Recently grandcentral.com (one phone number for life – humm… may be like social security number? Hu?) is came out of beta. After less than a year in beta condition, this service (it’s free so far) getting known to users who is looking an alternative number for home, to control/filter incoming calls. This service allows you to select your phone area code of your choice, pick the phone number that will stick to you as long as you want regardless of your existing or any future phone carriers you use. (free local US phone number from 47 states) Then connect your existing (and future) phone number to your grandcentral.com number so that all of your phone number will ring when that (grandcentral.com number) is called.
1. It offers centralized voice mail, verity of music while caller wait for you to pick up, including different customizable tunes)
2. you will get an email with the voicemail attached as a WAV file.
3. Personalize your voicemail greetings by caller or group.
4. Record calls on the fly and access recordings online
5. Receive voicemail notifications via email or SMS
6. Let people call you from a web page without showing your number
7. One number that rings different phones based on who’s calling
8. And More …
Greandcentral is offering tons of features (you won’t get this much even if you want to pay to your existing phone company.) See all these features here: http://www.grandcentral.com/howitworks/
The best of my knowledge, it is working as advertised. However, some of the linkedin users expressed few concerns regarding GrandCentral free phone number service:
1) You can only get one number at this time
2) Since the service is free, you feel some insecurity about your future use of the number
3) SMS “Text” messages don’t work through GrandCentral, I can’t give it as my “only” number. I have to say: use XYZ number for sending me text messages, and ABC number for calling me.
4) No voice recognition for prompts, so it’s impossible to use while driving and/or using a Bluetooth headset.
As a side note, GrandCentral is also helping those (who can’t afford a phone service) in need stay connected by offering individuals a local phone number and voicemail box for life through project CARE initiative, GrandCentral is providing, free of charge, a local phone number and voicemail box to members of the homeless community in San Francisco and hoping to extend this program nationwide as they build out this service.
How you can get your (free) telephone number? Reserve it here
Extra info for small business owner:
If you are looking for similar high quality, functionality rich telephony/VOIP PBX system for your business, ring central is the answer for you. Read more here: RingCentral Small Business Phone Service
Extra reading:
1. Chan, Wesley. Official Google Blog: All aboard. Google.
2. Pogue, David. One Number That Will Ring All Your Phones, The New York Times.
via [Ringcentral blog and linkedin.com/answers, mymoneyblog and Top 10 Telephone Tricks]
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Grandcentral, VOIP, Grand central, phone service, vopi phone, Digital home, Creative innovation, Phone, HowTo, Voice Over IP (VOIP), DIY
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