In this article we will cover:

• Who Uses a Personal Mobile Phone for Work?
• Work Phone and Personal Phone: What to Choose?
• Use Your Individual Phone for Business Safely with MightyCall
• Types of Workplace Cell Phone Policies
• How to Safely Allow Employees to Use Personal Cell Phones for Business?
  
• Does Employer Have to Reimburse Cell Phone Expenses?
• Choose the Option That Works Best for Your Team

Who Uses a Personal Phone for Work?

Mobile phones are always with us, in our pockets, on our office desks, in the bathrooms. When we need to make a call or send a text, we automatically reach for them. That is, people who are constantly making business calls are the ones who use their cell phones the most for their job:

• Sales/ account/ project managers: making sales, communicating effectively, placing and receiving orders, and managing a team;
• Support teams: being there for the clients, sometimes 24/7;
• Couriers/ delivery: receiving operator calls, contacting clients to confirm orders, GPS;
• Drivers: contacting clients, GPS, maintenance calls;
• Teachers/ private instructors: staying in touch with the students, teaching online classes.

Most professionals nowadays use their personal cell phones for work in one way or another, so the dilemma regarding work phone vs personal phone is not rare.

Work Phone and Personal Phone: What to Choose?

So, will a personal phone do the job, or is it best to use a company phone? Here are the main pros and cons to consider:

Reasons to use a personal phone for work

Pros:

• Easy set-up and use. Most likely, you already have a cell phone on you at all times, so it won’t take much time or effort to start using it for business. You will not have to set all the settings all over again or install any new apps.
• Control. You choose the smartphone model you like and the operating system of your preference. The size, color, stickers—customize it all you want, delete apps you dislike, take pictures of your cat and sunsets without having to ask permission.
• Responsibility. Cracking the screen or losing the phone will not be a constant fear, since the property is yours, no need for any reimbursements for anything. It is okay if your dog chews on it a bit or if your kid decorates it with a cute puppy sticker.
• Availability. Your personal phone is available to you at any point in time, making it easy to reach the cloud or your coworkers whenever the need arises. Your relationship with clients may also benefit from your availability and using a personal contact.
• Potential savings. The organization does not need to invest into the phone purchase or maintenance, which does save the funds. You can, however, ask to be reimbursed for your mobile service usage and have a free company-paid package for your personal use alongside with business if you are using a personal mobile phone for work.
• Remote work. If you are hired remotely from a different city or even country, you will not have to worry about having to personally pick up or drop off the device, nor will your workplace worry about the shipment risks.

Reasons to avoid using a personal phone for work

Cons:

• Health. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance will become harder. Even if you have the willpower to ignore job notifications after hours, chances are you will still end up working more due to the increased accessibility.
• Privacy and security. Having to create new accounts for professional communication on your apps can cause confusion, replying to a personal call/text from a wrong account, accidentally leaking information.
• Personal data loss. If you leave the company, all the professional communication that happened via your own phone number will have to be erased, potentially dragging on some of your personal interactions, which would not happen if you decided to use a separate phone for work.
• Legal responsibility. You are running the risk of losing sensitive company information that may have heavy consequences for you and your organization, so you will have to keep a really close watch of all your personal equipment, perhaps even not letting your family members close to it.
• Rigidity. You are bound to your phone and number, unless you manage to find and purchase a mobile device for work with a double SIM card slot. Your dentist, your clients, and your spouse may be calling you at the same time. You will not be able to make your number look professional or customize it in any way.
• Potential higher cost. Purchase, maintenance, operating systems, apps – all of these are cheaper when purchased in bulk by a business, so having to pay for all the necessary softwares, such as anti-viruses and VPN, cloud storage, and Adobe/Microsoft licenses if your organization does not reimburse you can be an additional burden.

Use Your Personal Phone for Business Safely with MightyCall

MightyCall is capable of resolving the above problems of business phone vs personal phone while letting you keep using your personal phone for work. It allows you to get a separate work number on the same device without an additional sim card.

• Separate your job from personal life. You can easily distinguish between the work and personal numbers and only respond to your personal one when you are off;
• Set business hours. If you are so passionate about your job that you cannot refuse to take a work call, set up business hours that will automatically filter out all the work calls outside of hours.

• Manage remotely. Lost your device and stressed about the sensitive client information? Log in from your computer and change the MightyCall app password. That way, your communication will remain private and secure.
• Use multiple devices. Make calls from your computer or a different device if you are switching to a newer model.
• Enjoy your privacy. No one will know and/or pass around your phone number, or know your area code or any other information that can be looked up via one’s phone number.

See for yourself by trying out MightyCall. It offers dozens of useful business features, such as custom greetings, toll-free business phone numbers, call screening, and more.

Types of Workplace Mobile Phone Policies

All companies have different policies regarding the work phone and personal phone, here are the four most popular schemes:

• BYOD (Bring your own device) – the organization does not get involved with the choice of device or software installation. The staff is expected to use their personal devices for work and keep them up-to-date with all the organization’s requirements.
• CYOD (Choose your own device) – the organization provides a list of devices that meet the technical and brand criteria. Once the staff member chooses the device to their liking, the organization installs and maintains all the necessary programs and takes care of the device security, allowing the use of personal cell phones for business.
• COPE (Company-owned, personally enabled) – the device is provided by the organization to its employees. The contract states that the device may be used for professional or personal purposes.
• COBO (Company-owned, business only) – the device is provided by the organization to its staff. The contract states that the device must not be used for any purpose other than work-related.

How to Safely Allow Employees to Use Personal Cell Phones for Work Calls?

Varying from one field to another, employees have varying levels of digital proficiency when it comes to cell phones. One person may have firewalls and a high quality anti-virus software installed, meanwhile another will be regularly clicking on pop-up ads on sketchy websites without giving it a second thought. That is why, when it comes to the business use of personal cell phones, it is critical to have policies in place and to ensure that employees understand the responsibilities they assume by using their personal devices:

1.  Security. Make sure your staff understands basic internet safety. Provide them with a list of free anti-viruses or pay for a corporate plan for a password manager to ensure your sensitive information does not get stolen.
2. Privacy. Communicate that all the business-related information, such as chats with clients, belongs to the organization and is subject to inspection or alteration by the organization.
3. Time management. Provide clear goals and deadlines. When your staff is using their personal devices, chances are they will be tempted to use them for non-work-related tasks or entertainment, which is why the employees should clearly understand your expectations.
4. Company policies. Explain that all the regulations and rules apply to both online and offline presence, regardless of which device the staff is using.
5. Courses. Consider creating an introductory course for your newbies, explaining the security policies, privacy, and protection. That way, breaking the regulations will be completely your employees’ responsibility.

Does the Employer Have to Reimburse Cell Phone Expenses?

Who should be paying for the employee’s service on their personal cell phone? Is it fair that the staff member has to pay out of pocket for the communication with clients? Are the expenses included in their salary, and have they been made aware of it? What does the law have to say about it?

Federal laws about cell phone reimbursement

The rule of thumb is to ensure that the job-related expenses are not putting your employees below the minimum wage. Aside from making you a fair employer, that should keep you out of trouble in most states. However, it is important to note that each state has its own regulations which you need to carefully study (preferably with an experienced corporate lawyer or an attorney) prior to starting an organization in general.

State laws about work-related cell phone expenses

Some states have enacted legislation requiring the management to reimburse communication costs. (Please note that laws and regulations can be changed or adjusted, so it is recommended to carefully study the relevant official government-released documents.) Here is a list of states that do have specific regulations regarding expense reimbursements:

• California
• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New York
• Pennsylvania

The extent to which staff are protected by law varies by state. Since 2014, for example, California requires employers to reimburse their workers’ bills regardless of the service plan the employee has. It is also important to note that self-employed workers can write off their cell phone bills as a professional expense under the IRS.

Can employers make their own phone reimbursement policy?

Yes, within the legal framework you can do whatever works best. As long as your organization complies with the federal and state laws, you are allowed to come up with your own solutions to the bill reimbursement policy. In states that require reimbursement for job-related communication or professional phone use, these policies often specify how the reimbursement will be calculated. Many policies simply provide a flat fee.

A great solution to limit the expenses is the COBO policy (explained above). Provide mobile devices to your employees as an additional employment benefit. These corporate phones may be excluded from the salary. For clearer details, we do recommend consulting with an attorney in your state.

Choose the Option that Works Best for Your Team

Personal and business are two very different fields, one phone for work and personal use may not be enough for everyone. Using your personal phone number for professional communication might invite conflict and inefficiency into your life.

There are 3 widely known solutions:

• Carry two devices: a personal and a work phone;
• Expand your plan with a service provider like Verizon or Sprint;
• Get a virtual business phone number.

Each option has its pros and cons, yet a virtual system is the most balanced solution in terms of affordability, convenience, and security. It is a professional choice that includes personal data protection, work-life balance, and improved accessibility. MightyCall has been providing virtual telephony services for small and medium business owners for decades. It is one of the most flexible, powerful, and easy-to-use solutions on the market. With affordable packages and a wide range of advanced features, MightyCall is designed to make your communication efficient, professional, and transparent.

The post Should You Use Your Personal Phone for Work? first appeared on MightyCall.

• WhatsApp Business features
• How to use WhatsApp Business with MightyCall
• Why should you use Whatsapp Business with a virtual phone number?
• Why should they choose using Whatsapp Business with VoIP over hundreds of other options?

Whatsapp is the most popular messaging app in the world, with over 2 billion users in 180 countries worldwide. More importantly for your business, Whatsapp recently launched Whatsapp Business, which has already racked up more three million users.

WhatsApp Business features

Through Twilio, Whatsapp Business is more of an API than a direct VoIP competitor, which actually makes it a capable and sharp companion to any VoIP system.

The direct features include:

• a business name,
• a business description,
• business hours,
• business category and
• other identifying information like your business email, website, and address (if you have a physical store).

More in-depth offerings include a business catalogue complete with pictures and info, easy grouping tools for your contacts and greetings that you can use for various situations.

There are not any hardcoded, classic VoIP features like call queues, call recording or even auto-attendants. Whatsapp is not necessarily trying to take over that corner of the market, but rather to complement existing structures to help businesses provide the best communications experience possible—similar to the revolutionary way they helped bridge the gap between everyday communications as well.

While VoIP still focuses heavily on the calling experience, with other methods of communication—texting, social media, etc.—gravitating around it, Whatsapp has always focused on messaging—likely the main reason the app’s popularity exploded in the first place.

If that tandem sounds like something your business could use, or you already have Whatsapp and simply want to see what it can do, then installing it for use with a virtual phone number is quite simple. In all honesty, the process is no different than installing Whatsapp with a regular, sim card-attached number.

How to use WhatsApp Business with MightyCall

Please note: Due to 2022 WhatsApp policy changes limiting WhatsApp Business registration with VoIP numbers, please contact MightyCall Support at +1 (888) 256-8312 ext.2 or support@mightycall.com to check compatibility with your VoIP number.

It is important to note that you need to already have a MightyCall virtual phone number (or a number from any VoIP provider) before linking them.

• Step one: Download the Whatsapp Business app for either iOS or Android (it’s free)
• Step two: As you go through the sign-up process, enter your MightyCall virtual phone number as your contact.
• Step three: You will receive a verification text (found in the History – Texts section of your MightyCall profile); enter the code and then your Whatsapp Business account is ready to go!

Another important note: While MightyCall allows for unlimited devices, Whatsapp Business limits you to using one device at a time.

That means that if you want to use the MightyCall+Whatsapp combo, you can only be signed in with both on one device at a time.

If you are signed in on one device and try to use the Whatsapp-linked MightyCall number on another device, the first device will automatically sign you out. If you want to use Whatsapp Business on multiple devices, you will need multiple phones/devices (which kinds of defeats the purpose of VoIP, which eliminates the need to carry several phones in the first place).

Why should you use Whatsapp Business with a virtual phone number?

There a few obvious reasons and others that require a bit more analysis. The basics is that Whatsapp is free to use, has end-to-end encrypted messaging (which protects your privacy, and more thoroughly than the majority of messaging apps can say), and is both extremely easy to use and extremely popular.

Now, typically jumping on the hype train and doing/using something just because others are doing/using it is a bad idea, but in the case of Whatsapp, the fact that there is a userbase a billion+ strong in every corner of the globe ensures the best product and easy use since the majority of people you know will probably have it installed too.

Whatsapp even lets you send a limited number of messages monthly to people who don’t have the service, a big convenience with how fallen out of favor imessage has become and how untrustworthy social media messengers have become (and yes, Facebook does own Whatsapp, but they don’t want to kill the golden pony, so it has retained much of what makes it distinct since Zuckerberg & co. took over).

Those are the reasons anyone should be using Whatsapp, but what the business community?

Why should they choose using Whatsapp Business with VoIP over hundreds of other options?

Moreso than any of its competitors, Whatsapp enables “conversational commerce”, the fancy term for what every business—especially small businesses—crave: being able to have meaningful interactions, whether it’s answering a customer question or following up, in a way that feels genuine and not drenched in the cynicism of sales. Unsurprisingly, these interactions more reliably lead to purchases and future relationships with the brand.

Businesses have started using Whatsapp because it works. While VoIP and calling still holds immense power in business today, messaging is nearly as important, particularly with younger people. A Dimensions Data survey found that 9 out of 10 consumers would choose to message a business before any other method of communication. In response to this, businesses have quickly adjusted, with the majority now including Whatsapp as a support channel for customers experiencing troubles, while other businesses have even more fully incorporated Whatsapp into their network, going so far as to take orders via the app (in fact, I had this experience just last week when booking a massage).

With a robust 100-person maximum on the number of people in a group chat, Whatsapp has even become a reliable internal communication system—one that doesn’t require employees to learn complex systems or manage messages in a CRM. Better yet, with documents, images and videos easily shared among contacts, there are few things a team cannot do on Whatsapp Business.

Of course, those tasks have their place in business management, but that is where the VoIP half comes into play. Whatsapp Business keeps things easy and clear while VoIP powers the more demanding aspects of customer communications. Just as VoIP has modernized and, in many respects, replaced conventional desk phone systems, Whatsapp has modernized and largely replaced email as the preferred method of quickly contacting both businesses and colleagues.

With it being free of charge and so simple to use, there is no excuse to not combine Whatsapp Business and a virtual phone number to at least see how much your company can improve its customer communications.

The post How to Use Whatsapp Business with a virtual phone number first appeared on MightyCall.

The best virtual phone numbers in the market also offer an array of virtual office phone services such as: messaging, call management, team management, analytics, and integrations. Before choosing a provider, you should check these against your team’s communication needs and goals.

Below, we’ll explore the top providers of virtual numbers based on features, pricing, user experience, and real customer reviews.

• What is a Virtual Business Phone Number?
• The List of Best Virtual Business Phone Number Providers
• Virtual Phone Services: Comparison
• How We Ranked These 12 Business Virtual Phone Services
• When Do You Need a Virtual Phone Number for Business?
• How to Choose a Virtual Business Phone Service
• Virtual Business Phone Number: Choose the Best Option Today

What is a Virtual Business Phone Number?

A virtual business number is a local, toll-free, or vanity number used by a company, entrepreneur, or even freelancer for professional communication. The business virtual phone number can be used by the whole team. Regardless of where employees are located, and whether they work in the office or at home, they will have access to making and receiving calls and accessing all the other communications features of their service provider. These types of numbers don’t require special hardware and are internet-based, which means they can be used on any device with an internet connection.

The List of Best Virtual Business Phone Number Providers

1. MightyCall – Best price-value provider for SMB
2. Grasshopper – Best for multiple numbers and extensions
3. CallHippo – Best for international companies
4. Vonage – High audio quality and AI features
5. eVoice – Big choice of rare local numbers
6. RingCentral – Best for call centers
7. Nextiva – Unlimited videoconferencing
8. 8×8 – Enterprise-level system
9. Dialpad – Best audio/video conferencing bundle
10. OpenPhone – One of the best UI designs
11. Ooma – Best for the office
12. Phone.com – Best for teams using IP phones and adaptors

Virtual Phone Services: Comparison

1. MightyCall

MightyCall is a business phone service for small and medium-sized businesses. Its award-winning system comes with 30+ business features for call management, teamwork, contact management and analytics.

Why we picked it

With the whole pack of features bundled into the medium-tier Business plan, your team won’t have to pay anything extra to get everything they could hope for from a virtual business phone number. MightyCall is also known for incredible live support services which can help you set up any particular functionality for free.

Best for

Small and medium-sized businesses

Pricing per month

• Business: from $15 per user
• Enterprise: from $150 (unlimited users)

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Professional phone numbers
• Standard and Multi-Level IVR
• Call waiting
• Call recording
• Voicemail-to-text transcription
• CRM integrations

Integrations

• Hubspot
• Salesforce and other CRM platforms.
• Over 1500 business applications via Zapier (i.e. WhatsApp Business, Google Sheets, Slack, etc.)

User Experience

MightyCall’s modern virtual business phone design was developed for intuitive, simple use, regardless of tech knowledge. The company consistently updates its user interface and adds new product features and integrations every few months.

Customer service

MightyCall’s highly-reviewed live support team is accessible through the phone, live chat, and email. New clients also get help with VoIP phone number for business selection, feature and integration setup, and other call management issues for free.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.1 on G2

2. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is one of the highly-rated and longest-standing virtual phone services in the market. It comes with unlimited extensions on all plans and offers a whopping 15 business numbers included on its low-tier standard plan.

Why we picked it

This classic business virtual phone is one of the few that hasn’t switched to the per user subscription model. The company’s list of features is not updated as constantly as that of newer competitors and it lacks some important integrations, but it’s a good fit for basic business communication without the fuss.

Best for

Mid-sized companies and teams

Pricing

• Solo: $29 up to 3 user extensions
• Partner: $49 up to 6 user extensions
• Small business: $89 for unlimited users

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Audio calls
• Messaging
• Conference calling
• Call forwarding

Integrations

• No native integrations with CRM systems.
• Zapier
• API

User Experience

The UI has a classic, customizable design and is simple to use

Customer service

Offers FAQs and Documentation sections on its website. If your question isn’t answered, there’s an option to “Call Support” at the end of relevant FAQ articles.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.1 on G2

3. CallHippo

CallHippo is a business communications platform. It includes separate products such as: virtual business phone app, video broadcasting, speech analytics, and call tracking soft

Why we picked it

CallHippo offers a cross-platform solution with a wide variety of virtual phone office features. It’s also a reliable international number provider, offering local and toll-free numbers in over 50 countries.

Best for

Companies with international customers/locations

Pricing (user/month)

• Free plan (unlimited users, comes with free features, but you pay for numbers)
• Bronze – $16 per user per month
• Silver – $24 per user per month
• Platinum – $40 per user per month

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Voice calls
• Answering rules
• Auto attendant
• Call recording

Integrations

Include but not limited to:

• CRM (Zoho, Pipedrive, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk , and more)
• Slack
• Shopify
• Zapier
• Active Campaign

User Experience

This business virtual phone service is particularly valued by users particularly in international companies that benefit from this provider’s focus on that niche.

Customer service

CallHippo offers chat, helpdesk, email, and phone support

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.3 on G2

4. Vonage

Vonage is a virtual business phone service with several products: communication APIs, Voice, Video, Messaging. It has several dozen powerful features with its plans, which offers versatility and the power of greater choice for business.

Why we picked it

This virtual business number provider comes with good quality and uptime. It also has unlimited calling and texting, and as a cherry on the cake, the design is really stylish. Vonage also offers a Conversational AI product and AI studio for developers.

Best for

Mid-sized businesses

Pricing/line/month

• Basic Plan: $19.99 USD
• Premium Plan: $29.99 USD
• Basic Plan: $39.99 USD

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Phone and desktop apps
• Multi-level auto attendant on Premium Plan
• Unlimited Team Messaging
• Unlimited Calls and SMS
• Vonage App Center

Integrations

CRM Integration for the Premium plans and above

User Experience

Most users appreciate the interface, considerable number of features, and note that the quality of calls is very good. However, the customer support team has met with some criticism.

Customer service

Customer support can be reached through the phone, a help forum, or by sending a help request on the website.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.3 on G2

5. eVoice

eVoice is an internet telephony and PBX provider that started out by offering business numbers only. Currently, it offers basic phone system functionality to make and receive business calls.

Why we picked it

Since eVoice is basically a number provider, it offers some numbers that are highly limited these days (like local 917 area code numbers in NYC). It may be a good option for those businesses needing specific hard-to-get area codes.

Best for

Local businesses looking for hard-to-get local numbers

Pricing (user/month)

• Lite plan: $14.99 (2 users at $7.50 each)
• Unlimited: $78 (4 users at $19.50 each)
• Unlimited Plus: $114 (6 users at $19 each)
• Unlimited Pro $180 (10 users at $18 each)

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Voice calls
• Business hours
• Call forwarding
• Voicemail

Integrations

eVoice currently does not offer any integrations

User Experience

eVoice has the lowest user rating out of the providers mentioned here. Most people note the outdated “90s” interface and “charging a fortune” for the pretty basic calling functionality. Also, there’s no free trial and no integrations.

Customer service

eVoice offers only a single phone number to contact its support team, which is another con for companies, since setting up a virtual business number often demands the expert help of technical support.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

2.8 on G2

6. RingCentral

RingСentral has long been in the market as a provider of virtual business phone numbers. The pricing model reflects the company’s target audience of large organizations and call centers. The company also offers video messaging and fax in addition to standard Audio and telephony features.

Why we picked it

The phone service is reliable and has a high-quality reputation, even if its basic feature set coupled with the highest price in the market has been designed for call center use.

Best for

Call centers, large companies, and enterprises

Pricing (user/month)

• Essentials plan – $29.99
• Standard – $37.99
• Premium – 44.99
• Ultimate- $59.99

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Voice calls
• Video calls (only on Standard plan and above)
• SMS
• Fax

Integrations

Standard Plan:

• Essentials plans
• Microsoft 365
• Google
• Slack

Premium Plan:

• CRM integrations (Salesforce, Zendesk, etc.)
• Industry-specific integrations (Canvas, Smarsh etc.)

User Experience

Customers note the high quality and usability of their virtual phone for business. However, companies outside the call center sector are wary of the high service price and long-term contracts.

Customer service

24/7 support on Standard plans and above

Pros & Cons

User reviews

3.9 on G2

7. Nextiva

One of the most well-known virtual phone providers in the market, Nextiva has also received many awards, particularly for its leadership culture and employees. It offers standard telephony, productivity, and customer experience solutions.

Why we picked it

As a virtual phone system, Nextiva provides reliable and noteworthy service, including unlimited video calls, which isn’t the rule with virtual phone service providers. It’s also a socially responsible company. Among its initiatives is a volunteer group called Nextiva Cares that supports local charities.

Best for

Small to mid-sized businesses

Pricing (user/month)

• Essential Plan: $21.95 USD
• Professional Plan: $26.95 USD
• Enterprise Plan: $36.95 USD

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Unlimited voice & video calling
• Voicemail
• Toll-free numbers
• Outlook/Google Contacts Integrations
• Unlimited internet fax

Integrations

• Google and Microsoft integrations on starter plan
• Salesforce and HubSpot integrations on Professional plan and above
• Custom integrations on highest-tier Enterprise plan

User Experience

This phone service generally receives good reviews, particularly regarding call management organization, however, some customers complain that the app is tricky to use and communication with support isn’t always smooth.

Customer service

Support includes video tutorials and FAQ, as well as a chat and an option to submit a ticket on their website.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.4 on G2

8. 8×8

8×8 is a VoIP provider that has established itself in the technology market: in telecom capacity since the 1980s, the company has over 150 U.S. tech patents. It’s also a platform that unites a contact center, virtual business phone service, video and chat.

Why we picked it

Coming with an array of useful telephony features, the provider is noted for high recording quality and attractive international calling rates, making it a good choice for international companies.

Best for

International companies and businesses that often communicate with clients in other countries

Pricing (user/month)

• Express: $15
• X2: $28
• X4: $57

Features

Include, but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Audio calls
• Document sharing (on X plan and above)
• Streaming of meetings on YT(on X plan and above)
• Analytics(on X plan and above)

Integrations

• Microsoft Teams
• CRM, productivity and service apps on X2 plans and up.

User Experiences

Most users are satisfied with the experience of using this virtual business line’s desktop and mobile apps. Both apps include many features and are simple to switch between.

Customer service

Support is available through FAQ, various documentation manuals, and live chat.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.1 on G2

9. Dialpad

Dialpad is a traditional choice for mid-sized companies. It offers a reliable virtual number for business with many capabilities, but if you’re looking for a small team/solopreneur solution, the offered plans/features will probably be costly.

Why we picked it

If you’re looking into VoIP, you’ve probably heard of Dialpad. It includes both audio and video calling capabilities, many features and integrations, and international calling.

Best for

Mid-sized businesses and enterprises

Pricing (user/month)

• Standard Plan: $23 per user
• Pro Plan: $35 per user
• Enterprise Plan: custom

Features

Include but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Call forwarding
• IVR/Multi-level IVR
• Call recording
• Voicemail/voicemail to text

Integrations

Standard option: Google and Office 365 integrations

User Experience

The system is rich in features and comes with a great design across all platforms. However, most of the features and integrations come on the higher-tier plans

Customer service

• 24/5 through chat and web for regular clients
• 24/7 support for Pro and Enterprise customers

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.4 on G2

10. OpenPhone

OpenPhone is a well-priced virtual phone number for small businesses. It has one of the cheapest basic plans, a variety of pricing options, and strong technology for its value.

Why we picked it

OpenPhone is noted for its user experience (UX), integrations, and high-quality communication, messaging, and international calling.

Best for

Small businesses and startups

Pricing (user/month)

• Standard Team Plan – $13 USD
• Premium Team Plan – $25 USD
• Enterprise Team Plan – Individual

Features

Include, but not limited to:

• SMS/MMS
• Webphone
• Phone app
• Call forwarding
• A simple IVR

Integrations

• Email, Slack, Google Contacts, Hubspot CRM
• Zapier for extra cost

User Experience

Customers note the nice UX, feature-price ratio, and Slack and HubSpot integration. The cost model is usually praised as well.

Customer service

• FAQ section, chat box with a form
• Priority support available for the Enterprise Plan.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.8 on G2

11. Ooma

Ooma isn’t just a virtual phone number service provider. Unlike all the other services on this list, you don’t even need a computer to use it. Ooma sells its own hardware – IP desk phones, for those who prefer to make and receive calls on desk phones.

Why we picked it

Offering virtual office phone numbers, it also sells compatible IP desk phones, internet calling, videoconferencing, and fax. Ooma is a very successful blend of traditional old-school tools with modern technology.

Best for

Small business office

Pricing (user/month)

• Essentials: $19.95
• Pro: $24.95
• Pro Plus: $29.99

Features

Include, but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Audio calls
• Virtual receptionist
• Virtual fax
• Call forwarding

Integrations

Salesforce integration only on the highest-tier plan, Ooma Office Pro Plus.

User Experience

Users that are looking for an office-centric calling and video conferencing solution, and the ability to use IP desk phones, generally love the capabilities of Ooma.

Customer service

24/7, Support via documentation manuals and phone

Pros & Cons

User reviews

4.7 on G2

12. Phone.com

Phone.com is a phone company offering a variety of services: virtual business phone line, video meetings, mobile apps, and IP phones.

Why we picked it

This virtual phone service for business offers a variety of telecommunication options. Centered around internet calling, it also sells analog adapters for desk phones, IP phones, and even accessories like headsets.

Best for

Small and mid-sized companies

Pricing (user/month)

• Basic: $14.99
• Plus: $19.99
• Pro: $29.00

Features

Include, but not limited to:

• Phone numbers
• Auto attendant
• Voicemail and transcription (the latter on Pro plan only)
• Call routing
• Video meetings

Integrations

Only available with the Pro Plan:

• Zapier
• Zoho office suite
• AllProWebTools CRM, and Chrometa time tracking
• Native integrations with CRMs: Hubspot and Salesforce, PipeDrive, and others are missing.

User Experience

Some users have complaints about the mobile app and outdated user interface, but generally the provider is prized for the fair pricing and device versatility.

Customer service

24/7 service via live chat, email, and phone.

Pros & Cons

User reviews

3.3 on G2

How We Ranked These 12 Business Virtual Phone Services

To rank the virtual phone number providers above, we used several important criteria:

• Features – What features can you expect from the product and how do they align against your team’s needs? We looked into some of the services’ most popular functionality to help you understand.
• Price – To make a decision, you need to quickly compare prices on virtual phone numbers for business. We looked at all the available plans each service has to offer, and whether there’s a free trial.
• Integrations – Every business uses CRM, sales, and marketing tools, to name a few. How will they integrate with your phone? We answered that question, providing you with a list of integrations you can expect from each service.
• User support/quality of service – A highly important aspect of any technology, we looked into the praise and complaints of users of various phone companies based on reviews.
• Ease of use – How does the product relate to you in terms of usability is a great question to ask before subscribing to any service, and one we tried to answer for you.
• Reviews – The product’s rating on platforms like G2 is a reliable indicator of how the service fares with existing users. We checked these for you, so you don’t have to waste time googling each and every product.

When Do You Need a Virtual Phone Number for Business?

Most business owners move around a lot, and nowadays, most employees also work remotely and don’t sit in the office. This means they need a virtual phone number for business that works on the go. But when you have professional calls coming to your cell phone, juggling personal communication and business can get tough without the right tools.

A virtual business line provides:

• Flexibility to work from anywhere – With virtual cell phone numbers, your whole team (even a small call center) can work from anywhere using their cell phone. Just connect as many users as needed to the Cloud phone system. You don’t even need to download any software.
• Accessibility on multiple devices – You can use the device you’re reading this information from right now to make and receive calls! Any internet-powered device will work, like your cell phone, tablet/iPad, laptop, PC, as well as IP desk phones and regular desk phones with IP adapters.
• A multitude of features – Most virtual office telephone services offer dozens of call management features like auto-attendant, after hours call routing, voicemail to email, call recording, IVR/multi-level IVR, and integrations with CRM
• Lower costs – Compared to landlines, businesses save lots on subscription costs and have no long-term contracts
• Team management features – Administrators can monitor and manage their team and delegate tasks through the Cloud dashboard
• Easy porting – Virtual phone lines are easy to port, making transition from one provider to another hassle-free.

How to Choose a Virtual Business Phone Service

When getting ready to set up a virtual business phone number, it’s necessary not just to compare prices, but to look at several key components of a phone system that will profit your business for years to come. Here are the most important points:

Security and Reliability
How secure is the virtual phone system you’re choosing? Does it answer the latest security protocols and protect your privacy? What are independent reviewers saying? Don’t choose any provider that makes you hesitant about security.

Price-value
A provider may be a perfect value for one company, but terrible for another. It all depends on the size of your team and the features you’re looking for. Based on what you’re looking for and your budget, evaluate how well the solution fits your needs.

Product features
If you’ve used a virtual phone number service before, make a list of features that are most important to your team, and another list of those you haven’t used in a while (or ever). Compare this to the plan you’re currently looking into.

Hardware/software
Does the system come with special hardware or software to download? For example, if you’re planning on using IP phones or desk phones with adapters, what models are compatible with the provider? It’s best to have this answered by customer support.

Learning curve
Choose a virtual telephone service that matches the working habits of your employees. For example, a team that works remotely will need a different solution from a team that has worked form desk phones their whole life.

Customer support
And speaking of customer support, whatever provider you choose, you’ll likely have questions that you will need answered, fast. Especially if you have a team. Choose a provider with reliable support, preferably live agents.

Extra services
In addition to your business phone number, do you need international numbers, Integrations, support for IP desk phones, or extra numbers? If so, look for a provider that offers the extra services you need.

Free trial
Does the service offer a free trial? Most do these days, but some offer “a money-back guarantee”. Note that this is not the same as a free trial, and money may not be returned to you.

Virtual Business Phone Number: Choose the Best Option Today

The market is populated with virtual business phone app providers all promising exceptional call experiences at the best price. However, as we’ve seen above, each service has a particular focus, and sometimes even a niche, that they work best for.

Taking the above into consideration, our best picks to get virtual business phone numbers from are:

• MightyCall rounding up as the most reliable and feature-rich service for small and mid-sized companies;
• Nextiva – if you’re looking for unlimited video conferencing bundled into an affordable price;
• Ooma Office is a good choice if you need to supply your office with desk phones already integrated into the communications system.

The post Virtual Phone Number for Business: Best Services to Get One first appeared on MightyCall.

We know you’re probably assuming that it is going to be a hassle and a challenge, but rest easy — it’s not a difficult thing at all. MightyCall is plenty used to people bringing their numbers over from other carriers, and Verizon is plenty used to folks leaving!

Best of all, porting your Verizon number to MightyCall is absolutely free.

That said, even though the process is easy, you probably don’t exactly know the how-to when it comes to  porting your number. That’s why we decided to help you out by putting together this handy guide.

1. Get Together Everything You’ll Need

So let’s get to it. The process of porting a number generally speaking doesn’t take a long time, but it isn’t something that happens immediately- depending on the kind of number, it can take anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks. But if you don’t have everything together, it’ll just make it harder for yourself, and the whole process will take much longer.

One of the first things you’ll need is what’s called your Customer Service Report- or CSR for short. This is a collection of information, which MightyCall is going to have to make sure matches. We should rephrase, however- you don’t *need* it, but then you’re going off of your own knowledge of your data, which isn’t always a good thing.

You’ll also need a copy of your most recent phone bill. This obviously shouldn’t be all that difficult to do.

2. Create a MightyCall Account

Obviously, you’ll need something to actually port the number over to. And that “something” is your MightyCall account! That process is pretty straightforward. Head on over to MightyCall.com to start it off!

3. Give MightyCall the Information It Needs to Get Your Number Ported

Next, head on over to this link and fill out the number porting form. If you already have your CSR by this point, it’ll be a lot easier to fill out. To start you’ll need your email (the email used for your MightyCall account), account type (business or personal), and of course your name.

Then, you’ll have to choose from a couple of download links, based on the kind of number you wish to port. Among these are a Letter of Authorization, which in black-and-white makes abundantly clear that you are giving permission for your number to be ported.

Print and sign/fill out the forms and make sure all the information is input correctly. Then re-upload the forms.

4. Talk with Verizon

To port, you’ll have to contact their customer service and get a special pin number. If you do not give this pin number to MightyCall, the port will not go through.

After this, it’s time to do everyone’s favorite activity: waiting! All should go smoothly; if it doesn’t, MightyCall will tell you why Verizon denied your request, and then you’ll have to take it up with them (this is unlikely to happen though). If all goes well, you’ll receive an email confirmation once the port of your number from Verizon to MightyCall is complete.

The post How to Port a Number from Verizon to MightyCall first appeared on MightyCall.

This is a goofy image, right? It should be. Anyone would look silly, hopping around with both feet in one flip-flop. But guess what? It’s about as goofy as someone jamming their personal lives and their business lives into a single phone number on their smartphone. In a time period where it’s so easy to get a second business number  for your smartphone, it makes no sense to just stick with one.

Using a second number just for business gets you plenty of bang for your buck. And it helps you to organize life—especially that critically important work and life balance—in a major fashion. A second number for your smartphone makes things just far easier for yourself, simplifies your day-to-day happenings, and really ups your professionality- big league.

We will be going over all of those benefits in great detail throughout this post (as well as a short, easy how-to when it comes to actually adding that second number for your smartphone!), so read on to find out more!

But first…

Let’s address something the skeptical readers amongst you probably wondering: how does this even work?

It is a pretty fair question. Most people, pretty much since cellphones began to be truly widespread, have associated their cellphone with a single phone number. One number, one cell phone. But over the last few years, that association has begun to become altered in a pretty big way.

With innovative telephony companies like MightyCall and mobile apps like WhatsApp becoming incredibly popular, more and more people have been divorcing themselves from the idea of the single number that they have on their phone as being representative of who they are digitally (many people, for example, set up their WhatsApp account with the number on their phone and later change the number on their phone while keeping their WhatsApp number the same).

In that way, phone numbers are almost becoming like emails; as people have work and personal emails, so too are people beginning to adopt work and personal phone numbers. So the idea of having more than one number on your phone isn’t some odd or hair-brained idea. It’s growing more and more common.

But why? Well, due to the benefits we mentioned in brief above, but will now be dealing with in more detail below!

Packs of Benefits #1 of Getting a Second Phone Number for Your Smartphone: Organization

If you are reading this and you already own a business (or you have looked into owning one), no matter how large, you’re already aware of a critically important fact: organization is absolutely key. It’s cliché, but you know what? It’s true. An unorganized business is going to at best run into all sorts of problems while staying afloat, and will at worst just fail.

Organization starts with you. Having your life organized will make it easier for you to run your business with a clear head. And doing that means having your personal and your private life clearly delineated. One of the easiest ways to go about this? Getting a second phone number for your cellphone.

If you use your personal number for your business activities, then every single time you get a cell phone call, you’re going to have to wonder, going into it, whether or not the caller is a friend with a new number looking to chat or if it’s an angry client. With a second phone number on your cellphone, you can set it up so that you know which of your numbers is being called- your personal number or your business number.

“But stop,” some of you say, “there’s a simple way around that: just carry two phones!” And I mean, look- yeah, carrying two phones is definitely a way around that. For people who work for a company, that might work- if you don’t want to receive work calls, just turn it off. Sure. But if you have a work phone, odds are you may need access to it outside of office hours (and if you own your own business, you probably can’t just completely ignore your business calls whenever you don’t feeeeeel like it).

And not only that, carrying around two phones is annoying. They’re clunky, both need to be charged, and just take up extra space (do you want two phones in your pants? I sure don’t). Having a second phone number on your phone, however, takes up no space whatsoever.

The fact of the matter is that it just makes life easier for yourself to have a second number on your cellphone.

Packs of Benefits #2 of Getting a Second Phone Number for Your Smartphone: Professionality

So this one may not be as apparent as first, but it’s pretty important to understand. A lot of folks have it in their heads—probably from the amount of quick-talking salesmen who for decades have been represented on their television screens and in their movies theaters—that giving a customer or client your personal number is a great idea.

It’s not.

To be clear, once you’re on good terms, or if you desperately need to do so to close a sale, then it can be understandable. Otherwise, it’s just not necessary. Firstly, they probably don’t want some random persons’ personal number. Think about calling to order a pizza. If you knew you were calling the pizza guys’ personal number, and that he might be home playing a board game with his kids- well you probably wouldn’t call to order the pizza! Same deal here. People are going to feel weird calling a personal number, so don’t make them.

Secondly, having a second number for your cellphone (which you can use as your business number) comes across as more professional. You seem like you are more real in that way. You aren’t just a person operating out of your grandmother’s basement- you have your own business number! Having a business number for a lot of people means that you are established and serious. I know, it may sound jokey or a bit eyebrow-raising, but it’s a real phenomenon; these are the kind of things that convince clients to give you their hard-earned cash and their continued business.

How do you get a second phone number for your smartphone?

So if by this point you are convinced—or, at least, you’re marginally more interested than you were before you started reading this!—your next question is going to be the how, as in, “How can I actually make this happen?”

You’ll be glad to know that it’s oftentimes incredibly easy- and with MightyCall, it gets even more so. When you get a second number for your smartphone through MightyCall, you can make calls using your cellphone, either through the cellphone itself or through the MightyCall app. It’s really straightforward.

Plus, if you get a number through MightyCall, that means you also can access, make, and receive calls with your number through your computer or pretty much any web-connected device, dramatically increasing your ability to respond to work-related calls whenever you need to do so.

MightyCall makes it super easy to set up an account. When you do so, you just pick a number that you like—organized by area code, though toll-free and even vanity numbers are available—and in a few minutes, you’re ready to go!

There are three price plans, each with a different amount of numbers you can get, though numbers can always be added (and all plans come with limitless extensions!).

Two heads are better than one…

…and so are two numbers!! Do not go hopping through your business career with both feet in one flip flop. You’ll slow yourself down, the growth of your business down, and your interactions with your clients down. Getting a second number makes you seem more serious and will make your clients take you more seriously. Frankly, it makes running your business easier, and it keeps your private life private and your business life business- and it keeps them both separated.

In this massively competitive, interconnected world, there’s no need to tie yourself down to a single phone number. Give yourself the maximum benefits so that you can size as much opportunity as you possibly can- because you can be sure that your competitors aren’t going to be restricting themselves either. So why should you?

Get a second number for your cellphone today and see for yourself how easy and simple your life becomes with one. Oh, and for the one or two of you out there who actually do only own a single flip fop, you should probably get yourself another one, or just another pair entirely. Just a heads up.

The post Why Two are Better Than One: Getting a Second (Business) Number for Your Smartphone first appeared on MightyCall.

But fear not! Because porting a phone number over to MightyCall is actually a cinch. You’ll need some information to start out with, and just a smidge of patience (but don’t worry, not a whole batch of it!) and you’ll have your number ported in no time, and at no extra cost.

Below are the 5 short steps you’ll need to take if you want to port a phone number from AT&T to MightyCall.

Jump right in:

• Get your CSR and phone bill
• Get started on MightyCall
• Fill out the form to port your number
• Get your unique PIN
• Wait for AT&T to confirm number transfer 

1. Get Your CSR and Your Newest Phone Bill

These two pieces of information are going to go a long way in helping you complete the process (the former isn’t absolutely mandatory but it’s unlikely you’ll succeed without it; the second you’ll definitely need).

A CSR is a “Customer Service Report,” which is information that you’ll need to be able to give to MightyCall when you port your number over. Theoretically, you could know this information already, but you probably don’t. If when you read this you don’t instinctively know what a CSR is, you’ll want to get it. Simply request it from your current company.

The most recent phone bill is, well, your most recent phone bill. Rather straightforward.

2. Get Started on MightyCall

This one is short and sweet: create an account on MightyCall.com. You’ll need it so that MightyCall will have a place to which they can port your number over. It’s an incredibly easy, painless process and only takes a few minutes.

3. Fill Out the Required Form to Port Your Phone Number

MightyCall likes to make things as easy as possible for folks wishing to switch from AT&T. We’ve set up a handy form to port your phone number. The information we’ll need on your side is just some basic stuff (your name, your email, and your account type). And remember, at MightyCall, porting a number costs zero extra dollars on your side.

On that page, you’ll also notice some downloadable documents. Pick from those depending on which describe you, fill them out and sign them (among them is a Letter of Authorization, which allows MightyCall to port your number over- signing this is legally essential!), and then upload them back to the form.

4. Standing on PINS and Needles- you’re almost there!

Next, you will need to ask AT&T for a unique pin, which MightyCall will need to finish the port process.

5. Hurry Up and Wait

Fortunately, your waiting won’t be long! It’s usually quick to port a phone number, taking 1-2 weeks. If it’s a unique sort of number it can take longer, but that’s unlikely. You’ll hear back via email whether it was a success or not. If it was a failure, MightyCall will be able to tell you AT&T’s official reason, but as they are not always detailed in their reasonings, you’ll have to take it up with them.

Final word

Thanks to our free number porting, you don’t have to choose between keeping your familiar business number and switching to a service more adapted to your needs. Neither do you have to pay an extra penny for this handy service!

Porting a phone number from AT&T to MightyCall is an extremely friendly process that has already been embraced by thousands of small businesses looking into better deals. What’s stopping you from making the move?

The post How to Port a Phone Number from AT&T to MightyCall first appeared on MightyCall.

The problem with this thinking is that it is very, very surface level. And surface-level thinking, especially for small business owners hoping to make it big (or just to stay afloat!) is not the way to go about doing business.

So why is it surface level? Well, we will get into the details throughout this piece, but essentially, a separate, second telephone number provides advantages that saying “message me on Whatsapp instead” just don’t have: it carries a level of professionalism, multiplies what you can do, and breaks down barriers to success which you otherwise might be stopped by.

So what are these advantages and disadvantages? Who needs a second telephone number? What are the potential benefits of a second phone number? And with who should you purchase a second telephone number? We’ll be hitting the answers to all of these questions and more in the piece. Read on to find out why a second telephone number might be right for you!!

So, who needs a second telephone number?

Right off the bat, we’ll be honest with you: every single person does not need a second telephone number. We have all had that annoying trip to the electronics store and been annoyed by the salesperson who tries to force a one size fits all product on folks when it is not really one size fits all, so rest assured we will not be repeating that exercise here.

The fact is, some folks really just do not need a second telephone number. If you are someone who works for a business and you do not really make business calls, don’t get one. Yeah, it might be…fun to switch back and forth, but overall it’ll just end up making your life more difficult.

But there are tons of people who could use a second telephone number and do not yet realize it.

? International and online businesses

Firstly, those who work internationally by default should have a second telephone number. You know how sometimes your phone will ring and it’ll be a number from halfway across the country, and as a result, you don’t want to pick up? Now imagine you’re living in Europe and some American number pops up on your phone. You’re probably going to ignore it. If you do business internationally, it would be tomfoolery to not have a second telephone number.

? Small and local businesses

Even if you do not work internationally, there are still plenty of folks who could use a second telephone number. Like, say, anyone who owns a small business. There is nothing wrong with a small business which puts the emphasis on small—again, Apple started in a garage—but telling people to use the same number you use for your personal life not only smacks of unprofessionalism, but it is also going to be annoying for you. If someone is trying to reach you on your personal number for a business-related reason and your line is busy because you’re talking to your mom, that’s going to hurt your potential business transactions.

? Growing businesses

As you undoubtedly know, new starting businesses do not have years of experience they can point to when people are looking at whether or not they want to become potential clients. They have to work extra hard at being professional. Think of it like McDonald’s versus the little burger joint which opens in your town or restaurant. Does McDonald’s have to work super hard to get customers? No, because you know what you are getting. Can the same be said for the new burger joint? No. Is it fair? Probably not, but it’s reality. And that means going the extra mile and buying a second phone number (which, as we’ll discuss later, is truly not much at all).

What are the potential benefits of a second telephone number?

Now, above we discussed who needs a second phone number, and we went into generalities about how that might help: things like professionalism, self-organization, even with just getting folks to actually pick up the phone. But what about specifics? How specifically can having a second phone number help a person?

Well, for a lot of reasons. Firstly, let us go a little bit more into that organizational point because it is an incredibly important one. Most people divide their life into personal and private, and like it that way. Even those who are workaholics oftentimes separate personal and private, if only for peace of mind. Now, this will be covered more so in the sections to come, but if you get a second telephone number with a company like MightyCall, you do not just purchase a number: you purchase an entirely new way of doing business.

A second telephone number can automate general inquiries

With a second telephone number from a telephony company like MightyCall, you can set up an intuitively designed auto-attendant which you can edit to your heart’s content (from putting in your own voice to your own music- not to mention having full control over design). What this allows for is that your second, business telephone number essentially starts working for you- if you don’t want to talk, you can simply set your auto-attendant up (and if you want to go big, you can set it up in immense detail), and let it do the work for you if you want to take a longer lunch or if it’s the weekend and you are not working. Make personal calls all the live long day; you won’t miss any callers to your second telephone number.

A second phone number projects your credibility and reliability

Secondly, the presentation is important too. We hinted at professionalism a lot, but honestly, it just cannot be overstated. A lot of building a small business is networking, and a lot of networking is doing those seemingly stupid little things—some might even call them games—which everyone hates but is necessary. For example, being able to put your business number and your cell number on your card (especially with the accompanying remark “And here is my cell as well,” or some other garden variety comment) goes a long, long way to staying in the mind of someone you are trying to woo for financial reasons.

A second telephone number keeps customer service going 24/7

Thirdly, it saves you hassle. Let’s face it — customers call at all times of day. With a second phone number, as we discussed above, you can have an auto-attendant deal with folks who decide that thirty minutes to midnight is when they need to talk to someone about buying a new weedwhacker. If you just have a personal telephone number, unless you silence your phone to all callers, you are going to be getting to have those fun conversations all the time (or, at best, your phone will ring a lot, and that’s an annoying intrusion, to say the very least).

When should a business get a second telephone number?

This one is going to be rather short: as soon as you decide this is a long haul sort of deal or as soon as you decide you want your business to be something substantial. If you are only looking to go small—which is totally fine!—and never hope to expand, don’t worry about it. But if you have an inkling that in the future you will want to go big, it’s best to get a second telephone number as early as possible. You’ll be building your business around your telephone number—it’ll be in ads, in people’s contact books/saved as a contact on their phones—and you do not want to change to a new number only after they’ve all memorized your first one. Plus, this way you can build your business around the number.

So again: a business should get a second telephone number as soon as the owner decides that he/she wants to engage in a serious, long-term venture.

Where should you get your second phone number?

Once you have made the first decision—that is, to actually purchase a second telephone number (which- yay!)—the next choice is where to buy it from.

You can start with the obvious choices- that is, the major telephone companies. But they probably are not going to offer expansive choice, because, like the metaphor above, they’re McDonald’s- they don’t need to work hard to please each individual customer because…well, why would they?

Of course, you also do not want to go with an outfit with no reviews whatsoever and a page with basically nothing but a price.

So why not go with the best of both worlds? MightyCall, whose auto-attendant feature we mentioned above, is a long-serving and serious telephony company which offers, along with secondary telephone numbers, tons of unique and cool features which are actually useful (as opposed to just being thrown there to take up space). MightyCall’s plans are also affordable and all of them include even more than one telephone number- upping your potential benefits into the stratosphere!

So take a second…

…and consider getting a second telephone number with MightyCall. With a second telephone number, you can increase your numbers, increase your professionalism, increase your flexibility, increase your personal time- and increase your small business!! Get a second telephone number today, and go get ‘em tomorrow!

The post The Power of Two: Why a Second Telephone Number Could Be the Right Move for You first appeared on MightyCall.

The fact is, this is an important question. A lot of shuttered businesses are probably wishing that, even just months ago, they had had a plan for how they could get through any serious eventualities. Because right now, the situation is dire, and like the person who doesn’t buy enough toilet paper just to find out that all the stores nearby are out of stock, you don’t want to get caught with your proverbial pants down.

Your business is closed by government order. You can’t afford to just stop working for the next month or two, but you cannot exactly go out and buy new electronics supplies- after all, everything else is closed too! You also cannot meet with your employees, not even in the coworking location you usually use. What do you do? How do you properly prepare for all of this? And what can you do right now, so that you do not stand to lose months of potential business?

You can get yourself a virtual phone number. Since we know a lot of small businesses are probably wracked with worry over coronavirus, we thought we’d put together a list of all the ways how getting a virtual phone number of your own from MightyCall, and using MightyCall’s virtual phone number app, can get your business through the worst of the coronavirus.

A virtual phone number: easy come…easy stay!

So right off the bat, let’s address the most pressing concern: being able to actually transfer your service while in the midst of a lockdown. After all, if you aren’t capable of setting up a new service, this whole thing is going to be rendered moot.

Fortunately, MightyCall is incredibly easy to set up- all you really need is a computer (and a phone, for obvious reasons, but for set-up alone you don’t even technically need that).

Now, as a quick note, we cannot really speak for how fast your current phone provider will be able to port your number over (if you want to stay with your original number, that is, and if you want to switch from your current provider- MightyCall is cheap enough that you can probably afford both, if that’s your desire). In a pandemic, services from the big phone companies may be slower.

To set up MightyCall, you first (assuming you are starting with a brand new number) pick out the virtual phone number you would like to register. This is a pretty straightforward process: on the starting page, you can pick your number(s) by city, area code, or by inputting the specific digits that you want it to include.

Next, select a MightyCall plan. This is pretty easy, as MightyCall has three different price plans: Basic, Standard, and Ultimate. All of them come with tons of features, and all three can be used to run a successful, multi-employee business.

Then you just input your payment information and create an account.

Once everything is started up, you can head on over to your MightyCall web panel, which will look something like this:

Now, we will not need to go through all of this (there are plenty of explainers and how-tos on our blog if you need any further guidance), but to set up the most critical aspects, like how you want to receive calls (to whom calls should go to, at what times you are available, etc.). It’s all incredibly self-explanatory when you are looking at it, and MightyCall’s support staff can of course help you. But by and large, setting up takes just minutes.

Virtual Phone Number, Virtual Contact

So with coronavirus, one of the obvious issues is contact- namely, avoiding it. Getting around talking to people in the flesh is critically important.

Fortunately, with a virtual phone number, this is super easy, barely an inconvenience (both in terms of the previously mentioned set-up and getting it running smoothly with your colleagues).

Now this obviously varies depending on the nature of your business but by and large, you will never have to worry about things running smoothly while you and your employees are consigned to quarantine. If you want to talk face to face, modern technologies like Skype can allow you to talk to your employees, but MightyCall’s web panel allows you to leave notes for one another. With call recordings (both ways!), visual voicemail, and call statistics (such as who is picking up and when, who misses calls, how long they are, etc), you can easily monitor the work your employees are doing and give them gentle (or firm) nudges in the right direction if you think they need the push.

Easily Communicate with Your Clients

Going through Twitter at the moment makes it fairly clear that panic is in the air. Fights in the wine aisle, traffic jams outside of grocery stores, dogs and cats living together- mass hysteria!

What this means is that you can be willing to bet that your clients are not going to be immune to the panic that is gripping society writ large. Fortunately, with MightyCall’s virtual number, you can easily contact your clients and potential callers through a variety of means. You can talk over your computer (provided it has the ability to receive and output sound, which is likely), and you can do so over your browser-  no extra downloads necessary.

On your phone, of course, you can use MightyCall’s app, which is laid out in a common-sense easy-to-use way.

Once you set up your basic account settings online, you can almost exclusively use the app, if that is your preferred method of communication. It’s got everything you need: the previously mentioned statistics, the ability to communicate with your clients over calls and texting using your business number, voicemail and voicemail transcriptions, call recordings, and lots more.

All this is to say that you never have to worry about interruptions with your business life (while your personal life is being thrown into coronavirus led disarray).

Do Your Real-Life Work With Your Virtual Number

No need to panic about not being at your office because that’s where your desk phone is, no need to panic about not having access to your work desktop, and no need to worry about incredibly slow-moving VPNs, which almost never work and can be incredibly difficult to get to function.

With MightyCall’s virtual phone number app and technology, all of your necessary work can be done online, safely and easily. You are not ever tied down to a single spot (need to use a computer you’ve never used before? No problem- just go to the website and log in). Do all of your work over your home wi-fi, and if you are on your phone and for whatever reason do not have access to wi-fi, then no problem: feel free to use your phone signal.

To make it easier, MightyCall comes with a boatload of features to help you navigate the crazy economic waves caused by the coronavirus. We have already mentioned call recording, statistics, visual voicemail, and voicemail transcription above- but how about a complete readout of your call history? VIP and/or black-listing (for those folks you either really want to talk to or desperately do not want to talk to)? Or call queues, which enable you to have an orderly assignment of callers to your employees without a digital pile-up?

What these all do is help you to run your business smoothly while a pandemic is running rampant outside. With all of the things we have to keep track of while we are getting through this nuttiness, with MightyCall’s virtual phone number, our business will be one of the few things actually producing some good vibes. Doing all of your real-life work with your virtual MightyCall phone number will be a psychologically, fiscally, and (in the times of a pandemic) literally healthier way of doing business!

In short, coronavirus might last …

…so make sure that your business is prepared! With MightyCall’s virtual phone number, web panel, and virtual phone number app, you will be ready to weather the difficulty that coronavirus (and anything else in this crazy world) is going to throw at you. And once it’s safe for us all to go outside, your communication will be so tightly integrated and running so smoothly with MightyCall’s technology that you won’t even be able to remember the pre-MightyCall times.

The post How a Virtual Phone Number Can Help Your Business Stay Safe and Active During a Pandemic first appeared on MightyCall.

However, if you happen to be a business owner then running all your activities, both personal and business, through a single phone number might not actually be that convenient. Imagine your phone ringing, and every time you have to wonder if it’s your family or your business associates (as the saying goes- “don’t mix business with pleasure”).

Now, what are the problems you are most likely to face if you decide to “mix business with pleasure”?

You can’t avoid robocalls.

Robocalls are phone calls that use a computerized autodialer to deliver a pre-recorded message, as if from a robot. Robocalls are often associated with political and telemarketing phone campaigns, but can also be used for public-service or emergency announcements. Now, I’m sure you have encountered these types of automated calls quite a couple of times on your personal number, and I’m certain they are all mostly frustrating. And if your personal number is also your business number, I’m afraid that the frustrating nature of these calls is not only what you have to worry about. These automated calls will clog your phone line and block your access to customers, which will severely drag down revenue.

Despite the fact that the U.S Federal Trade Commission has designed a Do Not Call Registry to prevent unwanted automated calls and millions of Americans have this option, the service does not always function as required or even as hoped. Once a number has been compromised, there might be no other option but to change it. Although this is the safest and best option,  business owners are often unwilling to do so, especially if the number is already on promotional materials.

You are vulnerable to numerous threats.

You, of course, give your contact out to the world when you have a business, as you want more people to know about your business and to be able to contact you. I really don’t need to stress how dangerous that would be if that number is the same as your personal contact number. You are exposed! You risk being under constant attacks from hackers and scammers and your ‘personal information’ is no longer ‘personal’. We live in a world where this sort of thing is so prevalent that even big technology companies such as Apple, with all sorts of security measures, have had to deal with hacking and bugs of different kinds at one time or the other.

Why would you then risk exposing yourself by advertising your personal number? Imagine advertising to the world the number linked to something as sensitive as your card or bank details- with a little elbow grease, a skilled hacker might be able to get into your account!

You are not in control of the employee-customer interaction.

If you are running your business with your personal number, your employees are likely to be dealing with customers using their own numbers as well. By doing so, you are indirectly giving up control on that part of your business. You don’t know exactly how your employees interact with customers, how they handle conversations and transactions, and what they might fail to do. It is important to keep track of all business activities as you may lose customers through employees’ ineffectiveness or even deceit.

If you are a small business owner who oversees his business all by himself, you probably would like to think that this has little to do with you, but can you really be too careful?

You are bound to that number.

We all know how difficult it is to change a phone number, considering the fact that we register for a lot of services using our phone numbers. For business owners, it is even worse. Once the number has been distributed in different promotional materials and campaigns, changing it would render them all useless, as new ones would have to be made to avoid misinformation. A customer (or a potential customer) will likely lose interest if he calls only to find out that it’s a dead end.

One may argue that well, that means don’t lose your number! But of course we are all victims of circumstances sometimes, and stuff happens- it’s good to have a backup plan.

It disrupts your work-life balance.

This fact needs no special explanation. Although it is quite good to be able to be at the end of your customers’ calls as promptly as possible, you should be able to have a life of your own outside of work. There should be some sort of balance, which will naturally be affected by having no delineating line between your personal and business numbers.

Having gone through everything listed above, hopefully you’ve become open to the idea of getting a dedicated business number. So what now? How can you run your business effectively whilst avoiding all these problems? Just getting a second phone won’t really help. That’s two smartphones to keep track of, to keep charged and so on. And even with this, you still haven’t succeeded in avoiding all the major problems. Robocalls would still bug. You still would not be in full control of the employee-customer interaction. And that phone, together with the number, could still get lost, and now that you have two phones to keep track of it’s twice as likely that one might get misplaced!

Then what is the ultimate solution?

It’s simple: get a second phone number! But not one linked to a phone- why not try going virtual?

A virtual phone number is that second phone number you should get, that ultimate solution.  If you are hearing about a virtual phone number for the first time, a virtual phone number is simply a telephone number used to route calls to a user’s actual phone number or numbers. Learn more about the virtual phone number and how it works.

What do you and your business stand to benefit by getting this second phone number?

Avoiding robocalls.

Now you can say a final goodbye to those annoying automated calls that are ever capable of clogging your line. All you have to do is deploy an auto attendant. A robocall will be directed to a voice menu, where it gets stuck until it times out instead of reaching you. Different providers have different auto attendants, with varying modes of operations and consequently different effectiveness. If you aim to get one of the best services out there, you should definitely go with MightyCall.