Ever had one of those days where your phone was ringing so often that, out of frustration, you picked it up and answered "Grand Central! How may I direct your call?" The not so polite greeting is a reference to the busy Grand Central Terminal in New York City, where trains and people are constantly coming and going day and night.
Today, Grand Central and your telephone take on a whole new meaning. GrandCentral is a relatively new service, recently acquired by Google, that intends to revolutionize the way you use your phone.
How would you like to have one phone number that rings multiple phones? What if you could choose which phones rang based on who was calling? Or, how about having the ability to automatically direct certain callers straight to voicemail - or block them all together? What if you could transfer a call from your cellphone to your home phone, or vice versa, without having to hangup?
Best of all, what if you could do all of this and more - for FREE?!?!
Well, you can. All you have to do is sign up of a local phone number at GrandCentral and start using the service. The possibilities are endless!
So, visit the site and sign up for a number if you are interested. While you are there, check out the link to Project C.A.R.E. and see how GrandCentral is helping the homeless population in San Francisco.
For 50% of your blog grade this week, leave a comment here listing a way the GrandCentral service could be used to aid a group of people or organization in our local community. And, to get you more involved in the blogging process (and to force you to read your classmate's blogs like you are supposed to) 25% of your blog grade this week will be dependent upon you posting a comment on a classmate's blog.
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7 comments:
I played around with GC for a while and signed up for my own number. Man, that thing is slick, I can't believe the options you have available to you, and how quickly it works. Forcing you to record a name/greeting before being having the call connected is pure genius.
I can see this as a great benefit to people who volunteer in non-profit work, like for Heart Walk or such. Many different users can share a single number and account, and all be able to manage incoming calls and voicemails without swapping phone numbers with their rotation. It would seem most beneficial to those organizations that don't have a central office to collect calls.
I think this may be a good benefit for military families to get in touch with family and friends that are serving our country or maybe just for the average American to say thank you.
I played with GrandCentral some as well, and it is nice. Lately my house has been getting those dreaded collection calls that annoy you at what used to be the best times of the day. However, GC has been able to reduce the annoyance of these callers. I even answered one and used the "Thank you for calling Grand Central" saying only to get a confused voice in an accent I know not to be American. Pure genius.
GC can be used in a lot of ways, especially in what dave said about companies without a central office. You could have a central number that rings multiple employee phones so when someone dials the main number there are any number of people available to answer, ensuring customer service. Organizing events benefit this way because when members call to set up an appointment or get a start time the number rings multiple organizers, in case one is in the shower or taking a nap.
What do I think about GrandCentral? It is a good opportunity for people that do not own a personal phone. As I see GrandCentral provides you with your own phone number and voice mail box. It allows you to check your messages at any phone or locations. Project CARE is a good program because it helps people find a way to get back on their feet and it provides you with a number where you can be contacted. GrandCentrtal offers a lot of features, but I’m not interested. If you know someone that’s in need of a phone number or needs help in general, inform them about GrandCentral and the Project CARE Program because it may be a big help to them. Personally I feel that GrandCentral is a big help to everyone; depending on the situation.
I like Grand Central; I think it is a great service especially for those who are less fortunate than others. Grand Central could benefit Edgecombe County by providing free phone services to single parents and to people that are homeless. This could help relieve them from the expense of paying a phone bill. This could help many people that are struggling to make a decent living in this world. I think that Project C.A.R.E is a good start for helping others who are struggling or less fortunate. I have not sign up for Grand Central yet, but I plan to one day.
As I was playing around with GrandCentral my mind went back to the guy I knew that was staying at the homeless shelter who was looking for a job. He had just gone through a divorce and had to start over. GrandCentral would have given him a way to keep in touch with his family and friends. Months went by and no one knew where he was. With GrandCentral he could have had a phone to keep or get in contact with his family and the jobs he had applyed for.
I think GrandCentral would benefit many local organizations in our community. One example is my workplace. During rush we get calls from telemarketers, people interested in jobs, and the companies secretary wanting us to fax something, and it can get annoying because we also take call in orders. I think we would be more organized if we could set up another phone to take calls not associated with ordering food.
I think the Project CARE program is a really helpful service for people who need a little help getting a phone. I hope Project CARE will be able to further the service to other communities throughout the nation.
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