A big mistake small business owners make is using their personal cell phone number for their business when they first get started. Do not make this mistake! You need an alternate phone number for your business and as luck would have it, Google Voice offers a free local phone number for your business, as long as you're a Google user (which we know you are because you set up a Google Business Profile, right? I thought so).
Steps to Set Up Your Google Voice Account
Login to Chrome on your PC with the same business account used to set up your Google Business Profile.
Use the additional apps icon (next to your profile photo in upper right corner) to open Google Voice.
You'll be taken to a sign up page where you can enter your city and state and select your Google Voice number.
Once you have selected your phone number, you will be taken to a verification page to start linking your new Google Voice phone number with the phone number assigned to your Google account.
Follow the steps to get verified.
Once you are verified, you will see the Google Voice Dashboard on your PC. You will initially see a welcome message from Google. You will also be able to read your text messages and call transcripts on your computer.
If you need to set up additional linked numbers to your new Google phone number (such as partners or staff), you can add their cell numbers here. Go to the Settings (gear icon near your profile photo in the upper right corner) > Account (left side menu) > Linked Numbers. Use the "+New Linked Number" button to add additional phones to receive the calls and texts.
You can also record multiple voicemail greetings via the Voicemail link (left side menu) > "+Record a greeting" button, set up your voicemail messages to be forwarded to email and more.
You will also want to download the Google Voice app on your cellphone so you can make calls, send texts and access voicemails from your phone. Do this through the App Store or Google Play Store.
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