Short answer: one, to start, in almost every case. Billing on a virtual number is per number, not per user, so a single published line routed to five people costs one rental of ₹349-₹499/month — not five.
The instinct to buy one number per employee is the most expensive misunderstanding in Indian business telephony, and it is worth spending a page on because the money is real.
The Rule That Decides This
Read the pricing line carefully: per number, per month. Not per seat, not per user, not per agent.
| Setup | Numbers billed | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| One published line, ringing five mobiles | 1 | ₹499 |
| One number per person, five people | 5 | ₹1,745 - ₹2,495 |
Same five people answering. Roughly four to five times the cost, and the expensive version is worse — see below.
Why One Number Is Also Better, Not Just Cheaper
The cost saving is the smaller argument. The structural one:
- The relationship belongs to the business. Customers who call a shared line are calling your company. Customers who call Rahul's number are calling Rahul, and when Rahul leaves so do they.
- Nothing is missed because one person is busy. Simultaneous or sequential routing covers the whole team — see call routing.
- You get one honest picture of demand. Five numbers means five partial call logs and no answer to "how many enquiries did we miss last month". See call logs and analytics.
- Customers only have to remember one thing. Every extra published number dilutes the one that matters, including on your Google Business Profile.
The routing patterns that make one number work for a whole team are covered in virtual number for a team.
The Four Reasons a Second Number Pays for Itself
Not never — just not for the reason most people buy one.
1. A second city you actively sell into
A local code answers "are they near me?" before the call connects. Buy it when you start selling there, not in anticipation. See virtual number city codes in India.
2. Sales and support, once volume justifies it
Different people, different hours, different urgency. Below roughly ten calls a day this is overhead. Above it, splitting stops your best salesperson spending the morning on delivery queries. Note that a menu on one number often solves this better than a second number, because customers still only remember one line — see IVR menu.
3. A campaign you want to attribute
A dedicated number on one campaign, hoarding, or landing page turns "did that ad work" into a call count. This is the highest-return second number for most businesses, and the one least often bought. See lead capture and tracking and marketing campaigns. If you only need the caller list, not the conversation, a missed call number per ad does the same job.
4. A separate line for collections or recovery
Keeping recovery calls off your main enquiry line protects the number customers associate with buying from you. See collections and recovery line.
The Overspend Patterns
| Pattern | Why it happens | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| One number per employee | Assuming per-user billing | One number, many destinations |
| A number per metro "for coverage" | Anticipating expansion | Buy when you start selling there |
| A backup number in case the main fails | Sensible instinct, wrong tool | Set a no-answer fallback destination |
| A number per product line | Internal structure leaking outward | A menu on one number |
| Numbers nobody retired | Campaigns ended, rentals did not | Review quarterly; cancel idle numbers |
The last one is quiet and cumulative. An idle number costs the same as a busy one. A quarterly look at per-number call logs usually finds at least one rental doing nothing.
A Sizing Table
| Business | Numbers | Plan | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo founder or freelancer | 1 | ₹349 Basic | Separation from a personal mobile |
| Two to five people, one function | 1 | ₹499 Business | Multiple destinations plus recording |
| Sales and support, moderate volume | 1 | ₹499 Business | One number, menu routes to each group |
| Selling in two cities | 2 | ₹499 each | Local presence in both |
| Running paid ads | 2 | ₹499 + ₹349 | One main line, one attribution number |
| Lending or recovery operation | 2 | ₹499 each | Enquiry line kept separate from recovery |
| Thirty-plus agents, shift rotas | Contact-centre setup | Cloud contact centre | Queueing, not forwarding |
Start With One and Let the Data Decide
The cheapest path is also the easiest to reverse:
- Buy one number and route it to everyone who should answer.
- Run it for a month without changing anything.
- Read the call logs: when do calls arrive, how many ring out, what are people calling about?
- Add a second number only against something you saw in those logs.
Adding numbers later is quick — KYC is completed once per account, not once per number, so the second purchase is not held up again. See activation and KYC and how to buy a virtual number in India.
You can add or retire numbers yourself at voice-app.edesy.in.
Common Questions
Do I pay per user or per number?
Per number. Adding people to the ring group does not change the rental.
How many phones can one number ring?
One on Basic, five on Business, unlimited on Enterprise — the plan is the limit, not the number.
Should each department have its own number?
Usually not. A menu on a single number achieves the same routing while leaving customers with one number to remember.
Is there a discount for buying several numbers?
Multi-city bundles are available on Enterprise plans. For small numbers of lines, each carries its own rental — see the pricing page.
What happens if I cancel a number I no longer need?
Numbers are rented, so cancelling releases it and it may eventually be reissued. Never cancel a number that is printed on packaging or listed publicly without replacing it first.