As the owner of a fully remote SEO agency, I’ve always been on the lookout for services that can streamline our operations and grow our professional image.
Recently, I stumbled upon Air Landline, a UK-based service that provides businesses of all shapes and sizes with a virtual landline number that diverts to one or multiple mobile numbers. This service has been a game-changer for my business, and I believe it’s worth every penny of the investment.
I’ll breakdown why. But first, here’s one of their hilarious videos.
Their tongue-in-cheek style made them instantly memorable to me. Now, let’s talk history.
History of Air Landline
Based out of Norwich and proudly trading as Air Landline, Fanmei Industrial Co Limited has been doing something extraordinary in the world of telecommunications. Picture this – a company that’s rooted in the UK but isn’t bound by geography. Whether you’re in a bustling city or a tranquil town, Air Landline’s got you covered with a local number. They have made it their mission to service every nook and cranny of the UK, boasting 100% coverage of all UK area codes. But the cool part is how they’ve done it. They’ve crafted this robust, load-balanced platform that’s so resilient, even a multi-server failure can’t interrupt their service. Talk about reliability! Plus, they’ve got this kick-butt security system that protects your data like a highly trained bodyguard. But what really makes Air Landline shine, in my opinion, is how much they genuinely care about their customers. Business owners all over the UK rave about their customer service – it’s not just about rerouting calls, it’s about helping businesses grow and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. That’s probably why they’re rocking a 5-star rating. Air Landline isn’t just a company, it’s a revolution in telecommunications. And it’s a revolution that’s only just getting started.
Features of Air Landline
Virtual Local Business Number
The Air Landline provides a virtual business number that brilliantly enhances my SEO agency’s local presence. This local number gives clients the impression that we are a part of their community, boosting trust and interaction rates. It’s an efficient way to improve local SEO without the need for a physical office in each location.
Call Diversion
I love that Air Landline eliminates the need for landlines. It diverts calls to my mobile, providing flexibility and mobility while ensuring I don’t miss any crucial business calls. Also, it’s economical for clients who can now make local calls instead of mobile calls, creating a win-win situation.
No Internet Requirement
There’s no dependency on internet connectivity. The calls come through as regular mobile calls, maintaining a high quality of communication. This feature has been a lifesaver during remote work and travel scenarios.
Robust Security
Air Landline’s high-security protocols are top-notch, securing my business communication from potential threats. The load-balanced, distributed platform guarantees uninterrupted service even during server failures, adding an extra layer of reliability.
Business Call Headsup
When you receive a call to your mobile number via your Air Landline, you’ll know it’s a business call. That’s because by default Air Landline displays your landline number on your mobile instead of the caller’s number. If you ever wanted to also see the caller’s number, you could change your Air Landline settings to show the caller’s number, and then after you pick up play a short audio prompt to you only to say “Business Call” before you speak to your customer. You also always have the full call history with the caller’s number in your Control Panel.
Customisable Customer Experience
Air Landline allows for customization of the call experience with a personal welcome greeting and hold music. They have a choice of stock recordings which you can choose from, or you can upload your own. It’s a small touch, but it adds an element of professionalism that my clients appreciate.
Business Hours Setting
This feature has been instrumental in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. By setting business hours and holiday dates, I ensure that calls during my off-hours are appropriately managed, avoiding disturbances during personal time.
Sequential Call Divert
The sequential call divert feature is a real game-changer. It means that when I am unable to answer a call, a colleague can. This feature has drastically reduced the number of missed calls, ensuring we never lose a business opportunity. You can set it to ring multiple mobile numbers at the same time and the first one to pick up answers the call. Alternatively you can set it to ring one mobile number first, and if they don’t answer, try another mobile number and so on.
Time-of-day Routing
If you run a shift-based business where you have different staff members working at different times of the day, this feature is a must-have. With the time-of-day routing feature, you can set the landline number to divert to different mobile numbers depending on the schedule you’ve set in the Air Landline control panel. So there’s no need to pass a company mobile phone to different staff as you can just divert it to their personal mobiles during their shift.
Voicemail to Email and Call Recording
Transcriptions of voicemails sent directly to my email, and call recording capabilities have improved my agency’s efficiency. They have enabled me to keep a record of client communications and ensured that no crucial information is missed.
Business WhatsApp
Air Landline offers a separate WhatsApp for Business, which has been extremely beneficial in keeping my personal and professional communications separate. No need for a second phone!
Call Recording
You can optionally turn on the free call recording feature and automatically record all calls. This is quite helpful especially when you’re having detailed conversations and you don’t have a pen and paper to take notes. Instead you can just login to the Control Panel and listen to the audio file for that call.
Easy Control Panel
Managing features is a breeze with Air Landline’s Control Panel. Accessing call history, voicemails, and recordings is straightforward, making my day-to-day operations more efficient.
Pricing Plans
Air Landline offers a simple fixed-priced plan so no need to waste time comparing different options. As a small business owner, I’ve found their plans to be affordable and well worth the investment, considering the benefits they bring to my business. Plus, I was able to try out their services, as they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, which gave me the confidence to commit to a plan risk-free.
Customer Service
Air Landline’s customer service is top-notch. Considering my own personal experience, it is no surprise that they have achieved a 4.9-star rating on Trustpilot; I have experienced first-hand that they’re dedicated to resolving any customer issues and have answered any questions promptly. As a business owner, knowing that I can rely on their 24/7 technical support gives me huge peace of mind.
Pros and Cons
Like any service, Air Landline has its pros and cons. I’ve compiled a detailed look at the advantages and disadvantages I’ve experienced as a user to help other business owners like myself decide if Air Landline is the right partner for them:
Pros:
Price transparency: Air Landline’s pricing is fixed and unlimited, with no contracts. That means you can receive unlimited calls diverted to your mobile number without any surprise fees. You can cancel and leave them for free at any time so you never feel locked-in to use them.
Ease of use: Air Landline has made it so simple that anyone can set up a virtual landline number for their mobile in 2 minutes. They emailed my new landline number straight after I ordered, ready-to-use. I got a friend to call my new landline number, and sure enough, it rang on my mobile number! Their Control Panel is just as easy to use so you can easily turn on free features like welcome message or call recording.
Quality of service: Air Landline ticks the box for great customer service, call quality and security. I trust Trustpilot as I know genuine reviews can’t be removed. They’re rated 4.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot with many praising their friendly customer service, which I’ve also experienced first hand. Their call quality is excellent as they divert incoming calls to your actual mobile number, without relying on an internet-based App. They also give lots of free features that are actually useful.
Cons:
No SMS – Landline numbers can’t receive text messages. However you can set up Air Landline with WhatsApp Business so customers can WhatsApp message your landline number. I’ve actually found this useful as it stops me getting SMS late at night.
Lack of Physical Landline – While the service diverts calls to mobile numbers, some businesses may prefer having a physical landline in their office. This hasn’t been a significant issue for me, but it’s something to consider, perhaps. Air Landline does allow you to buy a physical landline at an additional cost.
Air Landline vs. Competitors
When it comes to choosing a virtual landline service, there are several alternatives to Air Landline. I have tried a few of these myself and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. I am extremely happy with Air Landline for my business needs but ultimately, the best choice depends on your situation. Here are some of the providers I came across and considered when choosing a virtual number provider:
SwitchboardFREE:
This service offers a variety of plans, however none of them offer truly unlimited diversion to my mobile number. It’s crucial for me to divert calls to my mobile number, not an App, so I can receive calls even with no internet connection.
The closest plan I could see on their website to Air Landline’s offering was their £14 inbound Standard Plan which limits you to 2,500 minutes of diversions to your mobile number. They also have a £16 Unlimited package, however if you read the small print further down the page you’ll see it limits you 1200 minutes to a mobile number. Air Landline’s offering of £9.99 price which gives you unlimited diversion to your mobile number is not only cheaper, but there are no limits.
Additionally, SwitchboardFree charges £14.96 per month for call recording, which you get for free with Air Landline. Their terms and conditions also state that they charge a £50 admin fee if you choose to leave them and port your number to another provider. Air Landline doesn’t charge you any fees to leave them. I also cannot see any mention of moneyback guarantees on the SwitchboardFREE website, whereas Air Landline offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
Based on the 1-star reviews on Trustpilot, it appears that they lock you in to a 90 day initial term when you first sign up, with complaints regarding issues with their app, call quality and poor customer service.
While doing my research for this article, I also came across a comparison page on the SwitchboardFREE website titled “Air Landline vs SwitchboardFREE”. However the article is factually incorrect, by stating that Air Landline doesn’t provide some features, when in fact I can see Air Landline does provide time-of-day redirects, time-of-day routing, sequential calling of numbers, choice of stock recordings, and ability to have multiple landline numbers in one account.
For the reasons above, I decided to stay with Air Landline over SwitchboardFEE.
Virtual Landline:
They’ve certainly done well getting a keyword domain. This service offers 4 different plans, however again none of them offer a truly unlimited package and their small print limits the actual usage you’re permitted.
The closest I could find to Air Landline’s offering is their “Pro Unlimited” plan which is priced £9.12 a month which states you get “Totally unlimited*” free minutes. The asterisk however is explained under one of the tabs further down the page and states you only get a maximum 1000 minutes to UK mobile numbers a month. Over a 30 day period, that’s only 33 minutes a day! Anything above that limit and you will be charged 4p per minute for diversion to your mobile number, which will quickly add up to being expensive. Air Landline’s truly unlimited diversion to your mobile number for £9.99 a month ensures I won’t have any surprise ‘per minute’ charges on my monthly bills. I could also not see any money-back guarantees on their website.
In the features of Virtual Landline, I couldn’t see call recording or voicemail transcriptions mentioned. Although not a deal breaker for me, I do like the convenience Air Landline provides of being able to listen back to call recording or ability to read my voicemails on the go. Their terms and conditions also state that if you choose to leave them, they’ll charge you a £50 fee to port away a number if you’ve been with them for less than 6 months.
Their 1-star reviews on Trustpilot mention issues with calls dropped and connection issues with their App. This is the exact reason why I prefer calls going to my mobile number and not an App (which relies on internet connection).
I have therefore decided to stick with Air Landline.
Tamar Telecommunications:
Similar to the other providers above, this provider also has a number of pricing options. Again, this one also doesn’t give a truly unlimited diversion to mobile number.
The closest tariff is their £12.12 “Enterprise” option which gives 6,000 minutes diversion to mobile numbers. Admittedly this is plenty of minutes and unlike the other two above, doesn’t have a low “fair usage” policy. Still it doesn’t match Air Landline’s unlimited diversion minutes to mobile numbers for £9.99.
This service is the only other service I’ve come across, other than Air Landline, which diverts calls to a mobile number by default (not an App). Their ease of sign up is the closest to Air Landline. However it just works out more expensive over all as they charge £3.31 a month for the call whisper feature and £6.99 a month for call recording feature. Both of which you get for free with Air Landline. There were also no money-back guarantees visible on their website.
They also charge £25 if you decide to port your virtual number to another provider.
Their 1-start trustpilot reviews seem to be mostly related with payment issues for example where a customer didn’t pay on time and was disconnected. So the issues appear to be with the customer not the provider.
Again, I have chosen to stay with Air Landline.
User Reviews
Like mine, other user reviews for Air Landline are overwhelmingly positive. With an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, it’s clear that customers appreciate the company’s reliable service and excellent customer support. In fact, 98% of reviews for Air Landline on Trustpilot are rated as 5-star.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions people have about Air Landline:
What is Air Landline?
Air Landline is an innovative telecommunications company. They divert calls made to your local number directly to your mobile, at no extra cost to you or the caller. There’s no need for an app or an internet connection, and they maintain high call quality. They also have robust security protocols to ensure uninterrupted communication. It’s a hassle-free solution, redefining traditional phone services, IMO. Someone had to get rid of the Jurassic age old systems. And having two mobiles like me.
What are the benefits of Air Landline?
Benefits include reliable and fast call diversion, a simple fixed pricing plan, and excellent customer service.
I also love the Business WhatsApp feature.
How does Air Landline work?
Air Landline provides you with a virtual phone number for your chosen area code. They email you the number as soon as you’ve ordered. Any calls to that number are diverted to your mobile number so you can answer it wherever you are.
What is the coverage area for Air Landline?
Air Landline provides services to businesses across the United Kingdom.
How much does an Air Landline connection cost?
Air Landline is £9.99 a month. They divert calls to your mobile number for free. There are no set up fees, no contracts, no cancellation fees and no porting fees.
How is Air Landline installed?
Installation is all done digitally. It’s a register, confirm, verify and set and forget type scenario – quick and easy!
What is the quality of an Air Landline connection?
Air Landline is known for its reliable and fast call diverting and forwarding. They divert incoming calls to your mobile number. This ensures call quality as it doesn’t rely on internet, 4G/5G connection.
What are the customer service options for an Air Landline?
Air Landline provide support 7am-10pm Monday to Friday and respond to all emails within 1 business day. They have a 4.9-star rating on Trustpilot for its customer service.
Is Air Landline right for me?
If you’re looking for a reliable solution for your virtual landline needs, Air Landline is likely a great fit for you.
Conclusion – Was It Right For My Biz?
In conclusion, Air Landline has been a game-changer for my remote SEO agency. When I get calls, I can immediately identify they are business related and have a professional like greeting. My normal calls, I’m usually dubious as I’m expecting a telemarketer or a spam caller. Does that make sense?
Just touching on the above again, the service has not only helped me present a more professional image but also improved my customer service and increased efficiency across the agency.
Also, I literally recycled my second business phone. I now only need to be responsible for 1 device which is enough for my brain to handle.
Whether you’re a small business owner or a larger enterprise, Air Landline is definitely worth considering for your telecommunications needs. I highly recommend them.