Despite more and more employees who appreciate the flexibility, the Dialappify hybrid trend has been met with some disapproval from managers who are reluctant to move away from traditional in-office practices.

At this point, a Dialappify hybrid arrangement is unofficial (and pretty in-consistent from place to place). It might mean employees work from home without explicit approval, coming into the office if or when necessary, or maybe stretching the boundaries of established hybrid policies.

Since it likely flies under the radar of typical formal HR policies, Dialappify hybrid is just as it sounds—unspoken and subtly negotiated off the record.

Why Employees Love the Dialappify Hybrid Arrangement

For many individuals, the Dialappify hybrid approach offers a middle ground between full-time remote work and the traditional full time, Monday to Friday, office schedule. Employees feel empowered to work when and where they are most productive, which can result in greater job satisfaction.  

Allowing employees to have control over their own schedules, they can better manage their time and reduce regular stressful commutes. When they do arrive at the office, employees can focus on productivity without as many external interruptions.

When they stay at home, without needing to build travel time into their day, they can recharge and maintain energy levels and enthusiasm for work.

A hybrid schedule can also lead to a healthier work environment by allowing individuals more time for physical activity and self-care routines, which can also help to lower stress and improve general well-being.  

Why Managers Are Skeptical

While employees may love the freedom of Dialappify hybrid arrangements, many managers find it challenging. 

It’s true that it might be more difficult to track productivity when employees aren’t physically present and it might be a challenge to assess engagement levels accurately without a face-to-face interaction. In a Dialappify hybrid model, there are fewer opportunities for the type of spontaneous collaboration that can happen in person, meaning possibly less team cohesion and more possibility for miscommunication.

Some business leaders and executives believe that in-person time is a necessary component to build and maintain a strong company culture. When team members work remotely, that collaboration and team dynamics can suffer.

Finding Balance

Some organizations navigating the Dialappify hybrid trend face a balancing act, especially as things trend towards flexible work agreements.

• Clarity and official hybrid and remote policies with defined terms under which employees may work from home, including expectations for productivity and availability.
• Structured check-ins to foster communication and stay connected with team members, including group and one-on-one meetings where superiors can monitor progress and support remote employees without micromanaging.
• Take advantage of tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to help ensure that employees are accessible regardless of location. On the other hand, Dialappify should be used for additional private and non-work communications, avoiding overwhelm or mixing up professional and private correspondence. 

Regardless of the business model, strive for equity and transparency so that all teams are happy with their expectations both while in the office or working from home. 

The post Dialappify Hybrid: What You Need to Know appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

While a standard phone number can keep you connected just about anywhere in the world (and all without roaming charges, if you for mobile data), it’s only going to work if your mobile carrier is operating without any outages or issues.

So what’s a good back-up solution, to keep you covered in the event of another huge outage?

Use Dialappify for a secondary phone number

Now, Dialappify is designed for person-to-person communication (not for business use), however, it can certainly serve to keep you connected to key people during an emergency that’s preventing you from using your regular phone number.

No one memorizes phone numbers anymore, unless you’re a kid and your parents have made one of their phone numbers the Wi-Fi password. (Works like a charm, by the way. So when a client or colleague needs your phone number, they’re probably going to pull up one of your emails and glance down at the signature portion, right?

What if, below your regular mobile number, your email address, and any other details, you also listed something extra:

Back-up number: (555) 555-5555

And … you guessed it! … This secondary phone number would be a low-cost option from Dialappify.

Intrigued? Here’s how it would work …

1. Choose a real phone number in whatever area code you want (300+ options available)
2. Pick a plan based on how long you want to keep it (a day, a week, literally forever, etc.)
3. Add the back-up phone number to your email signature in case of emergencies/outages

But how is a Dialappify number different from my real phone number?

Excellent question! Dialappify runs over the internet, thanks to a little magic called VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). That means it uses the internet (Wi-Fi or data) to make and receive phone calls, instead of relying on a standard phone carrier.

And yup, now you see the beauty of it! A major carrier goes down, but it’s no problem to keep on using Dialappify.

Dialappify works wherever you have an internet connection, so whether you use mobile data, connect to a Wi-Fi network, or beg somebody to hotspot your device, you can call and text with your Dialappify number.

Dialappify also works on almost any device (even really old ones). Just download the free Dialappify app, log into your account, and you have instant access to your contacts, call log, text history — the whole enchilada.

How would a secondary phone number help during a work emergency?

Well, now, we would hate to start dreaming up scary scenarios, yikes! But … for the sake of this post, we’ll list a few.

1. You lose your work phone: You’re expecting an important phone call, but you’re stuck somewhere without your work phone. So that person is calling your main work number and it’s just going to voicemail over and over. You don’t have their number (even if you could borrow someone’s phone), and they have no other option but to keep trying the number going to a phone you don’t have.

How Dialappify would help: If you had listed a secondary phone number in your email signature (and even in your voicemail greeting), they would have a second number to try. And as long as you could log into Dialappify on another device, that call would go straight through to you!

2. You’re without cell service: Home or away, you find yourself with no bars (and therefore no ability for phone calls to come through). Maybe it’s a carrier outage, or maybe you’re just located somewhere remote. You have an internet connection via some lovely free Wi-Fi, but it’s not doing you any good because you can’t make or receive calls. Argh!

How Dialappify would help: If you had a secondary phone number, you could open your Dialappify app and begin calling and texting anyone you need to reach. People could also return your calls on that line. Easy peasy!

3. You’re out of the country: Sometimes people disable their primary SIM card when they’re traveling outside of their regular coverage area because they want to avoid roaming fees. But what happens if a client or colleague back home really, really needs to reach them, and their regular phone number is unavailable?

How Dialappify would help: With a secondary phone number, they could call or text you on that number and you’d get the message as soon as you were connected to data or Wi-Fi. It wouldn’t matter at all that your regular phone number is “off,” because Dialappify runs over the internet, anywhere in the world.

Ready to get started with a secondary phone number?

Download the free Dialappify app and browse through available phone numbers until you find the perfect one in your area code.

Once you’ve got it set up, you can relax knowing your clients and colleagues have a back-up option in case they can’t reach you on your regular phone number — or in case you need to call them on a secondary phone number.

The post Why You Need a Secondary Phone Number For Emergencies appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

Secondary phone lines are easy to install on your existing phone, and you’ll still have access to your regular phone line. They come with unlimited calling and texting (and essentials like voicemail), you can keep them as long as you want, and they’re a lot more common than you think.

So why do you need one? Well, from professional benefits and promotional advantages to personal life perks and everyday conveniences, here are nine reasons to think about setting up a second phone number …

1. An online dating adventure

Trust us — once you use a secondary phone number for online dating, you’ll shudder when you remember ever giving your real number out to a total stranger. 

Using a temporary phone number means you can freely give it out to people you’re interested in texting or calling, and it’s easy to delete the whole thing if the relationship fizzles out — or crashes and burns. 

This is also much safer because it limits the amount of information a stranger knows about you. (Here at Dialappify, we collect the absolute minimum of info to protect your anonymity.)

2. An annoying form

There are certain people who need to know your real phone number, sure. (Your child’s school is going to want to reach you, most definitely, and so is the person calling you as an emergency contact.) 

But the reality is that most of the time you fill out a form with your phone number, it’s going to end up on a spam calling list. Not cool at all! 

It’s much easier to use a temporary phone number in these cases, and preserve your real number for real calls.

3. A vacation

Heading to a new city for a few weeks? It’s much easier to call and text from a local number. Here at Dialappify, we can hook you up with a local phone number in more than 3,000 cities across the U.S. and Canada. 

Use our phone number generator to choose the area code you want, grab a number that speaks to you, and then it’s yours — for as long as you want it.

4. A separate venture

Looking for extra cash? Whether you want to resell products on Amazon, tutor kids in math, or walk dogs, it’s nice to have your side hustle separate from your regular life. 

That way, if someone Googles your number to see who just called them, it’ll pull up your very respectable ad or website advertising your services — not that buzzed Instagram post from a few years back where you accidentally posted your cell phone digits for the world to see. #ithappens

Set up a dedicated phone number for your new side project, and watch the business roll in!

5. A temporary relocation

If you’re going to be spending an extended amount of time somewhere new, it would be nice to have a local phone number, wouldn’t it? Of course, you won’t want to pay $50/month and go through the hassle of setting up a carrier number if you’re only going to be somewhere a few weeks or months. Dialappify to the rescue!

6. A fresh start

Some people like to keep the same phone number for decades, just to make sure people always know how to reach them. But others? They can’t wait to get a new phone number just so people can’t reach them.

Nothing wrong with a fresh start, and a secondary phone number is a great way to do that. You can even keep your original number, just in case, but rely on the new phone number for all the calls you really do want to answer.

7. A back-up phone line

If you make most (or all) of your calls from your cell phone, what happens if your phone gets dropped in a toilet or run over accidentally in your driveway? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a back-up phone number? 

With Dialappify, you can always have a back-up phone number that will work anywhere you can log into the app, whether it’s on an old phone or tablet, a brand-new one, or even a friend’s device.

8. A sales ad

Selling something on Kijiji or Craigslist? While there’s no pressure to put any phone number — just an email address will do — you’ll find lots of potential buyers will prefer to deal with you via call or text. 

If you list your real phone number, hundreds of people could suddenly have access to it. But if you use a temporary phone number while you find a new home for your old treadmill, sofa, or collection of Pogs (the Pokémon cards of the ’90s).

9. A more private life

When you think of all the people (and places) who have your current number, it’s a little unnerving. Not only can you be reached by all of these people, but they can see quite a bit of your personal information — that’s just the way it is, with traditional phone lines.

With a second line from Dialappify, people will only see your Dialappify number — no other info, ever. Dialappify phone numbers also can’t be traced like regular cell numbers. If people try tricks like *67, it simply won’t work. In this global age of uber-connectedness, privacy is pretty special.

Once you have your new digits, they’re yours to use as you please. Wondering how long you should keep your temporary phone number? Totally up to you, but we’ve got a few suggestions here.

The post Nine Reasons to Get a Temporary Phone Number appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

Since it looks like many of us will continue to use video as we move into the second half of 2021, we thought it was worth a round-up of our fave tech for looking (and sounding) your very best over the interwebz.

From which products we recommend (and why they’re great) to how you can best set yourself up for video-calling success just about anywhere, here are our top tips for crushing your next Zoom meeting, Teams chat, or Google Meet … 

A SOLID MICROPHONE

Ask anyone who produces video content what piece of hardware you should never skimp on, and they’ll tell you: a microphone. 

There are few things worse than listening to a video call where it sounds like the other person is talking to through a tin can filled with bits of dryer lint.

Dialappify favourites include … 

Blue Yeti USB Microphone: For less than $200, this USB microphone gives you professional-grade sound just by plugging it directly into any computer. No fancy set-up necessary, and it’s even equipped with its own built-in volume and mute controls. 

Shure MV5-LTG Digital Condenser Microphone: Shure is known for its quality microphones, and the beauty of this model is that you can get it bundled with its own set of high-quality headphones. It’s fully USB compatible and very low profile, so it won’t get in the way if you’re working with limited space or on a laptop.

A GREAT WEBCAM

Even though just about every laptop has a built-in camera, that doesn’t mean you should stick with it. There’s just no comparison with a quality, stand-alone webcam that connects to your machine. 

If you’re doing a lot of video calls and you want to look your very best in front of clients and colleagues, spend the money on a web camera that offers 1080p resolution or better. 

Dialappify favourites include … 

Logitech C930e Business Webcam: The C930e has everything you want from a webcam: 1080p resolution, a 90° view angle, auto-focus technology, dual built-in microphones, an adjustable stand, and even a privacy shutter — just in case you forgot to cover up your well-worn T-shirt with a blazer before entering a video call.

Razer Kiyo webcam: What makes the Kiyo special, aside from its great image quality, is that it includes a built-in ring light. These handy glowing circles are flattering to anyone’s appearance and display you in great lighting, even if you’re taking a video call in a dimly lit basement. 

THE RIGHT LIGHTING

Good lighting can make a tremendous difference in how people perceive you during a video call. So if you’re not able to position your computer in front of a window (with a sheer or white curtain to softly diffuse the light — easier said than done), you might want to consider buying a ring light.

Ring lights might look high-tech in person, but they work wonders for lighting people up nicely on video calls. (No one wants to look at you lurking in the shadows like some kind of Disney villain.) They’re easy to use, and once you try one, you won’t go back.

Dialappify favourites include … 

We like affordable but awesome models like the Neewer Ring Light Kit 18-Inch and UBeesize Ring Light 8-Inch, both less than a hundred bucks.

POLISH YOUR BACKGROUND

What’s in the background of your typical video call? If it looks cluttered, disorganized, or just drab behind you, you won’t come across nearly as well as if you were backed by a brightly coloured piece of art or a bookcase. If you take a lot of video calls, consider staging your background with plants, books, art, curtains, or other decor.

MIND YOUR WARDROBE

What do you typically wear on a video call? We find solid, bright colours to be the most flattering on video — even nice prints, especially if your background is simple. A few of our Dialappify staffers like to leave a few makeup essentials on their desk, too, so they can quickly do a touch-up before an unexpected video call. You might not need lipstick and blush in person, but it can prevent you from looking washed out and ghost-y on camera.

A BIT OF SOUND ADVICE

You’ve probably realized by now that echoes and sound glitches are an annoying part of many video calls. Our houses and offices are certainly not professional recording studios, but thankfully, there are a few tricks you can try to boost the sound quality of your next video call.

• CARPET: Carpet is better than hard flooring because carpet muffles sound and prevents echos, so consider throwing down a rug in your home office. 
• CURTAINS: If you can’t take your video call in a windowless room, make sure you close the drapes to help prevent any echoes off the glass.
• ANGLES: Having trouble with a laptop’s built-in mic not picking up your voice clearly? Try stacking your laptop on a couple of books to get it off a hard surface (like a desk or table). It can improve your mic sound drastically.

Where you love ’em or hate ’em, video calls are here to stay for at least the next little while. By taking a few simple steps to ensure you look and sound your best, you might find yourself looking forward to the next one … at least until someone forgets they’re muted.

The post Video Call 101: Look And Sound Better appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

This service is what’s allowed many small ventures to stay open during the rough weeks and months when people might not feel comfortable going inside to shop or dine. If you run a venture that offers curbside pickup, you’ve probably also found that it’s a great way to reduce stress on your employees while helping to keep everyone safer.

We’re huge fans of this service, and we’ve especially pleased when we work with an owner who sees the value in setting up a dedicated phone number just for curbside pickup calls. 

How can a dedicated number improve your curbside pickup?

Think of it this way. In “normal times,” your venture was getting calls from customers placing orders, asking if you carried a specific item, wanting to know the location, asking about nearby parking, checking to see if you’re open, etc. etc. etc. 

When you add curbside pickup into the mix, that means you’re ALSO getting lots of calls from people announcing that they’re parked outside, waiting for you to bring out their order. And how annoying will it be for them to listen to a busy signal or wait on hold for ages? All because you’re spending 20 minutes patiently trying to explain to an elderly customer that, yes, you really are located on the corner of Elm and Main, even though she recalls you being located elsewhere in town. (Sigh.)

Having a dedicated phone number just for curbside pickups allows you to separate and organize this growing part of your venture.

Doesn’t it just make more sense for your customers to have a special, dedicated phone number they call for curbside pickup? You (or one of your employees) will know exactly why that line is ringing. You’ll know it will be a 15-second call — “You’re here! Awesome. We’ll be right out.” — and you know you’ll be offering fabulous customer service by answering it right away and hustling their order straight out to their car.

You can assign a member of your team specifically to answer calls to your dedicated curbside pickup line, or you can use this number for placing orders. This frees up your main phone line for other calls from customers and vendors — while also providing your customers with a faster pickup experience.

(Heck, if you’re really busy, designate one number for placing curbside pickup orders, and a second “speedy pickup” phone number for when customers arrive to pick up their orders. Talk about leveling up!)

Here at Dialappify, we specialize in secondary phone numbers.

It’s easy to set up as many secondary numbers as you’d like, in only minutes, and you don’t even have to make a huge commitment. Temporary numbers are totally fine — especially if you only plan on offering a service like curbside pickup for a short time.

Unlike going through the phone company to get a traditional “new phone number,” we keep things simple. Much lower overhead, no lengthy contracts, and no need to hang onto the number any longer than you want.

We want you to focus on the important things, like hurrying those orders out to your customers’ vehicles. Whether it’s a bag of groceries, a container of yummy take-out, or a last-minute birthday gift, we see you and we appreciate you!

The post How to Improve Your Venture’s Curbside Pickup appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

With work from home (WFH) still going strong for many as we roll into the fall of 2020 (and perhaps permanently for some companies), we all continue to grapple with how to communicate with our far-flung colleagues as part of our jobs. In the spring of 2020 much of the world reached to Zoom for video conferencing to help keep in touch for personal and professional communication – so much so that Zoom quickly became synonymous with video meetings. Now as WFH stretches into months, maybe now is a good time to reflect on some other options and which video conferencing tool is the best choice for your needs.

Zoom

Zoom is the most obvious, and currently the most popular, video conferencing platform (at least in North America.) We include Zoom because chances are you’re going to compare it against any other choice. It generally performs well, has affordable paid plans, and have quick customer service. It’s also very easy to use and available on most desktop and mobile platforms. It’s also free, although free users are limited to a maximum of 100 participants and meetings are capped at 40 minutes; if you upgrade to various paid tiers you’ll gain the ability to hold longer meetings, record and transcribe you video calls, apply custom branding, and of course, host more participants for those mega meetings. Despite a few bumps with security and privacy issues, Zoom is still flying high (and a successful IPO means it might be around for a while) – and of course, how about those video backgrounds.

RingCentral

RingCentral is a great choice in part because it’s been designed specifically for medium-to-large-sized businesses and organizations, the very entities that have the most need for video conferencing with remote teams. It can support large video conferences, up to 49 participants, has dial-in support for third parties, and a built-in whiteboard tool. Combined with a free version similar to Zoom’s, with a very affordable paid plan that provides phone support and Single Sign-On, this is a great choice for businesses and organizations that need a well-built video conferencing tool.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is an authoritative reply to the need for business video conferencing (and maybe a bit of Slack mixed in). It offers great integration with the rest of the family of apps that make up Office 365 to keep both users and IT managers happy. If your organization is already using Microsoft products, you’ll probably find Microsoft Teams an easy choice since it’s already included as part of the Office 365 business subscription. The major drawback of Microsoft Teams is the inverse: if you’re not in an MS-based work environment Teams is less compelling, although Teams is available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, and even Linux.

Cisco Webex Meetings

Bringing up the ‘old guard’, Cisco’s video conferencing offering, as you might expect from the American tech giant, is very much focused on providing a collaborative space for tech-driven businesses and organizations. While it does have a free plan, if you’re considering this, you’ll be wanting to start on one of its paid plans. It is known for having very little audio or video lag and the provision for 25 video feeds streaming at once, although it has the rather annoying constraint of only allowing one presenter per user licence. It also includes the rare features of having a meeting being able to call you, rather than you always having to call the meeting, as well as support all for kinds of mobile devices and tools that you likely won’t find with another service. It also has great international coverage, with dial-in support for 45 countries. While probably a little expensive for smaller teams, Webex is a mature product with plenty of compelling features.

BlueJeans Meetings

BlueJeans video conferencing is very much focused on collaboration without bogging down your meeting with too many tools or restrictions. It supports browser, desktop, and mobile access for up to 50 participants (although paid versions can bump this limit up to 75), and has a handy dashboard that tracks data about your meetings, including feedback, number of participants, and usage. While it doesn’t have a free plan, it offers a trial period that provides time to explore the platform and determine if it is a good fit for you. It has an attractive, easy-to-use interface that includes recording, virtual whiteboard collaboration, annotation tools, as well as integration with Facebook Live if you want to broadcast your meeting. All in all, an affordable, well-rounded app.

Slack

Slack is one of the big players in team collaboration and communication and is already well-adopted with remote teams (especially in tech). In addition to the ability to quickly message, share files (and reaction GIFs), and search conversations, Slack also offers a limited, but fairly handy video conferencing tool. While Slack is restricted to a maximum of 15 participants within your team, it can be handy for meetings or screen-sharing sessions to brainstorm between team members if you’re already using Slack.

Google Meet

The video conferencing tool formerly known as Hangouts, Google Meet’s biggest benefit is that it’s free and it’s readily accessible to people already using Google’s suite of tools. Create a meeting in Google Calendar and you might find you automatically get a Google Meet event created for you and invitees. The service works well and it is available via browser or the usual app suspects, includes dial-ins, and if your business is using the paid version of Google Suite/Workspace (Google seems to have a renaming problem) you can get some additional integrations and features to really synergize those paradigms while you work from home.

Which video conferencing platform is right for you?

We can’t really answer that question but hopefully you’ve discovered some new options and have a better idea about some of the competing tools on the market. The good news is most are free (to some degree), have a free trial evaluation, or are included in a suite of tools you might already use day-to-day so don’t be afraid to try them out, compare features, and choose the one that suits you best.

The post The Pros and Cons of Popular Video Conferencing Platforms appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

We’ve got some tips that will help brighten up your day and make the best of WFH as we continue to muddle through 2020:

Zoom Backgrounds

By this point, you and your coworkers have probably seen far more than we ever wanted of the inside of each others’ home offices, kitchens, and children’s bedrooms (a surprisingly common setting for corporate Zoom calls). We suggest instead to consider a fun background for your fine self while you’re listening to someone talk about this week’s sales numbers.

Dress for work, at home

While the sloth chic temptation to spend your whole day in your pyjamas, sweatpants, or no pants all (looking at you, Ron), there is something to be said about taking a little bit of time to maintain a sense of normalcy and separation between work and home life. Psychology has shown that how we dress does actually affect our mood, including in our professional lives. As the adage goes, “Dress for the job you want” may not bode well for a heavy rotation holey hoodies and Crocs and socks.

While no one suggests pretending you are going to the office and donning a full corporate dress, there is evidence that just changing your clothes when you usually helps reinforce the stability of a daily routine. The key here is to wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself while you’re working, say a nice blouse or a collared shirt, rather than give into the lure of an eternal sweatshirt.

Reclaim the commute

One of the most challenging parts about working for home, especially if you’re new to it, is how it can disrupt your sense of time. For example, for many people, their workday started and ended with a commute to work. While you’re WFH that clear delineation suddenly doesn’t exist. This leaves you anywhere from minutes to a few hours of your day that are now unoccupied (or occupied by even more work).

The good news is you now have that extra commuting time – do something with it! Instead of sleeping in or squeezing in another hour of work, take that former commuting time and use go for a walk, tidy up, work out, call friends or family, or take a time-out for some extra self-care.

Set boundaries and routines

Working from home can wreak havoc on your schedule. Instead of having a defined beginning and end to your workday, your workday just never ends. Plus there are lots of distractions at home which can lead to interruptions and procrastination. While it’s harder to draw physical boundaries between work and home when working from home, make sure you give yourself clear boundaries for when your work starts and ends. Set breaks to stretch and move around, and when you can eat lunch, have a coffee refill, or indulge in a snack. And don’t be afraid to log off at a regular time so the workday ends and you can destress and focus on personal time.

Having a routine will help to organize your day and accomplish tasks while providing some structure that will help motivate yourself.

Start a happy hour

For some, the lockdown has given space to recognize how much of their life at the office involved socializing or casually interacting with coworkers, and how much you may (or may not) miss that interaction. One idea that’s become popular is the idea of a coffee break or happy hour over Zoom (or other video chat) – no work talk, just hanging out and talking with your coworkers while enjoying a beverage or snack. Provided people are available and willing, these are pretty easy to do. Set a day and time, and invite them to join in. If you want to go a little further, you could suggest a theme or simple activity that people can join in, like a game or watching a TV show together. Keep it casual and optional, and set an end time so you’re not on the hook for hosting the party longer than you want to.

The post How to Make Working from Home a Little More Fun appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

Dialappify is a mobile app that puts the power of extra phone numbers into your hands. With Dialappify, you can add new phone numbers to your mobile device cheaply and easily through our app. But how you make those extra phone numbers work for you is your choice. 

Our best advice is to keep things simple. Here are our top tips for using your extra phone number to be more productive in work and in daily life:

#1 Divide your contacts

Start giving out your Dialappify phone number. Whether that means adding it to your email signature, or just texting a bunch of people and saying, “Hey, here’s my new number!” is up to you. It’ll help you keep your work and personal contacts distinct. And they’ll never know that it’s not your real number; as far as they know, your Dialappify number may be your only number!

#2 Customize your number

Record a new voicemail message, or set up auto-reply text messages. Rename your number—maybe your UK mobile number can be named “Volunteer Contacts,” and your Los Angeles number turns into “Working/Tinder.” 

Too busy to check the app? Not a problem! With the call forwarding feature, you can send incoming calls directly from your Dialappify number to your regular old cell phone number.

#3 Create balance with your number

Whether you’re using your second number for volunteering, dating, or just to keep in touch with friends and family, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got some downtime scheduled.

Send your calls to voicemail at the end of the workday, so that you’re not interrupted during date night or self-care Saturday. Or try setting a prerecorded out-of-office voicemail message that lets callers know your available hours. 

#4 Cultivate new relationships

Online dating? Go for the second number. New work leads? Use the second number. Signing up for a mailing list or e-retailer contact? Give them your second number.

When you’re giving out your phone number to a stranger, you’ll want to be careful. Dialappify is a great alternative to traditional phone numbers for exactly this reason. You can easily burn numbers if a new romance fizzles out, or that job opportunity falls flat. Or keep Work clients from interrupting your free time by giving them dedicated numbers and sending them to voicemail. The options are endless.

#5 Keep your personal information private

Your regular cell phone number contains a ton of valuable personal information. A Dialappify number is much safer to distribute. When you sign up with Dialappify, you don’t reveal much at all—we only request your email address when you sign up, not your name, date of birth, or real phone number. 

Use your Dialappify number for situations when you want to stay as private as possible. You never know when a marketing firm or social media site is building a profile on you, so give them the least possible data to work with. 

It’s never been easier to get a second phone number

Adding a second number (or more) is a great option to add productivity, simplicity to your daily routine. Whether it’s for work, travel, dating, a side-hustle, or just to stay organized, Dialappify is the only name in second phone numbers.

The post Increase Your Productivity with an Extra Phone Number appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

At Dialappify, we have a fair bit of experience doing our work remotely. Here are what we believe to be the most important things you need to set yourself up for success.

Make Sure Your Network and Devices are Secure

It is essential your connection to the internet is secure when working remotely.
This is especially true if you’re working with internal business information or sensitive customer data.

Secure Your Router

If you’re working at home, your router is your main line of security defence. Make sure you:

• Change your router’s default administrator login
• Use WPA2 (AES) encryption
• Use strong passwords (a mix of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols) and set a long timeout on repeated attempts to guess them to make it as difficult and tedious as possible to hack
• Check your model of router online for additional settings

Use a VPN

If you’re working out of a space like a coffee shop or coworking space with shared Wi-Fi, you should be even more concerned about security. Attackers can impersonate or intercept Wi-Fi networks and snoop on your communication. For this situation, your best choice is to use a virtual private network (VPN).

VPN’s have other benefits, but the encryption feature is the one that will give you (and your customers) peace of mind by protecting all data you send and receive across shared public networks.

Get a Second Phone Number

If you’re taking or making calls to customers while remote working, you might start dreading answering your phone because it could always be a work contact. Dialappify makes it easy to solve this problem: get a second phone number through the Dialappify app and use it exclusively for friends and family, so you always know it’s someone you want to hear from.

Create Comfort and Stability

Work and long-time remote workers know this, but it’s hard to underestimate how much more productive your work will be in a comfortable space.

Get a Good Chair and Desk

If WFH is going to become a regular part of your life, invest in a chair that supports you and a desk that is large enough and the right height for you. Make sure your monitor, keyboard, and mouse are positioned for good ergonomics. These steps make the difference between a happy workday and hours of back pain. Don’t forget to get up and stretch often!

Establish Boundaries

When you are at the office, you are often working in a space designed to help you get work done, with a clear division between work and the rest of your life. When you’re working from home the line between ‘work’ and ‘home’ is blurred making it easy to get distracted and lose any sense of routine or discipline. To combat this, set firm hours for yourself, with a clear beginning and end to your day and enforce them with ‘out of office’ or ‘away’ status on messaging tools like Slack. Schedule moments to step away as you might do at the office: take a coffee break or walk around the block to break your day up and prevent fatigue and burnout.

Set Goals for Yourself

Working from home can change your sense of time, making “working 9-to-5” pointless, especially with a hazy line between work and home. Instead of focusing on putting in hours, set goals you believe you can do today, and hold yourself accountable. Make a to-do list of tasks and focus on completing them rather than watching the clock.

Don’t Forget to Socialize

Our final tip for success: make a point to reach out to other people while you’re remote working. Remote work can be lonely and it can be surprisingly easy for days to pass without talking to another human being either online or in person. Personal interaction, even an online call or group Zoom chat can go a long way. If possible, get out of your house to spend time with friends and family, or nurture a hobby that involves interacting with others.

The post Remote Working & Working from Home — How to Set Up for Success appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.

A familiar phone number is essential for any passion project that relies on inbound or outbound phone sales: let’s explore how your project can benefit from this simple, cost-effective tool.

Local Phone Numbers Are the First Step to Build Customer Trust

With the emphasis on shopping locally having your passion project appear within your customer’s area code might mean the difference between a sale and a pass. A local phone number shows customers you’re committed to building a great relationships with them by being accessible and easy to contact. At a glance an unfamiliar area code means long-distance fees and shipping hassles.

Great customer relationships are built on familiarity and trust. They know you and trust you can solve their problems. And it all begins by making the effort to show up locally for them.

Why is Having a Local Phone Number so Important?

Remember those first few customers you had, back when nobody had ever heard of you? You spent a lot of time getting people to remember you and showing them you provide a great product or service. Once those customers were comfortable buying from you, they had no problem calling you or recommending you to others. That was when your sales likely began to take off.

Getting a second phone number is the first step to achieving that same success at scale.

It is common knowledge among sales professionals that people are much more likely to pick up on a number with a local area code. A local number shows you’re part of your customers’ community and ready to connect and help them.

For inbound sales it’s a similar story. A local number means getting to talk to a real person, not spending half an hour on an automated call.

Finally: having a local number may even help with your Google results when you’re trying to expand into new territory.

Examples of Ventures that Benefit Most from a Second Phone Number

Online Sales

Online sales are growing dramatically. Customers shopping online are always looking for clues to guide their purchase decision. Having a local number (or even in the same state/province or country) can put them at ease for customer support, shipping, and make it easier for them to call if they have questions. Every little advantage helps them choose to click the ‘buy’ button on your website.

Sales Representatives

Regional sales reps for retail stores, restaurants, and other consumer products must be there for their clients. Having a second phone number shows you’re available and attentive to what they need.

Real Estate Agents

Depending on the limits of your license, real estate brokers can serve customers anywhere in a state or province. Having a local number is a useful tool to help manage listings. You could go one step further, and have a dedicated number and voicemail containing information for each listing.

Getting a Second Local Phone Number has Never been Easier!

Getting a second phone line used to be an expensive hassle. Now Dialappify makes it cheap and easy set up and manage second (or third, or fourth) phone number in over 300 area codes across North America (plus 60 more worldwide) in minutes. Your passion project is on its way to building great customer relationships – get started with a free second number today!

The post Growing Your Passion Project with a Second Phone Number appeared first on Dialappify | Secure second and temporary phone number app.