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landline or cell

wes70

New Member
Thinking about dropping my "business" landline now that I have a smart phone. I don't receive faxes anymore, so that isn't an issue. Main concern is the number change. Wondering how many of you use your cell phone as your main business phone?
 

warlind

New Member
Get a magic jack - lets you keep your number and you can forward to your smart phone...they work. We did it for one of our lines just to see, it works great! Think it was 89 bucks for the hardware and a year of service.
 

maskman

New Member
We use our cells for everything ,lol. We dont even have a home phone.

the good :
Its always with you
easy to keep track of things

The bad
Its always with you ,lol
 

FrankenSigns.biz

New Member
In my opinion, you can make the move as long as you don't lose your business line status. The phone company differentiates between residential and business lines. You might want to stay in "loop" as far as the phone company and therefore your search engine optimization is concerned. If that cell number is already listed as your main business line, with Google you're good to go.
 

Locals Find!

New Member
I use my Droid exclusively for my business. I also have a google voice number that I have been using for the business since day one.

Its really nice to know I own a number that doesn't have to be ported if I switch carriers or go back to a land line in the future. It forwards automatically to as many phones as I want. So, I can have it ring on my business cell the personal cell or my home phone without missing a beat.
 

wes70

New Member
I guess my main concern is that I won't be able to keep my existing business number that I had for over 12 years...the phone company will not transfer it to cell phone.

warlind - looked into the majicjack, but unable to transfer existing number to the majicjack. That option is only available in U.S.
 

Kevin-shopVOX

New Member
I use my Droid exclusively for my business. I also have a google voice number that I have been using for the business since day one.

Its really nice to know I own a number that doesn't have to be ported if I switch carriers or go back to a land line in the future. It forwards automatically to as many phones as I want. So, I can have it ring on my business cell the personal cell or my home phone without missing a beat.

+1 Google Voice has worked very well for me. However you can only port a mobile number and not a landline so your business line wouldn't stay the same. I think magic jack is the most versatile/cheapest option if you want to keep the same number.
 

rjssigns

Active Member
Good info. We have been thinking about porting our business line to a cell. Of course AT&T says we can't have our number because "they" own it. I checked the FCC page and it said the consumer has the rights to it. Besides which I called Sprint and Cellcom and they both said my number was available to port. What gives? :help
 

Kevin-shopVOX

New Member
Good info. We have been thinking about porting our business line to a cell. Of course AT&T says we can't have our number because "they" own it. I checked the FCC page and it said the consumer has the rights to it. Besides which I called Sprint and Cellcom and they both said my number was available to port. What gives? :help

If you go to Sprint one thing to keep in mind is their unlimited mobile to mobile is nice but any call to or from a landline goes against your minutes. For $5/mo you can designate any one number to be included in the unlimited gamut which includes any calls to or from a landline. I set my google voice number to be that number and for $5 extra a month I have unlimited anytime calls to any number using the cell phone. Works like a charm.
 

TyrantDesigner

Art! Hot and fresh.
I use a cell for business, always on the run really. Eventually I'm going to get magicjack just to use as a 'business' line (really just voicemail and a dedicated line for branding purposes that won't eat minutes. ... and i can forward to my phone if need be.) But in all practicality something like a landline is great if you have someone who sits at a desk and has a phone about 3 feet away for convenience ... but not needed.

I mean heck, at work we have a land line and only people that call are people asking for hours and sales calls ... even then we have portable phones running around the shop. pass on that.
 

showcase 66

New Member
Have a land line but getting ready to drop it. Only reason I had it was that service provider allows me to forward calls at no extra cost. So I would have it forwarded to my cell. I use to have both numbers on my cards but started just putting my cell number on there since that was pretty much the only number anyone called on. I think I have had 5 or 6 calls on the land line this month and all of them have been telemarketers calling about business loans.

Was thinking of the Magic Jack just to have a land line but not to sure about it yet.
 

wes70

New Member
Just called my landline provider. I was told that they can transfer my business number to my cell phone, but for now, I decided to downgraded my business line to $60 a month.
 

jhimes

New Member
Try evoice you can port your number to them and it forwards to whatever number you want and it has a professional voicemail system. The voicemails are then sent to your email and a text is sent to you. The package we have costs $9.95 a month. We had a couple issues with them at first but no problems lately.
 

4R Graphics

New Member
I use my cell for business have since day one. It just makes things easier I can answer the phone anywhere and anytime. I even take the business cell on personal vacations and answer it during business hours. Sold a wrap while at Universal Studios standing inline to ride MIB. Finalized the deal a few days later when back intown. I am a small family owned and operated business.
 

visual800

Active Member
Ive got a landline same number 25 years and its my main number. I might make a few business calls on the cell but I do NOT answer if they call back on it at later date.. People get in a habit of thinking "oh I got his cell Ill call him anytime"...if that phone rings and your number is not in my address book I do not answer.

if I were you I would switch all letterhead and what not over to your cell and maybeget everyone in ahabit of calling your cell. I know its hard to let go of a 12 year old number but damn I know the phone co is loving you every month
 

Jillbeans

New Member
I keep my landline, which I have had here since 1989, for two reasons:
*I think having a local number makes you seem reliable/not a "fly by night".
*For the $60/month I do get a free YP listing which also lists my website.
(not that anyone really uses YP anymore)
I never, ever give anyone my cell number.
Love....Jill
 

Bill Modzel

New Member
Landline here only. Phone, Fax and DSL. Same number for 32 years.
When I'm out fishing I don't want a freaking phone in my pocket although every now and then I do find myself lusting after a nice iPhone.
 

CanuckSigns

Active Member
Just called my landline provider. I was told that they can transfer my business number to my cell phone, but for now, I decided to downgraded my business line to $60 a month.


I'm assuming your provider is Bell? We had a rep from Rogers in the other month offering us 2 business lines with all the features for $75 a month, I called Bell and told them I got a better deal elsewhere and wanted to cancel my service. They put me through to their "retentions" dept. who cut my phone bill pretty much in half to keep me as a customer.

It's always good to ask.

We have our Bell landline at the shop because you can't beat the reliability, but we have a VOIP phone also that we use for most outgoing and long distance calls, it costs us about $6 a month for the VOIP line and has knocked about $45 a month off our Bell bill in terms of long distance charges!
 

TheSnowman

New Member
I use Vonage for this business, and MagicJack for another biz I do part time gigs for. The Vonage is nice because I set it to ring my office and my cell at the same time, which ever one I pick up gets it, or if I don't get it, Voice Mail picks up and emails me the message, but it's like $25/month.

The MagicJack is good just to "keep the number" and forward to another number for $20/year. I've used it and had decent results too. They just now came out with one that plugs directly into your router, so you don't have to have the computer on. I ordered the hardware but haven't hooked it up yet. My wife uses it at home and it works well for her too. You kinda get what you pay for, but for $20/year it's an easy way to have a number forwarded to some other number if you need, or to even just use for Voice Mail to be sent to your emails.
 

David Wright

New Member
I have had the same number for 30 years. Ported it over to a wireless from AT&T and even cancelled my fax line.

It is nice to have access to emails and phone when I am out but one big problem for me is the shop is terrible for reception. I don't know if it is the Iphone or just rotten areas inside the shop but this is bad for business. I may have been too hasty on this one.
 
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