I recently wrote some comments about some new players in the unified communications space questioning where their value proposition is, and couching them in fairly negative terms. I was part of the fuel to a larger discussion about bloggers and our opinions that, frankly, I stepped back from because that sort of metablogging (blogging about bloggers) doesn't interest me at all. I've been blogging for over 6 years and most of those conversations aren't productive in the long run.

What I am interested in is the companies that are making strides, shaking things up, and delivering on the promise of Voice 2.0. And while I haven't yet found the value proposition for me personally, one company that's gotten a lot of positive attention is GrandCentral.

They were one of the companies I haven't been terribly keen on so far. And I'm not ready to change that opinion just yet, but I've openly acknowledged that I could well just be outside the target demographic, which could be why I struggle with the real value.

But I also want to give props to GrandCentral for the way they engage. Vincent Paquet, one of the founders, came straight ahead in comments here and said

Ken,
This is exactly why we started GrandCentral: we had too many phone numbers and too many voicemails. We just wanted the simplicity of one number, one voicemail and the control of who can reach me where and when. GrandCentral does just that. It does not replace any of your existing services, it makes them work as one for you. When someone calls your GrandCentral #, it rings all the numbers you want sinultaneously, based on who's calling. And if you cannot take the call, it goes into ONE voicemail box, which you can access either from your phones or from the web. Those messages get saved for life and you can download them, forward them or add notes to them.
Try it, it's free and feel free to give me some feedback
Vincent (GrandCentral)

I was already signed up for the free trial when Vincent left his note, but the fact that he quickly jumped in to talk about my concerns opened my mind to taking another look. I'm slow at doing that because things are hectic, but I'm committed to giving GrandCentral a good fair shakedown because of their demonstrated commitment to their solution. Whether it works for me or not, I appreciate commitment and passion, which too many solutions providers don't show for their own products.

I'll also be meeting Craig Walker, another founder, at one of the events held in conjunction with the ITExpo next week. I wouldn't be surprised if Craig asks me if I've taken another look or helps me understand what it is I've been missing.

I can't say I'm coming out as a huge fan of the solution. Not yet. Time will tell. For many, many solutions and products (and I mean MANY) don't get past what I think of as the "blink test." Some make it farther. When I look at new applications, here's what my own personal process is:

1. I start with the ":blink test" and see if it even seems worth looking at. There are plenty of solutions that don't pass this test.
2. Next I'll install or configure the software/solution. If this goes badly, I may leave it sit, or may just trash things at that point. Or it might sit in hold for a while. This is where GrandCentral sat.
3. I'll do a one-two week test. I try to give applications a good fair shake, so if I can't or don't use it enough to really shake through everything, I may let this run longer, but never more than 30 days.
4. At this point, I quit using the progam and see what happens. If I can't live without it, it becomes something I go pay for and use. But if I don't miss it for a week, it gets deleted. And I rarely go back and look at anything a second time, or a later release if this happens. These products are jsut deemed "not for me."

As for the whole bloggers opinions, well I'm pretty vocal about mine, good or bad. SightSpeed made me an evangelist because I like their stuff and the way they run their business that well. On the flip side, if I think something just sucks, I'll say that. And document why. And if it's just not for me, I'm pretty open about who I think it is for and where it might fit. But in the end, you have to judge what works for you.

I'm sure I'll ahve more to say about GrandCentral after I shake it a bit.Tags: GrandCentral