VOIP etc > Voice Over IP - VOIP > VOIP Tech Chat > Can someone explain Grand Central?

Can someone explain Grand Central?

I'll try, although I'm a *VERY* new user myself.

GC provides you with a local incoming phone number at virtually any location in the country which you choose, gratis. It then allows you to manipulate that number in novel and unique ways, like to forward received phone calls to other numbers, even if they would otherwise be long distance.

If a person wishes to have a phone number forever, even if they physically move elsewhere, GC lets you keep the same number.

If you travel, you can have your calls follow you, and this configuration is done on a website after you log in.

Example: You live in San Diego, go visiting to New York. You forward your San Diego number to your Cell till you get to NY, then forward it to where you're staying. Or you have the phone ring in MULTIPLE locations/devices. There is also much more possible. See website for details.

Example2: I have local GC number, but change VoIP provider. I merely use GC number to forward calls to my ever-changing incoming VoIP provider. My callers never know I keep changing providers, as they keep calling the same number.

Perhaps other will elaborate for us as well.

Regards,

Valentin

reply to curiousNC
Another cool little feature I found with GC is the web call button. Basically you can put a button "Call me" on your web site, linked to your account. When someone clicks it, they will be prompted to enter their number, and GC will call both your number and theirs and connect your call.

I also like the web call button feature. If you don't have a web site you can just paste the link they give you for the web call button into an email, email it to all your friends, and when your friends click on the link in the email the same thing happens - a grand central web site will open in their browser asking for their phone number. When they enter in their phone number grand central will call them on that phone number and when they answer Grand Central will call you on your Grand Central number - connecting the two calls for FREE.

Based on your web call idea, one could include this "link" in their email signature at the bottom of each email. I have tried it but it really doesn't show as a link, more as web code and nothing happens when clicked? What am I doing wrong?

First, let's clarify E-mail. These days, email comes in two varieties. *REAL* email, and then webmail.

To use REAL email, you must have an email client installed on your computer, like Thunderbird, Outlook, Outlook Express, etc. These clients for real email have one advantage, among many others, of being capable of displaying HTML code natively.

Webmail, on the other hand, is a sorry substitute for the real thing, and only requires a web browser to connect and get your mail. MOST of the major providers of webmail prohibit the display of HTML code, first of all because of how lame and insecure Windows is, and because if HTML displays by default in the webmail, code nasties are propagated far too easily.

Therefore, if you include code on your email for webcalling, it might or MIGHT NOT display in the recipient's mail. If you KNOW FOR CERTAIN that your recipient uses real email, then no problem. If they use a webmail client, then odds are that they don't see what you think you sent. Webmail callback was really designed for WebPage use, but can be and is sometimes usable for email usage, subject to the above conditions.

Regards,
Valentin

Hmm, when I insert the code like: »embed.grandcentral.com/webcall/f···slkej876 into my yahoo email and send it to someone that uses yahoo it works. Obviously your link (the last part) will be different. You get the code when you set up a webcall button.

reply to curiousNC
I'm surprised that no one talked about the big advantage of GrandCentral, the control over voicemail.

Sure it rings multiple phones, but when it does, it announces the caller and asks what you want to do 1) Take the Call, 2) Send the Call to Voicemail, 3) "Listen-in" to the caller record voicemail, and decide if you want to pick up, as you would with an answering machine, or 4) Take the call and record it.

This is the annoying part for people who just want to use GC as a regular inbound line, with their own answering machine or voicemail. But that's not what GC is for, and having to punch a key guarantees that your cell won't pick up the call, and all VM will go to GC.

That voicemail, well, that's power. You can set up greetings for groups or individual numbers, route only certain calls to ring your phones at different times, even have a "number not in service" played. VMs come to your mailbox and are filed in the web interface, easy to manage.

Sure, GrandCentral rings multiple phones, but it gives lots of options about how to answer your phone, manage callers, and store voicemails.

And then there is the part with outbound calling, free during beta, which some people even use with their cellphone, either with a "circle" calling plan or by initiating calls through the web to a phone near them, or both.

I'm sure there is more, but Grand Central is a whole lot to get your arms around in one pass. Powerful service there.

I missed the GC application, have to in a long queue to waiting its re-open.

reply to curiousNC
The point of web call: your caller ID is your GC # not your cell phone #.

It is good to use GC as the central phonebook, in addition to using it as a central voice mailbox. You can import/export the phonebook as an Excel file.

Everyone, every family needs GC, period.

Invite?

reply to curiousNC

"Invite" - yeah, what's with that?

reply to minamelos

Re: Invite?

reply to curiousNC
good point mazilo.....only took me like a half-hour to stumble into the notice about the site being beta and all...can only imagine what it looks like once your logged in...

reply to fixup

Re: Can someone explain Grand Central?

reply to VZE

Re: Invite?

There's at least some possibility that this is an indicator that they're planning to open it up for anyone to sign-up directly--skip the need for invitations altogether.

When I first heard of GrandCentral, it was open to anyone to subscribe. It *had* been private Beta, and by invitation only.

Then I stumbled upon posts here which indicated that it was freely open. Sure enough, I subbed and got a couple of local numbers. It has since closed again.

Never fear....with Google's capital behind the operation now, it will open again with a TidalWave of a splash!

Patience, young grasshopper....

Regards,

--
Valentin

reply to curiousNC

Re: Can someone explain Grand Central?

reply to Usenet1

Re: Invite?