Item: Google Voice
Rating: 9
Author: Robert Allen

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Google Voice to maintain 'local' numbers for various locations around the country. As my company goes where I go, and much of my business comes from referrals, we get clients coming in from all over the country. Google Voice allows me to maintain numbers from Florida, New York, and California without all the extra devices.

Pros and Cons

Google Voice makes SMS messaging extremely easy when paired with Google Hangouts.
Voice handles call forwarding with ease. Set it and forget it.
Voice offers some simple conditional logic to handle forwarding at various times of day or days of the week.
Voice transcribes voicemails and delivers them via SMS which saves me the hassle of ever checking voicemail.
Voice allows for easy vanity phone number selection! Just type in a word or number string and see your options! So convenient.

Voice seems like an unwanted appendage to the Google ecosystem, lacking much integration outside of Hangouts. When Google stated they would be refocusing Hangouts they were in essence threatening how I manage my phone system.
Voice has virtually no Gmail integration. I would love being able to have my incoming calls and transcribed voicemails show up in Gmail.

Return on Investment

None of my customers have ever heard "Sorry, this number is no longer in service." In consumer confidence, even on my company's small scale, I'd say this has been worth thousands.
Being able to use local numbers from around the country is hugely helpful in closing sales.

Alternatives Considered

Skype

None of the other small-scale VOIP systems I've tried came anywhere close to Google Voice. It is simple and simply works. Skype, on the other hand, is a bloated and convoluted junkpile of software which only barely operates, hogs resources, and puts advertisements in-app like some sort of no-brand '90s shareware. Skype is the most reviled piece of software I've ever had the misfortune of using, so their VOIP service has never been a consideration.

Google Voice does exactly what it says, always works, and requires no special software to use as it ties into Hangouts which 80% of smartphone users already have.

Other Software Used

Zoom, Skype

Likelihood to Recommend

When I move to a new city the first thing I do is hop on Google Voice to choose a new phone number local to the area. Voice allows me to spend an hour picking and choosing a vanity number, which I can then transfer to my cell provider and move my old cell number to Voice. It's a lumpy process, but it's the only way to freely choose a new phone number and never lose an old number. For the rest of time, I will own these previous phone numbers, with no monthly fee. This allows me to keep using old business cards and not stress about updating all of my contact info everywhere while also being able to immediately take advantage of a new number. As someone who moves frequently, this is hugely helpful.

Speak Freely with Voice

Overall Satisfaction with Google Voice