Your guide to making cheaper and more effective international business calls
Today, going global is just another step for the majority of businesses.
With the world more interconnected than ever before thanks to the internet, expanding your brand into different overseas markets often makes the most sense for business owners who want to be as successful as possible. However, setting up your business overseas while you’re busy running your home branch can be tricky, and constant communication with your overseas partners, employees, suppliers, and other key companies and individuals is vital to success. With this comes the need for your business to make a lot of international calls, which can quickly become very expensive.
Thankfully, there are more options than ever before for businesses that need to make convenient and cheap international calls at any time. Some of the best international calling options for your business include:
Online video conferencing
Sometimes, a video call is a much better option than a standard voice call since it allows you to have a face-to-face conversation with your employee or partner who is overseas. And with a wide range of business video apps available such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, you can easily conduct the call from any device from home even if you’re calling a country that’s a few hours behind or ahead; no need to wait in the office to make the call using the landline.
VoIP calling
There are several Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling services that are excellent choices for businesses. All major business collaboration tools such as Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams offer the option to make quick, free calls to other countries using only your business Wi-Fi connection, and the best part is that you can easily make the calls from any device including a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone, allowing you to stay in touch with the key people in your overseas business at any time and from anywhere. Services like Skype are a popular option for business, or business communication apps like Slack are an ideal choice for those who want a messaging and calling option in one. You can also take advantage of free, popular apps that are used for a combination of both personal and business VoIP calling such as WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Discord.
International smartphone plans
If you want an easy option for making quick calls to your colleagues, partners and suppliers overseas straight from your mobile, consider SIM-only deals that include international calling options. Some of the best SIM-only deals for business offer generous international calling allowances, making it easier than ever for you to pick up your business phone and make a phone call overseas without the need to worry about the cost. Get here your SIM-only deal from Lebara, where you can find an excellent 30-day plan for just £35 with unlimited UK minutes and texts, unlimited data, and the best part – unlimited minutes for calling over forty different countries around the world including the majority of Europe, East Asia, and Australia.
Choosing the right video call and VoIP software for your business
If you want to make the majority of your international business calls online, you will need a good VoIP service. Consider the number of participants that you will need the software to support. A cheaper and less sophisticated option might be ideal for you if you simply need to call with your overseas partner a couple of times a month. On the other hand, if you want to hold conferences and meetings with a number of employees and other key business players overseas, you’re going to need a software package that supports this.
Ease of use is another important factor to consider when choosing a VoIP and video calling software program for your business. Don’t just consider how easy the software is for you to use yourself; think about any of your employees who might be less tech-savvy and how they will get on using the software. Ideally, you want to choose an option that is well-used around the world such as Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and is likely to be something that your international employees will be familiar with.
How to find the right SIM-only mobile plan
Whether you need international minutes as your main way to make overseas business calls or are considering signing up for a SIM-only contract with international calling included supplementing a VoIP or online video calling service, finding the best SIM-only contract for you is important. A SIM-only deal is a mobile contract or plan that includes just a SIM and allowance rather than having a handset included as would be the case with a traditional smartphone contract. You can get a SIM-only deal on a Pay as You Go basis where you top up the phone each month before purchasing your chosen bundle, or a SIM-only contract where you sign up in a similar way to a traditional contract, lasting for anything between thirty days and two years.
If you want more flexibility, signing up for a thirty-day Pay as You Go style SIM-only deal may be the best option for you since this gives you the option to choose which bundle you would like for the month, every month. This is ideal if you expect there to be some months where you may not need as many international minutes as others, as you can choose a cheaper bundle with fewer allowances to suit your changing needs, which can be a great way to save money. Shop around and compare SIM-only deals to find the best option for your business.
More tips for making effective international business calls
Calling employees, partners, suppliers and other key people overseas for business can be tricky, especially when you consider time differences, language barriers, and everything in between. Plan your call in advance to ensure that there is an agreed-upon time that works well for both you and the other caller despite your time differences. In some cases, you may find it easier to make some business calls outside of regular office hours; you can easily do this from your personal devices at home using the majority of online business calling and conferencing software options.
Using a messaging app might also be a good alternative to calling for many businesses juggling overseas operations since they are easier to keep up with than emails and quicker than making a call. In addition, many business messaging services such as Slack offer the option to create group chats between different employees and departments which can be very handy if you have employees at home and employees overseas who are collaborating together on projects.
With more and more businesses expanding their operations overseas, the need to make international business calls is bigger than ever before. And with this increased need has come an even wider array of options to make it easier for employees in different countries to communicate and collaborate on projects together effortlessly. Along with standard international phone calls, businesses can take advantage of a wide range of online communication tools using VoIP to stay in touch with overseas departments and make it easier for colleagues to work together regardless of the physical distance between them. Whether you need a quick and easy option to make cheap international phone calls using your mobile or an extensive online conferencing tool, there’s something for everyone.
