Google Voice - Better than Skype but not for all businesses
November 18, 2018
Google Voice - Better than Skype but not for all businesses
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Google Voice
I use Google Voice (GV) for myself and have set it up for clients. I use my GV phone number as my business phone. I call out/in with it for client calls. The business problems it addresses include having a free solution, one that is web/phone based so it travels with me whether I am working out of my home office or on the road. It also provides voicemail, not to mention an additional phone number I can use for logging in to platforms, etc.
Pros
- What GV does well is provide a free and complete phone service for any business. I like that it is a Google Service so it is integrated with countless other Google Services I use on a daily basis.
- I have multiple GV phone numbers as contact numbers on multiple websites I developed and managed myself. Being able to search phone numbers for vanity alpha-numeric numbers is not just good branding, but it offers yet another free service that can be used for each site/project in a myriad of ways.
Cons
- Lag. No matter how fast the Internet connection, there is always about a half second, or more, of lag.
- I forget the term, but GV lacks the two-way connection of regular land lines and mobile phones. For example, you need to wait for someone to finish speaking before you do; otherwise, your voice will not transmit to them, over theirs. It is akin to using a walkie-talkie in that you have to wait. I alert anyone I speak with of this, so we can patiently communicate, but it would be ideal if it were two-way, as I mentioned.
- Drops. I am sure this is an Internet issue, not GV, but with even an instant drop in Internet, the call is dropped.
- My personal ROI has been excellent but as I said, GV is not for every business. I plan to stick with it as the GV number is associated with my business, so I plan to stick it out, and hope some or all of my recommendations eventually come to fruition.
Compared to Skype, GV is better. Not only is it a free alternative, it allows more customization, such as outgoing messages, which Skype ended without any warning (and my family lost ours of our then 3 year old son, which we were told is simply gone forever, although we'd have liked to have saved it). Skype also has the same lack of 2-way communication, and in addition to paying per minute, it is $60/year to keep the Skype phone number. We got another Google Voice number as a "family" backup for if/when we quit Skype. I suppose this comes down to a Microsoft vs. Google comparison, in which case, in my opinion, the latter constantly outperforms and understands the needs of its clients much better than the former.
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