Should I get a second cellphone/ pager?

Question

Chinmay J. · Answer

@Justin Jarboe - Why is it going non stop? I manage my own properties myself, and I train the tenants right from the get-go is that then need to email or text me their concerns, and call ONLY if its a true emergency. At 7 doors, you have more properties than I do, but it still warrants an honest assessment whether the issue is truly an emergency. If you are truly unable to handle the calls, I would suggest a PM.

To answer your question directly, you can get a free Google Voice # to filter your calls.

Justin Jarboe · Answer

Thanks everyone for the comments. Solution: Gave my tenants my business cell as normal point of contact. Gave them my personal cell (iPhone) for emergency contact only. Set phone to "do not disturb" mode from 730pm-7am. Added a group in my contacts called "Emergency" and put all tenants in there (and family). Set a reminder in my calendar to turn sound on phone every night. When I wake, I can put phone back on silent as I look at it frequently and don't need the distractions of texts, emails, and calls every second. BOOM

Matthew Olszak · Answer

@Justin Jarboe I have 3 numbers. 1 is my personal cell, 1 is my google voice # that I use as my business # as a broker, and the other is separate cell that mostly stays at home that I use as my caller ID when I cold call and when I advertise rentals.

I used to advertise my gv # with rental listings, but so many of these aggregation websites fail to take down my listings in a timely manner once they are rented and I continued to get overloaded with calls about unavailable apartments. Also, I needed a way to separate out an urgent midnight call from my clients who have a blocked caller ID due to their location overseas from someone interested in an already rented apartment.

Another option if you are getting endless calls is routing them to a 24/7 answer service, like AnswerForce and many others, who can email you with the message and connect any emergency calls direct to your main #. Most will provide you with your own 800-number that you can forward your cell # voicemail to or use outright as your advertised phone number. They can also follow a specific script to screen calls before passing them along. Its not all that cheap but its cheaper than a receptionist.

Fred Heller · Answer

You don't need another cellphone. Just get a second line app. You'll have a separate number for your business but use the same phone. I use an app called Sideline.

Justin Jarboe · Answer

@Melissa Gittens Thanks for your reply. Lets connect and jump on a call together to mastermind. Im open book. Lets help eachother grow!

Melissa Gittens · Answer

@Justin Jarboe I am in a similar situation. I have 1 Google number, I manage 20 doors and my phone goes off nonstop mainly for my "trouble" properties. I am working on training the new tenants to have a better process. So I am working on implementing a system that requires them to send a work request if its not an emergency (via an electronic system). They already call/text me for their issues.

I have decided to get another cellphone number so that I may separate my business and personal life. I can give you an update on this once I have fully implemented this change. I have also found a part time admin that fields the majority of my calls for real estate sales and my property management business. She works anywhere from 10-20 hours a weeks depending on the call volume and tasks I need her to complete.

Jeff Filali · Answer

Maybe separate some of your business calls, especially advertising calls.  Obviously if you're putting your phone on silent, you're wanting them to go to voicemail.  I use a separate GoogleVoice number for most ads that is only pointed to my email.  Otherwise my phone gets blown up, you can still call from this number even if its not pointed to your number.  I refuse to put my phone on silent.  Other option is get a VA to take a lot of your inbound calls.  I try to train all people to text me for faster response, even my voicemail says text or email for faster response.  I'd much rather have 100 text messages instead of 100 calls/voice mails.  Good luck!!

Teddy Smith · Answer

Get Skype number that forwards to your cell phone. It'll be alot cheaper since there's not data involved. Also, you can always tell it's your second number because the Skype app shows it.

Justin Jarboe · Answer

Thank you for the reply. Im not getting a bunch of calls from tenants, I am getting calls and emails non stop from my real estate business and non-profit I run. I've just acquired these 7 doors recently and want to set things up properly with the right expectations. Because I get so many emails at random hours, my phone is on silent most of the day / night. I already have two google voice lines coming into my phone as well.Im looking to connect with someone with similar challenges. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Im thinking either another phone just for emergencies that's on ring 24/7 or a pager.

Also what do you do when you want to go on a vacation? Are there temp prop managers that can fill in?

Should I get a second cellphone/ pager?

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