There’s been a lot of talk about number porting the past two weeks with Google’s announcement that they will begin doing so for Google Voice users. This is exciting news for individuals using Google Voice and it’s great for us because it brings headlines to a feature that we often forget to talk about!

Most people know that Grasshopper has toll free and local numbers available to buy but they might not know we also have the ability to transfer numbers, also called number porting.

Why port your number?

For businesses that already have a phone number, it can be much easier to transfer it than to get a new one. You don’t have to change your contact info, create new marketing materials, print new business cards, modify your website, etc. Porting your number can save you time and money (two extremely valuable things).

Can I port toll free numbers?

You sure can. Port toll free numbers and the majority of local numbers (check here to see if you can port your local number). Plus, you have all rights to the number. Your phone number will always be yours, even if you decide to change providers.

How much does it cost?

Grasshopper charges a $30 one-time fee to port in your number. However, for those signed up on the Grow or Max plans, number porting is included.

Be sure to check out our FAQ page or Support section for more info on number porting.

Learn more about the differences between Grasshopper & Google Voice.

In today’s economy, it’s important to make your business seem like number one. That means as a small 1-5 person business, you need to look and sound as professional as the big guys. An 800 number can not only help you sound bigger but can also make life easier for everyone. Here are seven reasons your small business should have an 800 number:

1. An 800 number centralizes your business. Even if your employees are located in five different states, you still only need one number.

2. It’s easier for customers to remember your number, especially when you use vanity numbers (think 1-800-Flowers).

3. Customers are more likely to call an 800 number simply because it’s free!

4. You own your 800 number. Change businesses, locations, etc…the number is still yours.

5. They are easily transferable. Your business has grown tenfold and you need a bigger phone system but you don’t want to have to change your number. Good news, you don’t have to! Take it with you.

6. Every number comes with a flexible plan based on your need for minutes and features. Just want to reserve a number? For $9.95 a month you can get the number you want and hold onto it.

7. 800 numbers provide you with a variety of helpful features like call forwarding, voicemail, and unlimited extensions. As your business grows, so does your phone system.

An 800 number is a valuable asset and can give your small business the professional look and feel it needs. Have more questions? Check out our FAQ or call customer support 24/7at 1-800-820-8210.

If you are a small business owner and you don’t have the Grasshopper virtual phone system, there must be a good reason. If you are a small business owner and you don’t want the Grasshopper virtual phone system, well, it’s probably for one of these five reasons:

1. You don’t believe in toll free. Customers should pay to call you.

2. You enjoy getting business calls to your personal number. So does your wife/husband

3. You don’t think a phone system for $10 a month could possibly sound professional.

4. Your business isn’t going to grow so you won’t need more extensions.

5. You never leave the office so you don’t have to worry about missing an important call or message.

If any of these are true, then the Grasshopper virtual phone system is definitely not for you. If they aren’t, well maybe you should go find out more.

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All these costs (and others) are why veteran entrepreneurs advise going without an office early on. That said, some businesses objectively need things like a professional mailing address, a business phone system and meeting areas.

Virtual Receptionists & Assistants

Entrepreneurs frequently take on loaded schedules and find themselves shoving repetitive tasks to the back burner. Traditionally, the solution has been hiring assistants whose sole jobs are to complete those tasks. However, it is actually not necessary for an assistant to physically work beside you in an office. A growing number of entrepreneurs are hiring virtual assistants instead.

For about $15 per hour, a virtual assistant will complete from home a list of assigned tasks each day or week. If your company operates primarily over the web, virtual assistants become an even better deal. Since the bulk of their tasks will be web-based, the incremental benefit of managing them face to face is far less than the extra cost.

The same is true of virtual receptionists. Phone systems can re-route business calls to a virtual receptionist who is trained to process calls in a manner of your choosing. As far as callers are concerned, it is as though you have a real office with a receptionist sitting in the front lobby. Best of all, most virtual receptionist providers charge by how many minutes you need a receptionist for – a substantial savings over hiring someone full-time. Plus, you can scale up or down as circumstances dictate without any personal conflicts.

Virtual Answering Services & Call Centers

Let’s face it – nothing advertises the fact that you have a “real” company like an automated answering service. It’s an efficient way to process incoming calls, and any customer-facing business would be foolish to go without one. But you don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to have an elaborate phone system installed. Grasshopper, for example, sells virtual phone systems that enable businesses of any size to use a real, professional answering service that is 100% web-based. You choose a corporate phone number, record a main greeting, add departments and employees, and get your business calls instantly, from anywhere. Customers can leave voice mails, and the entire caller experience is indistinguishable from that of an in-house answering service.

Virtual call centers can also be seamlessly plugged into your company’s infrastructure in a way that is invisible to callers. Customers calling for tech support will dial a number provided by your company and be helped by a remote agent who, as far as the caller is concerned, is in your office and on your payroll. The only substantive difference will be a smaller hit to your company’s bottom line for call center services.

Professional Addresses & Meeting Space

New businesses work hard early on to project a professional image to the world. Of course, it’s hard for outsiders to take a business seriously if their mailing address is clearly a personal residence. It can also be a serious security risk. More cost-effective than opening an office, however, is to simply get a professional mailing address.

Various services will accept your incoming mail at a prestigious, official location and then forward it to you at home. You can even arrange for receptionists at the business address to sign for incoming overnights, deliveries or packages. Document drop-off and pick-up services are available, and some providers offer notaries.

Perhaps you need to hold meetings with customers or partners, but not often enough to justify having a permanent office. Luckily, physical meeting space can be purchased and used in the same on-demand fashion as the other services. Whether you need conference rooms for an hour, a day or a week, business space providers maintain facilities for use whenever your schedule dictates. You can also rent what is known as a “casual workspace”, which is office space available for occasional use whenever you feel the need to work away from home.

The Case For a Virtual Office

If cash is tight and a lack of office amenities is throttling your company, a virtual office is a viable alternative. In addition to the cost savings, consider the often gigantic amount of time that accompanies setting up some of these systems.

To get up and running with an assistant, a receptionist, a business phone system and a call center could realistically take months. Beyond that, the maintenance, upgrading and troubleshooting of this infrastructure would forever be your responsibility. In all likelihood, a new employee or two would be needed for exactly that purpose.

A virtual office, on the other hand, allows you to revel in the fact that you’re paying someone else to do those things and wash your hands of them entirely. And if you have ever run a real office, you know first-hand what a relief that is.

One of the things we talk a lot about is using Grasshopper to help your business sound more professional. Yes, it’s true, a virtual number with custom greetings, on-hold music and voice mail can help your business sound bigger and certainly more professional, but it can also be fun.

Having your own 800 number with unlimited extensions, voicemail greetings, custom music…imagine the possibilities!

Here are three fun ways you can use your virtual phone number:

• Joke of the Day

  What if you were put on hold, only to be told a joke? Being on hold wouldn’t be so bad would it? Knock knock jokes, kids jokes, puns, jokes about your industry or profession, etc. Just be sure to keep it tasteful.

• Dating Extension

  Single? What if you could know it was a personal call before you even picked up? Just like you can create dedicated extensions for specific clients, you can create dedicated extensions for love interests. No more awkwardness, no more wondering who is calling or what you are going to say. When the caller ID shows your dedicated extension, you can be ready.

  Can’t pick up the phone? Create a voice mail message just for that person (I don’t recommend this before date three as it might seem creepy).

• Meeting Planner

  Who needs a secretary when you have Question and Answer extensions? Set up a dedicated extension for meetings and stay efficient. Who is calling? What is the meeting about? What time and date?

  An MP3 of the call will be emailed to you (or with voice mail transcription, a script of the call) and all you have to do is call back and confirm the meeting. You can save time and never have to worry about being out of the office or missing a call.

There are many different ways to use your virtual phone number and there are probably people out there doing things we don’t even know about. How are you using your virtual number?