Call 48 VoIP resellers are often asked by customers, “How many phone lines do I need?” When hear ‘phone line’ you think of traditional landline phone systems where a line is a physical wire in the wall with it’s own phone number that allows each phone to receive inbound/outbound calls. But with everyone switching to VoIP service, using the internet means you need to think outside the wires when it comes to phone lines.
A ‘phone line’ means many different things depending on the context. In most cases, you’ll be referring to the number of phone numbers your organization needs. The other interpretations refer to details like the number of registrations per user and the number of simultaneous calls per phone number.
So when a customer asks how many phone lines their office needs, the answer depends largely on how the word ‘line’ is actually being used. Here are some examples:
1. Line Means Number of Employees
Example: We have 10 employees, therefore we need 10 lines.
This scenario is common with those first making the switch from traditional landline to VoIP telecom services. Here lines means the number of ‘users’ or ‘seats’, where each user has a phone, a phone number and a unique extension, with the option of additional features like a voicemail box, call forwarding, and music on hold.
2. Line Means Number of Phones
Example: We have 10 cubicles, 3 per cubicle, so we need 30 lines.
Some refer to ‘lines’ as the number of physical phones they need. This is common for facilities where phones are allocated per location or room, and not instead of per person. Employees who frequently travel between offices may also have a desk phone at each location. In this case, the number of devices is greater than the number of users.
3. Line Means Number of Simultaneous Inbound/Outbound Calls
Example: We need ten people to be on the phone at one time.
Sometimes people use ‘lines’ to refer to the number of inbound/outbound calls an organization can take at one time. The maximum amount of simultaneous calls matters very much to call centers, support/sales queues, and other high volume call operations, who tend to view ‘lines’ from a simultaneous calls perspective.
Call 48 VoIP carrier services allows for a high or unlimited number of simultaneous calls per phone number and multiple registrations per user which means you’ll be paying for fewer phone numbers and users. Depending on your call traffic, you may only need one phone number. Contact Call 48 today so we can get you set up with the amount of phone lines you need.