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Whose number is it?

Business uses a multitude of tools to get their work done. It doesn’t matter whether you have a product or a service, all business have to sell. There are plenty of “cost to do business” items to get this done.

Most businesses would never dream of allowing their employees to own or control important sales tools. But it seems as if some businesses have no problem in allowing their employees, especially those in sales, from controlling their cell phone number.

There are many reasons for this, such as the cost involved in administrating the accounts. It may be easier to give them a monthly expense for it, or even reimburse the entire bill. It may seem to the owner or manager of the business that they are doing the employee a favor by not forcing them to have a business and personal number. Of course there are IRS issues involved with this, but that’s not part of this conversation

But is that wise or is it a big mistake to allow the employee that much control.

Are you a pure sales based company, reselling a product made by others? If you are, you probably require your salesperson to have a cellphone so they can always be in touch with your clients. The salesperson may think it’s their clients, but it is yours. Do you control that cellphone number or does your salesperson?

Salespersons make many contacts and hands outs even more business cards. The telephone number on the business card may have the desk number that you control. Salesmen like to be directly contacted and even though the cellphone may not be on the card the client probably has been given the cellphone number?

What happens if the salesperson decides to leave and work for your chief competitor? Your client dials the cellphone number of his favorite salesperson. An order is placed and instead of you getting the business, your competitor has it and you’ve just lost a client.

It may be time to rethink the issue of whether you should think of the cellphone as another asset that you own. Questions need to be raised on whether you should own and control the cellphone number, or allow your employee that privilege. If you allow them to control their cellphone number, why don’t you let them control their desk number? With Local Number Portability, there is a technical answer to that. But it’s probably not the correct business answer.

Who knows, the number that you protect may be the one that is called in the middle of the night that could make, or break your business depending on whose salesperson is at the other end of that conversation.

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