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American Politics  » Going Mobile, Part 1: Wireless Phone Service for Your Home Business

Going Mobile, Part 1: Wireless Phone Service for Your Home Business

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Going Mobile: Wireless Phone Service for Your Home Business

(Part 1 of 3)

by Donna Schwartz Mills

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There is no more important tool for your at-home business

than your telephone. You need it to sell your services,

negotiate prices, keep in touch with vendors, market and

more. Posting your phone number on your website and listing

it on your business card gives potential clients peace of

mind that you are a real person that they can reach at will.

It's a simple way to give yourself credibility, even as

you are just starting out.

However, it doesn't take the new home worker long to

discover that there's no quicker way to lose that credibility

than letting the kids answer the phone when clients call.

That's why the experts advise that you:

* Get a second phone line, dedicated to your business;

* Let your family know that you are the only one to answer

it, and

* Have a good voicemail system in place for those times

when you can't answer it.

But this can be quite an investment when you're just

starting out, especially if your home is not already wired

for two telephone lines.

The solution: Go wireless.

As mobile phone use in the United States has exploded, the

cost of wireless service has gone down -- so much that a

growing market segment is foregoing traditional "landlines"

entirely.

In fact, after comparing the cost of installing another line

to my home with the cost of a mobile phone, I discovered

that the latter actually cost *less*. That's because

today's wireless networks allow carriers to bundle features

like voice-mail, three-way calling, call waiting and caller

ID into their basic services -- at no extra charge. Throw in

free nationwide long distance on some plans and you could

end up *saving* money while gaining the convenience of

carrying your office phone with you while you're ferrying

your kids to their after-school activities.

HOW TO FIND THE WIRELESS PLAN THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

1. How much time do I typically spend on the phone each

month for business? How much time do I think I will use

for personal needs? When will I be using the phone the

most? (M-F 9-5? Weekends? Evenings?)

2. Are my clients local or will I also need long distance?

3. How often do I leave my local calling area - either for

business or personal reasons, and where do I go most

often?

4. What extra features will I need? (These can include

wireless Internet access, text messaging, free mobile to

mobile calls, emergency roadside assistance, transmission

of digital photos, etc. I highly recommend buying some

kind of protection plan in case you lose or break your

new phone - these can be lifesavers!)

Write down your answers and then visit the following

website, which is a clearinghouse for all things mobile:

< http://www.WirelessAdvisor.com >

Enter your zip code to access a list of each wireless

company currently operating in your area.

At this point, you could spend hours visiting the websites

of these companies and comparing rate plans (trust me,

I did that while researching this article). What I discovered

is that -- at least in large metropolitan areas --

competition is working. Here in Los Angeles, there are six

different companies to choose from, with plans that meet my

needs ranging in cost from $510 to $614 per year, with most

of the difference due to the price of the telephone handset.

Once you factor out the cost of the phone, the price

differential was much less - only about $20 per year between

all six companies.

IT'S NOT THE MONEY, IT'S THE COVERAGE

So your choice of wireless carrier should be based upon

something tougher to quantify and of way more importance

than rates: service and coverage areas.

Unfortunately, no wireless carrier is able to give you

perfect coverage 100% of the time. They all have some dead

zones where they are prone to dropping calls. But if you

choose a company with excellent coverage in the areas you

are in MOST of the time, you may never experience these

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problems.

So DO visit the carriers' websites and DO select the plan

that best suits your service needs - but not before you

study the map each company posts showing their coverage

areas. If you will be using your phone at home most of the

time and your neighborhood is in an area with poor coverage,

you can cross that carrier off your list.

Narrow your search farther by returning to

WirelessAdvisor.com and checking out their message board

focusing on providers in your area. There are two kinds of

posts here -- the first from people who are asking what the

others think of X-company or Y... and what their customers

think of their service. Most of the posts are complaints and

many are quite specific about the parts of town where they

have experienced problems. These are extremely busy boards -

if you do not see your target neighborhoods already

discussed here, post your own question -- you will soon get

plenty of opinions from those who have been there!

Then, if any of your friends or family uses the provider you

are considering, invite them over and ask if you can try out

their phones in the areas you are likely to use them.

Nothing beats first-hand experience when making a decision

you may have to live with for one or two years.

Finally, most providers offer a no-penalty 14-day trial

period allowing you to return the phone and cancel service

without paying the exorbitant termination fees (which range

from $150 to $200). Make sure you ask about this and make a

note of it on your contract in case you and your new

provider don't work out.

A wireless phone could be the answer to your business

communication needs, and may even save you money. But before

you go that route, it is imperative that you carefully

figure out what those needs are and match them to what's

available in your area. New products and rate innovations

are coming online all the time. We'll look at some of those

in Part 2 of this series.

About the Author

Donna Schwartz Mills writes about the specific needs of work

at home parents at her website, The ParentPreneur Club,

"For Parents Who Want Choices, Not Office Politics." Tools,

tips and advice you need to help grow your home based

business while raising a family.

< http://www.parentpreneurclub.com >