In today’s competitive business landscape, establishing reliable communications is crucial for any new venture. As you set up your business infrastructure, one decision that shouldn’t be overlooked is your choice of business phone service—particularly one that supports SMS authentication for your critical business accounts.
TO start with, you need a second phone number without needing a second mobile device.
The Digital Security Challenge for New Businesses
New businesses face numerous security challenges, with data breaches and account compromises becoming increasingly common. Two-factor authentication (2FA) via SMS has become a standard security measure for protecting valuable business accounts. However, the phone number you choose for your business can significantly impact your security posture and operational reliability.
The VoIP Dilemma for New Businesses
While VoIP services offer attractive benefits for businesses, including cost-efficiency and advanced features like call forwarding, virtual numbers, and CRM integration, they come with a critical limitation: many VoIP services (including Google Voice, Grasshopper, TextNow, RingCentral, and others) don’t fully support SMS-based 2FA.
This creates several potential problems for your new business:
- Security Vulnerabilities: If you rely solely on a VoIP number and it doesn’t support SMS authentication, your business accounts could be at risk.
- Reliability Concerns: SMS delivery to VoIP numbers can be inconsistent, potentially causing delays during critical business transactions.
- Account Recovery Risks: If your VoIP service experiences issues, you might lose access to important business accounts tied to that number.
- Service Rejection: Many online platforms don’t recognize VoIP numbers as legitimate, potentially restricting access to essential business services.
Why Your Business Needs a Real Mobile Number
You do not need to carry a second phone, but rather investing in a proper mobile number solution offers significant advantages for your new business:
- Universal Authentication Support: A real mobile number ensures your business can use any service requiring SMS verification.
- Enhanced Security: A dedicated phone number for business authentication adds an essential layer of protection for sensitive accounts.
- Reliable SMS Delivery: Traditional cellular services provide more consistent SMS delivery than most VoIP alternatives.
- Business Continuity: Having a reliable number for authentication helps prevent disruptions due to account lockouts.
- Professional Separation: Keeps your personal communications separate from business activities.
Selecting the Right Phone Solution for Your Business
For a new business, you have several options:
- Business Mobile Plans: Major carriers offer business-specific plans with reliable SMS capabilities.
- Dual-SIM Solutions: Many modern phones support multiple lines, allowing you to maintain separate personal and business numbers.
- Specialized Services: Some providers like SLYNUMBER offer real mobile numbers (not VoIP) specifically designed as second-line solutions.
The key differentiator to look for is whether the service provides a real mobile number rather than a VoIP number. Real mobile numbers are universally trusted and can be used for any business purpose, including online banking, account verification, customer communications, and more.
Recommendation:
You can secure a free Google Voice number that you can route to any number and do some SMS texting, but as a VoIP service, you will soon be hitting some Its limits. Investing in a reliable phone solution with proper SMS authentication support is a fundamental step in establishing a secure foundation for your new business. It ensures you maintain access to critical services while providing the professional communication capabilities your venture needs to succeed.
Hands down, our recommendation for a virtual, but real phone number, you can begin managing your business got just is:
SLYNUMBER by MobileSphere
Price as of this writing is $50/year for unlimited inbound calls and text. For outbound calls / texts you gen an inital 100 credits and you can get 1000 credits for $10 as needed!
The main difference between SLYNUMBER and other service providers is that they provides real mobile numbers while other providers numbers are VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). SLYNUMBER is the only second number provider outside of the big three carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) to offer real mobile numbers. While this doesn’t affect basic features such as calling and texting, using a VoIP number may cause issues with online service activations or verifications. VoIP numbers are often not recognized as real numbers, leading to rejections from many online services and apps. On the other hand, mobile numbers are universally trusted and can be used for any purpose such as online banking, social media, dating and more.
Other Resources
Good explanation on the limitations of VoIP / SMS authentication limitation can be found here