Do you give out your phone number?

[llfleming]

to communicate with custumers?

[Devon Brown]

Yes. It's on all my websites and if someone asks, I give it to them.

[Taylor French]

Absolutely not. Until I decide to hire someone to take care of it, I don't have time to field telephone calls.

[Dana_W]

I'm thinking of doing the virtual office thing, where a receptionist would answer with my business name and take messages for me. I've had several press release clients tell me that they weren't thrilled that they couldn't find a telephone number on my site.

[ChrisDeals]

Yes, I do give my customers my phone number to contact me if needed. Its a great way to build trust, and offer a higher level of customer service.

[gxd5]

Yeah, all the time. It adds legitimacy.

Get a skype phone number for a few bucks a month, then get skype out. It's totally disposable. You can get a new one instantly.

Whenever you travel, just plug your laptop in to the wifi, and your phone will ring straight to your computer. You can call out too.

I use the voicemail feature and just check the voicemails I get on my computer. I can save testimonials that way too since they are already playing on my comp.

[llfleming]

gxd5, that sounds great especially for testimonials, but what is skype out and what do you call the person back with? a skype phone?

[Devon Brown]

I guess I should clarify my answer. My assistant answers the phone. I don't give out my personal cellphone number. I do give out the office phone and she takes care of it. She's not a VA though, but I know of others who use one and are quite happy.

Also.. I know of some physician recruiters who use OneBox - Virtual PBX | The Onebox Receptionist Virtual Phone System

[Christopher R Everson]

If you have enough free time to talk to on the phone with your clients / customers directly, odds are you either offer a service or don't have many clients.

If you offer a direct service, good for you, way to stay in touch with your clients!

If you offer a product, and want to use the phone to help with sales, or customer satisfaction, you need to outsource it.

This will quickly lead to the most time consuming thing you can imagine if you have to deal with it all personally. Not only will the average phone call be 15+ minutes, you are also going to answer the same category of questions everytime.

Look into virtual assistants, or outsource someone young if your business warrants...

[gxd5]

Originally Posted by llfleming

gxd5, that sounds great especially for testimonials, but what is skype out and what do you call the person back with? a skype phone?

Skype Out lets you call someone from your computer. I use a headset plugged into my speaker and microphone jack.

The way it works is like this:

1) You get your number from skype. This lets you receive calls.
2) You get skype out. This lets you make calls
3) You set up your voice mail. This lets you take messages.

When someone calls your number 555-555-1212, your computer rings. You hear it through the speakers.

You put on your headset and click on a green button to pick up the call. Then you talk to them through your headset.

If you want to call out, you just dial the number into a box on skype, and call them. When they pick up, you talk to them on your headset just like normal.

You can also set up conference calls like this. I've had five people on at once. I'm not sure what the limit is. But you can easily host conference calls using this technique.

Anyway, its cool to set up in a hotel, connect to the net, and be 'at the office' for all intents and purposes.

[parzlou]

yes always

[Loren Woirhaye]

Absolutely. That's what real business people do.

Given the choice to do business with a guy hiding behind
his computer and a person who is approachable who do
you think gets the sale?

[elitesystem]

well i will never sell out my private number! i hate those Spam calls.. but however i will give out my other number for contact

[yesacpow]

You could always have a special number for your online business. That way only your customers have it and you can only answer it during business hours.

[valerieSONORA]

I would never put my number on any of my websites. There are lots of crazies out there and I don't want them calling me. How would you like some loon troll on the site calling you at 3am? I would only give my cell in private.

Skype is a good alternative.

[Kyle Tully]

Originally Posted by llfleming

to communicate with custumers?

Yup.

And I got a text message yesterday thanking me for an excellent product

Here's the thing:

Most people will feel better doing business with you knowing you're contactable and "real".

But most people won't call you.

And most people will respect you and your time.

The crazies? They'll find your contact details one way or another so why live in fear of something that's out of your control?

[Jason Moffatt]

We offer live customer service from 9 to 5 mon-fri via telephone and live on Ustream.

Occasionally I'll field calls if it's something my assistant can't answer.

I want to make sure my customers and prospects know that we aren't trying to hide behind some computer screen.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I've been doing this for 3 years and while I do get phone-spam
I very seldom talk to lunatics. It's really a non-issue.

What is dumb is bragging about how much money you make. That
can make your house a target.

[Taylor French]

I get plenty of sales and great conversions and I have never given out my telephone number.

[7figurehelper]

Originally Posted by Kyle Tully

Yup.

And I got a text message yesterday thanking me for an excellent product

Here's the thing:

Most people will feel better doing business with you knowing you're contactable and "real".

But most people won't call you.

And most people will respect you and your time.

The crazies? They'll find your contact details one way or another so why live in fear of something that's out of your control?

Absolutely right. I offer my number so people can get in contact with me and let them know I am REAL.

Here's the thing though. For the type of business that I operate I let them know via emails, video, etc that most of the "questions" they will have for me, they can answer themselves by looking in the provided forums, group chat, FAQ, training videos and google. I let them know that if they can't find the answer there then contact me.

By me doing that I am teaching them how to be self reliant and learn how not to depend on me for everything because in all honesty there success does not depend on me.

My job is to guide them in the right direction. Again that works for me and the type of biz that I operate. You have to find what works for you.

[n00b]

I think it does depend a lot on the type of business you're running. For instance, if someone was selling im stuff and I called a number from their website and got a hold of them, I'd be thinking, "Yeah, I should get this guy's stuff so I can work towards sitting around answering phones?" In my opinion that takes away a lot of credibility. I saw Frank Kern in one of his videos talking about how he's near impossible to get on the phone and he's upfront about it because it trains his customers and I agree. Tim Ferris also talks about this and if you are in an industry where you must have telephone support then it must be outsourced.

Of course if you're a writer then it makes sense or providing some sort of service like that. Otherwise, I think email support is fine unless you have a big enough business that it makes sense to outsource phone support.

To me, time is worth more than money and I would honestly rather lose a sale than take my time to talk to someone on the phone, that's why I got out of direct sales. The beauty of the internet is that it's always working for you, not the other way around. There are so many people out there that will buy without caring about a phone number that I'd rather deal with them than worry about the few people who wouldn't order from me because I don't post a phone number. If I found that a lot of people were emailing me wanting a phone number, then I would work on my sales page and faq to fix the problem. I don't need to talk to the owner of Amazon and get the warm fuzzies before I'll by from them and my customers shouldn't need to talk to me.

Have you ever tried to find a phone number to ebay? Love 'em or hate 'em, the lack of a phone number (or rather, an easily accessible one) hasn't seemed to hurt their business much.

All the money in the world doesn't mean a thing to me if I don't have time freedom. It used to be everyone I did business with had my cell number. It became my leash so I completely got rid of it. Now I have an iPhone and I can count the people on one hand that have the number to it. I have a Skype number that I give out to friends and family and then one that I give to places like the bank. Business is better than ever before, and more importantly, I'm more happy.

[jacktackett]

This is a business - you need a business phone. Whether its answered by a live person a la an employee, you, or a virtual office set up - or whether it goes to voice mail - you need a business phone.

Note - business NOT EQUAL personal. So you don't have to give out your home or personal cell number.

You just need to ask yourself this: Am I in this as a business or am I just playing around as a hobby?

peace,
--Jack

[Jason Moffatt]

Another reason it's a good idea to have a phone number on your website (even if it's just a Skype number that goes to voice mail) is because it will help improve your Google quality score if you happen to run Adwords.

When your account gets hit with a manual review, the Google employee will tend to look more favorably upon you if the potential customer has more options to contact you.

[Kevin Riley]

I have both an Osaka and a Manhattan number on my main site. The only calls I ever get are the "Your car warranty is about to expire" calls. LOL, I quit using a car years ago - parking's a hassle.

My favoured comm is via Skype.

[Traffic-Bug]

Use different phone number, like one that has a voice answering method, otherwise you will be disturbed by constant barrange of calls.

[waysofmylife]

I had my phone number up on my website for awhile it just got out of hand. I had to take it down.

[Kim Davis]

I think this is a yes and a no answer. It would depend on what you are providing and the size of your client base. Can you imagine if every big guru on the net had his or her phone number available? I would have phoned those Arbitrage boys a thousand times if I could have. If your client base is not too big then it may be a good idea to have a business phone number available for them to contact you. You also have to let people know what time zone you live in and what hours your phone is available. There are people that do allow phone calls by appointment only, first set up through email. No one has time to be taking hundreds of calls everyday. If that is where you business is at, then consider appointment phone calls. If you have that many clients wanting to contact you, then that is where having a blog or a personal forum works better. Only you know where your business is at and how much time you have to invest in talking with people. There are some people that like their hand being held and would call you for everything. It is a personal choice.

[Stevecyr]

Well.... i Dont give my phone no. to any of the customers...until and unless the customer is one of the oldest of mine...or he/she should be trustworthy...even i'll suggest others to not to give their phone numbers...

[Andy LaPointe]

The answer is an absolute yes! The reason is people want to know they are dealing with a realy person. It is very easy to hid behind a computer screen when selling a products. But remember, it is about the consumer. I know it may be frustrating to field inbound telephone calls from customers, but if you don't you losing money each and every day. If you don't want to field calls hire a call center for $25 a month to take calls for you. I have done this in the past and it have paid for itself with more sales.

[charlie9751]

Hi.

Yes always. That doesn't mean you have to man the phone, just have an answer machine.
A phone number makes you look far more trustworthy and you will be surprised how few calls you get

[TheCren]

Actually, I've been planning on getting a 1-800 number and a second phone line just for that. I don't give out my personal number... ever.

[Dana_W]

I put my business cell phone number on my website last week and most people STILL use email to contact me.

By the way - Virgin mobile phones has a new deal, $49 a month for UNLIMITED MINUTES and no annual contract - you pay month to month!!! That's what I use for my business phone. I am considering getting an 800 number, I just don't know if the expense is worth it.

[Yogini]

I use a voicemail service that's 10 dollars a month and I check it a few times a day. It isn't an 800 number. I do get some calls from it but mostly seo companies looking to sell a service.

Debbie

[wbnetwork]

I give mine out....it becomes a little difficult to keep up, but people appreciate when they can get someone on the phone. It just makes the business transaction and/or relationship so much more real.

[BlackWaterBlog]

Don't really need to call people, as most of my sales are for just advertising space on my blog which can be done via email or private message on forums.

[Acmeous]

I actually give my phone number on my own blogs and sites just to increase the trust of the visitors. its a symbol of commitment and presence.

[valerieSONORA]

Originally Posted by Kyle Tully

The crazies? They'll find your contact details one way or another so why live in fear of something that's out of your control?

Not necessarily. Cell phone numbers are not public like landline numbers. And my cell phone isn't even in my name so it would be impossible for anyone to find. The only way is if I gave it out and I would never list it in public. I've seen enough scary people online for that and some are immature enough to leave prank calls. I would get a business line or skype to list on a website, but never my personal cell number.

[ShayRockhold]

I provide my phone number to clients via email when I deliver their project deadline, deposit receipt and project details.

[Paul Moore]

Yes, there are some services online where you can get your own 800 number and just have all the calls fowarded to any landline or cell. It makes you look more professional and you don't need to give out your personal number that way.

[Woody C]

I DO NOT....anymore. I did give my number to one IM "guru" that I won't name, but rhymes with Hellman Knudezen, and he gave it to a call center that harassed me for months about some $7,000 "mentoring program," and to this day I still get the automated messages telling me not to miss the teleseminar call for the current month. (I sent e-mails to them telling them to take me out of their system completely last August.)

Therefore, I do not give out my number unless I feel it is a possible client or I have chatted with them on a personal level.

[vistaland]

No I never give out my phone number...if I do give out a number it's to a blank voicemail;

[coatedpill]

I do use other number regarding business / customers issue.

I never give out my personal number.

[zulfnore]

Yes I have my business phone number on one of my main sites (In the sig) and always give it out to customers who ask for it on my other sites.

It's part and parcel of running a business, I don't see what is the big issue in it!

[phoebe1985]

I do own two numbers.. one is for personal and family use and one for the other party..

There's nothing wrong for giving out your number it's just that i want to have different lines for different people.

[lklein]

Yes. It gives trust, credibility and besides I know that when I'm the customer I usually look for contact info, address and phone number. That could be the deciding point to buy or not.

Lambert

[Paul Myers]

Woody,

I had the same experience with the same fellow. Took me better than a week to get that to stop.

That said, I have my phone number all over the place. It's no secret. If I'm in the office I usually answer, unless I'm writing.


Paul

[Tyrus Antas]

If I did that for my gambling membership site, I'd have the Russian mob calling me around the clock. No thanks!

Tyrus

[blogginvixen]

I certainly do! However, what I stopped doing was posting it on my website. Instead, I've replaced it with my Skype number/username. Whenever I enter into a contract with a client, then I provide my personal phone number.

[Cindi Dawson]

Yes, I do give out my phone number. I have two lines -- one for posting on my websites, emails, etc. that 95% of the time goes to voicemail. I return phone calls all at once. In the 5% of time when I do answer the phone, people are absolutely agog that they are speaking with me directly. And they usually take only 5 minutes of time at the most.

I give JV partners, interviewees, interviewers, and other colleagues my private number so they can reach me directly.

I refuse to do business with someone who doesn't publish a phone number of some sort. It makes it difficult to trust them. So I don't want to do less than what I ask of others.

*C*

[MichaelHiles]

Most CC processors require it.