How to Set Up Grasshopper for Your Ecommerce Store (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

In my experience, Grasshopper takes about an hour to set up properly, and most of that hour goes on five decisions: which plan you need, how calls are routed, what callers hear, where calls ring and what happens when nobody answers. Get those right and a buyer about to spend $4,000 hears a real business. Get them wrong and missed calls end up in your personal voicemail, where you will not see them for days.

This guide walks through the whole setup in the order I would do it for a high-ticket store, using the steps in Grasshopper’s own help center. I checked every step and setting against Grasshopper’s support articles and pricing page on 22 September 2026. I run Ecommerce Paradise and a store of my own, and in high-ticket the phone is often where the biggest orders close.

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Before You Start: What You Need

A plan. Decide between True Solo and Solo Plus before you sign up (more on that below).
Your mobile number. This is where Grasshopper will forward calls.
A greeting script. Write it before you record. I give you one below.
Your business details for texting. An EIN, a working website (or an established social page), an opt-in process, a privacy policy and SMS terms. Texting registration will not go through without them.
Your old account details, if you are porting a number. Account number, PIN and a recent bill from your current provider.

Step 1: Pick the Right Plan

This choice decides which of the later steps you can even do, so make it first.

Plan	Annual billing	Monthly	What it means for setup
True Solo	$14 a month	$18	1 user, 1 number, 1 extension, forwarding to 1 phone number, no call recording, no phone menu
Solo Plus	$25 a month	$32	Unlimited users, 1 number, 3 extensions, phone menu, call recording, up to 15 forwarding numbers per extension
Small Business	$55 a month	$70	Unlimited users, 4 numbers, unlimited extensions

For a store that sells on the phone, I would start on Solo Plus. The phone menu and call recording are the two features that make a small store sound established, and you cannot set up either on True Solo. Solo Plus also covers every person you add at no extra cost. Taxes, texting registration and extra numbers are on top, which I break down in my Grasshopper pricing guide.

Step 2: Choose a New Number or Port Your Existing One

You can pick a new local or toll-free number at signup. Local numbers feel regional, and toll-free numbers suit a store that sells nationally. Grasshopper says most numbers are active as soon as you check out, and toll-free vanity numbers can occasionally take up to 24 hours. Some premium area codes, including 800 numbers, are only available on a paid plan rather than the trial.

If you already have a business number on your website and supplier applications, keep it. Under US rules you can take your number with you when you switch providers, as the FCC’s guide to number porting explains. Grasshopper’s porting guide says you will need your account number, account PIN, a copy of your latest bill and an e-signed letter of authorization.

Do not cancel your old account while the port is running. Grasshopper’s own porting guide says most numbers finish in 1 to 2 business days, some take up to 7 to 10 business days, and toll-free numbers usually take 3 to 5. Cancel the old plan only once the port is complete.

Step 3: Run the Setup Assistant

Grasshopper has a Setup Assistant for customers who signed up after May 5, 2024. In the mobile app, go to Settings and then Setup Assistant. In the desktop app, choose Setup Assistant from the left-hand menu.

It walks you through users, call handling, extensions, greetings and call forwarding, then shows a review screen so you can go back and change anything. It is the fastest way to get a working setup. The steps below cover the same areas in more detail, using the admin portal, so you know what each setting actually does.

Install the mobile and desktop apps at this point too. The apps let you answer business calls, call out from your business number and read texts, voicemails and faxes in one place.

Step 4: Plan Your Extensions

Extensions decide how calls move around your account. Grasshopper uses a fixed numbering system:

Department extensions are single digits from 0 to 6.
Employee extensions are 3 digits starting with 7.
8 is the name directory.
9 repeats the main greeting.

To add one, sign in to the admin portal, select Extensions, then Add extension next to Department Extensions or Employee Extensions. Each extension gets its own voicemail box automatically. Grasshopper warns that adding an extension may increase your bill depending on your plan, and on Solo Plus the fourth extension and beyond cost $3 a month each on annual billing or $5 monthly.

For a high-ticket store, this simple layout works well on Solo Plus’s 3 included extensions:

Extension	Use	Rings
1	New orders and product questions	You, or your salesperson
2	Existing orders and delivery	Your VA or support person
3	Returns and warranty	Your VA, with you as backup

Put sales on 1. Buyers who are ready to spend money should never have to listen to four options first.

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Step 5: Record Your Main Greeting

Go to Settings and then Greetings in the admin portal. Select Change Greeting next to your main greeting, then Create new greeting. You have four ways to record it:

Voice Studio, where a professional voice actor records it for a one-time $75 fee for up to 250 words.
Record via phone, following the on-screen prompts.
Upload an audio file. Grasshopper accepts MP3, MP4 or M4A files up to 5 MB, which is about 2 minutes, with a file name of 24 characters or fewer.
Record on your computer using your microphone.

Once it is saved, choose what happens if the caller does not press anything: repeat the main greeting, which is the default, transfer to an extension, or end the call. I would transfer to extension 1, so a buyer who does not press anything still reaches a person. Grasshopper says a new greeting can take a few minutes to go live.

Here is a main greeting script that works for most stores:

“Thanks for calling [Store Name]. For new orders and product questions, press 1. For an order you have already placed, press 2. For returns and warranty, press 3. Or stay on the line and we will connect you.”

Keep it under 20 seconds. Every extra second is a second a buyer can hang up.

Step 6: Set Up Call Forwarding

This is the step most people get wrong, and it is the one that loses sales.

In the admin portal, select Extensions, then Edit next to the extension, then Add a forwarding number. Enter your mobile number. Never enter your Grasshopper number itself, because Grasshopper warns this creates a loop where calls never reach you. True Solo allows 1 forwarding number per extension, and the other plans allow up to 15.

Next, choose how Grasshopper handles the call. This setting matters more than any other:

Option	What happens	If you miss the call
Calls will be announced when you pick up	You hear which extension the call came in on	It moves to the next number or goes to your Grasshopper voicemail
Calls will connect to you as soon as you pick up	The call connects straight away	It goes to your personal phone’s voicemail
Callers will be asked for their name, then announced to you	The caller records their name first	It goes to your Grasshopper voicemail

New extensions default to “connect as soon as you pick up”, and that means a missed business call lands in your personal voicemail. I would switch every extension to “announced when you pick up”. You know it is a business call before you answer, and missed calls stay in Grasshopper, where voicemails are transcribed and can be emailed to you. Grasshopper recommends a ring time of 30 to 40 seconds with announcements, so the announcement has time to play.

If several people share an extension, open Options under the forwarding numbers and choose how they ring: in order just once, indefinitely until someone picks up, or simultaneously. For a sales line, ring everyone at once. You can also choose what callers hear while they wait: a transfer greeting with hold music, hold music on its own, or a ringing tone.

Step 7: Set Your Business Hours

Record an away greeting first, because Grasshopper plays it when you are closed. Then go to Settings and Greetings, select Change Greeting next to the Away Greeting, and under Options choose “Play when we are closed or on vacation”. Set your open hours, adding time slots if you choose a custom schedule, and select Save Options.

Callers who ring after hours hear the away greeting. They can still dial an extension, and they reach it if that extension’s hours differ from the account’s, or they can leave a voicemail. A good away greeting tells callers when you open and promises a callback the next business day.

Step 8: Register Your Number for Texting

Start this on day one, because it is the slowest part of the whole setup. Grasshopper requires carrier registration before you can send texts, and says registration can take a few weeks. You register your business as a brand and then register your texting campaigns in the admin portal. Grasshopper charges $19.50 one time, made up of $4.50 to register your company with The Campaign Registry and $15 for carriers to review how you will use texting, plus $1.50 a month.

Grasshopper’s checklist asks for these before you apply:

A business tax ID or EIN issued at least 40 days before you submit
A working business website, or an established social media page
An opt-in process, with opt-in wording on any website page that collects phone numbers
A public privacy policy, linked from the pages where you collect customer data
Terms and conditions for your texting program

If you have just formed your company, check the date on your EIN first. A brand-new EIN will need to wait before it qualifies. Toll-free numbers go through a separate verification process. Twilio’s A2P 10DLC documentation explains how the whole system works if you want the background.

Step 9: Turn On Instant Response

Once texting is registered, go to Settings and then Instant Response, and switch it on for your number. Instant Response sends an automatic text to people who call and do not reach you. Messages are limited to 160 characters. You can send it to first-time callers only, which is the default, or to all callers, in which case each caller gets it at most once a day.

Two limits to know. Grasshopper does not send the text to callers who leave a voicemail, or to callers who hang up before choosing an extension. So it catches the buyer who reaches an extension, gets no answer and hangs up without leaving a message, which is exactly the buyer you are most likely to lose. Setting the no-input option in Step 5 to transfer to extension 1 means more callers reach an extension. You need to be an admin to set up Instant Response.

A message that fits in 160 characters:

“Sorry we missed you! This is [Store Name]. Reply here with your question or a good time to call, and we’ll get back to you today.”

Step 10: Turn On Call Recording (Solo Plus and Up)

Go to Settings and then Features, and select Set-up Call Recording. Choose which extensions to record for inbound calls and for outbound calls. You can switch on an automatic announcement for inbound calls, which says “This call will be recorded for quality and training purposes” before the call connects.

Grasshopper is clear that recording consent laws are your responsibility. Some states require every party to agree, so use the inbound announcement and tell callers verbally on outbound calls.

Recordings live under Messages and Calls, then Call recordings, where you can also open and download transcripts. Grasshopper keeps recordings for 30 days and then deletes them automatically, so download any sales call you want to keep. Solo Plus and Small Business also add Call Summaries, which Grasshopper describes as “a quick recap of recorded calls with the key points from the conversation”, and AI sentiment for calls and voicemails.

Step 11: Test Everything From an Outside Phone

Grasshopper’s own setup guide suggests a test call from an outside phone, and I would not skip it. Borrow a phone that is not on your account and check:

The main greeting plays and every menu option reaches the right person.
Not pressing anything sends the caller where you expect.
A missed call goes to your Grasshopper voicemail, not your personal one.
The voicemail transcription arrives in your email.
An after-hours call hears the away greeting.
A caller who reaches an extension, gets no answer and leaves no voicemail receives the Instant Response text, once texting is registered.

Step 12: Put the Number Everywhere

Add the number to your site header, footer, contact page and product pages, and to your Google Business Profile. On high-ticket product pages, put it near the add to cart button with a short line like “Questions? Call us”. Buyers spending several thousand dollars often call just to check a real business is there.

Use the same number on supplier applications. Many brands will not approve a dealer account without a real business line. I explain what they look for in how to get a business phone number suppliers will accept. The rest of the outreach process is in my step-by-step supplier guide.

Common Setup Mistakes

Leaving forwarding on “connect as soon as you pick up”. Missed calls go to your personal voicemail, with your personal greeting. Switch to “announced when you pick up”.

Starting texting registration late. It can take weeks, and you cannot text customers until it is approved.

Burying sales in the menu. Put new orders on option 1.

Not downloading recordings. They are deleted after 30 days.

Cancelling your old provider before a port finishes. Grasshopper warns this may cause issues with the port. Wait for it to complete.

If You Ever Leave Grasshopper

It is worth knowing how the exit works before you commit. Your new provider runs the port, not Grasshopper. Only paid accounts with no outstanding balance can port out, and numbers on a free trial cannot. You request a Customer Service Record from Grasshopper Support, which can take up to 72 hours and includes the PIN if needed, and give it to your new provider.

Porting out does not cancel your Grasshopper account, so contact support to close it once the transfer is done. Your texting registration is removed automatically when the number ports out, so your new provider will need to register you again. If you are weighing other options, my Grasshopper alternatives guide compares them by the gap each one fixes.

Where This Fits in Your Store Setup

A phone line is one piece of a store that suppliers and buyers take seriously. Suppliers will also want a registered company and an EIN, which my business formation guide walks through, and you will need that EIN for texting registration anyway. If you are still picking what to sell, start with the high-ticket niches list.

And if the model is new to you, read what high-ticket dropshipping actually is. For the full verdict on Grasshopper itself, see my Grasshopper review.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to set up Grasshopper?
In my experience, about an hour for numbers, extensions, greetings, forwarding and business hours. Texting registration takes longer, and Grasshopper says it can take a few weeks.

Can I set up a phone menu on True Solo?
No. The phone menu, call recording and simultaneous call handling start on Solo Plus, which is $25 a month on annual billing or $32 monthly.

Why do my missed Grasshopper calls go to my personal voicemail?
Your extension is set to “Calls will connect to you as soon as you pick up”. Change it to “Calls will be announced when you pick up” or to the option that asks callers for their name, and missed calls will go to your Grasshopper voicemail.

Why isn’t Instant Response sending texts?
Check that your number’s texting registration is approved and that an admin switched it on. Also, Grasshopper does not send the text to callers who leave a voicemail or who hang up before choosing an extension.

How long does Grasshopper keep call recordings?
30 days. After that they are deleted automatically, so download anything you want to keep.

Can I keep my existing number?
Yes. You will need your account number, PIN, a recent bill and a signed letter of authorization. Keep your old account active until the port completes.

Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.