Confession. I’m amongst them. I have an office landline number but many clients still have my personal mobile number. So by no means am I preaching here, but I was astonished to find that I’m amongst such a whopping majority.
Research from Moneypenny found that:
- 77% of self employed people use their mobile numbers for business purposes on an on going basis
- A further 19% of them do so but just in the early few months
- Just 4% set up a landline for work immediately
Furthermore, a whopping 93% of those using their own phones for business admit to having been unable to take business calls at one stage or another and 40% say this is at least a weekly occurrence.
Answering Etiquette
I know from experience that having both business and personal calls coming through a mobile makes for some confused answering etiquette. If someone calls on my business landline, the phone is always answered professionally. If it’s on my mobile, it’s a mish mash.
Clients I know get a “hi!” and that’s fine. But calls from numbers I don’t know can be hit and miss.
Note to self: must do better.
It’s not just me in this pickle. Almost half of those surveyed admit a friend or family member has answered a business call on their mobile and 31% state they don’t mention their business name when answering calls.
What about you? Professional on the phone or a little bit lax sometimes?
