US clients book a call and dial a familiar +1 number. You answer in an app, from wherever you work.
Consultants and coaches outside the US use a US virtual number so US clients can book and join calls on a familiar +1 number. The TripoSIM number rings in an app, takes voicemail when you are offline and includes 300 minutes a month of calls to the US and Canada. It receives texts but cannot send them.
Most consulting and coaching work starts with a short call. A US prospect reads your site, books a discovery call and expects to dial a number or be called. If the number on the confirmation is international, some prospects will not dial it. They are unsure of the cost or the format. A +1 number removes that step.
The TripoSIM US Virtual Number runs in an app on your phone over Wi-Fi or mobile data. It keeps client calls apart from your personal number, and it works the same from Lisbon, Dubai or Manila. When you are asleep or with another client, callers leave a voicemail.
When a client books a phone call rather than a video call through your booking page, decide who dials. It changes which allowance you use.
Either way, check that your booking page shows slots in the client's time zone, and add your own zone to the confirmation. "Tuesday 10 a.m. ET" is clear to everyone. "Tuesday 6 p.m." is not.
Offer slots inside US business hours that are also sane for you. New York is UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in summer, and Los Angeles is three hours behind New York. Some windows that work, for East Coast clients:
The best time to call US clients covers more countries and the weeks when clocks change on different dates. The US time-zone clock shows the time in each zone right now.
A prospect who reaches voicemail decides in a few seconds whether you are a real business. Say your name and practice, your hours in their time zone, and when you call back. For example:
"You have reached [your name] Coaching. I take calls Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern. Leave your name, number and a good time to call, and I will call you back within one working day. You can also book a call from my website."
Messages can be up to 2 minutes, up to 30 a month, kept 30 days. With notifications and the microphone allowed, TripoSIM says calls ring even when the app is closed. The voicemail guide has setup steps.
For discovery calls and call-backs, usually yes. Run most paid sessions on video and the numbers stay small. Three typical weeks of calls you place, worked out for a year:
| Example | Calls out to the US and Canada | Extra minutes | One year on the yearly plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery calls only | 3 calls a week, 20 minutes each: about 260 minutes a month | None: within the included minutes | $100 |
| Plus call-backs | the same, plus 3 call-backs a week of 10 minutes: about 390 minutes a month | 11 × $5 = $55 a year | $155 |
| Weekly sessions by phone | 4 sessions a week, 30 minutes each: about 520 minutes a month | 27 × $5 = $135 a year | $235 |
Incoming calls do not use your minutes (fair use 300 minutes a month). Each plan includes 300 minutes a month out; extra minutes are $5 per 100, and unused extra minutes carry over to the next month, so the year counts the packs for all 12 months together. Prices before tax.
The monthly plan is $12.99 with the same minutes. If clients dial you instead, those minutes come from the incoming allowance. Count it separately; do not add the two together.
| Pattern | Calls from clients | Incoming minutes | Within fair use? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clients dial you for discovery calls | 8 calls of 20 minutes | 160 | Yes |
| Clients also dial you for sessions | the same, plus 6 sessions of 45 minutes | 430 | No: after 300 minutes, callers reach voicemail until the next month |
Try your own numbers in the cost calculator.
The number receives texts from US and Canadian senders, but sending texts is not included. A client can text you "running five minutes late", and you will see it, but you cannot answer from the number. So:
Take a coach in Dubai with US East Coast clients, in the US winter. Dubai is nine hours ahead of New York then.
That is the "plus call-backs" row above. Do you keep two practices, for example coaching and consulting under different names? The same person can have more than one TripoSIM US number on one account, each with its own plan and greeting.
Two plans with the same number, minutes and app.
$100per year
About $8.33 a month, paid once a year
Renews yearly until you cancel
$12.99per month
Cancel the renewal anytime. $155.88 over 12 months
Renews monthly until you cancel
Prices in US dollars as published by TripoSIM. Payments are not refunded, except a full refund if your ID check fails or your number is not delivered within 72 hours, or where local law requires. Checkout continues on TripoSIM. Right after payment you complete an ID check with a selfie, then choose from the numbers available.