A Work Number That Is Not Your Handset

A work phone number is the number the business publishes for business contact — deliberately separate from any founder's or employee's personal handset. On this site that role is filled by an inbound 1300, 1800 or Phoneword number: one published contact point that answers to the line the business connects it to.

Why the separation matters

When the work number is someone's personal mobile, three things go wrong at once. The contact point changes whenever the handset does. The caller's cost is whatever the carrier set, not a published business arrangement. And the business's identity in every ad is a person's number, not the company's. A dedicated inbound number detaches all three: the number is published once, the caller arrangement is a published choice (shared cost on 1300, or caller-free in the Australian 1800 context), and the identity belongs to the business.

How the work number reaches a real phone

The signup flow asks for the number the service will connect to — the answering point. That is how a work number and a personal handset coexist without new hardware: the inbound number is what customers dial, and calls arrive at the answering point the business chooses. Switching the answering point later does not change the published number, which is what keeps the work contact stable while the business changes around it.

What the work number costs

Published 1300 and 1800 plans start at $10 per month and run through $15, $39, $79 and $99 tiers, each with its own call-rate table — the current rows are on the pricing page. A Phoneword adds a word to the digits, priced from $40 per month with availability and desirability affecting the price. The business number overview compares the categories.

Boundaries worth knowing

No new handset is involved: the inbound number is not a second phone; it answers where the business points it.
Outcomes are not attached: a distinct work number organises contact; nothing on this site promises more calls or sales because of it.
Personal use is out of scope: this is a business-number service; personal or residential line needs are not what it establishes.

Related reading: work phone numbers, business numbers, or the business number overview.

Choosing the type of work number

Three candidates cover the published options. A 1300 number suits a business comfortable sharing the call cost with customers, and it is the category most people picture for a small business line. An 1800 number suits support and service contact, where the caller paying nothing — in the stated Australian context — is part of the promise the business wants to make. A Phoneword suits a business that advertises, because the word carries in speech and print better than digits do; it is priced from $40 per month on top of the plan. Pick the type from how customers call, not from how the number looks in a mock-up.

Work phone questions

Can I keep using my existing phone as the work phone?

Yes — the inbound number answers to the connection point you provide at signup. The published work number stays constant; the phone that answers it is yours to arrange.

Is a work phone number different from a business number?

In practice they describe the same thing here: an inbound 1300, 1800 or Phoneword number published as the business's contact point, on plans from $10 per month.

Will customers know it is a business number?

A 1300 or 1800 number reads as a business contact point in Australia — 1800 in particular is widely understood as caller-free in the Australian context. This page makes no claim beyond that recognition.

What if I stop using the work number?

Billing, suspension and cancellation are governed by the terms and conditions rather than summarised here — read the current document or ask the team before relying on any arrangement.