A common mistake made by new business owners is using their personal phone number for business related communications. This can create a counterproductive workflow and eventually become a huge pain as you try to separate business and personal communications.
Thanks to advancements in technology, it is much cheaper and easier to set up a dedicated business phone number. You no longer have to worry about calling a telephone company and waiting for them to come in and install a landline. Today, you can create a business phone number instantly by downloading an app on your smartphone.
In addition to the low cost and simplicity, other benefits that come with having a dedicated business phone number include:
Keep your personal number private
Handing out business cards and ads with your personal phone number plastered on it is not a very good idea. It can result in receiving annoying and random phone calls about business on your personal phone. Likewise, it can be just as irritating to receive unnecessary personal calls while you are trying to focus on business dealings. A phone number dedicated to your business will ensure that you can differentiate the intentions of each phone call you receive even before you answer it.
Designate business hours
One of the greatest benefits of having a dedicated phone number is the ability to establish strict business hours. Anyone who calls before or after your business hours will be greeted with a message that says something along the lines of “We are not available right now. Our business hours are from one time to another,” OR “Please leave a message and we will contact you as soon as possible.” Messages will then be sent to your business voicemail instead of your personal one.
Screen incoming calls
With a dedicated phone number, you can set up a system that will allow your incoming calls to be followed by an automated message that requires you to decide if you would like to answer the call, send it to another line or ignore it and send it to voicemail. While you are making a decision, your caller will only hear a regular ring tone. This will give you more time to decide how you want to handle the incoming call. You can also set up a greeting message that your callers will hear while waiting for you to answer.
Professional greeting and voicemail
It is a good idea to create a custom greeting message that your callers will hear while waiting on a representative to pick up the phone. This is a great way to keep your customers in-the-know about your company’s products, services and promotions. This greeting can also be used to let callers know that their call will be answered shortly or that they can dial a specific number for emergency assistance if the business is currently closed.
A business phone number will also provide you with the opportunity to create a professional voicemail message when a call cannot be answered. It can be off-putting to be sent to someone’s personal voicemail or even worse, a default voicemail such as “Your call was forwarded to an automated voice message system. 555-888-9999 is unavailable. Please leave your message after the tone.” Setting a custom voicemail will reassure your callers that they have the right number and will make your business more trustworthy and professional.
Establish brand consistency
A business phone number will provide consistency within your brand as you will be able to place one set phone number on all of your ads, listings and business cards. If you have multiple staff members with different cell phone numbers, it may cause confusion for your customers and lead to misinformation which can ultimately result in losing business. In the event that you have to get a new personal cell phone number for any reason, it will not harm your business.
All of these benefits will essentially work together to give your business a positive and credible reputation. If you made a call to another business such as a bank or a clinic and were greeted by the voicemail of someone’s personal phone number, how likely would you be to call again? Whether it is true or not, having a business phone number gives the impression that you are receiving so much business that you need a separate phone number to manage it all. People will then perceive your company as credible and will be more willing to do business with you.