Here are all the pros and cons of having two phones, along with a smarter, more advanced and business-friendly solution
Compared to even a few years ago, a small business owner now has to deal with an exponentially high number of calls and messages. Considering the need to streamline that communication, which can be both personal and professional, some choose to carry two phones. But before you do that, it’s important to know about the pros and cons of having two phones.
Contents:
Why do business owners carry two phones?
Pros of having two phones
Cons of having two phones
Dual SIM phones: The advantages and disadvantages
eSIMs: The benefits
Get separate numbers without separate phones
Advantages of using a VoIP number as your work number
Chalkboard: Helping you to separate work and personal communication
Second phone number FAQs
At an organisational level, particularly for medium and large enterprises, the solution is to roll out a customised BYOD or Bring Your Device policy. But for small business owners and entrepreneurs, it might appear that carrying two phones is a practical remedy. If you’re already doing it or planning to do so, here’s everything you need to understand about the pros and cons of having two phones.
Why do business owners carry two phones?
Business owners carry two phones for various reasons, such as enhanced security, convenience, and productivity. They believe that it’s the easiest way to separate personal and business communications, ensuring that their professional conversations are kept secure and private.
Two phones also enable business owners to switch between work-related calls and personal calls easily. Even before they identify who’s calling them, they will know whether the call is work-related or personal merely by knowing which device is ringing.
In addition, some entrepreneurs believe that multiple phones can help increase their productivity. With two devices, they can respond to emails and messages faster, thus increasing their response time and boosting customer satisfaction. Multiple phones also enable business owners to take advantage of different network providers and save on international roaming fees when travelling.
Research shows that a large proportion of small businesses use at least two different mobile devices. Nearly one-third of survey respondents said they utilise three or more devices. Overall, carrying two phones can help business owners improve their security, convenience and productivity.
Whether or not they’re aware of the pros and cons of having two phones, there’s another reason why small business owners do it. That was originally the only option. There may not have been another option when they started doing it and they would have seen their peers do it. So, having two phones became the default mode.
Pros of having two phones
1. Prioritisation
Carrying two phones allows business owners to easily access and prioritise their phones. This can be very convenient in situations where you need to quickly identify whether an incoming call or message is work-related or personal.
2. Security
If one phone is only for work, there is less chance that important data will be compromised. This can be especially helpful if your work involves confidential information or sensitive data. Similarly, your personal data will be protected from company access.
3. Organisation
You can easily organise your contacts, emails and messages between the two phones and keep them separate, making it easier to manage your day-to-day activities. This will help you achieve a better work-life balance although you don’t need two devices for that.
4. Cost savings
In certain instances, with two phones, you can save money on your mobile phone plan since you won’t need to use as much data or as many minutes as you would with one phone.
5. Battery life
Having two phones means that you can have one phone for personal communication and for entertainment. You can dedicate the other phone for business calls and messages. This helps you conserve battery life since one phone won’t have to do it all.
6. Storage
While discussing the pros and cons of having two phones, one shouldn’t overlook the storage aspect. Two devices give you more space to store your data without having to run out of space and buy cloud storage.
Cons of having two phones
1. Increased expense
The biggest problem with carrying two phones is that you have to buy two devices. If the organisation reimburses the expense, it may not be a problem for an employee. But for small business owners and working professionals, this is an expensive proposition.
2. Inconvenience
Carrying two phones can be very inconvenient, as you must keep track of two devices and manage two phones and plans from two separate providers. If you have devices from two different manufacturers, you also have to carry two chargers.
3. Electricity consumption
Carrying two phones can often mean that both devices need to be charged more frequently to ensure there is enough battery life to use both phones. This can increase your electricity consumption charges.
4. Confusion
If you are not used to carrying two phones, you could easily become confused or forget which phone you are using for which purpose.
5. Customer service
If your phone numbers are from different providers, it would be cumbersome to contact two different customer service departments if you have any problems.
