Phone landline number to your mobile

[motionvideosuk]

I’ve always used my mobile number for my business. Despite all of the spammy sales calls I get is been fine but I think having a landline number might improve my trustworthiness and encourage more enquiries. Do you think so?

I do have an office location but the trouble is that I’m not always there, and it’s just me, so there’s nobody there to answer the phone if I’m away. So I thought a landline number that calls my mobile might work.

I did try to set up Google Voice once but at the time it only worked if you were in the US.
Skype offer a similar service for £5.29 a month. Do you have any experience of using this service?

I wanted to ask what peoples experiences are of using these services really and what peoples recommendations might be.

Virtual offices? How well do these people need to know your business?

Thanks for reading.
Scott

 

[Solve My Problem]

For many years I used https://www.yourofficeandpa.co.uk/ and a VOIP phone number.

The VOIP phones were via Gradwell, although now there are tons of VOIP providers but their control panel was perfect.

Calls would ring in the office but I could also have them ring at YourOffice&PA they would take calls., They were big enough to be stable and small enough to know about the business, they would go the extra mile etc... in the end they took all our ecommerce orders.

I have not used then in about 3 years now but I suspect they are the same now. The thing I found with them was they were flexible.

Add that and a flexible VOIP and it was a great system handling 100's of calls a month.

I use https://voipstudio.com/ for VOIP now but it's not as flexible, although there is a member on here who provides VOIP but I can't remember the username maybe @Ozzy can remind me!

Darren

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I use Vonage with our Exeter number and when I am on tour ( in Tesco ) I switch it over to my mobile or any other mobile !
People do trust landlines more but those of us in the know realize that any fool can get an online landline number these days
I think a real physical address is the only thing that backs up what people are saying now

 

[motionvideosuk]

Thanks for the reply Darren.

I suspect that I don’t receive a fraction of the volume of calls that you are getting but that price definitely seems competitive. I’ll read into it some more but I imagine it might be a bit overkill for my business as the majority of enquiries come via email.

But maybe it’s the mobile number that’s putting people off ringing me because I just look like a freelancer working from home.

 

[WaveJumper]

Personally I think times have changed I not sure I actually know anyone who has a landline these days the ways people communicate have changed.

 

[fisicx]

I don't have a landline anymore. Most of my prospective clients call me on whatsapp anyway so having a landline would be pointless.

My wife works in finance and they all now have mobiles instead of landline numbers (working from home etc).

@motionvideosuk - maybe you don't get so many calls because people are confused about what you do or can't find you when searching for services like yours.

 

[Solve My Problem]

Thanks for the reply Darren.

I suspect that I don’t receive a fraction of the volume of calls that you are getting but that price definitely seems competitive. I’ll read into it some more but I imagine it might be a bit overkill for my business as the majority of enquiries come via email.

But maybe it’s the mobile number that’s putting people off ringing me because I just look like a freelancer working from home.

The VOIP makes sense as it's a number you control, they are cheap and flexible.

The answer service can go to answer.co.uk if you just want a bog standard answer, or just go answer phone and see how many people call when you have a land line. Cheap, but not as flexible.

My work as a developer / local support is all mobile. I had a landline VOIP but it wasn't used so moved to a mobile.

At home we don't have a landline anymore, we couldn't get broadband as we are on the edge of a village so went for mobile broadband and didn't see the point in paying for a landline.

My wife's eCommerce business has a VOIP number but 99% of enquires are via email, it's just for clients like the NHS who call occasionally to check purchase orders etc...

 

[Solve My Problem]

Thanks for the reply Darren.

I suspect that I don’t receive a fraction of the volume of calls that you are getting but that price definitely seems competitive. I’ll read into it some more but I imagine it might be a bit overkill for my business as the majority of enquiries come via email.

But maybe it’s the mobile number that’s putting people off ringing me because I just look like a freelancer working from home.

You may want to fix your link to your phone number on the website It won't work as expected

 

[IanSuth]

We use a setup through Tamar Communications - a virtual landline number that diverts via a hunt group around the mobiles and has an out of hours message as well

Home

Get A Landline For Your Mobile With Tamar Telecom Today! Power Up Your Business Comms With A Provider That Goes Above And Beyond.

www.tamartelecommunications.co.uk

 

[Ozzy]

although there is a member on here who provides VOIP but I can't remember the username maybe @Ozzy can remind me!

The name you're looking for is @cjd

 

[Legendary Workwear Ltd]

I have a 0800 number through cloud numbers that forwards to my mobile, it costs about a fiver a month. I don't get too many enquiries on the phone, they're mostly email and social media, but I think it looks a little more professional on marketing and social media posts. It has a dashboard you can log in to see how many calls you get through the number and manage other things

 

[japancool]

I just use the Skype client on my phone, with a fixed Skype number.

 

[motionvideosuk]

I have a 0800 number through cloud numbers that forwards to my mobile, it costs about a fiver a month. I don't get too many enquiries on the phone, they're mostly email and social media, but I think it looks a little more professional on marketing and social media posts. It has a dashboard you can log in to see how many calls you get through the number and manage other things

That’s good to know thanks.

 

[motionvideosuk]

maybe you don't get so many calls because people are confused about what you do or can't find you when searching for services like yours.

I agree. I am working on making it more apparent what I do which I’ll ask for feedback on in the review my website post soon.

A mate of mine said it best “it’s like you’ve built an amazing shop in the middle of the Sahara Desert that nobody knows how to find.

 

[Chris Hanson]

A phone number says how you conduct your business by either being always available with a mobile number or possibly office hours only with a landline (unless to state always available).
A local number is good for confidence if you need a local service like electrician or plumber but that's about it. National and local free numbers are confusing for some people and with everyone having a mobile, most calls will be free to call another mobile. Stick with a mobile for flexible comms apps like WhatsApp etc.

 

[Ditso]

I don't have a landline anymore but for my business that's fine. (I don't have a phone number on the website for customers to use)

I think though that psychologically a mobile only firm would look less professional, certainly to the older generation. I'd give them both options.

In the past I've used a VOIP phone and found it very good.

Some years ago (maybe 20) a business I used to run offered a freephone number, when our competitors didn't and that got us a lot of business.

These days though everyone has free calls in their talk plans anyway so it is less important.

 

[motionvideosuk]

A phone number says how you conduct your business by either being always available with a mobile number or possibly office hours only with a landline (unless to state always available).
A local number is good for confidence if you need a local service like electrician or plumber but that's about it. National and local free numbers are confusing for some people and with everyone having a mobile, most calls will be free to call another mobile. Stick with a mobile for flexible comms apps like WhatsApp etc.

When you refer to using WhatsApp do you mean for using a chat button on your site? Or just a button that opens up WhatsApp with your number populated into it when it opens? I hadn’t thought about using WhatsApp before. I thought maybe using a Facebook chat button since there are millions of people on Facebook?

 

[zackatrebel]

I use my mobile for my business Rebel Websites

But I advertise a landline number that connects to my mobile.

There is a few reasons for this:

1. I have control over turning it off and on. Without actually turning off my mobile phone.
2. I can set up a different mailbox. And various other features.
3. In the event I change my mobile number or I break something I can keep the same number.
4. Generally I think for some businesses having a landline number looks more established.
5. I can point the number wherever I want at any time.

It's also incredibly cheap. I think I pay £3 a month for mine.

I'd say go for it.

 

[motionvideosuk]

I use my mobile for my business Rebel Websites.

But I advertise a landline number that connects to my mobile.

There is a few reasons for this:

1. I have control over turning it off and on. Without actually turning off my mobile phone.
2. I can set up a different mailbox. And various other features.
3. In the event I change my mobile number or I break something I can keep the same number.
4. Generally I think for some businesses having a landline number looks more established.
5. I can point the number wherever I want at any time.

It's also incredibly cheap. I think I pay £3 a month for mine.

I'd say go for it.

What’s the service called that you use?

 

[fisicx]

When you refer to using WhatsApp do you mean for using a chat button on your site? Or just a button that opens up WhatsApp with your number populated into it when it opens? I hadn’t thought about using WhatsApp before. I thought maybe using a Facebook chat button since there are millions of people on Facebook?

When people click on your mobile number using their phone they use WhatsApp to make the call rather than their phone dialer. Nothing for you to do.

Not sure you can add a FB messenger button to your website. In any case it’s not very professional. If you want chat use a dedicated service. But fix the site first.

 

[MarcusUK21]

I have a 0800 number through cloud numbers that forwards to my mobile, it costs about a fiver a month. I don't get too many enquiries on the phone, they're mostly email and social media, but I think it looks a little more professional on marketing and social media posts. It has a dashboard you can log in to see how many calls you get through the number and manage other things

Hi your 0800 number sounds a good idea. Are you able to sign post me to the provider you use?

 

[Marbman]

For the last 8, maybe 10 years I have had a landline (0208) through Skype which currently costs me about £30 a year but to be honest I now thinks its a waste of time. Hardley anyone calls me with it for business and yes you still get spam calls.

In fact I have just cancelled the number before it renews again in January.

Almost all my business calls are done through WhatsApp . Yes people can call my mobile but the norm is they click a whatsApp link on my website and message me on WhatsApp and then we have a call.

Im starting wonder why I still have Skype, although it is quite useful when im abroad (outside of EU) and I use my unlimited UK landline calls subscription.