Google Voice, Great tool to tie to your current cell phone to monitor and block calls, and many more features!
March 01, 2014
Google Voice, Great tool to tie to your current cell phone to monitor and block calls, and many more features!
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Modules Used
- using Google voice number tied to my cell phone.
Overall Satisfaction with Google Voice
I use Google Voice instead of using my personal cell phone. I don't pay anything to use Google Voice, unless I make outbound calls that is the cost. I can receive incoming calls at no fee. Less overhead is always better, but if I need to use a phone number to make outbound calls, the cost isn't outrageous and you can make outbound calls through the web. Suggest a good headset with microphone capabilities.
I also like to be able to block numbers if I receive unsolicited calls from other companies, like telemarketers and we all know we don't like unwanted calls!
I also like to be able to block numbers if I receive unsolicited calls from other companies, like telemarketers and we all know we don't like unwanted calls!
- Google Voice is great for screening calls and reading transcriptions of voicemails from my inbox. There are nice search functions that allow you to find a voicemail easily without having to listen to them all.
- Call Blocking is also a useful feature. I use Google Voice when I do anything for my IT company, I occasionally will receive telemarketing calls trying to sell me their solutions, software, or calls I may or may not want that are business related. To use the blocking option, I can go to a web browser like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. If I miss a call I can always go to Google Voice website and login and I will see transcripts of voicemails . If I don't want calls from this number any longer, I can block that call by going to "more" and block from there. I can also go to history and block under "more" from there.
- Forwarding SMS to Your Email. This also makes it possible to reply to messages through email. Google Voice will convert the message into text form so that your message is sent as a text.
- Make an international call from the website: Some of my contacts are in other countries. So I like to occasionally use Google Voice for International Calls. (There is a cost to this, if using this feature you can pay online with your Visa card).
- Making Conference Calls
- Google Voice now allows you to set your account to "Do Not Disturb" for a predetermined length of time. During that time, calls to your Google number will go straight to voicemail.
- I would like their transcripts to be more accurate, so their transcribers need to listen more clearly for the Transcription of Voicemails left.
- I wish they would provide this to international locations so they can too use Google Voice, perhaps down the road they will
- I would like to see outbound call feature be more sophisticated. To make phone calls outbound I believe you can only do that if you port your number over to Google Voice. I need to get more information on this to be sure.
- I provide my Google Voice number for Customers to call me after hours.
- Google Voice is great that I can control how much or how little I pay to utilize it.
- I don't miss calls if someone chooses to call my Google Voice number, and can check voicemail from anywhere, if I am out of the country and call that person back.
- I cannot use Google voice if I am out of the country, that's the disadvantage.
Phone Booth free is "inbound ONLY" and is a Beta version for small businesses. Beta Service is not provided at the level of technical and operational performance, quality or compatibility of a final, generally available product offering
Porting Numbers. In the cases where Bandwidth.com supplies Customer with a Phonebooth Free telephone number that Customer subsequently ports out to another service provider, Bandwidth.com, Inc. reserves the right to charge Customer a porting fee of $25.00 and Customer’s Phonebooth Free account will be automatically terminated immediately thereafter. * Google Voice is only $20.00 to port, completed usually in 24 hrs*
Both solutions have limits to texting and calls. Phone Booth is very specific about their limits. Google Voice doesn't as far as I can find, post their limits with phone or texting per month.
Porting Numbers. In the cases where Bandwidth.com supplies Customer with a Phonebooth Free telephone number that Customer subsequently ports out to another service provider, Bandwidth.com, Inc. reserves the right to charge Customer a porting fee of $25.00 and Customer’s Phonebooth Free account will be automatically terminated immediately thereafter. * Google Voice is only $20.00 to port, completed usually in 24 hrs*
Both solutions have limits to texting and calls. Phone Booth is very specific about their limits. Google Voice doesn't as far as I can find, post their limits with phone or texting per month.
Using Google Voice
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Blocking unwanted calls
- Checking incoming calls and listening to voicemails of missed calls
- Conferencing calls
- none that I could see
Yes - I've not used the mobile interface but I believe I-phone and Google phones have the mobile interface and I've discussed this with people who do use it and they like it.