Business Phone Number
Business Phone Numbers in South Africa
What is a Business Phone Number?
A business phone number is a dedicated telephone number that customers use to contact your company.
Unlike using your personal cellphone number for work, a business number belongs to your business. It can be connected to your team, routed to different people and used wherever your employees work.
With Notel, your business number isn’t tied to a physical telephone line or office.
Your number connects to your cloud phone system, giving you control over what happens when someone calls.
Customer calls your business → your phone system routes the call → the right person answers.
And if nobody is available, you decide what happens next.
Which business phone number should you choose?
South African businesses have several options.
The right number depends on how you want your business to present itself and where your customers are located.
Geographic phone numbers
Geographic numbers have a South African area code associated with a particular region.
Examples include:
021 – Cape Town
011 – Johannesburg
012 – Pretoria
031 – Durban
041 – Gqeberha
A geographic number can be useful when having a local presence is important to your business.
And despite being a geographic number, it doesn’t mean your business has to be physically tied to that location. With Notel, your phone system is in the cloud.
087 business numbers
An 087 number is a non-geographic South African number.
It isn’t associated with a particular city or region, making it useful for businesses that operate nationally or don’t want their number tied to one location.
An 087 number can therefore give your business a national presence while your team works from wherever they need to.
Can I keep my existing Business Phone Number?
Yes.
Your business phone number is an asset. If customers already know it, changing providers shouldn’t mean changing the number they use to contact you.
With Notel, you can port your existing business number to your new phone system.
We manage the porting process with your existing provider so you can move to Notel without having to tell your customers that your number has changed.
Why port your number?
You can:
Keep the number your customers already know
Move away from your existing phone provider
Upgrade to a cloud-based phone system
Keep using your number from different locations
Give your team more flexibility
Use your business number on your cellphone
Your business number doesn’t have to live on a desk.
With the Notel App, you can use your business number on your existing smartphone over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
That means you can:
Receive business calls on your cellphone
Make calls that show your business number
Keep your personal cellphone number private
Work from wherever you have an internet connection
You don’t need a separate business cellphone or SIM card. Your business number lives in the cloud as part of your Notel phone system.
Your business number can follow your team
A business phone number becomes much more useful when it isn’t restricted to one person or one desk.
With a cloud phone system, you can decide who answers your calls and when.
For example:
Customer calls your main number
↓
Sales team rings
↓
No answer?
↓
Call another colleague
↓
Outside business hours?
↓
Professional voicemail
You can configure your call flow around the way your business actually works.
Your employees can be in the office, working from home or traveling while customers continue calling the same business number.
One business number or several?
You don’t have to use just one number.
Depending on your business, you might want:
One main business number
Ideal for a small business where customers have one central number to call.
Different numbers for different teams
For example:
Sales
Support
Accounts
Bookings
Numbers for different locations
A business operating in several cities could use different geographic numbers while managing them through the same cloud phone system.
Numbers for different brands
If you operate multiple brands, additional numbers can help customers reach the right business while your team manages everything from one system.
What can you do with a business phone number?
A business number is only the starting point.
With Notel, your number forms part of a complete cloud phone system.
You can use features such as:
Call routing
Call forwarding
Call groups
Opening hours
Voicemail
Voicemail-to-email
Auto attendant / IVR
Call queues
Internal extensions
Call recording
Call logs and statistics
Notel App
Notel Webphone
This means you aren’t simply buying a telephone number.
You’re getting a system for managing how your business communicates with customers.
What is a VoIP phone number?
A VoIP phone number is a telephone number that works over an internet connection instead of a traditional telephone network.
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol.
The important difference is that your number isn’t tied to a particular physical telephone line.
Your business number can therefore work through:
A VoIP desk phone
Your computer
A smartphone
The Notel App
Notel Webphone
This is what makes a VoIP business number particularly useful for modern and hybrid businesses.
Do I need a traditional landline for a business number?
No.
A VoIP business number doesn’t require a traditional copper telephone line.
Your calls are handled through your internet connection and Notel’s cloud phone system.
That means you can have a professional business number without installing a traditional telephone line at your office.
You can even use the same business number while working from home or another location.
Business phone numbers for remote and hybrid teams
Your customers shouldn’t need to know where your employees are working.
With a cloud phone system, your team can use the same business number whether they’re:
In the office
Working from home
Traveling
Working from another city
Working from another country
The number stays with the business.
That means changing where you work doesn’t necessarily mean changing how customers reach you.
How much does a business phone number cost?
The cost depends on the type of number and the phone system you need.
Notel offers South African geographic and non-geographic numbers. Additional numbers are priced separately from the full phone system.
The important thing to consider is that a business phone number is usually only one part of your communication setup.
You may also need:
Users
Call functionality
VoIP phones
Apps or Webphone
Additional numbers
Call recording or other features
Notel combines the number with a complete cloud phone system, so you can manage your business communications from one platform.
Ready for a business phone number?
Whether you need your first business number, want to replace an old telephone system or simply want to move your existing number to a more flexible platform, Notel can help.
Keep your existing number or choose a new one.
Use it wherever you work.
Manage your business phone system from the cloud.
Get your business phone number with Notel
Still have questions?
Let’s talk.
If you didn’t find the answer you need, our team is here to help. We’ll discuss your goals, answer your questions, and help you identify the right next step for your business.
How we can help?
We’re here to answer your questions, understand your needs, and help you choose the right next step.
- Answer questions about our services
- Recommend the best next step
- Explore your business use case
- Discuss timelines, scope, and fit