Business Phone

More and more, I am wanting to get a separate line for my business. We tend not to answer our phone unless we recognize the number, and that's not a good way to run a business!! It would cost us about $13/month to add a second line to our home that can be used even if the home phone is being used at the same time. This is not outrageous but I've been pondering a couple of other ways of doing it. Every way has its pros and cons.

Another idea is to get call display on my cell phone. The only people who *ever* call my cell phone are my kids so I always answer no matter where I am (and naturally my boss at my day job doesn't mind me answering it if it's my kid because that means it is some kind of emergency). But if I had call display, I would know if it were someone who is not my kid, and decide based on where I am at the time whether or not I am able to answer it properly. This would be good because I could answer business calls sometimes when I am out rather than letting them go to the machine.

And another thought is to use VoIP for my business phone. Does anyone else do that, can you tell me what you think of it? Specifically I am thinking of http://www.nettalk.ca/. It looks pretty good and I'm thinking that since it is so cheap, I'm not out much if it doesn't work out for me. I'd test it for a while as a personal line before giving it out as a business number. The biggest drawback I can see is if I'm not able to get a local number, because I certainly don't want people to have to make a long distance call to reach me.

I know we've talked about phone stuff before but mostly how you answer the phone. I'd like to know how other people keep their business phone separate (if you do).

Get a magic-jak it is that phone you can buy for $30, connect it to you computer(works thru your internet) and you don't have to pay it monthly only $19 a year, you can check your messages thru your e-mail.

I use my cell phone. I have found that the first person to answer the phone is often the one who gets the job. If I ever let it go to my machine, by the time I call them back, they've called and booked someone else.

Our home phone is voip from our cable company. We get our tv cable, internet and phone all from them and really like it. That being said, I'm also thinking about getting rid of our home line all together. My kids don't use the phone and my husband and I both have cell phones that never even come NEAR reaching the end of our package in minutes or data. I've found that I almost never touch our home phone and even when I do, I could have done it just as easily on my cell. By the time our kids are old enough to be using the phone, they might have a cell phone of their own, or we could just set them up on skype.

Don't know if that little rambling helped at all, but I really prefer to have it on my cell phone. I don't have another job though, so I don't know how that kind of stuff would work out with it.

I use google phone for my business phone. FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got to pick my number, which has my name in it, All you need is a google email account and another phone # to link to it. The call will be routed to your other phone (in my case my cell or my husband's cell) It will say it is from your google acct when you answer so you know it is a bussiness call.

I have it set up so any day time calls go to my husband's cell so I am not interupted at my day job, and weekends and evenings to my cell.

If they leave a message it is a business message you set up with Google, and you have to option for them to send you text messages and emails to you of what the message was. So if you are busy and couldn't get it you can read it first. No complaints.

p.s. - if your linked phone acct runs out of minutes (hahaha my husband...he talks on the phone like a teenage girl) the google phone will still work (even if my phone wasnt linked to it) Just get a headset (you can get them in any store that has video games that are PC compatible and you can talk to anyone through Google phone on your headset connected to your PC....no minutes are charged...all free!!!!

Artyfaces, the Nettalk phone is very much like the Magic Jack, the only difference is that you can plug it directly into your router/modem instead of into your computer (although you can do that too).

Erin, we are not ready to give up the home phone just yet, I keep thinking about it but I can't convince my husband yet. I don't really want to add more to the cost of it by having a second line so I'm thinking that option isn't really an option haha. Do you have any connection/sound quality issues with VoIP?

Thanks for that suggestion, Mana, that gives me another option to think about. I will definitely look into it!! I like your idea of the name in your number, so cool that you could pick that out. That costs a LOT to get a custom number for a regular business line so you really scored there. And forwarding the calls at different times is smart, I hadn't thought of that.

I second using Google Voice...best free thing ever. I set it up so that when someone is calling my google number, it shows my business name on my cell's caller ID so that I know it's a business call and not a personal call, and can answer the phone accordingly.

I also really like the voicemail feature - as Mana said, you can set up a business voicemail greeting for your google calls. Also, all of your calls, texts, and voicemails are saved online so you can check everything from your computer.

If you have a smartphone, the Google Voice app is also great.

Tons of other options too. I'd definitely recommend it and would never pay for something.

my voip through my cable company is better than stupid Bell crap... and half the price. Our phone bill with Bell was through the freaking roof before we switched and we NEVER called long distance... Our bill for tv, phone and internet is barely more than just our phone bill was before... and we have unlimited long distance anywhere in North America now.

You could check Skype too... I think you can get a phone number on there. But I have heard good things about the google voice thing... don't know if it works with Canadian area codes though and you'd want your number to be local for your working area.

Darn it, Google Voice is not available in Canada, so there goes that idea.

Thanks for all the input, now I need to think this through. I'm leaning toward the Duo/Magic Jack. One of the things I like about it is that I can use a regular phone... I'm not fond of talking on my cell phone, it's too little to tuck on my shoulder and use hands-free (I know, I know, I could get a headset or something).

I have a speakerphone bluetooth that hooks on my visor. The earpieces hurt me.... or my husband's is squishy, but it feels gross to me... like putting a fish in my ear (which makes me feel all Hitchhickers-Guide-to-the-Galaxy)

My parents have a magic jack.... HATE IT! It works occasionally and trying to get in contact with customer service with them is a joke.

Don't know if anyone else had this experience but me no likie.

I just picked up a really cheap mobile phone (Cell phone) for £4.95 which has a separate number and I can just carry that around with me so I don't miss a call and all that good stuff...

Perry Noia wrote:I have a speakerphone bluetooth that hooks on my visor. The earpieces hurt me.... or my husband's is squishy, but it feels gross to me... like putting a fish in my ear (which makes me feel all Hitchhickers-Guide-to-the-Galaxy)

So Babel Fish feel like wet fingers then?