“Give me a call. Better yet, text me. Actually, hit me on Facebook Messenger. On second thought, better DM me on Twitter. Well, Instagram is probably best. Though during business hours, Slack me. In fact, do you Zoom? Prefer Google Meet? Microsoft Teams? Email?! That’s a bit archaic, isn’t it?”
In this article, we cover:
- The proliferation and overstimulation of modern communication.
- Call of the living dead: Scammers, telemarketers, and robocallers.
- The personal and professional benefits of adding a second phone line.
The number of ways we communicate in 2020 is, frankly, obscene.
Remember sweating how many texts you’d get with your cell plan? If so, do you also remember when it stopped mattering? These days, you can take your pick of messaging app. Even more likely, you’re tethered to several simultaneously.
You know that feeling when a coworker revisits a topic you’ve discussed before, but you can’t find the conversation or attachment? Was it in an email? Or was it in Teams. Wait, which thread was it — a direct conversation or one of many group discussions you were both in? Not there either? Maybe in was Trello or Asana. The point is, our communications have gotten out of hand and we have to do a better job organizing them — for productivity’s sake, and for our sanity.
These days, specialization reigns supreme. There are at least 8,000 martech tools on the market today. Meanwhile, mechanic toolsets rarely exceed 1,000 pieces. Every business is on a constant quest to gain every shred of efficiency they can find. With the proliferation of working from home, business hours blend into personal time more than ever, overwhelmingly so for those who are new to the lifestyle. Business expenses are fronted on personal credit, work laptops pull double-duty as personal rigs, and office lines are dispensed with in favor of one all-encompassing phone line.
Well hold on just a second.
There were nearly 26 billion scam calls and 8 billion telemarketing calls in 2019. While robocalls receded as the pandemic hit, they’ve steadily gained traction again since April, topping out at 3.6 billion robocalls in July. The point is, don’t be so quick to sacrifice your personal line to pull double-duty as your professional line just in the name of convenience. You have options that don’t require you to share your personal information in even more places.
Adding a Second Phone Line
A second phone line doesn’t have to be an ordeal anymore. Carrying a second physical handset is so 2015. Apps allow us to do magical things, including adding a second number to a single smartphone (heck, you can add more if you want!). That second line can serve as a dedicated personal line, a separate business line, a way to track sales leads and listings, or as a “burner” to give out when you don’t want to give up your primary number. Put your second line on credit card applications, social media profiles, and dating profiles. Use it for banks or buyers/sellers on eBay or Craigslist — anywhere you need to create a buffer between those 34 billion robocalls and your ear. You’re not running a hotline (and if you are … why?)
Use your second line to:
- Separate your worlds — Use your second line as your business number. Now when the phone rings, you know if it’s business or pleasure.
- Duck telemarketers — Submit your second phone number on bank account and credit card applications or when purchasing anything online. Now you can keep bill collectors and those 8 billion telemarketing calls at arm’s length.
- Stay private — Screen calls from unknown numbers by letting them go straight to voicemail.
- Become invisible — With YouMail, your second line isn’t associated with you; it’s your own unlisted private number.
While we can’t do anything about all the apps beating down your door like zombies, we can help organize your work and personal communications with a second phone line. All you have to do is sign up for one of our Professional Plans. Not only can you get up to 15 extra phone numbers, but you also get our entire suite of professional features including voicemail forwarding, custom greetings, auto-attendant, and more. You can set up your second line on the web, or in our Android or iOS apps.
With 117.1 million robocalls hitting American phone lines a day — 11.1 calls per person — you don’t have a moment to spare. So, where can I reach you now?
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