As the owner of a small business that requires me to travel to my clients (although not for long! Hooray!), I spend a LOT of time on the go. This means that most of the business calling I do is via my cell phone. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that cell phones allow me to be so mobile, but there are some disadvantages to having to conduct business on your personal line (especially as a therapist). Having a separate and dedicated line for business calls can help maintain clearer boundaries between work and personal life and it can also give your business more of a professional edge in the marketplace.
Here are two resources that I currently use for business calls – I highly recommend either or both!
Google Voice: This system is incredibly simple and best of all…..FREE! Google voice gives you a separate number (with your local area code) that you can can connect to any (or multiple devices), which is particularly nice if you are a roaming therapist that does have an office line as well. Here are a few additional reasons that I love this system:
- You can record a separate voice mail. Before I set this up, when you called my cell phone you would get my generic “Hi, this is Megan, leave a message…” recording. However, with google voice, all of my business calls are sent to a separate voice mail with a much more professional sounding message.
- You can set time parameters for when you can take calls and when you want them directed straight to voicemail. I LOVE this feature. When I’m home and done with work and my phone starts ringing I immediately start stressing that it’s something important. With Google Voice I can screen out my business calls until the next business day while still being available to my family and friends.
- All of your voice mails get transcribed and sent to you as an email or text message as well. I love this feature – especially if I’m in a rush and the person leaving the voicemail talks veeeerrrryyyy sloooowwwwlly.
- Did I also mention that it’s FREE?
Grasshopper: Grasshopper is basically a virtual phone system (similar to what large offices use) that you can operate via your individual cell phone. Similar to Google Voice, it gives you a separate number and forwards those calls to your mobile device. However, there are some pretty cool features that make it stand out.
- You have the option of getting a toll-free number – Toll free numbers are DEFINITELY professional looking and can be easier to access for clients who are worried about racking up charges (especially you do any long distance work).
- You can set up multiple extensions – When it was just me and Rochester Music Therapy Services, I only needed to hand out one number. But for Spectrum, we have fairly large team of people for clients to contact. Instead of listing a bajillion different numbers, we were able to set up a main extension that was forwarded to our office manager and then dole out additional extensions as needed. Pretty cool, right?
- Name directory and cool voicemail – when potential clients call Spectrum they have the option to simply speak with the office (which…for now is simply one of our cell phones since we haven’t moved into our space yet) or they can select a specific extension by name. You also have the option to create a really fancy voicemail message directing your customers to the appropriate line. (Wanna hear our cool voicemail?? Call 855-444-0201 to check it out!)
- It’s cheap! Of course, nothing beats free, but Grasshopper is surprisingly affordable at $12.00/month. I spend more on coffee in a week….
Like I said, I use a combination of both to really separate things out. Our toll-free number is advertised on our website, brochures, etc. When I’m working with individual clients I’ll usually give them my Google Voice number as a more direct way to reach me.
Do you use your personal line or a business line? What other resources are out there?
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