Virtual phone numbers let your business send and receive SMS and text messages online to North American numbers using our easy-to-use platform or mobile app.
- Choose a dedicated short code, local 10-digit number, or toll-free number for your business
- Set up call forwarding from your online SMS number
- Text large groups of people or message your contacts one-on-one
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THOUSANDS OF NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESSES USE OUR SMS PHONE NUMBERS
What are virtual phone numbers?
A virtual SMS phone number enables your business to send and receive SMS text messages online over the internet without having to use a physical phone.
Like a real phone number, your online virtual phone number is unique to your business. You can use it reach out to, respond and converse with contacts. With a business text messaging platform like SimpleTexting, you can start texting from a virtual number to numbers in the U.S., Canada, and some mobile carriers in the Caribbean in just a few steps.
How do virtual phone numbers work?
1. Choose a new number
You can text-enable a current phone number, choose a new toll-free number, register a new 10-digit number with an area code local to your business, or apply to provision a dedicated short code.
- Text enable your existing phone number
- Provision an easy-to-remember 6-digit dedicated short code
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2. Send text messages
Now that you have a virtual SMS phone number, you can send your first SMS–or MMS–message. Text one customer, or thousands.
- Text 1-on-1 with customers, employees, or leads
- Send SMS marketing campaigns to large groups
- Send appointment reminders, alerts, and more
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3. Manage replies in your inbox
Receive incoming SMS from all numbers for free and use our user-friendly Inbox to stay on top of them.
- Mark conversations as resolved or temporarily hide them
- Easily filter and prioritize conversations
- Share the workload by adding team members
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Types of online phone numbers
Whether your business needs to engage customers 1-on-1 or send text marketing campaigns, our team can help you select the right virtual phone number.
Toll free number
Send mass texts and have one-on-one conversations with a toll-free number. Don’t forget to have your toll-free number verified to avoid disruptions to your traffic from carriers.
Local number
Prefer to use a number with your area code? We can help you register one to avoid traffic disruptions. A local number is perfect for connecting 1-on-1 with customers and providing text-based customer service.
Connect your existing number
We can text-enable your current landline or VoIP number! You’ll still be able to receive calls. An existing number is ideal for 1-on-1 texting and providing text-based customer service.
Dedicated short code
A dedicated short code is a 5- or 6-digit number that’s often used to send high volumes of messages. We can help you lease a short code from the Common Short Code Administration.
Virtual phone numbers vs. traditional phone numbers
VIRTUAL SMS PHONE NUMBERS
- Usable on nearly any device
- No need to use your personal cell phone number
- Access all messages within one platform, wherever you are
- Automate SMS workflows with autoresponses and campaigns
- Integrate with other tools and apps
TRADITIONAL SMS PHONE NUMBERS
- Tied to a specific phone and location
- Unable to separate business from personal within the same device
- A new phone number means a new piece of hardware
- Unable to monitor activity on business phones within your team
How you can use your virtual SMS number
Customers don’t want long hold times, slow responses, and confusing email threads. Delight them by adding the efficiency and convenience of SMS customer service.
With a virtual SMS number, you can give your customers an easy and quick way to make reservations and schedule appointments. You can also use your number to send automated reminders to reduce no shows.
Send shipping and delivery notifications directly from your virtual SMS number.
Using a toll-free, local, or short code phone number, you can send mass campaigns to everyone who’s opted into your list. You can use these messages to launch new products or send coupon codes.
Texting is the perfect medium for sending customer satisfaction surveys and noninvasive follow up touches that contribute to overall customer retention efforts.
Set up call forwarding from your virtual phone number to your personal number so you never miss a chance to connect.
How to get a virtual business phone number
Want an online phone number to receive text for your business? Follow these three steps.
1. Sign up for a free trial.
When you sign up for a 14-day trial of SimpleTexting, you’ll get a temporary virtual number to try out the features.
Keep in mind that you’ll get 50 messaging credits, and any texts you send will include a SimpleTexting watermark. This way, you can try before you buy.
2. Upgrade to a paid account.
If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid SimpleTexting account. You’ll see a prompt to choose between virtual number types like local numbers, toll-free numbers, and dedicated short codes.
Have an existing number you want to use? Reach out to our customer support team to see if it’s eligible to be text-enabled.
3. Choose a number from our virtual number pool.
Depending on which number type you select, you’ll need to register it with wireless carriers.
This is an industry-wide standard, and we make the process super simple. You’ll fill out some information about your business, and our customer support specialists will handle the rest.
Which businesses can benefit from an online phone number for receiving texts?
Browse our industry guides to find out how a virtual phone number for SMS and text messaging can benefit your business or organization.
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Why should you get a virtual SMS number from SimpleTexting?
Find out why SimpleTexting is the best text number provider to help you separate professional texts from personal messages.
Manage on-the-go
You can send and receive SMS from our easy-to-use web interface or mobile app. All you need is a smartphone or laptop and internet access.
Build your brand
A dedicated virtual phone number allows you to advertise your text-enabled business. You can run a text-to-join campaign with our keywords feature.
Connect your apps
Take advantage of our SMS API or connect with over 1,000 different apps through Zapier. Integrate SMS with all of your favorite tools, from Mailchimp to Shopify.
Reduce costs
With SimpleTexting, pricing is flexible and based on the volume of texts that you anticipate sending. Our plans start at $29 for 500 credits.
Dedicated support
When you purchase a plan from us, you become a customer. At SimpleTexting, we pride ourselves on providing industry-leading support, 7 days a week.
No contracts
There are no hidden fees, cancellation charges, or contracts involved. You can stop using your virtual SMS number whenever you want, or even pause your account.
Customers who use our virtual numbers
A virtual SMS number drives real results, but don’t just take our word for it. Hear it from people who use them everyday.
E-Commerce
How Toroe Eyewear Generated an Extra $7K in 30 Days with Our Mobile Sign-Up Widget
Using SimpleTexting’s Mobile Sign-Up Widget to advertise a 10% discount, Toroe Eyewear generated an extra $7,028 in store revenue in a month. That’s a 156x return on its text marketing channel.
Read their success story
Entertainment /Events
Life is Beautiful Switched to SimpleTexting and Increased Deliverability by 366%
Life is Beautiful is a 3-day music festival hosted in Downtown Las Vegas. Find out how SimpleTexting helps them reach more fans, sell more tickets, and grow their SMS efforts.
Read their success story
Professional Services
How Delta Sonic Got More Than 50,000 Text Subscribers
With a text marketing club nearly two years old, Delta Sonic communicates with thousands of their customers each week to promote deals and share important updates.
Read their success story
More Success Stories
Frequently asked questions about getting a text-enabled number
Below is a list of frequently asked questions regarding our virtual SMS mobile numbers.
Do you offer virtual phone numbers for SMS outside of the US and Canada?
At this time, we only support the U.S., Canada, and some mobile carriers in the Caribbean. Within these countries, we offer a complete range of phone number types to choose from.
Can I text-enable an existing 800 number?
Yes you can. Once an 800 number (toll-free number) is text-enabled, it can receive and send text messages. You can learn more about using toll-free phone numbers for text messaging here.
How much does a new virtual number cost?
Plans begin at $29/mo for 500 SMS messages, and we never charge for incoming SMS messages. All you pay for is outgoing texts.
Do I need a virtual SMS number to send text blasts?
If you plan on sending text blasts, then you’ll need a dedicated virtual SMS number. This is because your phone’s default messaging app only lets you text around 10 people at once (and doesn’t provide the legally required ability to opt out of your messages).
Are virtual phone numbers safe?
Not only are virtual phone numbers convenient and inexpensive, but they are also extremely safe. Businesses of all sizes that need to reliably deliver messages trust our platform to send them securely.
Still not convinced? Read reviews about our virtual SMS numbers
Hear what our customers have to say about us.
"SimpleTexting is one of the easiest solutions to get started with. We're able to directly contact our users to update them or get them to opt-in to our community. You don't have to have any development experience. You can just sign up and have a way to directly text your users."
Kunal Parbadia
The Whether
"I use SimpleTexting to better connect with my audience and build relationships with them on a 1-on-1 basis. I love that there's an app and that I can send things out from my phone. Texts are way more personal than sending an email blast or putting something out on social."
Lindsey Eryn
Third Story Apartment
"What I like best about SimpleTexting is that it allows me to interact with my clients on a regular basis. I send out a monthly market update along with an invitation to enter a drawing for a $25 gift card. This interaction keeps me top of mind for referrals and directs clients to my website."
Kelly Boyle
Premier One Properties
"We needed a simple way to drive app downloads for our company, and SimpleTexting provides that. It's so easy to add the shortcode and keyword to our marketing materials. The platform even integrates with our website, allowing visitors to request a download link to their phone."
Ember Ferrantino
In-telligent
"SimpleTexting makes my work easier. It has helped us streamline communication and cut down our communication time significantly. I like being able to send mass texts to my beneficiaries and also engage with them one on one. It's super useful to automate messages."
Anika Manzoor
Youth Activism Project
"We have been using SimpleTexting for almost a year now and I appreciate the ease of use of the software. To get through the basic task of setting up an SMS campaign, sending it, and tracking responses, it does the job without making it difficult. It's great software at a good price point."
Joe Hallissey
Merci Home
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Published: December 20th 2023
