Make it easy for customers to find you

Posted by: Guest Author

With a single number for your business

It amazes me how many people I talk to that either use multiple mobile phones or home numbers to manage their small business. And some friends and colleagues just don't have a "business number" at all. One of the most important rules for your business is to "be reachable," especially as a new or relatively unknown business. Otherwise, your prospects will simply move on to the next number. And existing customers may question your ability to support their needs.

In the past, being reachable may have had a big price tag associated with it. But not anymore. With services such as Aptela's Mobile Extension, an individual can take advantage of a virtual phone number (plus an auto attendant and much more) for less than what it would cost to get a latte at Starbucks twice a month!

But the benefits don't all fall to the customers, having a separate business number allows you to choose when you are "working" and when you are dedicating your time to non-work related activities. If your customers all have your personal cell number, work life balance can be tough to achieve.

Three other features worth considering:

1. Auto Attendant- If you've ever called a company that has an automated telephone system that answered your call and let you choose an employee or department to be connected with, you've used an auto attendant. Now you too can this powerful capability for as low as $6.99/user. You can personalize your auto attendant to greet all inbound callers and direct them to the right individual or department with extension dialing or a dial by name directory. Even if you're a 1, 2 or 3 person company, this will have a HUGE impact on how you look to the outside world.
2. Find Me/Follow Me - Even if you a solo entrepreneur, you can look bigger and get more from your phone service. First, just set up a local or toll-free phone number to serve is the primary number for your company. Then, just set your Find Me List to ring straight to your mobile device. Use Aptela mobile VoIP to get the power of the Auto Attendant and all of our PBX functionality without the headache of managing your phone service in-house.
3. Virtual Transfer - No matter what you need to do - transfer your call to a colleague, record calls, flip your call to another phone or simply forward a call to someone else - you can do this with Aptela's Virtual Transfer feature. All of the virtual PBX call controls are available right from your mobile phone, ensuring you never miss a call and can manage every call the way as necessary.

If you're a small business or solo entrepreneur that relies on the phone to do business, you should seriously consider a SMB VoIP solution. Now more than ever, you need to be accessible whenever your customers and prospects try to reach you. Don't underestimate the impact your phone can have on your business.