How to get a german phone number?

The german market is alluring to entrepreneurs of all
countries.

If your product or service is already successful in your
home country, chances are you want to scale. And what better European country
to do this than in Germany? Germany is an affluent country with over 80 million
inhabitants and a GDP 3.8 trillion. The raw numbers alone make a convincing
case that Germany should be your first pick when expanding internationally.

Then, if your product or service succeeds in Germany, it is a small extra step
to also take on Austria and german speaking parts of Switzerland, adding even
more potential.

But how can you do business successfully in the German
market? One of the things that appear to be indispensable for this, is a German
service number or local telephone number.

But how does it work, applying for such a number in Germany?
What are the requirements and what do you have to do?

We will explain it to you in this article.

What types of German phone numbers are there?

In Germany telephone numbers are issued by a government agency just like in many European countries. In Germany it is the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency).

This body determines which number types and which numbers
are available, what they may be used for and what requirements that use must
meet. The Bundesnetzagentur is also ultimately the one who assigns service
numbers.

Toll-free 0800 numbers

Just like the US and many European countries, Germany also
has so-called freephone numbers, i.e. numbers that can be called free of charge
(toll-free).

Also in Germany, the core number for this purpose is 0800.

These numbers are registered individually. You can register
German 0800 phone numbers through Belfabriek. You don’t need a German business
address to do so. So even if you are not physically present yet in Germany, you
can already register this type of phone number online.

National business 032 numbers

In Germany, 032 numbers are used as non-regional business phone
numbers.

Calls to these numbers cost as much as calls to a regular regional landline number.

A 032 number is often chosen because these numbers closely
resemble local telephone numbers.

For example the 032 phone number looks a lot like 030 Berlin prefix phone
number.

Local numbers (beware local fysical address needed)

Apart from service numbers in Germany, you can also register
local numbers in the most popular cities in Germany. For example Aachen (0241),
Berlin (030), Dortmund (0231), Essen (0201), Frankfurt (069), Hamburg (040),
Cologne (0221), Koblenz (0261), Leipzig (0341), Mannheim (0621), Munich (089),
Nuremberg (0911) and Stuttgart (0711).

Requirements German local number applications

Applying for a phone number in Germany is quite easy. All of
the number types listed can be requested by both businesses and individuals.
For a local number, however, you must have an address in the requested city or
region. And with it proof of this business address and an extract ('Auszug' or
'Mitgliederbescheinigung') from the German Chamber of Commerce (Deutscher Industrie-
und Handelskammertag).

Because of these requirements, it may be more accessible to
choose a national 032 number. Or on the other hand a 0800 service number.

If for example, you are an Irish company without fysical
address in Germany, we cannot help you buy a local Berlin 030 phone number.

Or if your company headquarter is in Hamburg, but you want to register a 069 Frankfurt
phone number in addition, this is also not possible. In this case, we would be
able to help you get a virtual 040 number which belongs to the city of Hamburg.

Registering your own virtual German phone number

Whether you want to register a phone number in Germany or in
another country, at Belfabriek you can easily handle the application online. We
will take away all the headache dealing with German agencies.

In our German numbers shop you will find a sample list of
available numbers. Do you see a suitable number in the list? Then you can order
your own German service number from us today.

If you do not see the number of your choice, or if you have
any questions, please contact our customer service by phone, e-mail or contact
form. Our English, German, Spanish and Dutch speaking customer service will be
happy to answer them.

Bonus: tips on succeeding in the Germany market with a dedicated German phone number

When doing business across the border, keep in mind that
doing business in Germany requires the right mindset. You need to focus
completely on your German branch in order to achieve maximum results. That
includes adapting to German customs. Below we give you some tips from
entrepreneurs who are already active in Germany.

Separate work and private life

In Germany, work is taken so seriously that it is strictly
separated from private life. Even if you are genuinely interested in a business
partner, it is a bad idea to ask about his wife or children.

Never ever address German business prospects with informal ‘Du’

One consequence of the strict separation of business and
private is the way people address each other. When doing business in
more laid back Netherlands, for example, addressing a business prospect informally is nothing to be frowned upon. In Germany, however, this is not done. You should always address German prospects with ‘Sie’ (formal you).

This may be especially difficult to get used to, for example, for native English speakers, as
this distinction does not really exist in the English language. However, in
other languages, including German, using the right form of addressing can leave
a much better impression.

Learn the language

Basic German may work fine on vacation, but it's not enough
when doing business. To negotiate and socialize in German requires a good
knowledge of the language. Therefore, invest in a language course. German is not the easiest language to learn, but also not rocket science.

Make sure you have a German business appearance

Of course you are proud of your roots, and it's okay to show
it. But to do business successfully in Germany, ideally you will need to
register a German GmbH. This is a type of incorporation. GmbH stands for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (company
with limited liability). GmbH is the equivalent of "Ltd." used in the
United Kingdom.  

Entrepreneurs who want to address the whole of Germany would
be well advised to register either a 0800 service number or a 032 national
phone number. For example, a Hamburg 040 phone number would appear somewhat
foreign to a customer base in Munich and vice versa.

However, 0800 and 032 number are not only regionally independent, which makes
callers from all over Germany feel addressed, but also inspire confidence and
radiates professionalism.

Many extras

One of the reasons why business owners choose Belfabriek as
their service number provider is the fact that they get access to a large
number of extra functions. Because the underlying platform, the Interactive Voice
Reponse system (IVR), is the same for all foreign numbers, number owners of
German numbers can also enjoy features such as:

Welcome message

Leave a great first impression with this feature. Welcome
your callers during office hours with a welcome text and after opening hours
with a message that informs the caller the business is closed and at which
times they can call again.

Queue

Are all your employees on a call? This feature places
callers in the waiting queue. If too much time passes, you can choose to
transfer callers to another number or give them the option of leaving a
message.

Digital answering machine

Enable this feature to have callers leave a message when it
is very busy or after hours. You will immediately receive the audio recording
by e-mail. This allows you to take immediate action as required.

Selection menu

The selection menu makes manual transfer of calls a thing of
the past. Ask your callers what they want answered to by means of a recorded
message and then give them choices. Callers connect themselves using the phone
buttons.

Call-recording

Allows you to record every phone conversation with your
German callers, which is ideal for quality control and setting training goals.

Realtime statistics

All number owners also get access to extensive call statistics. For example, you can see from which regions your German callers
come and how long calls take. Based on these statistics, you can make important
decisions regarding the deployment of staff and additional functions.

Best of all, these features and many more, view the complete overview, are included for free, for every Belfabriek customer.

Register your German phone number now

As you can see, when seriously attacking such a large
market, it is important to have all the details in perfect order. More than a
detail, a phone number is a communication channel with which you answer
questions, create goodwill, generate leads and score direct or indirect sales.
If only the best is enough for you, you've come to the right place.

Register your professional German phone number today and
within a few days you will benefit from your international reach and the many
extras our cloud based phone system offers.