Posted by Shane_OH on 1/28/08 10:16am
Msg #232806

Anyone use Google's Grand Central?

I think this is an absolutely fantastic idea.

Reply by Philip Johnson on 1/28/08 10:21am
Msg #232807

I do. I have a local # now in NC for my folks use.

I'm not going to use it for business however, for I have that fear that one day you wake up and it's gone. Then what do you do?

Reply by Shane_OH on 1/28/08 10:39am
Msg #232810

Re: I do. I have a local # now in NC for my folks use.

I've used it for a while now, I don't think it'll go away, but I think eventually it'll be a fee service. Depending on the fee, its way worth it.

Reply by Laura Vestanen on 1/28/08 10:54am
Msg #232814

Hi, Shane

I signed up for Grand Central last fall. I was initially excited and used it for a little while. But I didn't like that it sent voicemail messages to GC's system instead of my phone's system. (I like lights and sounds alerting me that I have messages.) When I wasn't home and had my cell phone off (in hospitals, etc), I had no way of knowing if someone left a message without dialing into my GC voicemail at least once an hour. That was a pain.

I'm launching a non-profit next month and wanted to use my GC phone number for it. But because GC is still in Beta, I don't know what the voicemail and forwarding fees will be. Each time I ask, they say "very reasonable." I've heard that before. I think $10-$15/mo is reasonable. They may think $89/mo is reasonable.

I agree with Philip about needing to pay attention regarding using a phone number that may not be around in a year or two. But I don't worry about that with GC. GC had been stable for several years before Google bought it.

But I don't want to tell the business world my Voip number. Thousands of people last year lost their phone number overnight when Sunrocket went under. That was pretty scary.

For the non-profit, I am going to get an 800 number with RingCentral. They have been around 9 years. RC is a bit pricey but I need to choose a company. I won't use my cell phone number because I'm moving to a new town in a few months and my cell phone company doesn't provide service there. Some Canadian companies serve the town (located just below the border) so porting my current cell number won't work. Plus having a cell number as my main business number is expensive. Almost all my clients come to me so I am at my office most of the time, not in the field.

These are just some things you might want to consider before switching completely to GC. I know a few people who went to GC and absolutely love it.

Good luck!
LauraV