AboutSpencer Holcombe Expertise I have been in the telecommunications arena for several years. I've worked in traffic,installation,repair,customer service,fraud,national and major accounts. I Started with Pacific Telephone,went to American Bell, AT&T Information Systems, AT&T Communications, Pacific Bell-SBC - AT&T. I can answer most questions of a service or equipment nature-excluding cellular. From jacks, wiring, phones, to custom calling services, local to long distance.
Experience Bell System and post divesture work for AT&T and Local operating companies. Service rep-to Fraud desk.
Organizations Telephone Pioneers of America
Publications PTM mag. Connections, Update, and other company publications. Also have expert status at AskME.com
Expert: Spencer Holcombe Date: 6/2/2007 Subject: business phone suggestions
Question Hi Spencer.
I have a question concerning calling features and how they would work in a business application.
I am located in an area where three different phone book regions come together. (sorry I don't have the vocabulary to explain that better). My business is listed in my local phone book, obviously. But if I drive 10 minutes north, I am in a region served by a totally different phone book. If I drive 10 minutes east, I am in another totally different phone book region. It is important to understand that these regions also are geographically seperated by mountains. I have to drive over a mountain to the north of me to get to the one region. I have to drive over another mountain to the east of me to get to the other region. Those mountains create a strong boundary in peoples minds. More often than not, people will tend to deal with a company who is "from their local area"...which, in this case, means "on their side of the mountain."
Now, having explained all of that.....my question:
I want to advertise my business in the yellow pages of all three phone books. I want to have a local phone number in each of these regions so I appear to be located closer to them than what I actually am. I don't want three telephones on the wall, though. So what are my options? It should be noted that I will be channeling them into a single landline phone, and that I will be forwarding them to my cell phone regularly as well.
Answer Nick,
You have some choices to make, but ALL start with your telephone service provider. Give them a call, and explain what you stated here. They will offer you options like a toll free number, call forwarding, and foreign exchange numbers that can be used to make your business appear local (on their side of the mountain) to your customers, while having only one phone on the wall. You'll want to get voice mail as well, since you wouldn't want a business call to go unanswered because you're out of range with your cell phone.
Spencer
