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Saturday, February 4th
Grasshopper is a virtual business phone system that piggybacks off your current mobile service. You can get all of your business calls (and everything associated with a business phone number, like texts, inbound faxes and more) routed to your existing cell phone - but with a separate phone number. Choose from standard local, vanity, or toll-free numbers, or port any current business phone number you have to the Grasshopper service.
Take advantage of a one-week free trial
We think it's a good idea to use Grasshopper's 7-day free trial before committing to a plan. With this trial, you'll get one phone number and three extensions, 100 Business Talk minutes, 100 Business Texts, and all of the features you'd get with the full version of the service. And, even if you decide to continue on as a Grasshopper customer, consider paying monthly for a while before switching to an annual plan - just to be sure that the business phone system works well for you in the long run.
Business Phone System Costs
3 plans to choose from
How much does a Grasshopper plan cost? There are three to choose from: Solo, Partner, and Small Business. The Solo plan is, as the name suggests, for a single phone number with three extensions. They call it "perfect for the entrepreneur with a side gig" and it's $29/month. If you've got a growing business with up to three employees, the Partner package has three phone numbers and six extensions, priced at $49/month. Finally, if you need five phone numbers and unlimited extensions, the Small Business tier is for you; it'll cost you $89/month. All three plans are discounted 10% if you pay annually instead of monthly.
Add-ons for a fee
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you want add-ons like Call Blasting (ringing up to 15 of your lines simultaneously to reduce wait times), professionally-recorded greetings, US-based receptionists through Ruby, extra numbers or extensions, or international calling, those come with extra fees.
Not the only company in the portfolio
It's not necessarily easy to tell how well Grasshopper is doing reputation-wise. The parent company is LogMeIn, Inc., which also happens to own the LastPass password management system and another one of the business phone system providers in our evaluation. Overall, the business earns an "A+" and accreditation from the BBB, but that doesn't really tell you much about Grasshopper specifically.
Some customers love the system...
Customer feedback for Grasshopper is just average. Some business owners enthusiastically recommend the provider for its easy-to-use phone systems, especially being able to keep their personal mobile phone and get business calls routed there - with clear identification that it's a customer and not a personal contact. It's encouraging to find reviews from clients who have used Grasshopper for several years and still rely on it to keep them connected with their team and their incoming calls.
...while others have voiced complaints
On the other hand, we also found more than a few complaints. Some described issues going unresolved with Grasshopper's customer service team: big ones like mysteriously losing ownership of their business phone number or calls not going through on any of the phone lines or extensions. Plus, for users whose businesses grew in leaps and bounds, the Grasshopper system couldn't keep up and they had to switch to a new provider (often one of those featured in our evaluation).
Not the best, not the worst
In general, Grasshopper is what it claims to be: an entry-level business phone system that's ideal for startups, sole proprietors, or other small companies. It doesn't offer the most value, and you'll need a different provider if you want advanced features like integrations or video conferencing. However, it's not the worst way to get a separate business phone number without having to change anything about your current, personal mobile service.
To answer that question, you first need to decide what exactly you need your system to accomplish. Is it just the basics, like having a separate number for business calls and being able to route them to different employees? Or are you looking for something fully-featured, with the ability to handle video conferencing and file sharing, integrate with apps you're already using, and extend your reach globally?
No matter what type of phone system your business needs, you've got options! Even if you're a solo entrepreneur, there's a provider for you. If you're wondering whether it's going to be a huge investment to set up your business phones, that depends on how you look at it.
Gone are the days of having to buy equipment and install landlines: most business phone systems today rely on mobile phones and can often use what you already have, minimizing hardware expenses like never before. That doesn't mean it's going to be cheap, though: expect monthly costs ranging anywhere from $12 to over $100 per user, depending on the features you require and which provider you choose.
However, that doesn't mean you'll end up spending more money. Those costs can quickly be offset by increased productivity, getting more customers because of faster response times, and all-in-one packaging that eliminates the need for multiple vendor contracts.
There are a lot of business phone system services out there, and it can be a little daunting narrowing down the possibilities. Want some help? Keep these four Cs in mind as you look for the one that will be the best fit for your company:
To help you get the right phone system for your business, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the top providers on the market today. We're confident that this information will help you easily sort through the options and find the perfect match for your company!
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