Most trades run the business on their personal mobile, and it works right up until it does not. The number is on the van, on the website and in four hundred customers' phones, which means there is no hour of the day when it is reasonable to ignore it. A separate number fixes that without you carrying anything extra.
01The problem Why the personal mobile stops working.
It is not really about the phone. It is that you cannot tell the difference between a customer and your family until you have already answered, so you answer everything, all the time, including on a Sunday.
The other half of it is that the number is stuck to you. If somebody else ever answers the phone for the business, or you want to hand it over, or you sell, the number goes with the person rather than the company. That is a problem you only notice at the exact moment it is expensive.
02The setup How it works.
- It rings the phone you already carry No second handset, no new SIM, nothing to remember. Your business number rings your existing mobile until you tell it not to.
- You can tell business from personal before you answer The call comes through marked, so you know whether it is a customer or your mum before you decide how to answer it. Small thing, and the one owners mention most.
- It can stop ringing at a time you choose After hours the missed-call text-back takes it instead, which holds the enquiry until morning rather than losing it. That is the bit that makes switching off possible.
- The number belongs to the business, not the handset If somebody else starts answering the phone, or you change mobile, or you eventually sell up, the number carries on. Your personal number does none of that.
03The point What it actually lets you do.
Stop answering, without losing the work. That is the whole benefit and it is worth being plain about, because on its own a second number is not exciting.
It becomes useful in combination. The number stops ringing at seven, the text-back catches whoever rings after that, their reply lands in the inbox, and you deal with it over breakfast. The customer got an answer within seconds. You got an evening.
04The price What it costs.
Included. There is no line item for it. £297 a month covers the number alongside the website, the text-back, the review funnel, lead follow-up and the inbox. The full list is here.
05The awkward ones Common questions.
01 Do I have to give up my current number?
No, and I would not advise it. Your existing number keeps working for the customers who already have it. The business number goes on the website, the Google profile and the van from now on, and the old one quietly fades over a couple of years.
02 Is it a proper number or an internet one?
It is a real number that works like any other, people ring it, you answer it. It runs over the internet underneath, which is what makes the texting and the call logging possible in the first place.
03 What happens if I have no signal?
Same as now, the call is missed. The difference is that a missed call on the business number triggers the text-back automatically, so the enquiry survives a bad signal in a way it currently does not.
04 Can I pick the area code?
Usually, yes, and it is worth thinking about. A local code signals you are local, which matters to a lot of customers. If you cover several towns, one local code plus honest service-area pages does more than a national number.
05 What if I already have a business line?
Then we can point it in rather than replace it, and you keep the number you have advertised for years. Mention it on the call, because it changes the setup slightly.
If you are not sure whether to keep advertising your mobile or move over, that's a sensible thing to talk through. Twenty minutes, and we'll work out how to move without losing the customers who already have your number. Book a call. Tell me what's going on.