Why Your Business Needs a Professional Business Phone Number
Your business phone number is more than a way for customers to call you. It is an important part of your business identity, your customer experience, and the way your business communicates with the people you serve.
GET YOUR BUSINESS PHONEYour Business Has a Name. It Should Have a Phone Number Too.
When you start a business, there are many things you have to think about. You may need to choose your business name, form your LLC, obtain an EIN, purchase a domain name, create a website, establish your business address, open a business bank account and begin building relationships with customers.
One part of establishing your business that is sometimes overlooked is your business telephone number.
Many new business owners simply use the personal cell phone number they have had for years. It may seem like the easiest solution, especially when you're just getting started. However, as your business grows, using your personal number for business calls can become inconvenient and can blur the line between your personal life and your business.
A dedicated business phone number gives your business its own communication identity. Customers can call your business without having to call your personal number. You can promote the business number on your website, business cards, advertisements, social media pages and other business materials.
That's why a business phone number should not be viewed simply as another telephone expense. It can be an important part of establishing a professional business presence.
Why Is a Business Phone Number Important?
A telephone number gives customers a direct way to communicate with your business. Even in an increasingly digital world, customers still want to speak with a real person when they have questions, need assistance, want to request information or are ready to purchase a product or service.
For many businesses, the phone number displayed on the website or business card may be one of the first pieces of contact information a potential customer sees.
Having a dedicated business number allows you to establish a consistent contact point for your customers. Instead of changing the number you use for business every time you change personal phones, move, change carriers, or reorganize your personal communications, your business can maintain a dedicated telephone identity.
A business number can also make it easier to separate your personal communications from your business communications. When customers, vendors, prospective clients and business partners have your business number, you don't necessarily have to give them your personal telephone number.
This separation can become especially valuable as your company grows. What starts as a few business calls can eventually become dozens or hundreds of calls, messages and customer communications.
A Business Phone Number Can Help You Present Your Business Professionally
Your customers may judge the professionalism of a business by many different things: the website, the way calls are answered, the information provided, the appearance of the business, the speed of communication and the overall customer experience.
A dedicated business telephone number is one more way to establish a clear business identity. It tells customers that they are contacting the business rather than simply contacting the owner's personal phone.
Your Personal Phone and Your Business Phone Serve Different Purposes
There is nothing inherently wrong with using a personal mobile phone when you're starting a business. In fact, many entrepreneurs begin that way. The problem is that your business can eventually outgrow that arrangement.
When your personal number becomes your business number, every business call comes directly to the same place as your personal calls. Customers may call early in the morning, late at night, on weekends or while you are spending time with family.
A dedicated business phone number gives you another layer of organization. Your customers have a number specifically for the business, while your personal number remains your personal number.
With call forwarding, you can still receive calls on the mobile phone you already use without having to give customers that personal number.
Your Personal Number
Used for family, friends and personal communications.
Your Business Number
Used for customers, clients, vendors and other business communications.
What Is a Local Business Phone Number?
A local business phone number is a telephone number associated with a particular geographic area through its area code and telephone number. For businesses that primarily serve a particular city, county, region or community, a local number can be an important part of their business identity.
For example, a contractor serving a particular region may want a phone number associated with that market. A local restaurant, real estate professional, consultant, home-service company or other local business may also choose to use a local number.
A local business number does not necessarily mean that a business can only serve customers in that area. A business can use a local number while serving customers throughout a state, across the country or even internationally.
The important distinction is that the number provides a local telephone identity while the business determines the geographic area it actually serves.
Why Businesses Choose Local Numbers
- To establish a business presence associated with a particular geographic area.
- To provide customers with a dedicated business contact number.
- To keep business communications separate from a personal number.
- To create a consistent telephone number for websites, advertising and business materials.
- To provide a professional contact point for customers and prospective customers.
What Is a Toll-Free Business Phone Number?
A toll-free number is a telephone number that uses a toll-free prefix. Common toll-free prefixes include 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, 833 and 822.
Toll-free numbers have traditionally been associated with businesses that serve customers across larger geographic areas. They can be useful for companies that want a telephone number that isn't associated with one specific local area.
A toll-free number can be especially useful for customer service, sales departments, national businesses, online companies, support operations and organizations that serve customers in multiple states.
For businesses that operate nationally, a toll-free number can provide another way for customers to contact the company without having to use a local number.
Business Pro through DIYLLCNow and Believeline includes a +1 toll-free number in addition to the dedicated local business number.
Local and Toll-Free Numbers Can Serve Different Purposes
You don't necessarily have to think of a local number and a toll-free number as competing choices. They can serve different communication purposes.
A local number can establish a connection with a particular geographic market, while a toll-free number can provide a broader business contact option.
Local Business Number vs. Toll-Free Number
The right telephone number depends on how your business operates and how you want customers to contact you.
| Business Phone Feature | Local Number | Toll-Free Number |
|---|---|---|
| Associated with a geographic area | Yes | No |
| Useful for local businesses | Yes | Yes |
| Useful for businesses serving multiple markets | Yes | Yes |
| Can be used as a business contact number | Yes | Yes |
| Available with Business plan | Yes | No |
| Available with Business Pro | Yes | Yes |
You Don't Have to Sit in an Office to Have a Business Phone
One of the biggest advantages of a modern business phone service is that your business number does not have to be tied to a traditional office desk.
Many entrepreneurs operate from home, work from customer locations, travel between job sites or run their businesses from different locations. A traditional office phone setup isn't always practical for these business owners.
That's where call forwarding can become valuable.
Your customers can call your dedicated business number while the call can be forwarded to your mobile phone or landline.
This allows an entrepreneur to maintain a dedicated business telephone number without necessarily needing to purchase and maintain a traditional office telephone system.
What Is Voicemail-to-Email?
You can't always answer every business call. You may be with another customer, driving, working on a job, attending a meeting or simply unavailable.
That's why voicemail remains an important part of business communications. When a customer leaves a voicemail, voicemail-to-email provides another way to receive notification of that message.
Instead of depending entirely on checking your phone, you can receive the voicemail notification through email and have another convenient way to keep track of customer communications.
For a small business owner who manages most of the business from a computer or mobile device, having communication delivered through multiple channels can make staying organized easier.
SMS-to-Email Notifications for Your Business
Text messaging has become an important part of modern communication. Customers often prefer quick written communication for certain types of questions, updates and notifications.
DIYLLCNow and Believeline business phone plans include SMS-to-email notifications.
This provides another way for you to stay informed about communications associated with your business phone service.
For entrepreneurs who spend much of their day working from a computer, email notifications can provide a convenient way to keep business communications visible alongside other business information.
When Your Business Needs More Than the Basics
Some businesses need nothing more than a professional local number, call forwarding, voicemail and a reasonable amount of calling capacity. For those businesses, the Business plan provides the essential features needed to establish a dedicated business phone presence.
Other businesses receive a larger volume of calls or need additional tools to manage their communications. That's where Business Pro provides additional capabilities.
Business Pro includes unlimited minutes, a mobile app, a +1 toll-free number, call recording and AI-generated call insights in addition to the features included with Business.
The difference isn't simply about having a more expensive phone plan. It's about having additional communication tools available when your business requires them.
How Call Recording Can Help a Business
Business Pro includes call recording.
Recorded calls can be useful for legitimate business purposes such as reviewing customer conversations, training employees, evaluating customer service and reviewing sales conversations.
For a growing business, recorded conversations can also provide a way to review how customer questions are being handled and identify areas where employees may need additional training.
What Are AI-Generated Call Insights?
Business Pro also includes AI-generated call insights.
As businesses receive more customer calls, reviewing every conversation can become difficult. AI-generated insights can help businesses extract useful information from recorded conversations.
Depending on the capabilities of the service, businesses may use call insights to help identify common customer questions, review conversations, understand customer needs and support employee training.
For businesses that handle a significant number of customer conversations, these types of tools can provide another way to review communication patterns without manually reviewing every conversation from beginning to end.
Take Your Business Communications With You
Business Pro includes a mobile app, giving you another way to access your business communications while you're away from your computer.
Today's entrepreneurs may spend part of the day at a customer's location, part of the day in the office and another part of the day traveling. Business communications need to be accessible wherever the business owner or employees are working.
The mobile app provides Business Pro customers with another option for managing their business phone communications while away from a traditional desk.
Who Can Benefit From a Business Phone Number?
Almost any business that communicates with customers by telephone can benefit from having a dedicated business phone number.
A business phone number can be particularly useful for entrepreneurs and small businesses that want to establish a professional communication presence without building a complicated office telephone system.
Examples include:
- Contractors and construction companies
- Plumbers, electricians and HVAC companies
- Cleaning companies
- Landscaping businesses
- Real estate professionals
- Consultants
- Professional service providers
- Home-based businesses
- Online businesses
- E-commerce businesses
- Marketing companies
- Customer-service businesses
- Startups and newly formed companies
- Established businesses expanding into new markets
How to Get a Business Phone Number Through DIYLLCNow and Believeline
Getting a professional business phone number doesn't have to be complicated.
DIYLLCNow and Believeline provide business phone options designed for entrepreneurs who want to establish a dedicated telephone identity for their company.
1 Choose Your Business Phone Plan
Start by choosing the Business or Business Pro plan based on the features and calling capacity your business needs.
2 Choose an Available Number
During the ordering process, you can choose from available business telephone numbers.
3 Set Up Your Business Phone Service
Your selected business phone service is configured according to the plan you purchased.
4 Start Using Your Business Number
Once your service is ready, you can begin using your dedicated business number as a contact number for customers, clients, vendors and other business communications.
Business Phone Plans
Choose the plan that matches the communication needs of your business.
Business
Regular Rate: $144/year
- Dedicated Local Business Number
- Call Forwarding to Mobile or Landline
- 1,500 Minutes
- Voicemail-to-Email
- SMS-to-Email Notifications
- Ability to Choose Available Numbers
Business Pro
Regular Rate: $420/year
- Dedicated Local Business Number
- Call Forwarding to Mobile or Landline
- Unlimited Minutes
- Voicemail-to-Email
- SMS-to-Email Notifications
- Ability to Choose Available Numbers
- Mobile App
- +1 Toll-Free Number
- Call Recording
- AI-Generated Call Insights
Your Phone Number Is Part of Your Business Identity
When you think about your business identity, you probably think about your business name, logo, website, business cards and other branding. Your telephone number belongs in that same conversation.
Customers need a reliable way to contact you. Your phone number may appear on your website, Google Business Profile, social media pages, invoices, business cards, advertisements, email signatures and other business materials.
Having a dedicated business number gives you a consistent telephone identity that you can use across those different channels.
As your business grows, that consistency becomes increasingly important. You don't want customers wondering which number they should call. You want them to know exactly how to reach your business.
Business Phone Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need a separate business phone number?
You can operate a business using a personal phone number, particularly when you're first starting. However, a dedicated business number can provide separation between personal and business communications and give customers a consistent contact number for your company.
Can calls to my business number go to my cell phone?
Yes. Call forwarding to a mobile phone or landline is included with both Business and Business Pro.
Do I need a physical business office?
No. A dedicated business phone number can be useful for home-based, mobile and location-independent businesses.
Can I choose my business phone number?
You can choose from available numbers presented during the ordering process.
Does the Business plan include a toll-free number?
No. Business includes a dedicated local business number. Business Pro includes a dedicated local number plus a +1 toll-free number.
How many minutes are included with Business?
Business includes 1,500 minutes. Business Pro includes unlimited minutes.
Does Business Pro include a mobile app?
Yes. The mobile app is included with Business Pro.
Does Business Pro include call recording?
Yes. Call recording is included with Business Pro.
Does Business Pro include AI-generated call insights?
Yes. AI-generated call insights are included with Business Pro.
Give Your Business a Number of Its Own.
Your business deserves a professional way for customers to reach you. Choose the business phone solution that fits your company and take the next step toward establishing a stronger business communication presence.
GET YOUR BUSINESS PHONE