Item: Google Voice
Rating: 10
Author: Loren Piel

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

This line is used by my private law practice as the primary office phone. It is listed as my office number because I utilize a virtual office and this permits calls to go directly to my mobile phone instead of a remote receptionist who would take a message or attempt to transfer the call. This allows calls to come directly to me and generally permits a quicker response. It’s convenient for both me and my clients.

Pros and Cons

My Google Voice calls come directly to my mobile phone and my computer.
Text messages can be sent to my Google Voice number and are forwarded to me as email messages.
Google Voice allows for direct client contact without a receptionist or assistant taking calls and relating messages.
Voicemail helps make sure I get my client's messages promptly when I’m not available.
Transcripts of voicemail messages are emailed to me allowing me to have a record of the message without keeping all of the recorded voicemail messages.

Voicemail transcripts are very helpful but the transcription is sometimes not as accurate as I’d like.
Some voicemail messages are unable to be transcribed.
Voicemail transcripts have my first name misspelled. It should be able to take the correct spelling from my account.

Return on Investment

My use of Google Voice doesn’t have any cost associated with it. For all intents and purposes, it has no negative impact on my overhead.
There are available features which I haven’t explored or needed but it’s good to know there’s more functionality as my business needs change.
It’s very stable. I have never had an outage of which I was aware.

Key Insights

Do you think Google Voice delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Google Voice's feature set?

Yes

Did Google Voice live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Google Voice go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Google Voice again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

Google Voice works well as a primary incoming line for a virtual office. It provides flexibility in taking calls from any location on my cell phone or over my laptop. As long as I have cell phone service or WiFi, I can make and receive calls. It’s very convenient when you can’t be tied down to one location but prefer not to give out your cell phone number.

My Practice Relies on Google Voice as It’s Only Advertised Number

Overall Satisfaction with Google Voice