Wouldn’t it be a dream to have a view of the beach while you work? Not just a poster, but the actual beach — gulls cawing, waves splashing, and that smell you pick up every time you get within a mile of the sand? Or maybe you’d rather set yourself up steps from your favorite trailhead. Picture the postcard view of El Capitan peaking above misty clouds and throngs of conifers just beyond your laptop screen. Perhaps you’ve dreamt of #vanlife where the backdrop could change on a daily basis. Maybe you’d be satisfied simply taking leave of your desk in favor of the local coffee shop for just a couple of hours, following all safety protocols of course.
As tempting as it all sounds, reality usually stops us like a brick wall. Sure, laptops and VPNs lend us mobility like never before, but you can’t expect that next critical caller to cycle through your office number, your cell number, then back to the general office number to navigate menus in order to locate you whether you may be that day. They’ll just move on to the next guy. You’ll be out of a job in no time. Nope, best to loyally man your post — hour after hour, day after day, year after year. Before the existential dread sets in, relax. Take a deep breath. You have other options.
In this article, we cover:
- The dream and reality of working-from-anywhere.
- Statistics that tell us the phone is still a significant part of business.
- How a second phone number allows us to delegate tasks, customer relations, and keep Mom happy.
How do they do it, those van-lifers? Aside from locating a strong internet signal and creatively overhauling their Westfalia, they streamline their contact options. The only way to alleviate the gnawing anxiety of dancing on the razor’s edge of almost being off the grid is to centralize your communications. You could run all your personal and business communications through one line, but then you take on a whole other world of anxiety. Who’s ringing now? Is it that deal I was hoping to close? Or does Mom need you to play IT support for her computer (again)? It’s not a good idea, professionally or for your mental health, to allow business and pleasure to mix so freely. Nor should you consider multiple phones. That’s more overhead, more chargers, more things to lose in the abyss of your couch cushions, like Boba Fett into the Sarlacc pit. It’s just completely unnecessary in 2021!
You also can’t completely give up your phone for the Slacks and Microsoft Teams of the world, not when:
- 62 percent of customers greatly prefer human-to-human interactions over phone calls when dealing with issues
- 89 percent of customers become frustrated when they’re asked to repeat their issues to multiple recipients
- 40 percent of consumers want to speak to a real person when resolving a complex issue
- 66 percent of customers switch companies due to poor customer service
- 77 percent of consumers believe a phone call is the most effective way to get a quick answer
As much as some of us welcome a reclusive lifestyle devoid of human contact, it’s just not good business, and the numbers bear it out. So if you’re an enterprising entrepreneur, small business owner, or just getting your startup off the ground, how do you manage your phone lines without running yourself thin and keeping your dream of working from anywhere alive?
A second phone number, that’s how.
Don’t Work Harder, Work Smarter — From Anywhere
Smartphone apps allow us to maintain multiple phone lines on just one device. That means your personal cell number can continue to serve as your personal line for those times Mom needs you for hour to stop those infernal reminders that she’s out of iCloud storage. Meanwhile, if a customer rings you concurrently in need of support, a colleague needs to go over a project, or a prospect is ready to sign that big contract, you can easily manage it in real time. Tell Mom you’ll call her back later so you can give that business call the attention it demands. You even have the power to recognize a lower-priority business call and delegate it to a forwarding line — perhaps to your customer relations person — without interrupting Dad’s rant about how the government is watching his every move.
Additionally, if you own an ecosystem of devices, say a smartphone, a tablet, a desktop, and a laptop, you can manage these tangled moments from any of them. Sky’s the limit, same as that piercing blue sky speckled with a smattering of clouds on that little piece of heaven on Earth that you are calling “the office” today.
Ready to make your dreams come true? Check out everything that is possible with a second phone number from YouMail, from a feature-rich free option to powerful business plans fit for small entrepreneurs, growing startups, and thriving small businesses.
