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One of the first decisions you’ll make when setting up business texting is whether to use your personal phone number or get a dedicated business number. It’s a question we hear all the time, and the right answer depends on your situation. Let’s walk through both options so you can make the best call for your practice.

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Using your personal number

Texting clients from the number they already have for you might feel like the easiest path. And honestly, it does have a few things going for it: What works well:
  • It’s simple - No extra apps to juggle, no new number to share with clients
  • Friends and clients in one place - People who already have your number can keep texting you the same way
  • Custom emojis and iMessage features - You get to keep the fun stuff that comes with your native messaging app
Where it falls short:
  • Privacy concerns - Once clients have your personal number, the line between work and life gets blurry fast. Late-night texts, weekend messages, and no easy way to “turn off” work. And if your firm uses a native capture archiving system, your personal chats get swept up too - not the end of the world, but something to keep in mind
  • No CRM integration - Messages sent from your personal number won’t get logged in your CRM, which means you’re missing out on a complete picture of your client interactions
  • Compliance gaps - If your firm requires message archiving, personal texts typically don’t meet those requirements. Regulators may expect a system of record, not screenshots
  • Messages get buried - Client texts get mixed in with group chats, delivery notifications, and everything else. Important follow-ups slip through the cracks
  • AI notetakers not super smooth - AI notetakers can join your calls, but it adds extra steps every time to join them in
  • Automations are limited - There’s no way to trigger workflows or automate follow-ups from your personal number
  • You can’t scale or delegate - When you’re ready to bring on an assistant or grow your team, there’s no way to share access to your personal messages. You’d need to start over with a new system anyway

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Using a dedicated business number

A dedicated number through CurrentClient flips each of those limitations into a strength:
  • Your personal life stays personal - Set business hours, and client messages go to a separate inbox. When you’re off the clock, you’re actually off the clock
  • Everything gets logged - Messages sync to your CRM automatically, so your client records are always up to date without extra effort
  • Built for compliance - Archiving, disclosure messages, and opt-out handling are all built in. Your compliance team will thank you
  • A clean, organized inbox - Client conversations live in one dedicated place. Nothing gets lost, nothing gets mixed up
  • Automation-ready - AI notetakers, scheduled messages, auto-replies, and workflow triggers all work out of the box
  • Scales with your team - Add team members, delegate conversations, or hand off accounts without missing a beat

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So, which should you choose?

If you’re texting one or two clients casually and don’t have compliance requirements, your personal number might work fine for now. But for most professionals, a dedicated business number is the way to go. It keeps things organized, keeps you compliant, and gives you room to grow. And you can always port your existing number to CurrentClient if clients are already used to reaching you on it. Ready to get started? Check out our setup guide to get your dedicated number up and running.