Work-life balance isn’t just for corporate executives, talk show hosts or social media celebrities. With a second phone number for business, it can be a reality for all local and independent business owners and managers like you.

You know the unwritten rule about being a local business owner. Whether it’s family-owned or a new independent business, there’s one thing expected of you as an owner or manager: you should always be available.

You’re always expected to respond to calls and text messages. It could be a client talking about their next order, a customer anxious about the status of their order or a vendor asking for more time. Or it could be someone asking about your working hours.

You’ve got to respond because if you don’t, who else will? Answering their call or reading their text is the only way to get their message. So you can’t just ignore the notification or the shrill of your ringtone. Whether you’re at a hospital to check up on a loved one or watching a game with your friends, you have to take the call or read the message. But not anymore.

7 reasons to have a different phone number for your business

1. Separate work and personal lives

The difference between an entrepreneur and a local business owner is that entrepreneurs get to expand their teams as they scale. But independent business managers are often forced to work with minimal support structures, which forces them to take their work home.

But with a different phone number, you can set boundaries between your business and family life. Your business contacts will be able to reach your business without having to disturb you.

2. Exclusive family time

The last thing your family needs to see is you prioritising work over them, especially when you’re with them. While this may seem like only a minor inconvenience at first, things can compound into unpleasant situations.

A second phone number allows you to have exclusive and undisturbed moments with your family. When you’re with your loved ones, you can be completely there instead of having to check your phone every few minutes.

3. Professional touch

Ever wondered why companies don’t rely on their employees’ personal email IDs and instead have official email addresses? Professionalism. That’s one of the most important reasons to get started with your second phone number.

When your business sounds professional, customers will know you are dependable and credible. Without it, no matter how good your products or services are, they may look amateurish.

4. Automated responses

Picture this: a client with an urgent query calls you and since you’re busy with other things, one of your family members is forced to respond to it. It tells your client that you can’t take the call right now. How does it reflect on your business?

A different phone number for business takes care of that problem. If you can’t take the call, you can rely on auto-reply to provide them with an immediate response.

5. Added privacy

Along with death and taxes, the other permanent aspect of our lives would be spam calls and unwanted text messages. Every time you hand out your personal phone number, you’re needlessly increasing the chances of a privacy violation.

A second phone number for your business is a credible step toward increasing your privacy. Spam callers wouldn’t be interested in repeatedly reaching your voicemail.

6. Single-device operation

A popular misconception is that you need an additional phone to have a different phone number. But you don’t have to splurge on another smartphone to have a second phone number for business.

With second phone apps like Chalkboard, your current phone can generate a new number in seconds.

7. Emergency messages

When you start using a second phone number, you’ll be able to categorise and manage business communication separately. An urgent business message will not get lost in the clutter of all your personal chats.

Whether it’s a team member or supplier, all emergency messages will be on top of your list and easily visible to you.

In short

With a different phone number for all your business calls and texts, your business contacts can reach you and be routed to an answering machine or auto-reply texts if you’re unavailable. This means that work-life balance is finally achievable for all local business owners like you.