A lot of small business owners end up giving customers their personal mobile number. It starts as a convenience and turns into a problem: calls at weekends, no way to hand a customer to a colleague, and a number that leaves the business if that person ever does.
A modern phone system fixes this. You can make and take calls on your mobile using the office number, without giving anyone your personal number. Here is how it works.
How it works
With a hosted business phone system, your phone system lives in a data centre rather than in a box in your office. Anything that can connect to the internet can be an extension on it, including your mobile.
You install the phone system’s app on your iPhone or Android phone and log in. Your mobile now behaves like a desk phone in the office:
- Calls to your direct number or the main office number ring on the app
- When you call out from the app, customers see the business number, not your mobile number
- You can transfer calls to colleagues, join call queues and pick up voicemail
- You can set yourself as unavailable when you finish work, and calls go elsewhere
Your personal number stays personal. If you change phones or leave the company, the business number stays with the business.
Who it is useful for
Sole traders and owners
Look established with a proper business number, keep work and personal calls separate, and switch off at the end of the day.
Engineers and field staff
People who are out on site can take calls on the office number and transfer them back to the office, without customers needing a separate mobile number for each person.
Hybrid and remote teams
People working from home are on the same phone system as the office. Calls can be transferred to them just like transferring across the room.
Sales teams
Calls made from the app use the business number and can be logged and recorded centrally, so customer conversations are not lost on someone’s personal phone.
What about call quality?
On a good Wi-Fi or 4G or 5G connection, call quality is as good as a normal phone call, often better. On a weak signal it can suffer, just as a normal mobile call would. Most apps also let you fall back to your mobile network when data is poor, depending on the system.
Do I still need desk phones?
Not necessarily. Many businesses now use a mix: desk phones for reception and people who are always in the office, and apps for everyone else. Some use apps only. There is also a desktop app, so people can use a headset with their laptop instead of a handset.
Does it cost extra?
Usually not. The mobile and desktop apps are normally included in the per-user price. With us, that is £15 per user per month, including the system, apps, hosting, management and support. There is no extra charge for using the app rather than a desk phone.
Can I keep my current numbers?
Yes. Your existing office numbers are transferred onto the new system. If you have been giving customers your mobile number, you can start giving them a business number instead and gradually move them across.
A good reason to move now
If your office is still on landlines or ISDN, you will need to move before the switch-off in January 2027 anyway. Making the move now means you get features like this straight away, along with the other features you get when you leave your landline.
Want your office number on your mobile?
We can usually have you set up within days. Tell us how many people you have and we will give you a monthly price on the first call.