Cell phones for business

[dwoodall]

Does everyone use separate cell phones for business and personal or do you use one for both? If one for both do you set up the voice mail for it to be business related or a broad one to cover business and personal?

 

[ZombieCakes]

when i first started out i used only my cell and used a business greeting.

i quickly grew tired of people being able to reach me whenever and where ever. i also decided to go with a business line for high speed access as well as YP advertisement.

it's more expensive and i really hate that expense - REALLY. i wish i could just go off my cell but people couldn't find me unless they had my business card b/c they don't post cell numbers. so i felt like i had no other choice.

i know a lot of other therapists are fine w/o a business line, but in my area i really had no other choice.

good luck!
amanda

 

[Captain Claudius]

I started with a cell phone for business also, but I live in the mountains, which means reception is unreliable. People would call, and my cell phone wouldn't ring, even when it was turned on and I was available, awaiting calls. During conversations, people would have difficulty hearing me sometimes, because the signal would be full of static. Many times they would get a busy signal, even though I paid for voicemail, because the cell towers were too busy to even process the signal to voicemail. Needless to say, it was a professional nightmare!

Is cell phone service stable enough in your area, that it behaves as reliably as a land line?

 

[Nekhtet]

My cell phone is for business and personal use. My voicemail is set up for business, but all the people in my personal life know what's going on so they leave messages if I don't answer.

 

[sweetsinger]

I can't afford another line right now. I was just wondering how many people do and how they set it up. I have a standard "can't come to the phone but will call you back soon message". Debating on just making it more professional for biz purposes

My cell reception is good sometimes and other times stinks. Especially if I am in a building with tin or like material. Also have had hubby tell me he has called me and goes directly to voice mail and never shows a missed call on my phone (he never leaves a message). Also get the occasional dropped calls. grrr

 

[EPIC FAIL]

I use a cell for everything. I don't have a landline at all. Make your outgoing message as professional as possible--unless your friends are inclined to pay you money based on how your message sounds. My guess is that the clients are more important here ;-)

 

[mooki3babiiyonkerz]

LOL Good point EgoMagickian!

 

[confused guy1-1]

I use my cell phone. There is a business line at the clinic I rent space from, but I don't answer it, the receptionists do when they are there. When they aren't, people have to call my cell phone to get a hold of me. I have friends and family calling it when they want to get a hold of me. My message is professional, "Hi you've reached ******* Registered massage therapist.... etc"

I haven't had any problems, but my service is good, I get a discount through my professional association. Friends and family know they have me, so I don't worry about them.

 

[ramone35]

I also have a cell which is both professional and personel. My message is business related though.
Clients may call me at any time but that doesn't mean I have to answer. If a number I don't reconizes calls on weekends or late evenings, I don't answer it and will rarely return a call on a weekend. I like to keep my boundries.

 

[Nikki Tesla]

Thanks for your answers. I think I will alter my message a tad to put a more professional spin on it. Go over to the message thread for some ideas. :idea:

 

[MrNeutral]

For the last 6 years, my husband and I have lived land-line-less Cell phones only. Before I started the practice, we each had a phone. When we started the practice, we added a 3rd phone, for business only. Clients get only the business phone number. Friends and family call the personal phone number. It's pretty simple that way. All 3 phones share a good plan, 2000 daytime minutes and unlimited evening/weekend/holiday time. They have all the standard goodies. Our monthly cost for all 3 is only $160, which is a small price to pay considering we spend 8-14 hours every day out of the house. We also don't have to bother with the hassle of having to pay for an unlisted number and whatnot. As of yet, there are no substantiated reports of any cell phone number databse that gets sold to marketers that you have to opt out of or anything. Though if that changes, please let me know (along with the source of the info), since we're privacy advocates who like to keep up on that stuff. For tax purposes, I write off 1/3 of the $160, as that is the portion that is devoted to business only.

In 6 years, we've never regretted not having a landline

Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[Merl]

I use a cell phone. I shopped around and found a provider that gives me free incoming minutes (for clients calls). I carry the phone with me but I don't answer it on my days off or when I am shopping, exercising etc. I check messages and then call people when I am free. At home it may get a little tricky. We have 2 little dogs and one time they started barking when I was on the phone with a client! I apologized and explained that it's a cell phone I am using so it's easier for people to reach me anywhere and I was still at home.
Now I go into a separate room and shut the door so they don't hear any animal noises.
My message is professional. It states that I do NOT have a receptionist and please leave your info etc. I used to have 2 cell phones but it's cheaper to have 1 and my frineds eventually learned to use my business cell #.
When I rented at a tanning salon I would forward my cell phone to their desk and the receptionist would answer the call. I had to make sure that all my literature had the name of the salon and that calls may be answered by the salon staff so people knew they reached the right number.

 

[wywy]

jyoti, do you carry 2 cell phones with you? One biz and one personal?

Sounds like it can get a little complicated with the spa and your cell.

At least with one cell phone people who call you for other than biz reasons will know what you do. That is if you state that on your message and may pick up a few new clients. At least hopefully you will.

 

[pow pow]

jyoti, do you carry 2 cell phones with you? One biz and one personal?

I do. Yes, it looks kinda geeky But it works!

Sounds like it can get a little complicated with the spa and your cell.

We're not actually a spa Though sometimes we feel like it! (Because we're always saying "we" since the business is both my hubby and myself and our website looks admittedly semi-fluffy.)

It sounds more complicated than it is We actually did it to simplify things, so that I didn't have strangers calling my personal cell phone and vice versa. For us, it was really more of a way to define our boundaries. And since we work out of our house, boundaries can get a little fuzzy as it is, and we have to be extra-mindful of establishing them.

At least with one cell phone people who call you for other than biz reasons will know what you do. That is if you state that on your message and may pick up a few new clients. At least hopefully you will.

Hehe wouldn't that be cool?

Hugs!
~Jyoti

 

[Whizzy]

I have two cell phones also. I turn my business cell off at around 10.30pm but my personal one is on all the time. I've not yet had any very late night calls on my business cell phone. Also on my land line I have two phone numbers - again one for work and one for business. Each has a different ringing tone. So when I get call on my business landline I can answer the call in a business like way.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Cell phones for business

Does everyone use separate cell phones for business and personal or do you use one for both? If one for both do you set up the voice mail for it to be business related or a broad one to cover business and personal?

I use my cellphone for work and private use, I've never had clients call me at odd hours, my friends yes, clients no. I wouldn't even have a cell phone if I didn't have my own business. I do have a business greeting.

 

[b8ee1]

I opened my new office on the 27th of August with the idea of using my cell phone as my business phone, because what is better than (unless your with a client) always being able to schedule appointments and answer peoples questions whenever they decided they call? Well, the cell reception in my building is so bad it is embarassing and I am having a landline put in this Monday, also people that called at odd hours didn't want me to answer the phone (can you believe a lady actually told me that?) she said she just wanted to get my hours off of my voice mail?