Business Phone Numbers for Driving Instructors

Feature by feature: why SwitchboardFREE works for driving instructors and driving schools

Every SwitchboardFREE account comes with over 40 features. These are the ones that make the biggest difference to driving instructors and driving schools, and why.

Open and close times

You cannot answer during a lesson, and a phone ringing in the car distracts you and your pupil. Open and close times let calls ring only in the gaps you choose, such as lunchtime and after your last lesson, and outside them callers hear your message and can leave a voicemail. You can open or close your lines from the app when your timetable changes.

Voicemail to email

New pupils and parents ring while you are in the passenger seat, and listening to a string of voicemails eats into the gap between lessons. Voicemail to email sends each message as an audio file with a written transcript, so you can read the pupil's name, area and availability in a minute.

Missed call alerts

Plenty of callers hang up without leaving a message, especially a learner ringing several instructors from a list. Missed call alerts email you their number the moment the call is missed, so you can ring back after the lesson before they book with someone else.

Custom greetings

A greeting that explains you are teaching and asks for the pupil's name, postcode and availability means every voicemail has what you need. Record it free on the app and it goes live straight away, which also helps when your waiting list is full and you need to tell callers.

Calls from your business number

Ringing pupils and parents back from your personal mobile means they call and message you on it at all hours. Calls made from the SwitchboardFREE app show your business number instead, so your personal number stays private.

Divert calls to your mobile

You do not need a second phone or an office. Your business number rings the SwitchboardFREE app on the mobile you already carry, or diverts to any UK landline or mobile, such as a partner who runs your diary.

Local and national numbers

Learners and parents tend to choose an instructor who feels local. A local 01 or 02 number on your roof sign and listings shows you teach in their area, and if you cover neighbouring towns you can add a number for each through the paid multi-number package.

Ring groups

In a driving school with several instructors, one number on every car can ring all the instructors at once during the lunchtime gap, so whoever is free answers. Ring groups can also ring them in order or share calls evenly.

DepartmentsStandard & Unlimited plans

In a school with several instructors, existing pupils often want their own instructor while new enquiries need whoever runs the diary. Departments give callers a menu such as press 1 for new pupils and press 2 to reach your instructor, each option with its own voicemail.

Call recordingPaid add-on

Disagreements about a cancelled lesson, a test date or the price agreed usually come down to a phone call. The call recording add-on records all or some calls so you can play them back and check. Tell callers when calls are recorded.

Music on holdStandard & Unlimited plans

If whoever runs the diary puts a parent on hold to check for a free lesson slot, silence makes them think they have been cut off. Music on hold plays while they wait, so they stay on the line.

A local business number

Most instructors start with a personal 07 number on the roof sign. Mobile numbers cannot be transferred to SwitchboardFREE, so choose a local 01 or 02 number for your area, put it on your next roof sign and cards, and it rings the same mobile. If you already have a landline number, you can transfer it free, with £50 credit.