Short answer: a business phone number app gives your team one number that customers see and call back, without SIM cards or desk phones. People call from the laptop browser or through their own mobile, incoming calls ring a mobile, and every call lands in one shared history. In India, expect to pay a monthly number rental plus per-minute calls.
This guide covers what such an app should do for a team of two to twenty people, what it costs, and how to set one up with Edesy Phone.
Why small teams outgrow personal numbers
Most small businesses start with the owner's mobile. Then a second person starts calling customers from theirs, then a third. The problems show up slowly:
- Customers save a staff member's personal number. When that person leaves, the customer relationship goes with them.
- Call-backs go to whoever happened to call, not to whoever is free.
- Nobody can see which calls were made, how long they took or what they cost.
- Customers get calls from four different numbers from the same company and stop answering.
A business phone app fixes this by putting one business number between your team and your customers. We wrote about the sales version of this in stop your sales team calling from personal numbers.
What a good business phone app should do
| Need | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Outgoing calls | Call from the browser with a headset, or through your own mobile, always with the business number as caller ID |
| Incoming calls | Calls to the business number ring a mobile you choose, without the app being open |
| Team | Several people, simple roles, one shared number or a few |
| History | Every call with outcome, duration and cost |
| Recordings | At least for calls made from the computer |
| Costs | A prepaid wallet and a visible per-minute rate, no per-user licence |
| Devices | Works on a laptop and a phone; installable so it opens like an app |
| Compliance | Business KYC handled in the product, as Indian telecom rules require |
Two features matter most for small teams.
Calling through your own mobile. Browser calling is great at a desk with a headset. On a phone it is fragile: phones pause browser audio when the screen locks, and mobile data drops. A good app can instead ring your mobile first and then connect the customer over the normal phone network. Edesy calls this call via my phone. The customer still sees the business number.
Incoming calls to a mobile. Small teams don't sit at a dashboard waiting for calls. On Edesy Phone, calls to your business number ring your verified mobile like a normal call. See incoming calls.
What it costs in India
Edesy Phone has no plan fee and no per-user fee. You pay for numbers and minutes:
| Item | Price (excl. 18% GST) |
|---|---|
| Landline (local) number | Rs 449 a month, Rs 0 setup |
| Mobile or 92-series number | Rs 499 a month, Rs 0 setup |
| Calls | Per minute from your Edesy wallet; the rate is shown before you dial |
| Welcome credit | Rs 20 on every new account, no card |
"Call via my phone" places two calls (one to you, one to the customer), so it costs a little more per minute than a browser call. The dialler shows the rate for whichever mode you pick. Details are in billing and rates.
Compare that with a second SIM per employee, where you pay a plan per person whether they call or not, and the number belongs to the person holding the SIM. We compare the options side by side in softphone vs desk phone vs second SIM.
How to set it up in a day
- Sign up at phone.edesy.in. One Edesy login works across Edesy apps.
- Verify your business. Business type, PAN, the last 4 digits of Aadhaar, and GSTIN if you are GST-registered. Review usually takes about 24 hours.
- Add money to the wallet (from Rs 100) and buy a number. Pick a landline your local customers recognise, or a mobile number.
- Verify your mobile in Settings with a 6-digit code. New numbers then ring it automatically.
- Invite your team by email as Admin or Member. See team and roles.
- Make a test call to your own mobile and check the caller ID.
Optionally, install Edesy Phone as an app on Android or your computer so it opens straight on the dialler.
Edesy Phone or a cloud PBX?
A business phone app is the simple end of business telephony. It suits teams where a few people call customers and incoming calls just need to reach someone's mobile.
If callers should hear a menu ("press 1 for sales"), calls should ring a group of people at once or in turn, or several departments need their own routing, you want a cloud PBX instead. Both run on the same Edesy account, so you can start with Edesy Phone and add PBX routing later.
Where it fits by team type
- Sales teams: reps stop using personal numbers, and leads call back the business number. See Edesy Phone for sales teams.
- Field staff: technicians and delivery staff call through their own mobile with the business number showing. See Edesy Phone for field staff.
- Clinics and small offices: one number for the board and Google listing that rings the front desk. See Edesy Phone for clinics and small offices.
FAQ
What is a business phone number app?
An app that lets you call and take calls on a business number from devices you already own, such as a laptop browser or your personal mobile, so customers see the business number instead of a personal one.
Do I need a SIM card for a business number?
No. A virtual business number lives in the cloud. You call out from the browser or through your mobile, and incoming calls are forwarded to your mobile. More on this in getting a business phone number without a SIM.
How much does a business phone app cost in India?
On Edesy Phone you pay number rental (Rs 449 a month for a landline, or Rs 499 for a mobile or 92-series number, no setup fee) and per-minute calls from a prepaid wallet. The rate is shown before you dial. Prices exclude 18% GST.
Can my whole team use one business number?
Yes. Everyone in the workspace calls from the default business number, and an admin can let members choose between several numbers if you have more than one. See caller ID.
Is there an Android or iPhone app to download?
Edesy Phone has no Play Store or App Store app. You install it from the browser as a web app on Android with Chrome, or on a computer with Chrome or Edge. The steps are in install your business phone as an app.
Get started
Get a business number and start calling with Rs 20 free credit. For everything the app does, see Edesy Phone features and the Edesy Phone docs.