What is Direct Inward Dialing (DID)?

Handling company communications frequently means having multiple dedicated phone lines installed and hiring an efficient receptionist or call center. Now, direct inward dialing (DID) numbers and DID VOIP options are making it possible to effectively deal with even a large quantity of incoming calls without lots of physical phone lines. Imagine the efficiency and value of having each staff member having their own DID number that automatically routes to their workstation.

What are Direct Inward Dialing, DID, or Virtual Phone Numbers?

Any landline, digital phone line, or even a mobile phone can receive re-routed calls through a transfer service to a DID virtual phone number. To explain it simply, multiple calls can take place at the same time on the same phone line but reach different employees. With old telecommunications technology, attempting this would result in a busy signal.

Now, busy signals can be as obsolete as switchboard operators and rotary dials. Modern systems use call forwarding, automated transfers, and virtual operators to handle these issues. A reputable telecommunications provider can assist in setting up the best options for your business application. The greatest feature of a VoIP DID is flexibility.

VoIP DID numbers can be your businesses main number, numbers that ring specific individuals directly or virtual numbers that can be programmed to perform any number of operations. An example would be setting up a VoIP DID in a city that is not where your business is presently located in cases where you are trying to expand or relocate. An added benefit is that there are no long distance charges for this when it’s within the continental US.

The Benefits of Adopting a DID Number System

For companies wishing to streamline their telecommunications systems, DID numbers reduce the need for multiple physical phone lines or complicated answering or reception services. This can result in a lower the overall cost for phone service management. The price can vary depending on the application.

In most cases, a DID number is assigned to an individual person instead of a specific mobile device or telephone extension. Your company owns the number as long as it is in service. This not only ensures the caller reaches who they want when they dial but also helps streamline business.

The DID number provider can set up the new number so it has a local area code and still be halfway around the world. Toll-free options are available. An employee who does work on the go from their smartphone can be reached there and in the office using the same number. Differentiating personal calls from business calls on the same phone would require a call handling app in many cases.

With all these latest benefits of direct inward dialing, companies both large and small should talk with a quality telecommunications provider to learn how to get one of their own. Whether you decide on a traditional DID or VOIP DID option, the DID choice can make sense for most any business.

Simple to set up, direct inward dialing requires no installation of extra physical phone lines but, does require that you have the correct equipment in place and initially takes some programming to set up. It is a cost-effective way to handle a higher volume of incoming calls without increasing the quantity of phone lines. This can improve everything from marketing efforts to customer service all with one new tech way to communicate.