Calling Through a Private Number

To call through a private number on a smart phone some have the option to do so constantly. Otherwise you can do it by starting the call with *67.

Who Uses Private Numbers

Telemarketing companies sometimes use private numbers as a way of avoiding having their numbers blocked or reported.

Lots of scams have also been linked to private numbers as there is a lack of traceability which would benefit them.

They can be used by accountants or local tradesman that use their personal number for business and want to hide it to avoid sharing it with all business clients.

How Does Using a Private Number Effect your Business

Customers will feel wary when called by unknown numbers. Although calling from a mobile number or standard area code may look unprofessional compared to Freephone numbers like 0800 business numbers, it could potentially still be better than using a ‘No Caller ID’ number.

These private numbers can also be associated with scammers and bad business and could affect your business negatively by damaging brand image and giving you a higher volume of call rejections.

There are some reasons for using private numbers for business e.g. if you were using your personal mobile and you didn’t want people contacting you out of hours, or it was a customer service line and you didn’t want people ringing back and clogging the line. If this was the case, you still would need to be prepared for a larger rejection rate for your calls.

Blocking Private Numbers

To block a private number on most phones you can find the option in settings under call rejection or call options. Select the ‘Auto reject list’ and from their you can block any unknown numbers.

How Virtual Landline can Help

A Virtual Landline number could help you avoid using private numbers. It works by diverting calls to your owned virtual number to your set contact number. This allows you to choose any number you wish to represent your business when calling customers without advertising your personal number.

It also comes with many handy features which could help further improve your communication system e.g. auto attendant, whisper tone.