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Monday, July 7th
Grasshopper is a company that offers a virtual phone system with features like calls, texts, custom greetings, extensions, and inbound faxes, serving as an extra phone number on your current personal device.
Take both business and personal calls
With Grasshopper, you can separate business and personal calls while using the same mobile phone. Whether you prefer a standard local, vanity, or toll-free number, or if you seek to transfer an existing business number, Grasshopper offers several different business phone system options. Established in 2003 by Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser, Grasshopper is presently owned by GoTo (another service you'll find reviewed separately here). The company's focus is on affordability and assisting small businesses to operate more professionally by safeguarding their private contact information.
7-day free trial
When you first land on the Grasshopper website, it feels a bit more cluttered than some of its competitors. There are pop-up ads and the dark background with white text makes everything feel a bit jumbled. You can either do your research by scrolling through the main page or jump right to the "Plans” page via the top navigation bar. While there is a free trial, it's not immediately apparent. You do have to scroll down a little before you'll find the "start free trial” button. To start your free trial, you don't need to put in a credit card or make any commitment which is a bonus, but the trial period is only 7 days, which is shorter than many competitors. During this period, you gain access to one phone number, three extensions, 100 Business Talk minutes, 100 Business Texts, and an array of features available in the full version of the service.
Three plans for individuals and businesses
There are three plans to choose from at Grasshopper.
Business provides unlimited extensions as well
All three Grasshopper plans come with core features like 24/7 support, unlimited business texting (registration required), and local and toll-free number registration. You'll also have access to mobile and desktop apps, call forwarding, VoIP and WiFi calling, virtual fax, voicemail, and other useful features to streamline your communication needs.
Prices from $15 to $70 per month
Pricing is listed directly on the website and is easy to access. You can also compare the pricing and features of each plan side by side to help you determine the best fit for your business. The True Solo plan costs just $15 per month, Solo Plus is $25 per month, and Small Business costs $55 per month. These are all based on annual commitments. If you prefer to pay month-to-month, the prices change to $18 per month for True Solo, $32 per month for Solo Plus, and $70 per month for Small Business.
Solid reviews from tech bloggers
Grasshopper operates under the umbrella of GoTo, Inc. which holds an "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. However, specific feedback about Grasshopper remains somewhat elusive. There aren't many customer reviews for Grasshopper, with most of the reviews for the company coming from tech magazines and blogs. From those reviews, we found that Grasshopper has an average rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. Some customer reviews for Grasshopper show praise for the platform's user-friendly interface and call routing, while others have faced challenges with customer service and found that Grasshopper wasn't ideal if their businesses started to expand. On the other hand, startups and small businesses were generally very happy with the results from Grasshopper.
Best for small businesses
Overall, Grasshopper fulfills its promise as an entry-level business phone system suitable for startups and sole proprietors. While it may not offer the most comprehensive feature set or scalability for larger corporations, it stands out as a convenient and user-friendly solution for small business owners and startups. For this reason, it earns a solid rating in our review and praise for being the top option for a sole proprietor or small business looking for a phone system with decent features.
Deciding on the right business phone system for your company can take a lot of research. What do you want to accomplish with your new business phone system? Are you looking for a basic system that provides separate numbers for business calls and can route them to different employees? Or do you require a fully-featured system with capabilities for video conferencing, file sharing, app integration, and global reach?
Sometimes a small business only needs a few features whereas a larger corporation might not be able to function without those extra integrations. Understanding your specific requirements and how you intend to grow as a business is crucial before diving into the world of business phone systems.
Regardless of your business size, there are plenty of ways to serve your company with a new phone system. Even solo entrepreneurs can find suitable providers with features meant to help out a single business owner specifically.
Some systems are as simple as adding an 800 number to your existing device, making it simple to separate your business from personal calls while still managing your life on one phone. Other systems are primed for large, even international, businesses that need to field hundreds of calls, record videos, or send out automated texts.
While a business phone system might have been an expensive venture before, the landscape has evolved from the days of purchasing equipment and installing landlines. Nowadays, most business phone systems rely on mobile phones and offer totally online or cloud-based calling systems. Companies can use existing hardware and minimize upfront costs significantly. However, monthly expenses can still range from $12 to over $100 per user, depending on features and provider choices.
Despite potential initial costs, investing in a business phone system can yield some serious benefits. Enhanced productivity, quicker response times, and better data collection can be essential to your business and its future growth. Make sure to weigh the long-term advantages against the upfront costs when considering a business phone system for your company.
When picking out your new business phone system, you might get overwhelmed by the many available options out there. Here are several factors to consider to help you find the perfect phone support for your business:
To help you pick out the best phone system for your business, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the top providers on the market. Our research aims to give you the tools and techie details to navigate through the options and find the perfect phone system match for your company. We hope this helps you confidently choose a business phone system that meets your operational needs and helps you get back to the most important thing: running your business!
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