Does your business still need a landline phone in 2024?

When someone asks you for your home phone number, you'd probably give them your mobile number (unless you don't want them to call you…).

You'd be in the majority. According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, 63% of Australian households didn't have a landline phone in 2022 - a figure that's more than doubled since 2015, when only 29% of Australians were without a home phone.

Despite the decline in home phone usage, landline phones are just as (if not more) important to businesses than they’ve ever been. Here are three good reasons why.  

Landline phones give your business a premium, professional image.

In 2014, UK phone services company everreach did a study on the impact of a landline phone number. They created two separate landing pages for a beauty salon. One had a landline number as the primary contact number, and the other had a mobile number. The listing with the landline number saw a 58% conversion rate, compared to a 10% conversion rate for the listing with the mobile number.

These results show that landline phone numbers give the impression of a more professional, trustworthy outfit. Imagine you're looking for a new accountant. You ask a trusted advisor for recommendations, and they give you the contact details of two accounting firms. One has a mobile number, the other a landline. Everything else being equal, you'd probably contact the landline number first.   

So, take your subconscious mind's advice and bolster your business with a landline contact number. A landline number will even give you a competitive advantage in a sea of mobile numbers.

Modern landline phones are just as mobile.

It's a fact that mobile phones are more accessible. You don't need to be at your desk to take a call on your mobile. And wherever you are, chances are you've got it on you. So, in today's mobile-first world, why overcomplicate things with a landline?

The good news is that you can use your landline phone on any device that connects to the internet, including your mobile phone, without needing a handset.

You can use your landline phone on your mobile phone through softphone technology. If you've ever made a WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Microsoft Teams call through your mobile, softphones work the same way.

Softphones integrate seamlessly with office phones. Your receptionist can transfer a call to your landline, and both your office phone and softphone app will ring. And whichever phone you answer on, the caller on the other end won't know the difference (unless it's Friday afternoon and you're answering from a noisy pub!).

Landline phones come with advanced features

Landline phones have advanced features that streamline operations and improve your business. Here are just some of the things a landline phone can do:

Call queues: When you've got more callers than phone lines, call queues keep everyone on the line until you're available to answer their call. Call queues also come with automated notifications that let the caller know their position in the queue and the estimated wait time based on that position. That way, they know how long they'll need to wait and can decide to arrange a callback at a less busy time. You can upload custom tracks as hold music. So, if one of your team fancies themselves as a DJ, now would be an excellent time to nurture their hidden talent!

Call parking: Sometimes things get busy. Like when your biggest, most important client decides to call and raise an important issue at the same time as everyone else. With call parking, you can effectively prioritise calls, no matter where in the queue they are, while keeping every caller on the line.

Call transferring: With call transfer, you can seamlessly transfer an incoming call to the right person. Send the caller over immediately with a cold transfer or facilitate a warm transfer, where you can introduce the caller and give the necessary context to the recipient.

Call forwarding: When your team's dispersed, call forwarding will be a lifesaver. This feature lets you seamlessly forward calls to any device, including a mobile number, to increase the chances the intended recipient can take the call.

Virtual receptionists: A virtual receptionist is an auto-attendant that answers calls. They can triage callers and route their calls to the right person. In some cases, they can even answer common, simple enquiries themselves, saving your team time on the phone.  

So, should I get a landline for my business?

Landline phones are a powerful business tool, offering business-grade features that mobile numbers can't. And thanks to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), you won't need to sacrifice the convenience of mobile either. Best of all, VoIP comes at a fraction of the cost of installing and maintaining a traditional phone system. Softphone-only landline phone plans start from $25/month.

Want to design the ultimate office phone system for your business? Head over to our voice plan builder.

There, you can customise the ultimate phone system for your business. Mix and match handsets, softphones and optional accessories and get a custom quote, 100% online.

For more guidance on tapping into VoIP technology and selecting the ultimate business phone system, contact our 100% Australian-based team. We'll walk you through your options and recommend the best phone system to suit your business.

 Call us on 1800 480 905 or get in touch via our website.

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