Grasshopper is a virtual phone system designed to help independent entrepreneurs and small businesses create a professional image for callers at an affordable price. It includes unlimited calls and texts to numbers in the USA and Canada, call queue management, extensions, voicemail and many other communication services. Unlike other VoIP service providers, Grasshopper plans are not differentiated by the features available but rather by the phone numbers and extension numbers provided. Additional numbers can be purchased at a per number per month rate.
As with Grasshopper, business communication becomes easier with Google Voice. This cloud communication service provider can be easily integrated with other Google applications. It allows businesses to communicate within the organization as well as with vendors and customers through voice and video calls or text messages. Google Voice services are packaged in the form of 3 plans with monthly subscription rates. Each plan is inclusive of a range of communication and collaboration features. A subscriber can make and receive calls and access other Google Voice services through a smartphone app, web browser or supported deskphone.
The Grasshopper Solo plan is good for entrepreneurs. Priced at $28 per month, it is inclusive of 1 phone number with three extensions for unlimited users. Some of the features included are call forwarding, virtual voicemail, incoming call controls, reporting and custom greetings.
The Grasshopper Partner plan has the same features as the Solo plan but includes 3 local/ toll free numbers with different area codes and 6 extensions.
The Grasshopper Small Business plan offers even more call routing options with 5 phone numbers and unlimited extensions.
Grasshopper may seem expensive as compared to Google Voice.
A Google Voice Starter plan subscription can be used by a team of up to 10 users. The subscription fee is priced at $10 per user per month. It includes features such as call forwarding, voicemail transcription, Google app integration and more.
Paying $20 per user per month gives you access to the Google Voice Standard plan. There is no user limit for this plan. It includes all the features of the Starter plan as well as multi-level auto attendant, ring groups and ad-hoc call recording.
Businesses can pay $30 per user per month to subscribe to the Premier plan. This is inclusive of all Standard plan features as well as automatic call recording and advanced reports.
Grasshopper services can be used via a desktop application for Mac and Windows devices.
Businesses subscribing to a Google Voice or Grasshopper plan can access their subscriptions through a deskphone or web application.
Calls can be made and received through an app for Android and iOS devices.
Irrespective of the plan chosen, Grasshopper and Google Voice subscribers can make and receive calls through a free mobile app.
The Ruby virtual receptionist services are available as an add on pack.
Unlike Grasshopper, GoogleVoice does not have add-on packs for IVR, auto attendants or virtual receptionists.
Inbound calls to a Google Voice Standard or Premier pack account can be routed through a multi-level auto attendant. This is not included in the Starter plan.
Recorded greetings can be customized or a message can be uploaded to be voiced and recorded by a professional voice artist.
With a process similar to Grasshopper, call and voicemail greetings can be customized from the Google Voice app or web browser.
Step 1: Choose Voicemail greetings from the settings menu.
Step 2: Click on the record button. Start recording your message and click stop when the recording is complete.
With all of Grasshopper's plans, you can make sure calls are never missed. You can forward business calls to another number or to voicemail. Voicemail transcriptions can be sent to your email inbox for easy, on-the-go access. You can also keep track of all calls with detailed call metrics like call type, average call length, voicemails, etc. While live calls cannot be monitored or recorded, any agent can forward a call to another agent or a supervisor.
Grasshopper and GoogleVoice offer similar call monitoring features.
Subscribers can listen to voicemails or read voicemail transcriptions to prioritize responses. They can also transfer calls to other agents or supervisors for faster query resolution. Supervisors can also access reports on calls made and received by agents to assess team productivity.
The Google Voice Standard plan has an in-built eDiscovery feature. This helps them find specific conversations from their calls, text messages and voicemail records. The plan also includes ad-hoc call recording.
In addition to the Starter and Standard plan features, the Premier plan includes access to advanced call reports and automatic call recording.
Call recording is not included in the Grasshopper plans.
Though access is limited, GoogleVoice has more call recording capabilities as compared to Grasshopper.
Only businesses subscribing to the Google Voice Standard or Premier plan can record calls handled by their agents. Call recording is available on an ad-hoc basis in the Standard plan and is automated for Premier plan subscribers.
Calls to numbers in the USA and Canada except for Hawaii and Alaska are unlimited. Calls to other destinations are billed at a country-specific, per minute rate. For example, calls to Puerto Rico are billed at 10¢ while those to Grenada are billed at 95¢.
International calls are billed at similar rates for Grasshopper and GoogleVoice subscribers.
All Google Voice plans are inclusive of calls to other Google Voice accounts and numbers in the USA and Canada. International calls are billed according to usage at location specific per minute rates. For example, charges for calls to Australia range from $0.01 to $1.95 per minute.
You can create an account with your existing number or a new local/ toll free number on the Grasshopper website. Once you have created your account, you download applications for mobile and desktop devices to use the Grasshopper services. To set up a landline phone for outgoing Grasshopper calls, you will need to contact customer support to activate and register the calling card feature on your phone.
As for Grasshopper's account creation, business accounts can be set up on the Google Voice app or web browser. Services can then be accessed through a web browser or smartphone app. Standard and Premier plan subscribers can also use desk phones with Obi Edition firmware.
