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DoorDash, an American company specializing in food delivery and logistics, was recently fined $375,000 by the California Attorney General.
The reason?
It shared customer details beyond the intended scope through a marketing network.
The data exchanged between partners ultimately circulated among unrelated businesses, exposing customer information to parties with no connection to the original transaction.
DoorDash’s incident mirrors what can happen in a field service setup when technicians use personal phones for work.
For field service technicians, effective communication is a vital component of their daily operations.
Customers expect updates, managers dispatch new jobs, and store teams depend on quick coordination. Still, a significant number of technicians use their personal phones for all of it.
At a glance, the setup looks harmless. However, it creates a serious privacy risk. Why?
…because each time a personal number is shared, there’s a possibility it could circulate among clients, store contacts, and sometimes third-party vendors.
Over time, those numbers move through different contact lists and records, which can lead to after-hours calls, spam, and unwanted follow-ups.
This case study is about a regional appliance installation company whose technicians faced a similar privacy challenge.
It zeros in on how the service fleet leveraged iPlum’s BYOD second line solution to:
- Achieve 100% mobile number privacy
- Separate business from personal communication
- Project a professional image in customer interactions
…all without the need for new hardware, dual-device inconveniences, or large budget allocations.
Table of Contents
6.iPlum—The Best Second Line for Service Fleets
About the service fleet
The company in this case study operates a regional fleet of home appliance installation and maintenance services, serving multiple retail stores.
Its technicians travel between locations to handle deliveries, installations, and repairs. And, the job requires swift coordination between dispatch, store managers, and customers.
On the one hand, technicians must confirm appointments, send updates, and resolve issues as soon as possible. Customers, on the other hand, expect prompt responses and direct access to the technician handling their service call.
As you’d expect, it makes business sense for technicians to use their personal lines so they’re easily reachable.
And therein lies the problem.
The challenge
In most cases, the service fleet's existing phone system “seemed to work.”
Technicians would communicate with clients, confirm addresses, and collaborate with store managers to troubleshoot and sort out issues. The underlying problem, however, was that the company had no structured way to manage its communication flow.
Think about it.
Technicians used their private phones for all work-related calls and texts. It’s not surprising, therefore, that the company's clientele information had seeped through multiple store databases, customer forms, and supplier directories.
The exposure created a ripple effect.
Over 88% of technicians received after-hours calls, some as late as 10 p.m. Others reported spam and misdialed callbacks from customers long after jobs were completed. The privacy line between “on duty” and “off duty” had vanished.
Here's how Paul, one of the senior technicians, put it:
“In my line of work, I leave my number with many people, including clients and store contacts. But I want to keep my personal phone number private while remaining accessible for business. Carrying two phones isn’t practical.”
Apart from non-existent privacy, the communication setup also created operational inconsistencies. The fact that calls and messages were scattered across personal devices meant there was no consistent call history or accountability trail.
And, if a dispute arose or a client requested proof of contact, the company had no verifiable record.
So, the system worked—until it didn’t.
The solution
The company’s leadership knew they needed a platform that could balance reachability with privacy without burdening technicians with extra devices before the problem escalated further.
After evaluating several phone systems for small businesses, management chose iPlum’s BYOD second line solution for simplicity, reliability, security, and affordability.
Once implemented, iPlum quickly changed how technicians interacted with customers and store teams, for the better.
Below is a look at how iPlum solved the fleet’s core challenges.
1. Dedicated business number with caller ID
Each technician received a local business number through the iPlum app.
As a result, they could now call clients with an iPlum number, complete with a recognizable area code and a professional caller ID instead of a personal line.
“The local area code makes my calls feel more personal to clients,” Paul said.
The dedicated number made callbacks easier and improved client trust. At the same time, it ensured 100% separation between personal and work communication.
2. Number privacy and professional boundaries
The privacy problem that plagued the fleet disappeared overnight.
Technicians could now make and receive calls or texts without exposing their personal numbers.
With all communication contained in the iPlum app, the company achieved 100% mobile number privacy right out of the box.
Managers also noted a visible shift in professionalism. Customers now interact through official business lines, creating a stronger sense of structure and reliability.
3. Organized business communication
Before iPlum, messages and voicemails were disintegrated across personal inboxes.
After iPlum, business calls, texts, and voicemails remained organized inside the iPlum app.
Furthermore, the line’s distinct ringtones and separate voicemail greetings helped technicians instantly identify work-related communication.
Meanwhile, all records were stored securely in the cloud, creating a verifiable audit trail for management to review.
4. Simple setup and reliable performance
Deploying the new phone system was quick and without any hiccups. All the technicians needed to do was download the iPlum app, choose a local number, and start calling—all happening within minutes.
Moreover, there was no learning curve. The app had a clean, minimal interface that’s easy to navigate.
In addition, the technicians experienced stable call quality, even in areas with weak data signals, thanks to iPlum’s dual-mode operation over both carrier voice and the internet.
“It’s reliable and perfect for my job,” Paul said.
5. Centralized billing and easy management
For leadership, managing dozens of mobile numbers became effortless.
The IT manager could assign, monitor, and deactivate lines from a single dashboard.
In addition, billing was unified under a single account, resulting in a 45% reduction in administrative time and a 40% decrease in phone-related costs during the first quarter.
With iPlum’s BYOD second line, the fleet created a secure and professional communication environment that aligned with technicians’ current workflows.
The company was in for business that could guarantee customer privacy, but ended up with a complete communication upgrade for the entire operation.
The results
The impact started trickling in within weeks of the appliance installation fleet adopting iPlum’s BYOD 2nd Line.
There were evident improvements across privacy, efficiency, and communication quality. The results were more impactful than what the leadership anticipated.
The company’s internal audit reported the following outcomes:
These numbers underscore the financial and functional benefits that came with the iPlum second mobile number.
Now, technicians no longer struggled with late-night client calls or blurred work-life boundaries. In addition, managers could access accurate communication histories and assess service quality using real-time data.
“I can now share my iPlum number with clients and include it on emails, paperwork, and business cards,” Paul said. “It’s reassuring to know my personal information is protected while I stay fully connected at work.”
Customers also saw the difference.
After iPlum, calls came from local, professional numbers. Furthermore, follow-ups were faster, and technicians were more responsive during active service windows. As a result, the overall client satisfaction score rose by 27% within the first quarter.
For the leadership team, switching to iPlum validated their decision to modernize communication.
The phone system improved accountability, saved money, and restored privacy.
Why it worked
The appliance installation fleet’s success with iPlum was mainly due to compatibility with the technician's workflow, timing, and design.
Here’s why it worked:
- iPlum brought privacy built into the company’s calls and texts.
- The system matched existing technicians' daily communication routines, making it easy to adopt.
- Managers gained complete visibility into communication. With secure cloud logs and a centralized dashboard, management could now easily track calls and messages, providing a 360° view of communication activity.
- iPlum allowed the company to reduce phone-related costs and increase the team’s productivity.
- Switching to iPlum made the service look more organized and trustworthy, which helped improve the customer experience.
In short, iPlum’s BYOD second line integrated naturally with the company’s operations, making the impact measurable and lasting.
iPlum—The Best Second Line for Service Fleets
With iPlum’s BYOD 2nd Line, service fleets can give their technicians a dedicated business number that separates work from personal communication.
The iPlum number also allows your business to maintain client privacy and professionalism.
An iPlum line replaces fragmented personal communication with a structured system that protects your workforce and customers.
