How to Get a Business Phone Number Without Buying a New Phone

You’ve been putting your personal cell on invoices, the truck, and Google. It worked when you were starting out.

Now customers text you at 10 p.m., and you can’t tell a lead from a robocall. You want a business number. You don’t want two phones in your pocket.

Short on time? Want a business number on your current phone, set up for you? See how

Why the personal cell stops working

• Your private number is everywhere. Flyers, listings, and invoices keep it forever.
• Your personal voicemail answers business calls.
• No way to close. Customers call whenever, because it’s the same phone and number.

How does a virtual phone number work?

A virtual number isn’t tied to a SIM card. It lives with a phone service online, and calls to it get sent to wherever you choose. That can be the cell you already have, an app, or both.

So customers dial your business number, and your regular phone rings. No new phone needed.

How to get a business phone number in 5 steps

1. Decide what you need. Just calls? Texting too? Will anyone else answer?
2. Pick a service. Free apps, per-user apps, or a flat-price business line. Compare them in cheapest business phone number options.
3. Choose your number. A local area code your customers know, or a toll-free number. Already have a business number? Ask about porting it in.
4. Set it up. Greeting, business hours, where calls ring. Some services do this with you.
5. Put it everywhere. Google Business Profile, website, truck, cards, invoices. Then start handing it out instead of your cell.

Need a greeting? Grab one from our business voicemail greeting examples.

Mistakes to avoid

• Picking a number before you check the area code. Local customers tend to recognize local numbers.
• Leaving the default greeting on. The robot voice doesn’t say your business name.
• Forgetting Google. Your Google Business Profile is where a lot of customers find your number. Update it first.
• Cancelling your old service too early if you’re moving a number. Wait until the move is done.
• Keeping both numbers on your cards. Pick the business number and stick with it.

Questions people ask

Can I have two phone numbers on one phone?

Yes. A business number can forward to your current cell, or you can use an app. More options in how to get a second phone number.

How do I add a phone number to my phone?

You don’t have to add anything to the phone itself with a forwarding service. With an app, you install it and sign in. With a carrier second line, you’d add an eSIM.

How do I create a phone number?

You don’t create one from scratch. You pick an available number from a phone service, and it’s yours while you keep the service.

Can I use my EIN to get a cell phone?

Carriers offer business accounts for companies. What they ask for varies, so check with the carrier. You don’t need a new cell phone just to get a business number, though.

Rather skip the setup? We’ll do it with you

GBPN is $30 a month total, taxes and fees included. Pick a number and it works when signup is done. Then a real person calls you to set up the rest.

You get:

• A local or toll-free number, or keep your existing number. We move it over free.
• Rings the cell you already carry. No second phone, nothing you have to install.
• Business calls that announce themselves before you pick up.
• A greeting we record for you, with your business name.
• Business hours, so after-hours calls go to voicemail.
• Voicemail to email as text.
• Texting from your business number in the free app.

No contract. 30-day money-back guarantee.

See available business numbers

FAQ

How long does it take to get a business phone number? A new number can work as soon as you sign up with many services. Moving an existing number takes longer and depends on your old carrier.

Do I need an app? Not always. With GBPN, incoming calls ring your regular phone. The app is for calling out and texting from the business number.

Can I keep my personal number? Yes. Your personal number stays the same. Customers just call the new one.

Is a local or toll-free number better? Local works well for trades who serve one area. Toll-free can make sense if you serve a wide region.