Quick question: Do you know how many people have your personal phone number? If you’re like most local business owners, you probably don’t. That’s because it’s often expected that you hand out your personal number every time a customer, client or team member asks for it. But with a second number app, you can make that a thing of the past.

Privacy isn’t something that only large enterprises should be interested in. Owners and managers of independent businesses should also be guarded about privacy. Which is a little difficult when you’ve only got one contact number.

When it’s the same number for both personal and professional communication, chances are, you’re sharing it with several people a day. Even if you’re not actively giving it, it’s part of your Google My Business profile, website contact details, business card and even your email signature.

In other words, a lot of people have access to it. Among them could be some unsavoury individuals who might add you to their scam lists or sell your information to other buyers. This is one of the reasons why no local business should be without a second number app.

But is having a second phone number for business adding to your security worries? Not at all. It means that you’re improving your privacy by handing out a business number that can be better managed. Here’s why a second number app is one of the best ways to protect your personal information from going public.

How a second phone number app improves your privacy

You can freely share your number

As a local business owner, you need to share your phone number frequently. It could be with a prospective client, a regular customer, a new employee or a total stranger. You can’t say no because you never know where the next lead or sale might come from.

Unfortunately, whenever you share your personal number with a stranger or a third-party app, you are increasing the risk of giving attackers access to your personal data. But with a separate business number, you can share it without worry.

You don’t have to fear that the customer or client might share it with someone else. Even if it gets shared, all the calls and text exchanges can be monitored and there’s little personal information at risk.

Single-device management

A second phone number for business doesn’t mean you have to purchase another high-end smartphone and start carrying two devices with you. The key here is that it’s a second phone number app. Once you install it, you’ve got yourself a business number and along with it, several professional advantages.

A single piece of hardware also means that you’re reducing the chances of misplacing your phone or it getting stolen. Importantly, since it’s an app, it has in-built features to access any security breach and alert you to the same.

Thirdly, since it’s easy to organise and manage your contacts, you’ll have a clear idea of who gets in touch with you and the nature of their communication.

Easy to promote

Let’s say that your pet grooming service, salon or e-commerce store has a promotion. You’ll have to share your contact information to make it seem more credible. You’ll have to include that in your flyers, leaflets and social media posts, just to name a few.

But the more you share your personal number, the higher the chances of privacy violations. And if your private number is online, the whole world will have access to it. All of which might discourage you from sharing your contact information.

A second phone number will free you to market your local business. You can put it up on billboards, storefront signages, your website, online profiles, email signatures and social media posts. Your customers or clients can call you at any time and get the necessary information through automated replies.

Maintain your privacy

Privacy is often something people hardly pay any attention to until they’re the victim of a security breach. And those privacy violations can be expensive, time-consuming to manage and even dangerous. With a second phone number app, as a business owner, you’ll be significantly reducing your exposure to any privacy breach.