Thread: How do you receive multiple phones to one phone number?

I have a small business that is beginning to grow in telephone and internet sales. I see a time coming when more than one person will be needing to answer the phone simultaneously, rather than have the call go to voice mail. How is this accomplished?
Thanks for your answers. I get the additional phone lines now, and the call hunting to so the client is only dailing one number. Please elaborate on the other stuff, if you will.

Look up virtual operators. There are a ton of services out there that will be a virtual receptionist for you for a small fee. They can do as much or as little as you like.

you add additional phone lines and add call hunting, or forward on busy, so that the calls go to the next number if one line is busy...

you will likely want to get a phone system as well that provides an auto attendant, and the ability to transfer calls to other extensions...

or you may want to look into getting a VoIP phone service - perhaps with hosted PBX

You order another phone line and get call hunting where the first line will hunt to the second. Now's a good time to look into a long-term solution Phone Power will give you 2 lines for probably less than what you're paying for one. Time Warner's last promotion offered 2 lines and a 5 down internet connection for $70 a month.

If you can afford it, it might be to your benefit to look at premise based phone systems or virtual PBX phone systems. My office has a Panasonic TAW-848 which meets all of my needs, but I like the control of calls and voice mail. I've also been doing this for more than 25 years. When I first started I had a single line and call waiting for a week, then as I grew I went to a Centrex system to lock in rates (wow about $100 a month back then just for 2 lines and a fax).