Grasshopper, a Cloud Based Phone System For Your Small Business

If you're a small business owner, you know the importance of communicating effectively with your customers and prospective clientele. To maintain this type of constant and reassuring connection, you must make it pleasant, easy, and helpful to speak with your business. That's why so many entrepreneurs these days make use of various types of communicative channels, such as email, chat messaging, text messaging, and telephone lines. Grasshopper, among other features, provides...

Custom toll free number selection

A custom recorded customer greeting

Unlimited extensions and navigation menus

Greeting scheduling On-hold music

And more convincing amenities

Finding the right telephone service for your business is imperative. For one, it is provides your company's brand a professional front to handle clients. Grasshopper, a telephone service specifically designed for small businesses, supplies an array of services that bring this professionalism to the next step.

Pick a number, any number!

• The first thing they let you do is select a toll free number (something along the lines of 1-888 or 1-800) or a local number to come off as more regional. You can choose either, depending on your particular circumstances.

Introduce yourself with a custom recorded greeting message

• Once you've got the number set up, you can record your own greeting message that you would hear upon calling small business location. This greeting will allow your caller to choose a department or extension, giving them an interactive menu that facilitates their process. For example, you can say in your greeting "Press 1 for sales, Press 2 for customer support...etc.," and have the menu truly function. The phone call can be forwarded to any other telephone, so you can receive important messages from your cellular at any time.

Unlimited extensions and recorded menus

• What makes Grasshopper the right solution for your business phone service? There is an overwhelming supply of easy-to-use features dedicated precisely to the small business. Be it the main greeting, informational/Q&A/forwarding extensions, the on-hold music, or the voice studio for obtaining professional messages, this service knows exactly what a small business needs and delivers on all cylinders.

Automatically set a greeting schedule

• The whole idea is focused on creating a more professional image for your company and allowing your clients and prospective clients an easy-to-navigate phone line complete with information and function. For instance, say your office closes at 5 PM and you'd like to enjoy the rest of your day free of work bothers. You can set your Grasshopper number to automatically switch messages at 5PM from something like "Thank you for calling, which department would you like to reach?" to something more along the lines of "Thank you for calling, we regret to inform you that our offices are presently closed. To provide your email address, press 1, to request a call back, press 2, to leave a voicemail message, press 3." The opportunities are incredible; it's a must for any small business looking for a telecommunications solution.

Flexible Payment Options

• Grasshopper provides several payment options that appeal to a variety of different budgets and growth plans. Their "Pay as you Grow" plan is only $9.95 monthly with $0.06 per minute fees. Their most popular option, the "Grow Plan," is $50 monthly and comes with 2 numbers, 2 ports, and 2,000 included minutes per month.

Regardless of your ultimate choice, this service is the perfect small business telephone service should you need one.

Raymond Jeffrey is a small business owner and enthusiast. To find out about additional tips and tools for your small business go to The Small Business Playbook.

By Raymond G Jeffrey