What advertising your mobile costs you
- You cannot tell a new customer from your mate until you answer, so you answer everything or nothing.
- Your personal number sits on every directory and list, for good.
- Nothing can act on your behalf when you miss a work call, because work and personal calls are the same calls.
Your options
| Option | How it works | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| A second phone or SIM | A separate handset for work | Two phones to carry and charge |
| A calling app | Work calls come through an app on your mobile | Another app to open, and calls depend on your data signal |
| A business number that rings your mobile | Customers ring the business number; your own phone rings as normal | Only calls to the business number get the extras, so it has to be the one you advertise |
Slate's office line is the third kind: one number to advertise, which rings your own mobile, and texts back the calls you miss.
How to switch without losing a caller
- Put the new number on your Google profile first. It is where most new customers find you.
- Then Checkatrade or any directory you pay for, your Facebook page and your website.
- Then the van, your quotes, your invoices and your email signature.
- Keep your old mobile number. Existing customers who have it still reach you as always.
Do it all on the same day. A listing that still shows your old number is a listing whose missed calls nobody texts back.
Straight answers
- Will my existing customers be confused?
- No. Your old number keeps working, so anyone who has it still gets you. Only new customers see the business number.
- Do I need a second phone?
- Not with a number that rings your mobile. Your phone rings exactly as it does now.
- What does Slate cost?
- £249 a month, one plan. The first 25 firms pay £199 a month for as long as they stay. You get 14 days free from the day you start, and if you are not happy within 14 days of your first payment, you message us and we refund it in full.
Slate OS gives you an office line that rings your mobile and texts back every call you miss, within seconds, in your business name. Quotes, invoices and chasing happen from your phone.