The Benefits of Virtual Phone Systems like Grasshopper
The Benefits of a Virtual Phone System
Having a virtual toll free and/or local business number can mean not needing a separate phone line for your business and/or fax, not using your cell phone for your business and not missing any calls. Not only can you save money, your callers never get a busy signal.
Having a toll-free number for your home business is a conversion optimization tip - prospects may be more willing to call you and a toll-free number can add credibility to your business.
If your home business is out in the boondocks you can give it a big city presence by selecting a local number with that city’s area code. If you choose both a local and a toll-free number, callers can reach you at either number. Your toll-free minutes apply when the toll-free number is used and your local number is charged according to the fee structure for your virtual local number. Your callers never get a busy signal.
Your phone system travels with you - wherever you may go just by updating a few settings in the control panel or over the phone. You can even have your calls routed internationally, provided you have submitted a credit card authorization form.
Specific Grasshopper Observations
- Low cost, potential savings.
- Fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it, with a good help system and manual.
- The system seemed reliable and worked very well. Calls were routed instantly.
- The system can easily be expanded as your home business grows. Most upgrades can be handled right through the online dashboard.
- Professional voice scripting is available.
The Disadvantages of Virtual Phone Systems and Grasshopper
Disadvantages of a Virtual Phone System
I can't think of any disadvantages to a virtual phone system for home business. The potential benefits for a home business would seem to far outweigh any minor inconveniences.
Specific Grasshopper Observations
I observed only a few drawbacks with Grasshopper, but they were minor and most are due to the fact that there are just so many things you can do that accessing and configuring all of the features and options can seem a bit overwhelming at first.
- I started getting a bit frustrated recording my outgoing messages, but in time I got the hang of it.
- I had one bad connection when I called in for messages, but I can't be certain if the problem was with the system or if I just had a bad connection.
- In general, I found calling the system to change settings or get messages to be inconvenient and clumsy with all of the codes that have to be entered. I think that's probably because you have so many options when you call in - maybe too many. I recommend using the online dashboard whenever possible.
- I didn’t realize at first that a caller must select an extension when they call your toll-free number – even if it’s just 0. If they don’t make a selection after a certain amount of time the call will be disconnected.
- I thought setting up the business hours was a bit more effort than it needed to be. Instead of making a separate selection for open and close times for each day of the week, I would have liked to see a Monday through Friday option that would default the open and close settings to be the same for each day of the work week.
Toll Free Phone Number and Voice Mail with Grasshopper - Conclusion
Virtual phone systems can be a great tool for a home business. Not only can they give your business professional credibility, they can allow you to get your calls wherever you might happen to be so that you'll never miss a call and your callers won't get a busy signal when they call you. Not having to publish your home telephone number is an important consideration, plus you may even be able to save money by not having to install additional phone and/or fax lines or use expensive cell phone minutes.
The system was a bit awkward to set up at first, largely due to its robust feature set. The fact that you can have both a virtual toll-free phone number and a virtual local business telephone number could be important, especially for home businesses that have both long distance and local clientele.
As your business grows, so can your phone system, including features like Dial by Name Directory, Virtual Marketing Extensions, PBX Connect and more. You can even add Fax on Demand and customers can call in and have stored documents faxed to them.
If you try the system and find you don't like it within 30 days, you'll get your money back, except for any minutes charges you've incurred. There are no contracts to sign and no long-term agreements - you can cancel at any time. Upgrades are plentiful and easy to add. And, with the ability to follow you around the globe, you'll never be out of touch with your business.
My experience with the GotVMail (now Grasshopper) system was very positive - that's why I give it 4 1/2 stars. The system is reliable, convenient, and reasonably priced.