Is Google Voice Right for You?
2010 June 24
Do you have multiple phone numbers? Â You know – work, home, work cell, personal cell, etc? Â If so, then Google Voice can be the answer to your prayers. Â Head on over to www.google.com/voice and get yourself — yes — one more number and then forget the rest.
Google Voice is a virtual VOIP system. Â You can make calls from your computer (like Skype) and you can download the Google Voice app for Blackberry, Android and iPhone and make Google Voice calls from your mobile device.
Rather than adding one more “feature” article to the mix, I’m going to simply list some great round up articles that you can refer to and learn more about the technical details of Google Voice.
- Getting Started With Google Voice (technologizer.com)
- Top 10 Google Voice Hacks and Tips (taragana.com)
- How to start over with Google Voice? (scripting.com)
Here’s a little intro video as well
My Experience So Far
I’m not sure if Google Voice was a good choice for me. Â I actually only have one number. Â I use my mobile device as my primary phone for everything. Â What made Google Voice appealing was the heavy discount on international calls as well as the ability to convert my voice mail messages to text for free.
For the time being, I’m experimenting. Â It will be more than worth it if I can cut my cell bill by say 45%.
Interesting Features For Small Business
One benefit of having the Google Voice number is that you’ll have a transcribed record of all your voice mails as well as having the ability to sneak a listen at the voice mail as the caller is leaving it.
Another feature I’m excited about is the call recording feature. Â By simply pressing “4″ you can record a call at any time during the call. Â That’s a dream for me because I do so many interviews over the phone.
Make your customers, friends and family feel special when they call with a custom greeting. Â You simply select a group or individual from your contact list and record a greeting just for them. Â Then when they call you – they get to hear your customized message. Â Nice touch.
I’m still trying to determine if Google Voice is right for me. Â Are you using it? Â How has it improved your business or your life?
One Response
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…very good post, thank you for sharing.
Even if you’re using a single number (i.e. cell phone), it’s good to have an additional layer, particularly for business. At Office Divvy we have infrastructure in place for our members (i.e. virtual pbx and hosted small business phone systems).
Google phone will work for a freelancer, and solopreneur, and even for a small ‘shop’ but it cannot handle the needs of a growing business, i.e. more than 10 employees.
Ky Ekinci
Co-Founder
Office Divvy