Although Google Voice is not on our list Best business VoIP phone service, This is an excellent and cost-effective solution, ideal for personal or company use, especially when you use other Google products.Our first choice for VoIP service is Next. However, this does not mean that it is right for you. Read on to learn more about how Google Voice works, and to see if it’s appropriate.
Why you should use Google Voice
Many people are playing with multiple mobile phones. Almost everyone has a mobile phone number for various purposes, but mainly for personal reasons.
Some people may have a second phone number dedicated to work-related communication.
Others may have landlines in their offices or homes.
A very small number of people may also have a fixed telephone number for personal calls at home. Balancing and switching between all these different numbers and phones is not the easiest way to manage multiple numbers.
Google Voice A new simplified method has been introduced.
With it, you can forward all numbers to a single number, allowing you to receive calls from all different phone numbers on the same device.
Google Voice is the favorite of small business owners and large companies.
It simplifies everyone’s phone calls and brings all content into one place.
You may think that the last thing you want to do is get other phone number.
However, the Google Voice phone number may be the last number you need. This telephone service is ideal for consolidating multiple communication channels into one place. And this is just one of its many additional features.
This is why you should stop carrying multiple phones and use this VoIP instead.
1. You can receive and make calls through Gmail
If you have a Gmail account, even if it is a free account, you can make free calls to the U.S. and Canada directly from your inbox. The problem is that every time you make a call, you will be assigned a random phone number that the recipient cannot recognize—and most people simply ignore calls from unknown numbers.
With Google Voice, you can solve the problem immediately. All your Gmail calls come from your Google Voice number, so the recipient knows who the caller is and is more likely to answer it.
To make the transaction more enjoyable, you can also receive calls in Gmail and Google Hangouts directly from your computer.
2. You get free unlimited texts
Free text messages are included in the Google Voice service. If you prefer to send text messages through your mobile phone, you can do it through the Google Voice app, without the need for a third-party unofficial app. You can also send text messages through the Google Voice website or the Google Voice Chrome extension.
One of the benefits of Google’s voice-to-text feature is that if you need to reset your phone or get a new phone, you won’t lose your text messages. You can search the text archive online to find any information you may need.
3. You can forward all incoming calls to one number
Your Google Voice number allows you to forward calls to other numbers. This will come in handy when you need to buy a new cell phone or change cell phone carrier. All you have to do is get a new mobile phone number and forward your Google Voice number to it, or forward it to your existing old phone number.
Google also gives you the option to transfer your existing phone number to Google Voice, so you don’t need to share your Google Voice number with everyone. Although this feature requires an additional charge, it may be worth it for you.
4. Your voice mail is transcribed
Google Voice not only comes with voice mail, but it goes a step further, using its advanced voice recognition technology to transcribe your voice mail into text. You can choose to read the text or listen to the voice mail. This is a great feature for people who need to determine whether voice mail is important enough to leave a meeting or for people who hate listening to voice mail.
5. You can listen to the voice mail when you are away
A clever feature of this phone service is that you can listen to voice mail when someone is away. Not only that, you can also decide to answer the call in your voicemail by simply pressing the star key.
6. You can set call forwarding rules
This service allows you to forward all numbers and calls to a single Google Voice number. However, this is not all. You can set specific rules for calls to determine which calls are made when and where.
For example, suppose you are playing golf today and do not want to be disturbed. You can set up rules to forward any call to your mobile phone to your office during the time you are playing golf.
If you need to make sure to receive calls, another option is to set the order of importance of the calls. This means that the person trying to contact you can call your Google Voice number, and you have set it to call your home number first, if you don’t answer at home, then call your work number, if you don’t answer at home, then Calling your mobile phone does not answer the other two. Or you can make all numbers ring at the same time, which is a great feature for small business owners or independent contractors.
7. You can record calls
Google Voice makes it easy to record calls and allows you to start and stop recording with the push of a button. You can easily access the recordings online at any time. This is an excellent feature for important meetings and interviews conducted over the phone. You can save and reference them when necessary.
8. You can easily switch phones
A unique feature of this service is that you can switch phones during a call. All you need to do is press the star key, and your other phones connected to Google Voice will ring, and you can answer any of them. You can literally answer where you left off, and it is very likely that the person on the other end of the call will never know of any changes.
How Google Voice Works
Thanks to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), all of the above functions can work normally. This technology allows you to use a broadband Internet connection instead of a telephone line to make calls.
What happens when you use a Google Voice number to make a call, it converts your voice into a digital signal transmitted over the Internet. With VoIP services such as Google Voice, you can make calls directly from your computer.
Just connect to the Internet to make any phone call via Google Voice.
What does Google Voice need
All you need to set up Google Voice is a valid Google account and a US or Canadian phone number (mobile or landline). This phone number is the phone number used by Google to verify your identity and as a forwarding number.
Price
When calling from the United States and used by one person, Google Voice is free for almost all U.S. and Canadian numbers.
However, if you want more features and more access, you need to look at different pricing options. The following are the functions and costs of the different plans.
free. This price plan does not charge any fees and allows one user to use it in a domestic location (US or Canada).
starter. This price plan costs $10 per user per month and allows you to support up to 10 users in 10 different domestic locations under one account.
You get:
- Free calls to the U.S. from any country
- Call Canada for free from any country
- U.S. Unlimited SMS
- Google Fi compatibility
- Voice mail transcription
- Google Calendar integration
- Google Meet integration
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
- Internet application
- 24/7 support
- Service Level Agreement
- Usage and activity reports
- Call forwarding
The Starter program is best suited for small businesses and entrepreneurs with no more than 10 employees.
standard. This price plan charges $20 per user per month and allows users with an unlimited number of domestic locations under one account.
You will get everything included in the Starter plan, as well as:
- Multi-level automatic customer service
- Ring group
- Desk phone support
- Electronic data display of phone calls, voice mail and SMS records
The standard plan is most suitable for domestic enterprises of any size.
Prime Minister. This price plan costs $30 per user per month. It allows you to have an unlimited number of users in unlimited domestic locations and unlimited international locations under one account. You can get everything included in the standard plan and advanced reports and data areas.
The Premier plan is most suitable for large international companies.
How to start using Google Voice
get Google Voice Setup is a fairly quick and simple process.
Step 1: Log in to Google
login To your Google account.
Step 2: Choose a Google Voice phone number
Go to voice.google.com. From here, you will select the phone number in your area and set it as your Google Voice number.
Search by your city name or area code to see available numbers. If there is no available number in your area, please try somewhere nearby.
Step 3: Verify existing phone number
After you find the number you want, click choose. Next, you will be prompted to verify the existing number.Do this by clicking Verify And enter the number you want Google to forward your call to (your existing mobile phone number).Click on Send the code.
After Google calls or texts you the code, enter the code online and click Verify.
Step 4: Complete the setup on the computer
To confirm that the number you verified is indeed the number you wish to forward the call to, click claim.
If needed, you can choose to change this number later.
Click on Finish Two times, you can use Google Voice on your computer.
Step 5: Download the Google Voice app
Next, you want to make Google Voice work on your phone. Navigate to the app store and download the Google Voice app from the Apple App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
Open the app and log in to your Google account. Here, review the terms of service and privacy policy and accept them.
How to make your first Google Voice call
Using Google Voice to make the first call is a simple process, and it feels almost like calling someone on a regular phone. It can be done via your computer or smartphone.
Visit voice.google.com on your computer or open the Voice app on your phone.
Navigate to the “Call” tab. If the person you want to call is in the recent call list, hover your mouse over their name/number and click the phone icon to call them. You can also call someone from the contact list on the right. Or you can use the keyboard to dial manually.
To keep your Google Voice number active, you must make a phone call or send a text message at least once a month. If you don’t, you will lose your Google Voice number after 30 days of inactivity. In this case, you need to register a new number the next time you log in.
