Why a dedicated business number matters

Using a personal cell number as your business number creates problems: the number is tied to you personally (not the business), you can’t easily hand it to staff or a virtual assistant, and your personal calls and business calls mix in the same log. A dedicated business number solves these problems and costs very little.

Option 1: Google Voice (free or $10/month)

Google Voice provides a free US phone number that forwards calls to your existing cell phone. You can make and receive calls from the Google Voice number using the app or your computer.

Free tier: Works for most solo businesses. One number, calls forward to your mobile, voicemail with transcription, text messaging from the business number.

Google Voice for Business ($10/user/month): Adds multiple numbers, ring groups (ring multiple phones at once), integration with Google Workspace, and better admin controls. Worth it once you have staff answering calls.

Option 2: VoIP business phone service ($15–30/user/month)

VoIP (Voice over IP) services like RingCentral, Nextiva, Grasshopper, or OpenPhone provide more sophisticated business phone features: auto-attendant (“Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support”), call recording, call queues, business hours routing (calls go to voicemail after hours), and multiple extensions.

For a business where phone calls are important to operations — a service business that takes appointments, a retail business with active customer service — a full VoIP service is worth the cost.

OpenPhone ($13–20/user/month) is worth calling out specifically for small businesses: modern interface, easy setup, works as a mobile app, shared team inbox for business texts, good for teams of 2–20.

Setting up voicemail correctly

Whatever option you choose, record a professional voicemail greeting. A professional greeting: states the business name, confirms the caller reached the right place, tells them what to do (leave a message, call back during specific hours, or visit your website), and is under 20 seconds.

Avoid: the default carrier voicemail greeting (“The person at 555-1234 is unavailable”), personal greetings that mention you by first name only, and long greetings that make callers wait to leave a message.