What is a Business Phone Number?

A business phone number is a phone number dedicated to a business or organisation rather than an individual. It is used for professional communications, helping customers, clients, and partners to reach the business.

Additionally, business phone numbers can take different forms:

1300 Numbers: Non-geographic numbers that act as a nationwide point of contact for customers who are charged at the local call rate no matter where in Australia they are calling from.

1800 Toll-Free Numbers: Non-geographic numbers that are free of charge for the caller and also act as a nationwide point of contact for your business.

Virtual Local Numbers: These are not tied to a specific phone line and can forward calls to various devices, making them ideal for remote or mobile businesses.

VoIP Numbers: These are associated with internet-based phone services and can be used for calls via the internet rather than traditional phone lines.

Having a dedicated business phone number helps in maintaining a professional image, improving customer service, and keeping business communications separate from personal calls.

What is a Business Phone Number Plan and Who Provides One?

A phone plan is a subscription service provided by telecommunications companies that allows businesses to receive or make calls effectively. These plans can cater to the communication needs of small startups to large enterprises. They also may include features like unlimited calls and international calling.

A phone plan is vital for maintaining professional communication. Choosing a reputable provider ensures you get a plan that meets your needs without any nasty unexpected costs.

Hence, it is crucial to choose a provider that is transparent about costs to avoid hidden fees. Telcoworks, for example, is upfront about all charges and committed to providing absolutely no bill shock to our customers.

Can you use business plans with mobile phones?

If you are operating a startup or want your sales team to operate with a personal mobile phone, you can use programmable callback display.

Programmable callback display allows callers, from a set of pre-determined caller ID’s (eg: your staff members mobile numbers) to make an outbound call to a customers number, by dialing out using a specific number (eg: 0288888888). The specific number (eg: 0288888888) will also be a Direct Dial In number that can then divert to your 1300/1800 number – so if your customers call this number back, they can route through to you the same as your 1300 or 1800 number. You can also program this number to have a different inbound route for calls if desired.

PROGRAMMABLE CALLBACK DISPLAY

Strategies For Avoiding Surprise Business Phone Number Plan Costs

Here are some money-saving strategies that you can employ as a business to avoid bill shock in your business number phone plans:

Choose a transparent provider

Select a phone service provider known for clear and honest pricing. Transparent providers will offer straightforward recurring monthly plan fee contracts without hidden costs, making it easier to understand and manage your costs.

Reading customer reviews and looking at how providers advertise are good starting points for assessing transparency.

Decide on essential and non-essential features

Identify which features and add-ons are crucial for your business needs and which are not. By only paying for essential services, you can avoid unnecessary expenses and keep your phone bill manageable.

Avoid lock-in contracts in case your business needs to change and your plans need alterations. With the flexibility of a lock-free contract, you can make alterations as needed without worrying about additional costs or waiting for the current contract to end.

Investigate the inclusions of your plan

Take the time to properly review your business phone plan details and inclusions. Search for any hidden fees in the fine print and the cost of exceeding allowances to determine if there are any unfair charges to your account.

Knowing exactly what your plan covers and what it doesn’t will help you avoid unexpected charges.

Learn how to read your phone bill

Familiarise yourself with the layout and terminology used in your phone bill.

Understanding how to interpret your bill will help you spot any unexpected charges on top of your monthly plan fees or errors quickly, allowing you to address them before they become a serious budget eater.

Closely monitor your phone usage

Keep a close eye on your phone usage to make sure that it stays within the limits of your plan. Regular monitoring helps prevent overage charges and allows you to make timely adjustments to your plan if needed.

Use your provider’s tools, such as online diversion changes and call analytics, to track your usage in real time.

FAQs

Can I Use My Cell Phone as a Business Line?

Yes, you can use your personal mobile number as a business line by adding a separate 1300 or 1800 business number.

Should I Have a Separate Phone Number for Business?

Having a separate business number is ideal, even if you operate it from your personal phone.

Having a business phone number (e.g. 1800 or 1300) looks more professional from the perspective of the customer and makes your business seem more established.

How to Get a Phone Number for Free?

You can get a free business phone number with Telcoworks if you choose our 1300 or 1800 Free Lucky Dip Numbers.