How do i make a phone number

If you use your personal cellphone for business purposes, you likely have two main concerns: keeping your personal number private and knowing when an incoming call is business vs. personal. Getting a second phone number that’s dedicated to business use is the simplest way to protect your privacy and to differentiate between your business and personal calls.

Below, we’ll look at why a second phone number is necessary and how it impacts your business. Plus, we’ll explain how to get a second phone number and different tools to help you accomplish it. 

Contents hide

How to get a second phone number without adding a second phone line

1. The best option to get a second phone number

How to get a second phone number with OpenPhone

2. Sign up for a Google Voice account

3. Download the Burner app

4. TextMe

Why should you get a second phone number?

1. Respect your personal time

2. Know which calls are business or personal

3. Protect your personal phone number from clients

4. Avoid data breaches

5. Sell services

6. Field prospect calls online

7. Foster a positive company culture

Download OpenPhone to get a second phone number

FAQ

How to get a second phone number without adding a second phone line 

There are a number of different ways to add a new phone number — and you don’t even need to add a second landline or SIM card to do so. Below, we’ll share a number of different tools to add a number to your existing phone. 

1. The best option to get a second phone number 

OpenPhone is a VoIP phone service that easily adds a work number to your existing mobile phone. To get a second phone number, simply download the OpenPhone app to your phone, then start messaging and placing calls.

With OpenPhone, it’s easy to get a second phone number for business. OpenPhone lets you keep your personal number private. When you work you can simplify your workflows with a dedicated business address book, snippets, and more. 

Plus, you can ensure you’re providing clear expectations with your customer hours by setting up business hours, custom voicemail greetings, and a phone menu. 

You can foster collaboration by letting your teammates internally comment on conversations to ensure your external communication is on point. With its easy-to-use interface, customer service, and advanced features, it’s the simplest way to add a second line.

See how OpenPhone stacks up against other tools to get a second number:

How to get a second phone number with OpenPhone

To sign up for a second phone number using OpenPhone:

1. Sign up for a free trial to try out OpenPhone free for seven days.
2. Continue with your Google account or enter your email address.
3. Verify your email address and existing mobile phone number.
4. Pick a brand new phone number.

2. Sign up for a Google Voice account

Google Voice offers two types of accounts — business or personal. While the personal version is free, it doesn’t really offer a second number. Instead, you’ll select a number for your Google Voice account, then forward phone calls, messages, voicemails, and voicemail transcriptions to your personal phone.

Not only is this Band-Aid fix a clunky solution, you also miss out on a number of features you’d expect from a business phone.

Google Voice for Google Workspace is the paid-for, business version. You must have a Google Workspace account to sign up, which adds to your monthly expense. You’ll get a new number, plus other features like call recording, affordable international calling, and call blocking.

3. Download the Burner app 

Burner is a second phone number app that allows you to create a new number, then ditch it (yes, just like the paid-for flip phones of the early 00s). The Burner app allows you to create a new local phone number then utilize call forwarding to send voice calls and texts to your existing phone. 

With Burner, you get unlimited calling and messaging, picture messaging, caller ID, and the ability to block and mute contacts. Plus, you can create auto-reply texts, allowing you to set boundaries on your time after hours.

OpenPhone is a better alternative than the Burner app because it offers a number of advanced features that enable team collaboration, like shared phone numbers and team messaging. You also can provide a better customer experience as you can listen back to call recordings, set up a voicemail greeting that plays when your team’s off, and more.  

4. TextMe

TextMe is another mobile app that offers unlimited texts and picture messaging to any United States or Canada phone number, plus 40 other countries in the world. You receive a new number, then place outgoing calls or receive incoming calls from your iPad, cell phone, tablet, or laptop.

With TextMe, you can use multiple numbers (not just one), all managed from one account. Plus, TextMe integrates with Dropbox, allowing you to easily send files or photos from your account. 

Unfortunately, TextMe has several glitches customers should know about. Notifications must be enabled to receive calls and texts. Plus, while TextMe advertises themselves as offering unlimited calls in the United States and Canada, you actually need to earn in-app credits to place free calls.

OpenPhone is a much more user-friendly and transparent platform. First, you get unlimited texts and calling to the US and Canada. It’s also easy to quickly follow up with customers using auto-replies and snippets. Best of all, getting up and running takes just a few minutes. 

Why should you get a second phone number? 

Getting a second phone number helps you maintain a semblance of a work-life balance. Here are more reasons to get a second number that you may not have considered. 

1. Respect your personal time 

As a small business owner, you often develop personal relationships with clients. Unfortunately, this can lead to texts and voicemails after work hours, which you shouldn’t feel obligated to answer.

2. Know which calls are business or personal

With a second number, it’s easier to keep your personal and business life separate. When the phone rings, you won’t have to guess if it’s for a personal or a business reason. You’ll know exactly which number is receiving an incoming call and can answer accordingly.

3. Protect your personal phone number from clients 

Your personal contact information — whether it’s an email, phone number, or address — is not information you need to share with clients. To respect that boundary, keep your personal number private and use a new number for client communication.

4. Avoid data breaches 

Whenever you enter your contact information into a third-party website, that information is prone to get hacked. If a website undergoes a data breach, hackers will have access to your private number.

Enter your business phone number into websites instead to avoid this problem.

5. Sell services 

If you sell products or services on Craigslist, eBay, Etsy, or another website, a second number can help protect your privacy. Use your second number to send and receive text messages and calls from potential buyers. 

6. Field prospect calls online 

Having a business phone number listed on your website allows potential clients to contact you with questions prior to purchase. However, you certainly don’t want to list your personal cell phone on the world wide web. Instead, list your business number to field customer service requests and sales calls. 

7. Foster a positive company culture 

If you’re an entrepreneur who employs a full staff, you’ll want to foster an environment that separates work from home life. Rather than force your employees to take business calls with their personal cells, add a separate line to employees’ existing mobile phones.

Doing so reinforces work hours, encourages communication while respecting privacy, and shows you see and respect employees’ need for work-life separation.

Download OpenPhone to get a second phone number 

As a small business owner, getting a second phone number is a simple tactic to promote work-life balance. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools you can use to get a second number without another line or SIM card.

While services like Google Voice for business, Burner, and TextMe offer a second number, the services lack a number of features that can make your workday easier. To promote boundaries while making your day more efficient, download the OpenPhone app to your phone.

OpenPhone is the best small business phone system and the easiest way to add a work number to your existing phone number. Once you download the app, start messaging and calling while enjoying a number of advanced features.

Ready to see how OpenPhone can transform your work and life? Try a seven-day free trial.

FAQ

What are some benefits to using OpenPhone for your second phone number?

With OpenPhone, your second phone number is easy to manage. You can keep it separate from your personal number with its own dedicated space for business contacts, calling and texting rules, and more.

What are some reasons to get a second phone number?

For small business owners, getting a second phone number can promote work-life balance. It helps you separate your personal life from your professional life to avoid long days at the office.

Is using OpenPhone for a second phone number safe?

Yes! We take a lot of pride in delivering a secure and reliable product and protecting our customers’ information. Your data is stored on OpenPhone for as long as you need it, and we support data privacy principles like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Can I create my own phone number?

How do you set up a phone number?

Can I create a free phone number?

How do I create a phone number online?