Good morning folks, I’m trying to get my inspection business off the ground in southern Idaho and am wondering if I should have a local phone number? My current number has a Tennessee area code, does that matter? Thanks for your thoughts!
Also should I have a separate business phone? Or use my personal?
-Daniel
I have a personal number from when I lived in Memphis (901)-LOV-BERT and had to get a local number (865) 466-00HI when starting my Knoxville inspection business because I don’t want local people ignoring my calls when their caller ID sees a number from 300 miles away in a different time zone. They assume its a telemarketer.
When I got a local number I noticed that more of my calls were answered, not screened.
I have my inspection software and templates loaded on my personal phone so if I drop and damage my work phone, I can finish an inspection on my personal phone. Or my Ipad. All are charged and ready for work. Inspection software, supra key, radon monitor, drone, crawlspace robot, camera pole, … all need the phone to interface.
I would get a second phone. It has saved me more than once.
You should always keep your business and personal phone separate. as you will be putting your business line everywhere online. and no one is going to call you if you dont have a local business number. Looks unprofessional and looks like you are not committed to your work.
Get a phone # at magicjack.com and load the app on your current phone. You can get a year service for $35.00 or 5 years for $100.00
You will get a local # at not much cost at all, and no need for a separate phone.
once you do that and have the app loaded, also forward the magicjack line to your cell #. so you are not having to answer the phone using the internet.
It has worked for me for the past 6 years with no problems.
Also the magic jack line can send and receive texts through the app. but not photos.
Yes you should.
This is up to you but I would say Yes you should have a separate line for each.
Think about it this way, imagine you build the business up to the point that you could sell it. The number will go with the sale.
Thanks fellas
I still use my number from when I lived in Staten Island NY. Every so often a caller asks me if I’m in NY or NJ. I’m not sure if it ever had a negative effect.
IMO, here’s the deciding factor…
Do you intend to be seen as an “industry professional”, or a ‘side-gig hobbyist’??
There are tons of apps out there that let you have a second # with a local area code go to the same phone (so you don’t have to carry two phones). Google Voice it probably the best (and it’s even free). I recently moved to Hawaii and for some reason Google Voice doesn’t have Hawaii area codes so I went with an outfit called Talkroute. I just pay for the basic of around $20/mo and it works great. In the future I could always move this second number to it’s own phone if I wanted to (got big enough to have an office, etc.).
Oddly, the way it works now is if I see a local number I assume it’s a robocall – particularly if it’s my area code and prefix.