. Requiring just minutes to set up and available for a fraction of the price of a new phone, they provide users with a concrete way of keeping their private and professional lives separate.
With a Ubigo virtual phone number, entrepreneurs and freelancers can use a different number for each area of their lives, such as for family, clients, and suppliers. Incoming calls are then filtered according to which number was dialed—all on a single smartphone!
Users can set up as many numbers as they need without any extra fuss. Each virtual number is redirected to the mobile device, and users can see whether the caller has dialed their personal or professional number, making it easy to decide if and how to answer the call.
Adapting your phone to your needs and schedule
Self-employed workers, entrepreneurs, freelancers and consultants can now share their Ubigo virtual business number with their clients and include it on business cards, work vehicles, storefront displays, and websites.
Ubigo virtual numbers are a modern and efficient solution designed to meet the needs of today’s entrepreneurs:
- Do you occasionally or regularly do business in another city, province, or country? Consider setting up a Ubigo virtual number for that location. Foreign clients will no longer have to make a long-distance call to reach you, simplifying your lines of communication and giving you a local presence.
- Taking a few well-deserved days off? Forward your Ubigo number to a designated voicemail service while keeping your personal number active.
- Want to keep your business phone from going off during Sunday evenings with the family? Simply put it in standby mode without having to change the settings for your personal number.
- Expecting to have a busy afternoon but don’t want clients to get your voicemail? Have all incoming calls to your Ubigo virtual number forwarded to one of your partners.
- Planning a cottage getaway but don’t want to miss any business calls? Redirect your Ubigo business number to a landline and ensure consistent connection quality during calls.
These few examples give just a taste of what Ubigo virtual numbers have to offer. Every day, users are discovering new applications for this flexible service.
Quick and easy setup
Set up one or more Ubigo virtual numbers in minutes by following the steps below:
- Head online and register at https://www.ubigo.co.
- Select a country and city for which you wish to set up a virtual phone number. You will have the option of creating a local or national (1-800 toll-free) number.
- Specify the cellphone number to which incoming calls will be redirected.
- Activate your new virtual number using the confirmation code sent to you by text message. The service is now ready to use.
You will need the following to register for a Ubigo number: a cellphone (to receive the confirmation text upon registration), a destination phone number (landline or mobile), a valid credit card, and both a street address and an email address (for billing purposes).
The advantages of a Ubigo virtual number
Once you have your Ubigo virtual number, take a moment to explore its numerous features and advantages:
- Make and receive professional calls:
- Send and receive work-related text messages using the Ubigo mobile app.
- Set up and use a separate voice mailbox for work.
- Have voicemail sent to you by email.
- Put your work number in standby mode (incoming calls are automatically redirected to your Ubigo voice mailbox) without affecting calls to your personal number.
- Set up a local number for each of your business locations so that customers feel as if you’re really there.
- Create as many virtual numbers as you need for your business.
- Track your phone activity using Ubigo’s management interface.
No contract, no hidden fees
Easy to set up and use, Ubigo virtual numbers are an on-demand service that doesn’t involve signing complicated contracts or checking any fine print. Need a phone number for a business trip south of the border next month? Set up a Ubigo number for Seattle, New York, or Washington to use while you’re out of town. You’ll be able to contact and make arrangements with local clients from a virtual American number, then deactivate the service once you get home. That’s all there is to it.
Ubigo’s straightforward service fees consist of one initial setup fee, one monthly fee per number, and one per-minute usage fee for incoming and outgoing calls on those numbers. For details, please visit the Pricing page on the Ubigo website.
Fees are drawn directly from your pre-purchased online credit balance. You may cancel this service at any time, at no cost.
You can try out a 10 days free trial by clicking here.
Track activity via Ubigo’s online interface and mobile app
Ubigo’s online management interface lets you track the activity on all of your virtual numbers.
It includes the following options:
- Track the activity on all of your virtual lines:
- Incoming calls
- Outgoing calls
- Call length
- Average call length
- Cost of each call
- Add or remove numbers.
- Configure each number to determine what appears as your caller ID.
- Configure the voice mailbox for each of your numbers.
- Disable your virtual numbers or put them in standby mode.
A service tailor-made for the 21st-century entrepreneur
Whether they work as startup CEOs, consultants, plumbers, electricians, tree trimmers, accountants, lawyers, or real-estate agents, entrepreneurs and freelancers in the 21st century face a changing economic landscape that requires finding the tools that will grow their business while also facilitating a work-life balance.
Ubigo services were designed with today’s entrepreneurs in mind—individuals who value efficiency and transparency, and who don’t want to have to contend with complicated phone systems or infrastructures to achieve their business goals.
