Grasshopper

Makes managing a virtual team's phones sound like a fortune 500

Comments: When you call my Grasshopper number, it sounds like it's a fortune 500 company, but really Grasshopper is letting me use the same phone extension, but point it to any number I want. My virtual team can point their extensions to their cell phones. Traveling in Europe? No-one has to know! And getting my voicemail via email is a game-changer. The dashboard for managing everything is easy and intuitive. I can't tell you about customer service - because I've NEVER needed it. Doesn't that just say it all?

Pros:

Lots of great features, but especially being able to manage where and how phone numbers are forwarded - while the customer-facing experience remains seamless.

Cons:

It's tough to come up with something, especially now that they've added a phone app. I can't think of anything I don't like.

Very Basic; Room for Improvement

Pros:

Ultimately this system is very straightforward and easy to use. For a small business, it provides the basic functions I need. I needed a business line so I could keep my personal phone free of business and this served that purpose.

Cons:

One of my biggest frustrations is that it does not have a separate contacts function. The phone app requires syncing with my personal phone contacts which is exactly what I did NOT want. I wanted my business contacts completed separated from personal friends and family. Even the desktop app does not allow for that.

Better price, more feature options are out there

Comments: If you just need basic phone features, it's fine. If you business grows, you will soon find it too limiting. What disappoints me the most is, Grasshopper doesn't have a way to export or backup your text messages. The rep also claims they delete all of my text messages history immediately after I ported out my numbers. I only ported 2 of my 3 numbers out 5 days ago and i can no longer find the text message history. From the software design stand point, there is certainly no need to delete your customers text message history immediately after they ported their numbers. Also text messages take up negligible amount of storage space. It just doesn't make sense.

Pros:

The price is affordable and it's easy to discover this company because their ads are everywhere on google. Among the competitor ads, Grasshopper offers good value and covers all the basic features. But there are other better value system out there, but it will take a while for you to find them because they don't spend nearly as much advertising dollars.

Cons:

Grasshopper is definitely a company that puts quite a bit of money on marketing. You find their google ads when you search for VOIP phone solution. I wish they had put the money into feature development instead. I recently switched to TalkRoute because Grasshopper is missing: - Call recording - Multi-level greeting menu

Grasshopper is an Amazing Tool for Entrepreneurs

Comments: We've been using Grasshopper since 2013 and it's been a wonderful tool. You know your software is great when you don't actually spend any time thinking about it and it just works. Support is amazing, but I hardly ever have to use it because we never have any problems. We just opened up our third Grasshopper account for our consulting firm, and other manufacturing company. Our favorite things about Grasshopper is that there are only the flat costs, instead of per user costs. Our business works with many independent professionals, ( ie our dedicated IT person is also a small business owner) and we needed to be able to give people their own extensions so our customers could reach out to them directly, but still under the umbrella and safety of our business. Grasshopper makes it really easy to do that, keeping us professional and our customers satisfied. I would hate to have to pay for 13 extensions, when I really only need 7 users, but with other systems, for every email you add on, you have to pay for that user. You also only pay for what you use or your plan, so you don't have to break the bank. We don't take an excess amount of calls to our office, mostly email, so you only have to spend a little, you really get a lot. You can pay by the minute (which we choose to do based on our fluctuating call patterns) or you can buy a bulk minute plan, which is incredibly competitive in price. The call quality is absolutely amazing, because Grasshopper runs over traditional phone lines and not VOIP. This allows you as a business owner to run a cloud based system, but get all the benefits of landline quality. If you're a business of 1 and want to sound more professional, Grasshopper is the best way to do it. You can set up multiple extensions (press 1 for sales, 2 for support) even if they all forward to the same place. It's also perfect if you're like our business, where you require not a lot of talk time, but several departments and extensions to be able to suit your customer needs because of contractors on your team. I definitely recommend this to anyone who has large contractor teams that work on several projects together regularly and need to delegate some responsibility. Whether you're a solopreneur, a small business, or even a large business, Grasshopper allows you to take your business anywhere, any time, without problems. It's easy, affordable, and get's the job done well.

Pros:

Grasshopper gets it done right. It's incredibly affordable for letting your business have a professional line without breaking the bank and there's never a call quality issue. You can also choose a vanity number which is a huge bonus (100% of my recommendations to others for Grasshopper get a vanity number.) Biggest perks include: *No per user cost - only pay for what you use, or buy a larger plan if you talk a lot *Create a ton of extensions *Mobile App is really helpful - you can dial out using your vanity number *Voicemails delivered to your inbox or listed to them over the mobile app *Call screening (personal favorite, so I can truly decide if I want to take that call or not!) *Time Zone setup for users that are maybe on a different coast then you (we use this currently)

Cons:

Lack of integration with CRM. Other CRM tools often an auto dialer that allows you to associate calls with leads and so forth, and I think this would add a lot of value if it were added. Also, no local vanity numbers. Wish regulatory fees were a bit lower but can't do too much about that. Lastly, not really a con, but when you sign up, you need to call and ask them to upgrade you to the advanced user interface. There is no extra cost, but this is the you really need to make your life easier.

It really makes my small business operate so much more smoother. I can take calls remotely.

Comments: Professional image to my customers and those I serve. Transferring phone calls to anyone on my team at any time, or to any phone line I will be working at. Very cool.

Pros:

I like having a professional and high tech phone service, even though my company is very small. My partner and I work from separate home offices, yet we can be connected as if we were in the same office. It gives our small business a great professional image with customers.

Cons:

I wish there was an automated outgoing call service. Maybe they could add that in the future? Also, maybe there is a way and I'm not aware of it, but it would be nice if calls could roll over to the next extension, if the other one was busy.