When a business opens a second location, the phone question usually arrives as "Can we keep one main number?" The technical answer is usually yes. The harder question is the one that decides whether customers have a good experience: when a call arrives at one number, how does it reach the right person at the right building?
This article is about designing those handoffs before choosing equipment. It assumes two locations under one business, each with its own staff, and one number that customers already know.
Three models for two locations
There is no universally right answer. Each model trades simplicity for local control.
| Model | How calls flow | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central answer | One main number rings one team, which transfers to the other site as needed. | One location has the front desk; the other is mainly workspace. | Transfers during busy times; the central team must know who is at the other site. |
| Caller chooses | A short greeting asks the caller to choose a location. | Customers already know which location they use. | New customers who do not know; menus that grow over time. |
| Shared ring | The main number rings staff at both sites together. | Either site can handle any caller. | Two people picking up, or each assuming the other will. |
Many businesses combine them: a caller-choice greeting for existing customers, with "new customers" ringing a central team. Keep local direct numbers for each site if customers or suppliers already use them.
Design the handoffs, not just the first ring
Most problems in two-location setups happen after the call is answered. Walk through these four handoffs with the people who will do them:
- Wrong location. A caller reaches Site A but needs Site B. Who transfers, to whom, and what happens if nobody at B answers? Does the call come back, or go to B's voicemail?
- Busy site. Site A's staff are all on calls. Should the call roll to Site B, or wait? Rolling over helps the caller but only if B's staff can actually help.
- One site closed. Site B closes earlier on Fridays, or for a holiday that A works. Where do B's direct calls go?
- One site offline. Site B's internet or power fails. Its desk phones stop. Should B's calls go to A, to mobiles, or to voicemail, and who makes that change?
Decision worksheet
Answer each line with a role, not a name, so it survives staff changes.
- Main number first rings: ___
- If not answered in about 20 seconds: ___
- Calls for the other location are transferred by: ___ and go to: ___
- If the receiving site does not answer: ___
- Site A hours: ___ Site B hours: ___
- When only one site is open: ___
- If a site loses internet or power: ___ (decided by: ___)
- Outbound calls from each site show which number: ___
- Emergency (911) address registered for each site and remote worker: confirmed yes / no
That last line matters. Internet phones rely on a registered address for emergency calls, and a phone moved between buildings can carry the wrong one. Confirm addresses before go-live and whenever equipment moves.
What it means for cost and equipment
A second location does not automatically double your phone bill, but it does change the quote. Each person who needs an extension is a user, regardless of building. Each site needs a stable internet connection, and the network at each site may need someone who can adjust router settings. Desk phones and headsets for the new site are one-time costs. If you keep separate local numbers for each location, list them so they are priced and transferred.
At Broadtela, hosted VoIP is $24.95 per user per month, and users at both locations are on the same system, so internal transfers between sites are extension-to-extension. Desk phones are quote-only, and shipping, taxes, regulatory fees, and other separately billed items are itemized on a written quote. The first-year cost comparison will show the effect of new devices and any overlap with your existing provider.
Test before you announce
Before you update signage or listings, call the main number from outside during these moments: both sites open, one site busy, one site closed, and with a site's phones deliberately unplugged. Each call should end with a person or a voicemail someone owns.
The call-flow planner asks for your location count and will flag the multi-location questions above. If you are moving numbers at the same time, work through the switching checklist first. When your plan is written, send it to us and we will quote what it requires.