The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
According to a new study, 77% of freelancers and business owners use their personal mobiles for business, instead of setting up a new dedicated business number.
A further 19% admit to doing so too, but only within the first few months or year of starting up their business. Only 4% set up a work landline when becoming self-employed.
The research, which was carried out by Moneypenny also showed that of those surveyed who said they use personal mobiles for business, almost all of them admitted that they have found themselves in a situation where they were unable to answer a call (93%).
For over 40%, this is at least a weekly occurrence. 17% admit they find themselves in such a situation at least twice a week. 13% three times a week and 7% more than five times a week.
Interestingly, over half of the business owners who use their personal mobiles for business have been asked to provide a landline number and have had to explain that they don’t have one.
The research also focused on the way business owners and freelancers answer their phones, especially if using personal mobiles.
Some 31% admit to answering their phone without stating their business name.
However, the younger a self-employed person is, the more likely they are to change the way they answer the phone to sound more professional.
82% of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed, will, in fact, make a conscious effort to answer the phone in a professional way. However, just 16% of those aged 45 and over do the same.
Young business owners and freelancers also are more likely to set up a voicemail greeting that mentions the name of their business. But overall, 39% of self-employed admit they have not changed their voicemail settings.
Almost half (48%) of those using a personal mobile for work say that a friend or family member has answered their phone to a customer or potential customer.
Speaking to those business owners who set up landlines to have a separate business phone number, 71% agreed that doing so helped them create a healthier barrier between their personal and professional life.
