What is Grasshopper? [Sponsored Post]

The first time I heard about Grasshopper was years ago. It was probably well before I started this blog and even before I started Hearpreneur which eventually blossomed into CEO Blog Nation.

One of the reasons that I started to explore entrepreneurship and create the blog was to look at what it even meant to be a business owner or a CEO or an entrepreneur. It was then that I came across a Grasshopper commercial that was simply inspiring (see below). Little did I know that video would touch on what eventually became the foundation for CBNation which is to increase the business success rate by increasing the visibility of business owners and entrepreneurs (e.g. also resources Grasshopper and other CEO Hacks) and providing support for entrepreneurs and business owners (e.g. motivational videos and how-to resources)

Fast forward many years and I'm reminded of how strong branding is because I still remember that commercial and now I've been using Grasshopper for years. While I didn't immediately think of Grasshopper when I was launching my business, I do remember seeing the video more than 6 years ago.

However as I started to grow my business–Blue 16 Media–I was trying to determine how exactly, I wanted to set up my call routing system. I wanted to keep it professional but at the same time not have everything go directly to my cell phone. I also wanted the flexibility to be able to grow and expand if I chose to without having to be stuck to a phone line. It was the name Grasshopper that I ended up coming back to and as I started to leverage it, it also became one of my favorite CEO Hacks.

What is Grasshopper?

When I first saw the commercial, I wondered what Grasshopper was. It turns out it's a virtual phone system. There's many ways you can use it but essentially it allows you to have a professional phone number and even a 800 number (like I do). When someone calls, there's a professional greeting. Depending on what option the caller selects (and how you set it up), the call can be forwarded to a cell phone, landline, etc. You can also send an e-mail to certain people you want. Also, if you have the app on your phone, you can listen to voicemails or respond to text messages. I'm sure there's way more that I haven't even leveraged.

How I use Grasshopper?

I mentioned it above, but it really came in handy when I went on vacation. I used Grasshopper before but when I wanted to set up my numbers for certain people to get voicemails or get calls to answer, I was able to easily configure it using Grasshopper. Rather than forwarding to my cell phone, I was able to just set up my Grasshopper number to forward to the team members who would answer the calls. I also reminded all my clients and that number was already on my website, business cards, etc.

I've received compliments on how professional it sounds, and it is largely because everything isn't going directly to my phone and my Google Voice number. It also gives us the opportunity to grow and expand as an organization with a high degree of flexibility.

Other Hacks to Consider:

1. Acuity Scheduling – Acuity is a scheduling app that allows you to send a link and have another person schedule and book an appointment based on your availability. It has a tremendous about of integration with other tools that I feel I’ve just scratched the surface with and ultimately why I selected this platform. As their site says, “Acuity Scheduling is your online assistant, working 24/7 to fill your schedule.” (Read the post here)
2. Call Rail – Call tracking that helps clients to determine where exactly calls are coming from by using a specific number. (Read the post here)

Check Out the Inspirational Video

Inspirational video for Entrepreneurs by grasshopper from Pritzer Media on Vimeo.

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