Dec 08 2008
Need an extra phone number?
Ever wish you had an extra phone line or two? Well, maybe just an extra number would do the trick for you. Applying for a job and need a message phone number? Work-at-home entrepreneur who needs an office line? Don’t want to give out your cell number? Take a look at GrandCentral.com’s offerings. It’s a free service for controlling your voice mail messages and various phone lines.While it is set up to ring one or more of your phones at your command, it can also be used to send all calls directly to voice mail when you don’t want to be disturbed or when you don’t have that second line. You will need at least one working number to set up the service; however, once it’s set up, you can then give that number to potential employers or customers.Different outgoing messages can be recorded by you, all calls can be sent to voice mail and returned at your convenience. You can choose to be notified by cell phone or email when you get a message. You can check your voice mail messages online or via telephone. You can even forward your voice mail messages to another person.Have so many phone numbers you don’t know which one to give out because you don’t know where you’ll be? Of course it can also be used to ring one or more numbers depending upon caller or group. Want to have a number with an area code where your parents live for free long distance calling? The service has all of the features VOIP services offer and more. Their website lists all of the features. It will screen your calls, block individual callers and you can even report those SPAM callers.David Pogue, NY Times, has a two-page review of GrandCentral.com that says it all - or at least most of it. Of all the people I know using the service, I have heard no complaints. Everyone uses it a bit differently and for different purposes. It’s that versatile. And did I mention that should you be on a call at home, need to leave but still finish the call — with the press of a button you can seamlessly switch from your home line to your cell phone and just keep walking.At the moment you can ‘reserve’ a phone number and add your email address to the waiting list unless, like gMail, you know someone who can forward an invitation to you. It does not provide a phone line on which to make calls unless you have access to a working phone line somewhere. It will take messages for you without that phone line however.
