When we see a movie character pick up a phone and ask the operator for "KLondike 54321," we can let loose a small sigh at the nostalgic simplicity of the phone number lookup. Now, getting the assistance of an operator means a charge of a few dollars. Do you call the office number (office cell, cubicle or meeting room) or do you call a home number (home cell or home land line)? And what do you do with the ubiquitous Caller ID? Whose number is that on the display? Is it a local insurance salesman or Cousin Bob?

Fortunately, as technology has made life more complex, it has also done its part in simplifying.

1. Collections of phone numbers abound to help you find phone numbers quickly.

2. Reverse phone number searches accomplish what no amount of "finger walking" ever could.

3. Cell phone technology is a powerful phone number management tool.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Make that crucial call with phone number lookup

If you have access to the Internet, whether via computer, cell phone or PDA, you have a wealth of free phone number lookup services available. These records come from public documents like the databases behind drivers' license records and traditional paper phone books. Often, you can locate a phone number with only partial information about the person or company.

I recommend: PhoneNumber.com also has a simple interface for business and personal phone number lookup. GOOG-411, a recent innovation from Google, offers a free voice-activated company number lookup service that's perfect for use while driving. Besides being free, it lets you keep your hands on the steering wheel and your eyes on the road.

Discover who's calling with reverse phone numbers searches

Sometimes, an unknown phone number will appear on your Caller ID display. If you choose to not pick up, there's a cheaper way to investigate who called than calling *69 (automatic call-back). You can easily search home number databases by name or other information in the database, such as the number.

I recommend: AT&T Knowledge Ventures' AnyWho is a popular service by a well-known provider. If such a traditional service can't put a name to a phone number, you can try a community-supported service such as whocallsme.com.

Find difficult to locate cell phone numbers

Because of the unique way that cell phone carriers bill calls, locating someone's cell number or performing a reverse search is much more difficult. Cell phone numbers are more private than landline numbers.

I recommend: PhoneDirectorySearch.com helps you find cell phone numbers for a fee. Another, more expensive, option is Best People Search. Humans conduct this cell phone number search, which means the search may be more thorough.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Protect the privacy of your cell phone numbers. If a cell number lookup site asks for the number, don't enter it.