A new app called OpenPhone can eliminate the need to carry and pay for a second device to use as a work phone, all for only $9.99 per month. The VOIP service runs right on your device of choice, and can be used with a fresh number, or have a business number you already have ported in. The service allows you to send and receive calls and texts with this number, and you can even customize what customers see and hear when they call and text you, or even set up Do Not Disturb to ensure that business calls and texts won’t interrupt you when you’re off the clock. There’s a 7-day free trial when you download the app and get it all set up, after which you can expect to pay an automatically-renewing $9.99 each month.
That subscription price nets you a ton of features that can make even the smallest business seem professional to customers. For starters, you can set up a custom voicemail greeting and responses for both calls and texts when you’re in Do Not Disturb mode. You can read transcriptions of voicemails so that you can keep up with your business even when you can’t take a moment to put your phone to your ear, and you can even use MMS messages for rich interactions with customers. The $9.99 per month subscription is on a no-obligation basis, and you can cancel at any time. As a caveat, however, you have to cancel at least 24 hours before your next scheduled payment in order to avoid having it come out of your bank account.
There is no shortage of ways to get a second number to use for business so that you don’t have to have customers and colleagues ringing your personal phone off the hook, but this is one of the simplest and most elegant out there. Setup is a breeze, the price is vastly cheaper than a second line on even the cheapest prepaid service, aside from free service MNVOs like Republic Wireless, and with flexible terms and lots of customization, you’re always in control. If you’d like to take OpenPhone for a spin and see if it’s right for your business, hit the Google Play button below.
