GrandCentral for easy (and fun) phone management

GrandCentral takes all of your individual phone numbers, and provides you with a single new number, which forwards to all of your existing phones.

I’ll leave the in-depth overview of each feature to the GrandCentral site. They’ve done a great job of organizing the multitudes of fun things you can do. Rather than repeat it word-for-word, I’ll focus on the real-world, practical side of GrandCentral.

• Is this useful for everyone?
• Is there really a need for this?

The benefits

• Consolidated phone management.
• Ability to download and archive voice messages.
• Privacy and security.
• Hoards of unique features such as CallSwitch, personalized voice greetings, call recording, block callers, and more.
• It’s currently free (still invite only), with no ads on the site.

The drawbacks

• Having to publicize a new phone number.
• Limited availability in certain U.S. states.
• Does not work with text messages.

Overview

The premise of GrandCentral is that you’ll never have to publicize a new phone number again - whether it be work, cell, home, temporary, etc. You’ll have one number for life. However, when you first start using GrandCentral, you’ll have to get a new number. But after that, you’re (supposedly) in the clear.

Every phone number in your life gets forwarded to a single GrandCentral number, which looks just like a local phone number (depending on the availability in your area). So you’re not only consolidating all of your phone numbers into one, you are also gaining a sense of privacy and security - by not having to give out your real number.

When someone calls your GrandCentral number, all of your real phones will ring simultaneously, and you can pick up whichever phone you’re closest to - work, cell, home, etc. Switch jobs? Just update your GrandCentral account with the new number, and your contacts don’t have to update anything.

Harnessing the power of the web, your GrandCentral account is accessible online, where you can manage contacts, download voicemails, and set up your phone numbers and customizations. Think of the online management panel as a much more usable interface than your cell phone’s “Preferences” section. Ever get lost inside cell phone menus? The navigation is somewhat cumbersome on such a small device. Being able to manage your preferences and settings on a web page is a breath of fresh air.

Is it useful for everyone?

GrandCentral is useful for anyone willing to experiment with some truly groundbreaking telephone features, such as CallSwitch, personalized voice greetings, call recording, and much more. And having a single consolidated phone number speaks for itself.

Also, the ability to access digital downloads of your voice messages is appealing to those that like to preserve such correspondence.

Trouble is, most people won’t be able to re-publicize their work phone number. Depending on company policies, your work phone number is whatever IT gives you. It’d be ideal to have your work phone calls forwarded to your cell or home, during days away from the office. Or…. maybe not. Some like to keep work at work.

Another drawback is that your new GrandCentral number will not receive text messages. It’s just a call-forwarding number. By providing contacts with your new GrandCentral phone number, you prohibit them from sending you text messages, unless they preserve both your old number and your new number.

Also, I imagine the lack of availability in some states will be resolved in the future.

Is there really a need for this?

There is only a need for this if you find telephone management to be a hassle. The only truly useful feature of GrandCentral is the consolidation of phone numbers. The rest of the features are just toys. (However amazing and addicting, they’re not entirely necessary.)

Many people won’t want to be reached at all times, and some will find locking themselves into a GrandCentral phone number a bit constricting. (Although it says “for life”, what’s the guarantee that the site will remain active forever?)

Still, the amount of fun things you can do definitely makes GrandCentral worth a look:

• Switch phones during calls. (Leaving the building and the connection to a land line? Switch the current call to your cell, and hit the road!)
• Personalized voice greetings. (Your voice message greeting can be fun or professional, depending on who’s calling.)
• Ring different phones. (Depending on who’s calling, you may want it sent to your cell. Or if it’s not urgent, it could just go to home.)
• Screen callers. (Much like a “collect call,” you decide if you want to accept the connection.)
• “Live” voicemail. (Listen to a voice message as it’s being recorded, like a home phone. Is it important? Interrupt their message and talk to them right away.)
• Record calls. (At any time during a phone conversation, hit a button and the conversation starts recording. The recording can then be archived and downloaded.)
• Phone spam. (Telemarketers bugging you? Mark it as spam, and next time they call, they get a “phone disconnected” message.)
• Web call. (Provide an immediate way for web users to call you, without revealing your number. Perfect for eBay auctions or business sites.)