Entrepreneurs often wait until it’s too late to add a separate business line to their smartphone. Using your personal phone number is economical and convenient when a start-up is in its early stages. But when your company begins to develop its brand, getting a separate phone number for business communications becomes very useful, essential really. There are lots of great reasons why you should go ahead and take the leap as soon as possible.
Reasons Not to Use Your Personal Phone Number for Business
Studies show that 75% of consumers say a phone call is the easiest way to get a response, while around 52% who convert following an online search do so over the phone. Having a business phone number for your operations regularly rates better in popularity for consumers, regardless of how digitally linked you are to social media and online mobile applications.
What’s more, many businesses you interact with, government agencies, and other services use your personal phone number for identity verification. Your personal number can provide access to highly sensitive information and potentially lead to identity theft or other online scams.
The list of reasons why you shouldn’t give out your personal number to customers, clients, or suppliers is a long one. Here are a few key reasons to avoid using a personal number for business, in a nutshell:
1. Exposure to online threats like scammers and phishers
2. Exposure to telemarketers and robocalls
3. Your business is tied to your personal number and is difficult to change
4. Limited calling features that don’t scale with company growth
5. Lack of control over additional business lines
6. Personal privacy is compromised as you can always be reached
7. Inability to distinguish between work and personal phone calls
8. Lack of control over work vs. personal time with friends and family
9. Inability to transfer calls to team members when needed
10. Using a personal number for business just looks unprofessional
Benefits of A Separate Business Line for Your Cell Phone
A business phone number is a critical part of your brand identity and provides an essential convenience for customers. 70% of mobile users who look for goods and services online opt for a phone call over other forms of communication. 94% of users call a business after searching for it on their phones. Here are some other great reasons to get a separate business line for your smartphone.
Improve Customer Satisfaction
A phone number used explicitly for your business works to enhance customer service and satisfaction. Customers can get frustrated when they try to get in touch with a specific company, but can’t find their contact information or easily reach you.
If you do continue to use your business number, take care when using it on the internet or giving it out to clients and suppliers. Getting a business line makes sure customers can easily find your contact details and reach you. People can reach out to you and get answers to their queries and doubts.
Reliability and Portability
Whether you own a small or big business, having a business phone line works wonders. It gives your business credibility and works to promote your brand. It’s also easy to transition to a new location, so even if you move your business your customers can still contact you with the same number.
Separate Your Personal & Business Communications
We often change our personal numbers, but your business number needs to remain consistent. By separating business from personal contacts, you can more clearly distinguish calls and messages from friends and family, or from work sources. Also, using your personal number on marketing materials would render all those materials obsolete if you had to change it.
You Can Choose a Business Number That’s Easier for Customers to Remember
Thousands of local and toll-free phone numbers are available across all area codes, so you can get one that’s convenient and easy to remember. A toll-free number will appeal to landline callers especially, and can give your business an added appearance of professionalism, making it a potent marketing tool.
More Control Over Employee-Customer Communications
If your employees use their personal numbers when dealing with customers, you have little control over their communications in your business’ name. Perhaps more importantly, you won’t have access to call records and notes about clients that help streamline efforts among internal teams.
Easier to Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Giving out your personal phone number for business reasons, your personal and professional life can get mixed up. Customers and providers can always reach you, and your privacy gets restricted. Having a separate business line with set hours helps maintain a seamless work-life balance.
Minimize Your Need for New Devices or Hardware
Many small businesses and start-ups begin by using their personal number for business, but as the company grows, having a second number becomes more and more important. If you operate as a solopreneur, maintaining a second cell phone and business calling line can quickly add up in expense.
Why You Should Add a Second Phone Number to Your Cell Phone
Modern phones have gotten more powerful and easy to use than ever, and communications are getting better, faster, and clearer all the time. There’s never been a better time than to try out using a separate business line. There are lots of advantages of having one phone with two numbers, including:
- Personal privacy: keep your personal information and details safe from your business-only contacts.
- Work-life Balance: easily maintain separate personal and professional communications.
- Saves money and time: keeping two cell phones can get confusing and expensive.
- Mobility: connect with customers and colleagues from home or on the road.
Personal numbers are not meant for doing business, not to mention they lack professional calling features. Getting a phone number for your business is affordable, is a great idea for companies of all sizes, is convenient, and safeguards your personal data from scammers. A virtual phone system will allow you to put up a professional front with a very low cost.
Adding a Separate Business Line to Your Mobile Device is Easy
Many great business line mobile apps are available on Google Play or Apple App Store for iPhone and iOS. Mobile calling apps also provide essential extra features, such as voicemail transcription and auto-attendants. Incoming calls have a characteristic ring so you’ll always know who is calling. Operating a virtual business phone system helps you easily expand to additional team members. It doesn’t matter what hardware you use: smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, office IP phones, or traditional landlines. All your business phone lines will be linked to one single number for anyone who calls in.
You can sign up for a free trial of most business calling apps to get a better idea of how their features can work for your business. Tiered pricing plans are available for businesses of all sizes. Bring your business calling into the 21st century by adding a business line to your smartphone today.
Keetria is an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and brand strategy coach for creatives & entrepreneurs with 16 years of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, startups, media personalities, and entertainers. If you would like to work together, don’t hesitate to reach out!
