Tired of mixing work calls with personal ones? You’re not alone. Many small business owners and team members struggle to keep things organized when everything runs through one phone. It can lead to missed messages, late replies, and confusion between personal and business contacts. Using your personal cell phone for work also means you’re always “on,” even during off-hours. Without a clear separation, it’s hard to take a real break. On top of that, giving out your personal number to clients or customers can feel unprofessional and risky. In this article, we’ll teach you how to get your own second phone line for business. You’ll learn what it can do, how it helps with everyday tasks, and the best business phone systems that will provide you with a second phone line, along with many more useful features. Whether you’re running a business solo or with a team, this guide will …
IVR Phone System: What It Is + 4 Steps To Set It Up
Handling phone calls without a system can feel overwhelming. You’ve probably dealt with calls piling up, customers getting frustrated because they can’t reach the right person, or important messages slipping through the cracks. It’s stressful — for you, your team, and your customers. That’s where an IVR phone system can help. It gives you a simple way to manage incoming calls, guide callers to the right person, and even answer common questions without involving your team. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what an IVR phone system is and how you can set one up in just five easy steps. What is IVR? IVR, or interactive voice response, is an automated phone system that helps businesses manage incoming calls. When you call a company and hear a menu with options like “Press 1 for sales” or “Press 2 for support,” that’s IVR in action. It’s designed to answer common …
10 Reasons Why Vanity Numbers Are Worth Your Money
People don’t want to feel like just a number. For years, businesses have found creative ways to make phone numbers more memorable. In the 1960s, a Boston carpet cleaning company did just that. While the Marvelettes sang about Beechwood 4-5789, Adams & Swett Rug Cleaning asked Boston residents one simple question: “How many cookies did Andrew eat?” The answer … was their phone number. Andrew 8-8000, or Andrew ate 8,000. Although exchange names are long gone, Adams & Swett still posts the jingle to their site, proof positive that their marketing not only worked but that it’s still working some 50 years later. Andrew 8-8000 is an example of a vanity number, a memorable phone number designed to stick in people’s minds. And while it worked so well with Adams & Swett, would it be worth it for your business? What does a vanity number actually offer? In this article, …
How Long Does it Take to Transfer My Number to a New Provider?
You would think that transferring your phone number to a new carrier would be instantaneous, but due to the nature of the telecom infrastructure, it does take a little time. Moving your number from one carrier to another is called porting. There are a few steps involved, and it usually takes 7-10 days to complete, but this can vary based on how fast your current provider handles the process. In this article, we’ll talk not just about answering the question but also informing you about the possible reasons that can delay your porting process. Read on to learn more! How Long Does it Take to Transfer My Number to a New Provider? The time it takes to transfer your number depends on who you’re switching to and what type of service you have. Most transfers take about 2 to 10 days. In some rare cases, it could take up to …
Employee Benefits 101: Business Owners Guide
Most entrepreneurs start out just relying on themselves and their own labor. However, at some point you’ll obviously need to hire some employees. Besides guaranteeing their salaries, you will also need to put together an employee benefits package for people that you work with. Expanding your team means hopefully relieving some of the workload on you, but navigating what your employees require in terms of benefits can be challenging for business owners used to operating just on their own or with family members. This quick guide can help you figure out what to offer potential employees and how to navigate this possibly overwhelming sphere. Why Benefits Are Important Offering employee benefits as a business owner is important for a few different reasons. It’s the Law When you work for yourself or get family members to work for you, you can count on them to work for you no matter the …
How to Forward a Landline to a Cell Phone (3 Ways)
As a business owner, you take important phone calls at the office. But you’re not always in the office. You’re meeting clients, attending events, and ducking out for lunch at school with the kids. So what do you do when an important call comes in on your business phone system but you’re not there to take it? Believe it or not, business owners have plenty of options in this situation. Most offices have a landline, and most business owners or managers have a smartphone. You can easily connect the two to create a simple system that keeps you reachable no matter where you are. Having a landline at home might seem outdated now. More than half of Americans have switched to wireless-only households, and that trend is still growing. As you might guess, most people who still have landlines at home are older and often empty-nesters. Interestingly, many boomerang kids …
10 Online Business Phone Systems for Growing Companies
Nowadays, traditional phone systems are just not enough to give you the flexibility and features you need to keep up. That’s why many growing companies are switching to online business phone systems. An online business phone system helps companies manage calls, video meetings, and messages all in one place. Unlike old landline phones, these systems work online. They use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which means calls go through the Internet instead of phone lines. Today, we’ll be looking at the best business phone systems that take great advantage of the power of the Internet. Whether you’re a startup or an established business ready to grow, there’s a phone system that’s perfect for you. How Does an Online Business Phone System Work? An online business phone system is much more than just a way to make calls. Let’s discuss in detail how it works: Cloud-Based Technology Cloud-based technology replaces the …
Should I Get a Separate Phone for My Business?
On average, about 4.7 million businesses are started each year. No one starts a business expecting to fail, but many struggle because they don’t build on a solid foundation. They often overlook how tough the competition is—not just for customers but also for investors and funding. They fail to realize that effective communication is central to the success of any business. Crucial, really. So, you might start to think about getting a second phone dedicated solely to your business. The question is, should you? Let’s discuss. Getting a Separate Work Phone Should you get a separate phone for your business? You can get one, yes, but carrying multiple devices isn’t always practical. Instead, you could get a dedicated business phone number. That way, you keep work calls separate without carrying two phones. A business phone number is a dedicated number used for work-related calls and messages. Instead of giving out …
8 Major Benefits of Using Automatic Call Distribution
Automatic call distribution (ACD) is a system for answering and directing incoming calls to the right sales agents. It decides where to send each call using preset rules and works with other tools like computer telephony integration (CTI) and interactive voice response (IVR). Businesses use automatic call distribution software to handle large call volumes and make sure customers get the help they need quickly. In this article, we’ll go over the eight benefits of ACD and what it can offer your business. 8 Most Important Benefits of ACD Software Let’s look at the biggest benefits of using ACD software. 1. Immediate and Intelligent Call Response One of the best things about ACD is how quickly it handles incoming calls. Instead of making customers wait, it picks up right away and sends them to the best agent based on the rules you impose. Without ACD, call transfers might take longer because …
How to Set Up a Business Phone Number in 3 Easy Steps
A business phone number makes your company look more professional, keeps personal and work calls separate, and helps with customer service. Whether you run a small business or a growing company, having a dedicated phone number improves communication and customer trust. This guide breaks it all down for you—what kinds of business phone numbers exist, how to set one up, and where you can get your own business phone number. Let’s start. How to Set Up A Business Phone Number with Talkroute in 3 Quick Steps Getting a business phone number with Talkroute is easy. Just follow these three steps: Step 1: Sign Up Create your Talkroute account using your email and a password. Signing up is completely free! Step 2: Choose Your Business Number After signing up, you will be directed to this page, where you can select your business number. If you click “Get Your Toll-Free Number,” you …