How to get a second phone line for business

Whether starting a new business, about to go out on your own or adding new employees, you have a need for business phone numbers. It has never been easier to get a second phone line for business. The days of booking an engineer to call out and install a new phone line are in the past, while technological advances within the telecoms market from disruptive companies have led to massive reductions in cost. VoIP apps have been leading the way for many years in reducing the cost of domestic and international calls (down to zero in many cases), innovations and major cost reductions are now available in relation to phone lines and phone numbers.

With smartphone apps like Skype, Burner and now Vyke you can simply add extra mobile numbers for your business on a single device, with no contract and without being tethered to a landline, as calls are made and received through the app on your smartphone or tablet. Used in conjunction with your current SIM card, OTT services eliminate the need for a second device just for work calls.

Burner and Hushed have traditionally offered disposable or temporary numbers, allowing increased privacy for your main number in the short term, while Vyke offers a second number you won’t want to throw away.

Your workforce can all get extra Vyke numbers (first UK or Polish number is free for each UK user) so they can make and receive calls from their work number, separating work from personal calls for both convenience and cost. Each number comes with its own free voicemail and a ‘do not disturb’ option, where calls are sent straight to voicemail, or you can switch the number off entirely. while you continue to receive calls on your main number, improving work life balance in the evenings, at weekends and especially while on vacation.

UK users get their first extra number free, otherwise extra numbers are only 99p per month or £6.99 for a year. They also offer US, Canadian, Dutch and Polish mobile numbers, should you like to call like a local in these countries too, no matter where you are. Pay as you go for your calls or buy a monthly bundle, both options offer some of the lowest rates on the market, while invoice billing is in the pipeline.

Once you have downloaded Vyke you are offered a number as part of the registration process, or click the ‘Add number’ button from the home screen to select an extra mobile number. Then simply add credit to make low cost calls from your main number or from your new Vyke number.