Business

7 Reasons To Have A Professional-Looking Number

By Christy Bella | February 29, 2024

When it comes to running a business, there’s no standardised guidebook that tells us what’s wrong and what’s right. Oftentimes, entrepreneurs make a mad scramble by themselves to make systems of their processes on the fly.

While that’s natural in this business world, entrepreneurs may neglect developing key aspects of running a business that can help draw in more customers until it’s too late. Owning a professional-looking number is one such thing that many new business owners overlook. And allow us to tell you: the earlier you set a business number up, the better it is for your future business prospects. Owning a business number isn’t merely a matter of aesthetics; it’s something that can be quantifiably classified as a good business decision.

Whether you’re a small startup or a one-man team, having a separate business number can be a potent tool that can pave the way for business growth and development more seamlessly. Still not convinced? Here are seven reasons why having a professional number is something you should get for your business—and stat!

7 Reasons To Have A Professional-Looking Number

1. It Enhances Credibility

If you want to establish your business as legitimate in the eyes of stakeholders and potential customers, then owning a business number is a good way to give off that impression.

These business numbers set themselves apart from traditional phone numbers in how they’re perceived. In particular, a business number exudes an aura of professionalism, which can translate to more customer trust and a better business perception overall. On top of that, a professional number can be the difference maker for people to call you or your competitors.

If your competition only uses personal phone numbers and you use a business number, then you’re setting the grounds for people to turn to your services instead of theirs because of the increased professional front.

Given all these, one thing’s made clear: don’t discredit the power of a phone number in making yourself stand out against the competition.

2. You Get Personal Time Back

Even if the call to hustle is strong within you, you and I both know that there’s a time and place for everything.

You don’t want to be making non-essential business calls on a romantic date or a beach day with the kids. Nor would you like to hear your personal phone ringing in the dead of night.

And if you’re sticking with a personal phone number, you’re making it harder for you to shut off work mode every time you use your phone, even if it’s during a supposed moment of leisure. With Telcoworks and other business numbers, you can increase your personal privacy and have more control over your life.

You can set calls to voicemail whenever it’s past your working hours, allowing you to enjoy your personal life and work on your business life during your most optimal schedule. The best part? You can have peace of mind knowing that calls in your personal number are simply from friends and family, and not a colleague reporting a major business concern that you’re not ready to hear.

3. Call Forwarding Options

One of the biggest perks of owning a business number is the call-forwarding features you can set up.

If you’re running a large business with many customer support agents, then you’d want them to all be connected to the main public line advertised to customers. This way, there’ll always be an operator in the line when a customer calls.

Conversely, by using a personal phone number, you’re essentially bottlenecking yourself and your business’s growth. If you’re unable to answer the phone on time, or if your line is busy, then prospecting clients may publicly express dissatisfaction or fail to make a purchasing decision.

Professional phone numbers, on the other hand, have a specific software dashboard and adjustable settings that allow not just multiple line connections, but also other features like call screening and caller notifications.

This allows for a more streamlined exchange of information for both internal and external channels.

4. You Can Accept Calls Nationwide

For countries like Australia, specific local area codes can differ from territory to territory.

For instance, personal phone numbers in NSW have to start with the country code (+61) and their specific area code (2), followed by the number. For Melbourne, the country code is +61 and its specific area code is 4. Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, and other major cities also have their own codes. These are called local call numbers.

If you have a 1300 phone number, the caller is charged the local calling cost of their area. For 1800 numbers, the caller isn’t charged at all—only your business.

If you have an 1800 number, you can expand your reach nationwide as people across all territories can call you without charging extra.

These two options are much better for customers outside your territory since they don’t have to pay extra for calling a personal number outside their territory.

5. It Facilitates Easy Expansion

Furthermore, a business phone number also grants you freedom of movement, allowing you to scale and transfer your base of operations easily without having to get another number again. And, let’s face it, getting a new number can be a pain when your customers have already used your personal number in the past.

However, with a business phone number, this problem is essentially overruled since you don’t need to adjust your phone number to match the local area code. This allows you to focus on the things that matter: which is to expand your reach and grow your profits.

6. Supports Marketing Efforts

Professional numbers can be plastered in social media ads, billboards, and posters all across the country with relative ease. You don’t have to customise these ads to change phone numbers to fit a region—one size truly fits all!

Furthermore, these numbers come with a personalised dashboard that provides key customer analytics. This can help you determine which ad performs best through split testing, helping you know what ad resource to allocate more of the budget to.

Another neat point of 1800 and 1300 numbers is that you can choose numbers that match your branding. For example, if you own a vegan leather shop, you can play around with the 10-digit code to match your shop’s branding, like 1800 xxxV EGAN.

7. Its Scalability Offers Flexibility

Modern professional numbers come in various price points that can fit a wide range of businesses. If you’re a startup or one-man team with a minimal call rate, you can go with the basic plan offered by 1300 or 1800 phone number providers. Conversely, if you’re expecting a lot of inbound calls, there are bigger plans that can accommodate a large list of callers and agents.

Another great aspect of business phone numbers is their scalability. You don’t have to go through hoops to switch your plan to something bigger when you’re finally growing your business. The same applies if you plan to downsize and cut costs. On top of all this, the price point of owning a professional-looking number is generally very accessible, with some even costing nothing (except for the monthly recurring fees).

With all these points, there’s little reason not to make the switch to business numbers from personal numbers. We hope our recommendation brings success to your business.

All the best!