Advances in communication tech mean that it’s much easier for individuals and businesses alike to set up phone numbers in other countries and get inbound calls forwarded to a location elsewhere in the world.

One common example of this involves routing calls to a Canadian number on to a phone in the US, so let’s quickly examine what you need to do to achieve this yourself.

Pick a VoIP provider that supports Canadian numbers

The first step when working out how to get a Canadian phone number is to find a VoIP provider which serves customers across North America.

There are lots of firms to choose from, and with a VoIP package you can buy a number that is specific to a particular geographic location, and opt to have calls forwarded wherever you please.

A VoIP service is basically a telephone solution that works over the web, so even if the start and end points are standard landlines, a good provider will act as the middleman to make sure that international communication can take place seamlessly and affordably.

Choose your area code

Another decision you’ll need to make after selecting a provider to handle the number hosting and forwarding is which area code you want to use.

More often than not, it is sensible to select a code that is associated with the province and city where your customers are based, at least for business users.

Let’s say you are aiming to increase your reach and target customers in Quebec. Getting a Canadian number from a VoIP provider and asking for a three digit Quebec area code is the best solution in this case.

It’s not only about presenting your business and brand as being locally accessible, even if it is based in the US, but also about making sure that the cost for customers who call you is kept to a minimum. Both of these aspects will make it more likely that they will pick up the phone and dial in the first place.

Consider toll free options

The alternative to having a geographically specific Canadian phone number to reroute to the US is to opt for a toll free Canadian number.

This will serve exactly the same purpose as mentioned above, but will have the added benefit of guaranteeing that callers from throughout Canada will not be charged when they get in touch.

There are a couple of considerations in this respect, the first of which is that you will pay more to have this type of number and will also need to cover the costs of the inbound calls you receive via it.

The second issue is that a toll free number might not have the same targeted appeal as a geographic number, so if you are really going for a local feel to your brand, this might not be ideal.

Launch and promote your Canadian number

With the right VoIP package and the right number in place, the last thing you need to do is make people aware that it is available for them to use as a way of getting in touch with you.

For businesses, that means adding the number to things like your website and your social media feeds, especially those that are already Canada-specific in nature. You can also include it on things like print ads and business cards if you wish.

From here on, you can receive calls forwarded from Canada and deal with them as you would any other call, albeit with a view to catering to the specific needs of callers from this region.