It’s no secret that missed calls equal missed opportunities. But what often gets overlooked is why those calls are missed. For many small teams, it’s because everyone uses their own phone number. Incoming calls only ring one person, not the whole team. If that person is unavailable, the call goes unanswered.
That’s why the solution isn’t hiring more people. It’s switching to a smarter phone setup with shared call appearance.
In this article, we’ll explain how shared call appearance works, then share five VoIP providers that can help you set it up.
A shared call appearance (sometimes called an SCA or shared phone number) lets multiple team members make and receive calls from the same business number.
Whenever someone calls your number with SCA, all assigned devices will ring until someone picks up the phone, preventing incoming calls from slipping through the cracks.
💡Related: How to use one number on two phones
3 ways your business can benefit from shared call appearance
There are three key reasons your growing business needs a shared call appearance:
- Place multiple outbound calls at the same time. Since everyone on your team can make simultaneous (AKA concurrent) calls, your business number is never busy. You don’t have to worry about customers getting frustrated enough to try a competitor.
- Stay available and responsive around the clock. Team members can answer inbound calls when they’re available (even if other team members are not). When you’re out of the office or unable to take a call, another member of your team can step in to pick up the phone. That way, you’ll never miss a call again.
- Share context across your team: A shared call appearance lets reps access the same call history, voicemails, and shared contacts. This makes it easy for team members to jump in, follow up, or assist with conversations without having to hunt for context in multiple siloed inboxes.
A business phone system provider like OpenPhone makes it easy to set up a shared call appearance. You can give multiple team members access and start making and receiving calls within 15 minutes or less.
Here’s how to get started in five simple steps:
- Sign up for an OpenPhone account. You can get started free with our seven-day free trial.
- Pick the number you wish to share with your team. OpenPhone offers local numbers in the US and Canada, as well as North American toll-free numbers, including custom vanity numbers (think 1-800-FLOWERS). You can always port existing numbers — we’ll give you a temporary one while you wait.
- Choose a plan that works for your team. OpenPhone’s shared numbers start at $15 per user per month.
- Invite your team members by entering their email addresses via the Admin Dashboard. We’ll send them a link and instructions for installing the web and mobile apps.
- Configure your call settings and inbox to your business needs. In OpenPhone, you can label phone numbers, set up business hours, create call forwarding rules, upload custom voicemail greetings, change your caller ID, and more.
Then once you’ve completed US carrier registration, you can even text as a team from a shared number.
If you’re still on the fence about which business phone solution to use, keep reading as we break down the top options.
Shared call appearance is built into most VoIP systems, so you don’t need desk phones or other on-site equipment. That’s a big win for small businesses, especially compared to traditional PBX systems, which rely on physical phone lines and equipment installed in your office.
Since VoIP systems make it easier for your team to have a shared call appearance, it’s worth breaking down how the top providers stack up against each other.
| Provider | Starting price | Unlimited calling to US & Canada | SMS/MMS to US & Canada | Shared phone numbers | Additional phone numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenPhone | $15 per user per month | $5 per number per month | |||
| Nextiva | $20 per user per month | (requires upgrade) | (calls only) | Undisclosed fee | |
| RingCentral | $20 per user per month | (limited toll-free minutes) | (starts at 25 SMS per user per month) | (calls only) | $4.99 per number per month |
| Vonage | $13.99 per user per month (1-year contract) | Local US and Canadian numbers only | Requires upgrade | Starts at $4.99 per number per month | |
| Mitel | Quote required | SMS only | Quote required |
We’ll start with the #1 business phone system as rated by G2:
1. OpenPhone
OpenPhone is a small business phone system offering local and toll-free shared phone numbers. Each plan comes with unlimited calling and texting to US and Canadian numbers, a shared inbox, and customizable call flows.
You can use OpenPhone’s shared numbers to split responsibility for calling and texting so there’s always someone around to respond to customers. Plus, you can choose how incoming calls are routed with ring order settings like all at once, random, or a custom sequence. This helps make sure the right teammate picks up first, so no call goes unanswered.
When your team is texting from a shared number, you can see when someone else is typing. That way, you don’t accidentally send two replies at once. You can also use internal threads to share context or ask quick questions without involving the customer.
When you’re not around to pick up, you can set up auto-replies to respond automatically via text.
If you want to avoid missing calls altogether, OpenPhone’s AI agent, Sona, can answer on your behalf — greeting callers, answering common questions, and capturing messages your team can review later. You can also upgrade your plan for business-friendly features like group calling, automatic call recording, AI call summaries, and conditional call routing.
2. Nextiva
Nextiva is a legacy VoIP platform that supports omnichannel sales and customer service teams. To share responsibility for incoming calls, you’ll need to upgrade to the Core plan ($30 per user per month). If you also want to answer customer text messages together as a team, that’s only available on the Engage plan ($40 per user per month).
But you should know that Nextiva doesn’t provide messages or voice calls on the base plan, so you’ll need to upgrade just to make calls. It’s also a little bit pricier compared to other phone systems, requiring upgrades for essential features like toll-free numbers, call recording, and voice analytics.
3. RingCentral
RingCentral is a unified communications tool designed to serve large contact centers with call, text, and video tools. Each plan offers shared line appearance, plus unlimited calls in the US and Canada from mobile phones, computers, and its desk phone rentals.
But despite letting you split responsibility for incoming texts, you’re limited to 25 texts per user per month. Plus, there’s no way to store unlimited call recordings, text messages, or team files on the base plan. If you want to store recordings and other customer interaction data for longer than a few months, you’ll need to upgrade to the Ultra plan ($35 per user per month).
4. Vonage
Vonage was founded in 2001 as an enterprise-oriented phone provider. It offers shared line appearance on every plan. But Vonage doesn’t offer its best features out of the box — you’ll need to purchase upgrades and add-ons to unlock its full capabilities. For example, you’ll only get access to features like team messaging, call recording, and voicemail transcriptions if you upgrade.
Shared business inboxes, automatic call recording, and secondary line appearances also cost extra per month. Plus, simultaneous ring only works on five phone numbers, which may not be enough as your team grows.
5. Mitel
Mitel is another older business communications company that launched in 2001. Apart from its voice chat and video conferencing tools, it lets you set up an auto-attendant so callers can route themselves to the right rep or department. It also offers customizable features like call routing functionality and third-party integrations (including Microsoft Dynamics).
But Mitel doesn’t list its pricing publicly, which makes it harder to find out if it fits your budget. You’ll also have to consider its setup process — past users have reported that it can be complicated and its support team isn’t very helpful.
Before picking a shared call appearance provider, be sure it offers the following features:
- Multi-device support: You won’t always be able to pick up the phone in your office — but you might have a tablet or laptop nearby. You should look for a provider that offers multi-device support so you can make and receive calls using the devices you already own.
- Ring orders: Are certain team members more qualified to take incoming calls? With custom ring order, you decide which groups are notified first so customers have a better chance of speaking with qualified team members.
- Shared phone numbers for calling and texting: Considering that 55% of customers prefer texts to other communication channels, you’ll need an easier way to manage incoming messages as your customer base grows. You should hunt for a provider that offers shared calling and SMS inboxes on the base plan, with no required add-ons, upgrades, or hidden fees.
- Unlimited calls and texts: The best SCA providers offer unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada. Most offer support for you to register your number with The Campaign Registry, which prevents your messages from being filtered or marked as spam.
- Auto-replies: You won’t always be around to pick up the phone — but your customers should still get a response. Some providers allow you to set up auto-replies for missed calls, texts, and voicemails, which lets the customer know they’ve reached the right number and you’ll get back to them as soon as possible.
- Call recording: Manual call recording lets you capture calls on-demand, while automatic call recording captures audio automatically. You’ll want a VoIP provider that offers both so you can mix and match settings according to your needs.
- Call management features: Look for a provider that supports basic call handling features. This includes forwarding calls to teammates or external numbers, transferring active calls to a rep without the customer having to hang up, and group calling that lets you invite people to a live call.
- Business caller ID: Make sure all outgoing calls show the same business number. This way, your customers recognize the phone number and know it’s your company calling.
Shared call appearances make life a little easier for customers, prospects, and everyone on your team. Because when your whole team can call, text, and collaborate from a single number, your caller’s experience gets faster, friendlier, and more consistent.
OpenPhone makes it simple to get started. With one shared view for all your calls and texts, you can set up custom ring groups to notify specific groups first. If no one can answer, you can set up backups like auto-reply texts and call forwarding. That way, your team can stay on top of every conversation — even while off the clock.
All that’s left is to try OpenPhone for yourself.
Sign up today for a seven-day free trial.
FAQs
Shared call appearance helps your team juggle incoming calls so someone is always available to pick up incoming calls. That means faster response times, better collaboration on customer issues, and a more consistent experience for callers — no matter who answers the phone.
Up to 10 devices can share the same number on OpenPhone’s Starter plan. Unlimited devices can share a number on the Business plan.
You can turn shared numbers into ‘regular’ numbers by removing other members from the line. In your Admin Dashboard, tap ‘remove’ next to each team member’s name. That way, you’ll be the only one with access to the number.
With OpenPhone, shared phone numbers start at $15 per user per month. Other business phone systems range between $20 to $100 per user per month, while others require a custom quote.
