Virtual Numbers Explained
01/02 virtual numbers offer businesses and individuals the flexibility to manage calls efficiently, save costs, and maintain a professional local presence

01/02 virtual numbers are telephone numbers that are not tied to a specific physical landline or mobile network. Instead, they are hosted in the cloud and can be routed to any destination number, such as a mobile phone, landline, or VoIP service.
01/02 virtual numbers are associated with specific geographic locations in the UK (01 for large cities and towns, 02 for London and other metropolitan areas). Having a local number allows businesses to create a local presence even without a physical office. This is important for building customer trust, as clients are more likely to call local numbers rather than premium-rate or non-geographic numbers.
With 01/02 virtual numbers, calls can be routed to any location. This means your team can be spread out across different regions, or even work remotely, without impacting the quality of customer service. This flexibility makes it easier to manage distributed teams while maintaining seamless communication.
For growing businesses, 01/02 virtual numbers offer easy scalability. Companies can quickly add multiple virtual numbers for different departments, branches, or marketing campaigns, without the need for additional physical phone lines. This makes it easier to manage expansion while maintaining efficient communication channels.
LOCAL PRESENCE AND TRUST
01 and 02 numbers are associated with specific geographic areas, which can help businesses build a local presence. Customers may feel more comfortable contacting a business with a familiar, local number.
PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
01 and 02 numbers offer a professional, reliable image for businesses of any size. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may prefer these numbers to convey the sense of a local office or a traditional business model.
FLEXIBILITY AND PORTABILITY
While 01 and 02 numbers are tied to a specific geographic area, they can be ported to different providers, allowing a business to keep the same number even if it moves or changes telecom services.
SUITED FOR SPECIFIC BUSINESS MODELS
When included in advertising and marketing materials, 0800 numbers can increase response rates and drive customer engagement.
01/02 NUMBERS IN SUMMARY..
Using an 01 or 02 number offers businesses a way to build local trust, provide affordable customer communication, and project a professional and established presence. It is especially beneficial for businesses targeting specific geographic regions or aiming to maintain a strong local identity.
A local number makes customers feel that your business is part of their community, which fosters trust and encourages engagement. This is especially useful for small businesses, tradespeople, or local service providers (e.g., plumbers, electricians, retail stores).
If you have offices or operations in different cities but want to appear local to customers in each area, you can use multiple 01 or 02 numbers from different regions. For instance, a business with branches in Manchester, Birmingham, and London could use the 0161, 0121, and 020 area codes, respectively.
If you expect to receive high call volumes from different regions, having multiple 01/02 numbers (one for each major region) could help you route calls to the appropriate departments or offices. This setup also gives you the flexibility to track where calls are coming from and better understand customer behaviour.
If you run a small, customer-focused business that thrives on personal relationships, using a local 01/02 number helps customers feel more connected to you. Customers often prefer dealing with local businesses as it can be easier to trust and engage with them.