Web based service business - land line or not?

[Deleted member 138423]

So you've got your website ready and you have email alongside it too, but if someome wants to call you, do you need a landline as well as a mobile number or is it not that important in this day and age?

Thoughts?

 

[fisicx]

Depends on the business.

A plumber can probably get away with just a mobile an accountant couldn't.

If you build websites then a landline makes you look less like a bedroom business.

If it's ecommerce then a mobile makes you look like a dropshipper and someone who it going to be hard to contact if it all goes wrong.

 

[StevensOnln1]

Get yourself a VoIP line, then you can have a separate phone number (any area code) for your business. You can easily divert calls to your mobile if you are out a lot. I've been with Voipfone for the last year or so and service has been great. Their support team were really helpful too. The owner of the company is a member on here, his username is cjd.

 

[BusinessTeam]

Hi

You should definitely get a land line number as clients are more likely to call and this makes your business look a whole lot more professional.

A VoIP line would be sufficient and there are some really flexible services on the market - try something like www.voicehost.co.uk.

Good luck

Richard

 

[da8iwr]

If you cant make the £9.99 per month to pay for a landline, I wouldn't want to work with your company.

 

[WJP]

If you cant make the £9.99 per month to pay for a landline, I wouldn't want to work with your company.

When did the OP ever say they couldn't afford it? They just asked whether it was a necessary cost.

Another +1 for Voipfone here, by the way. I've always found their customer service very good.

 

[da8iwr]

When did the OP ever say they couldn't afford it? They just asked whether it was a necessary cost.

Another +1 for Voipfone here, by the way. I've always found their customer service very good.

At no point did i say they cant afford it, I said "if they cant make it", in other words are too tight to pay for it. If they wont pay for that small cost, what are they cutting out of the products or services that I want to buy from them?

In the past week I have had problems with 2 clients using VOIP phones, as the line is still not perfect if they don't have amazing connection. If you're driving down a road, and somebody calls on a VOIP number to your mobile, then you have to rely on 3G taking the call without dropping.

Personally as one of the other comments said, I want to know they have a fixed line that i can call and know they are legit company, not somebody that will take my money and run and then i wont know who or where they are in the world, never mind the country.

Rather than using a VOIP, I would use an 0845 redirect number if needed, i personally hate them as a customer, as it costs me a lot of money per min to call from a mobile, but at least the redirect is through a normal line connection, which is pretty much stable these days in most areas.

My general rule of thumb is, the company must be genuine, not pretending to be somebody they are not, using the word "We" when it is just that one person, having an automated answer machine "press 1 for sales, 2 for support" (or multiple emails) when it is a 1 man company, 0845 number to hide it is a mobile or pretend they are a national company is very negative to me.

Just be an honest company, that provides an honest service that people trust.

 

[3 MORE YEARS]

For me a landline makes you seem more professional and established. That's not to say someone on just a mobile phone can't be. However, if perception matters, then I would say, a landline is a must.

 

[Salt&Pepper]

When did the OP ever say they couldn't afford it? They just asked whether it was a necessary cost.

Another +1 for Voipfone here, by the way. I've always found their customer service very good.

With £9.99 using VOIP you one can pay for the whole year!! I pay £2 a month, so it's really a no brainer.

I am building a new website and was thinking of having only a mobile number on it until I can see if it's working. Then yesterday I was looking for something myself and there was a website giving just a mobile number and I thought "I can't be bothered to call a mobile"

 

[lazypbx]

As well as portraying to your customers and potential customers that you are a legitimate business there is the need to have a telephony system in place to make sure that your business can adequately provide its services/products. Depending on the type of business these needs vary tremendously, as fisicx says above. If you do rely heavily on your telephone system then pbx systems work perfectly. You can use several different numbers and divert them to lines of your choice or voicemail etc, all of which can be set up and managed online. This provides a lot of flexibility for very little money if you get the right system!

 

[Deleted member 138423]

Ok, I'm getting in a tiz here. All I want is to reconnect to an old BT line and then have an internet connection for 2 people simultaneously as well as a landline also for 2 people to use simultaneously. So far not including reconnection and equipment etc, this is coming in at @£40 per month ex VAT. Is this me being a div and not realsing something or can I get what I would like for less?

Thanks all!

 

[da8iwr]

It's only £20 for a landline and broadband with the post office. We have it here.

Supposed to be only for residential but you can get around that and we use our mobiles to call out on as we all have piles of free mins.

 

[Salt&Pepper]

£40!! you are mad

Just shop around, £20 from the post office sounds ok.

 

[Deleted member 138423]

£40!! you are mad

Just shop around, £20 from the post office sounds ok.

Er I have! I've said have I not that two of us need to use the phone at the same time! Cheapest so far £40........feel free to offer alternatives.....!

 

[da8iwr]

Well that would be £21.40 per month for one line including broadband
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/broadband-phone/home-phone-broadband/home-phone-broadband-standard-0

Then £13 for another line incl VAT
http://www.postoffice.co.uk/broadband-phone/home-phone-broadband/home-phone

It works out at roughly £35... you may as well pay the £40 if it is a business package and all done properly, rather than mess around, its roughly the difference in cost of a mcdonalds happy meal at the end of the day

 

[StevensOnln1]

Get the landline & broadband from the Post Office (or anyone else), then use Voipfone for the calls. Would cost you £4 + VAT per month for the VoIP (£1 per extension and £2 for the incoming 01/02 number) excluding cost of calls. You can get decent pre-configured phones direct from Voipfone, so you just plug them in to your router and you're up and running. Far cheaper than having 2 landlines, both phones can share the same number and you can easily add more phones in the future.

 

[CSS1]

We have an 0800 number that diverts to a mobile.

 

[ITsoldUK]

You got BB running already?

If so, I would give Voipfone a call ( www.voipfone.co.uk ) and tell them what you need, see what they say and how much setup and on costs will be and then you can make a 'call' (sorry no pun intended).

Been with CJD for a while and never had a quality or fail issue to date.

HTH

Daren

 

[ITsoldUK]

Ok, I'm getting in a tiz here. All I want is to reconnect to an old BT line and then have an internet connection for 2 people simultaneously as well as a landline also for 2 people to use simultaneously. So far not including reconnection and equipment etc, this is coming in at @£40 per month ex VAT. Is this me being a div and not realsing something or can I get what I would like for less?

Thanks all!

OR call Virgin and see what they come back with.

I use them and apart from their TV the BB and jellybone have been excellent. Switched to them about 10yrs ago and never looked back at BT.

 

[ITsoldUK]

Soz

use this to see if youre in a cabled area => http://store.virginmedia.com/broadband.html

 

[da8iwr]

I don't understand this obsession with VOIP????!

If the guy is buying a land line (as you need the line to get the broadband)... what difference will having VOIP make?

So in your method, he gets one line and broadband and then the extra line in VOIP from those numbers above

£4 per month for the VOIP account
£1 per extension = £2
£2 per 01/02 number = £4
= £10 +vat
Total £12

So you're saving £1 per month by having a crap VOIP phone that is dependant on the internet speed and can sound crap to the person who you are talking to.

 

[Deleted member 138423]

OR call Virgin and see what they come back with.

I use them and apart from their TV the BB and jellybone have been excellent. Switched to them about 10yrs ago and never looked back at BT.

Thanks, have spoken to Voipfone and that's a given, not in a cable area!

 

[ITsoldUK]

I don't understand this obsession with VOIP????!

If the guy is buying a land line (as you need the line to get the broadband)... what difference will having VOIP make?

So in your method, he gets one line and broadband and then the extra line in VOIP from those numbers above

£4 per month for the VOIP account
£1 per extension = £2
£2 per 01/02 number = £4
= £10 +vat
Total £12

So you're saving £1 per month by having a crap VOIP phone that is dependant on the internet speed and can sound crap to the person who you are talking to.

Not an obsession but a CHOICE dude.

1 I have a home business WITH A LANDLINE and run a voip to keep them separate and handle different campaign so why not?

2 Sound crap? Wrong dude, never has ANY complaints of that nature
3 Crap VOIP phone? Snom are market leaders and I have found them both reliable and flexible...

Now, calm down dear and remember we are offering the OP a choice of service providers...

 

[ITsoldUK]

Thanks, have spoken to Voipfone and that's a given, not in a cable area!

Bummer, BB is excellent too.

Never mind. Worth a shot though

 

[Bart Simpson]

Hi, That is totally depends upon the niche of your website and the way in which your business works.

 

[StevensOnln1]

I don't understand this obsession with VOIP????!

If the guy is buying a land line (as you need the line to get the broadband)... what difference will having VOIP make?

So in your method, he gets one line and broadband and then the extra line in VOIP from those numbers above

£4 per month for the VOIP account
£1 per extension = £2
£2 per 01/02 number = £4
= £10 +vat
Total £12

So you're saving £1 per month by having a crap VOIP phone that is dependant on the internet speed and can sound crap to the person who you are talking to.

I did not say it was £10+VAT. I said it was £4+VAT, broken down as £1 each for the extensions and £2 for the number. I've been using VoIP lines for the past 3 years (last 12 months with Voipfone, another provider previously) and it's far from crap. I've found the call quality has always been far better than the quality you get from a landline.

By my calculation, using VoIP gives a saving of almost £100 per year over getting a 2nd landline. Also, landlines can't easily transfer calls between the 2 phones, nor do you get the numerous other features VoIP offers.

 

[andygambles]

I don't understand this obsession with VOIP????!

If the guy is buying a land line (as you need the line to get the broadband)... what difference will having VOIP make?

So in your method, he gets one line and broadband and then the extra line in VOIP from those numbers above

£4 per month for the VOIP account
£1 per extension = £2
£2 per 01/02 number = £4
= £10 +vat
Total £12

So you're saving £1 per month by having a crap VOIP phone that is dependant on the internet speed and can sound crap to the person who you are talking to.

You can just redirect the VOIP number to a "real" number. Generally the VOIP systems are more flexible than getting a fixed line and redirects.

I know people who have a VOIP line but only use it because they can set-up call groups to multiple mobiles etc and do not actually make calls over the VOIP line.