Why you shouldn’t share your mobile phone number for business
It’s not uncommon for business owners to advertise their personal mobile phone numbers for their business use. Commonly small business owners use their personal numbers when first starting out.
It seems easier to put your personal number on your website than get a separate business phone number due to the additional costs and the fact your mobile device is usually with you at all times.
Using your mobile phone for business might seem Ok, but it’s likely you will start to regret using a personal number for business activities. In fact, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t use your mobile number for your business.
- It can be risky to give out your personal phone number
Giving out your personal mobile phone number can be risky, as it can lead to people obtaining your personal information. If you use your personal phone number for business, it is important to be aware of the potential risks involved.
There have been cases of people using other people’s personal information for identity theft and other fraudulent activities. If you are concerned about the safety of your personal information, you may want to consider using a different number for business purposes.
- You can’t distinguish between personal and business calls
You can’t distinguish between business or personal calls if you use the same phone number for both. It’s important to have a separate phone number for business so that customers can reach you during business hours and don’t disturb your personal time.
If you use your personal phone number for business, you may not know if the call you’re receiving is for business, personal, or a nuisance call, meaning you may risk not being professional with business interactions.
You may also want to ensure at a busy time, you aren’t disturbed or distracted and only want to answer business-related calls. If you’re using your personal number for business use, you can never focus on one or the other.
- Not being able to share responsibility for your phone line
Although you may be the only person in your business right now, that might change. It might be as simple as getting a virtual assistant, but unless you allow them to use your mobile device, you have no way of delegating the answering of calls.
As your business grows, answering the phone is likely to be a job you want to delegate, and you can’t expect employees to use their personal numbers to make or receive work phone calls.
- Disruption to work-life balance
Disruption to work-life balance is something that can happen when business calls come in at all hours of the day and night. When you use your personal phone for work, you have to accept that not everyone keeps business hours in mind.
If you add a business number, it will make it easier for you to manage your work-life balance and switch off or take a holiday without fear of the phone always ringing.
- A mobile phone number looks less professional
If you list your personal number, you run the risk of making your business look unprofessional. You may not be worried about looking like a big business, but it will be hard for your business to look like you mean business if you have your mobile number as your business number.
It’s also recommended you get a local number rather than a 0800 number. People often associate 0800 numbers with call centres and scammers. A local number will help you look like a professional and trusted business.
Alternatives to sharing your private number for business purposes
In today’s business world, there are many alternatives to sharing your private phone number for business purposes. A mobile phone or virtual number can be used to keep your work and personal life separate, helping you maintain a work-life balance. A separate phone number for business can also make it easier to track calls and measure your success. All of these options can help you make your small business more successful.
Services such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can supply you with a virtual business phone number, a phone number that is not tied to a specific physical location. This type of phone number can be used by small businesses to give their company a more professional appearance and to make it easier for customers to reach them.
A business number can also be used to forward calls to your personal phone, so you can use your personal phone for business purposes without giving out your personal information. Using a business phone system can also help you keep track of customer calls and messages, and it can give you the ability to set up call forwarding and voicemail that are personalised to your business.
As your business grows, you’ll be able to do things such as add extra phone lines and direct calls to your team without anyone needing to give out their personal phone number. Getting a business phone number is a great way to add value to your company and make it more accessible to your customers.
How to get a business phone number
There are a few different ways to get a business phone number. Some choose to carry two phones, one for business and one for personal communications. This way, you can separate your business and personal lives, but it can be a pain to carry two devices.
You may choose a separate landline for the business. This can work if you have a fixed location and access to a phone line into the building.
A better way is to get a business phone number using a service that provides virtual phone numbers (such as VoIP). This can be a great option if you want to make and receive calls from anywhere or if you want to have a local presence in multiple markets and destinations. All you need for a VoIP phone system is an internet connection.
Alternatively, or additionally, a softphone service such as MobeX allows you to make and receive calls on a mobile, tablet or computer desktop. What’s more, calls made from a softphone will display your business number, so the receiver will never know you’re not on a traditional telephone.
Whatever option you choose, getting a business phone number is an important step in setting up your business and making it look professional.
Find the right phone system for your business
There are many different types of phone systems on the market, and it can be difficult to know which one is right for your business. The first step is to determine what your needs are.
Do you need a simple system that just makes and receives calls or something more complex to handle multiple lines and features? Some factors to consider include the number of users, scalability, call quality, features and integrations, and price. Once you know what you need, you can start shopping around and comparing features.
At Kingstar Services, we offer Kingstar Voice VoIP phone systems which are perfect for any size business. You keep hold of your personal number, and we’ll help you find the right business phone solution.
Article authored by Laura Bean Creative Little World
