I am so excited after finally getting my Google Voice account the other day, and I am really impressed with its potential to boost your business productivity, mobility, and personal branding!
Google Voice; More Than Just a Number
First of all, you can choose a number that contains your name, like mine is 4-Vicki-411-0 (which is 484-254-4110). Now 484 is not the area code in which I live, which I could have had, but it is at least in my timezone, and it provides an additional bit of personal branding by having my own name in the number!
Other Cool Stuff About Google Voice
- You can have all of your phones ring when your Google Voice number is called, so you have only one number to give out, and people can reach you wherever you are (I have a land line as well as a mobile number, due to poor reception at my house, lots of very tall trees all around!)
- There is a cool widget for your blog that will allow people to click on the image, and call you directly using your Google Voice number from your web site!
- You can use your Google voice mail for your mobile phone number. And when all of your phones ring, as long as they do not roll to voice mail in less than 30 seconds, your Google voice mail will answer.
- You get voice mails in your email (in text as well as audio, and you can play them directly in gmail!), and as a text on your mobile.
- You have free calls from the US to Canada, and very low (.02 per minute to most countries) international calling rate!
- Make outgoing calls using your Google Voice number from any phone, including your mobile (here’s a bit about the App for your smart phone). When you make the call from your Google Voice number, Google sets up the calls from your cell or land line phone to the number you are calling, so your voice quality is not compromised by internet phone qualities.
How To Get Your Google Voice Number
I believe though that the service is only available in the US for now, and where it used to take a while after requesting (I applied almost two months before I got mine!), you can get it immediately now with your gmail account.
Here is a good tutorial for getting started, and choosing your Google Voice number.
Things are continuing to evolve with Google voice. Google added SIP support to reach any Google Voice number. For example, as explained in this post about how Google Voice uses SIP, if you Google Voice number is 484-254-4110, anyone can now call you for free via SIP clients (such as Skype or IM) simply by dialing +14842544110@sip.voice.google.com
Google Talk is separate from Google Voice and is actually a computer phone application which works something like Skype. Google Voice works WITH your current land line and/or cell phone service, and can also be incorporated with Google Talk to use an all IP based phone calling like Skype. But when using your land line or cell phone, the call is set up for you from that number to whomever you are calling, at the Google Voice calling rates.
So be aware that if you go to an all internet phone solution using Google Talk with Google Voice, which would be just like Skype in terms of voice quality, you’ll be subject to internet bandwidth issues on shared interfaces like cable, or lesser DSL uplink speeds, or even your computer and network speed.
Not only that, you may be giving up features such as caller ID, conferencing or call waiting that you currently take for granted. But if you aren’t worried about compromising your business line quality, the cheap calling rates of Google Voice are astounding.
Hi Vicki,
This looks like such a fantastic tool, just a shame I live in the UK. I will have to keep on to Google to get this. I will try and sign up and see what happens, you never know. Great post and thanks for sharing this valuable information.
Tristram Lodge
.-= Tristram Lodge´s last blog ..How To Add An Image To Your Facebook Fan Page =-.
Thanks Tristram!
Yes I would not think it’s something they’ll keep to the US, I am sure we’re just a testing ground! So put in the app and you’ll be on of the first there!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
Wishing You Brilliant Success!
So, that’s why there was a new number the last time I heard from you. I was thinking, “I didn’t know she was planning on moving to Pennsylvania any time soon.” (The 484 area code is the western Philadelphia suburbs and it overlaps with 610.) I guess it’s a good thing I read your blog today
This sounds like a really great tool. Thanks for sharing!
.-= Steve Nicholas´s last blog ..On the Comeback Trail =-.
Hi Steve!
Yes, I was using my new number last night making free calls to Canada which was nice, I like the price for .02 to UK but not sure about Australia when it tells me .02 but Australia wireless is .14 so how would I know whether a number is wireless or not LOL! Oh well, price of doing business. But I do like the feature of getting all voice mails on Google which emails me and they’re online too. Just had to lengthen my home phone’s forwarding to voice mail to over 30 seconds (6 rings).
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend!
Wishing You Brilliant Success!
Hi Vicki,
really sounds like a great tool. Let’s see what they’re up to with Germany. I also think that Google won’t restrict anything to the US.
Take care
Oliver
.-= Oliver Tausend´s last blog ..What Are Your Beliefs About Money A Challenge =-.
Hi Oliver!
Yes I am sure it will not be long, keep eyes on it and I would suppose that before the end of next year they’ll be branching out of the US. For now though it seems they’re off to a pretty good start!
Great to see you as always, have a fantastic weekend!
Wishing You Brilliant Success,
Hey Vicki,
I am with Tristram, why the UK is the last to get stuff I will never know but I can’t wait for it wing itself over.
Love to have an update on how it has been working for you in a few months time.
Beth
.-= Beth Hewitt´s last blog ..Its Testimonial Time! =-.
Hi Beth!
I am certain it won’t be long, I suppose it is a matter of reserving phone numbers along with testing the waters with US guinea pigs LOL! Anyway, if I were you guys I would go ahead and sign up for the service, that way you’ll at least have an account by the time it comes there, and be the first to select your numbers when they become available.
For now I see I am going to love it and will certainly add an update in a few months.
Thanks for stopping by once again, always good to see you!
Enjoy a wonderful weekend!
Wow! That sounds fantastic. My business partner and I have 4 different phone numbers, so it would be great to just give out one #. Thanks for sharing.
.-= Laurie´s last blog ..What is Wealth =-.
Hi Laurie!
Yes that will be quite handy! And if you can get a number with a part of your names or business name in it, or niche, that is even better. When you sign up for your number you can enter a word, and you’ll be surprised at how many numbers contain the contiguous digits that form the word, like with ‘Vicki’ there were dozens before I gave up searching and picked one, who knows how many more there were!
Wishing You Tremendous Success!
Vicki,
I’m a Google Voicer too!
I love getting my voice mails via email and also that you can screen your calls.
My number has MLM in it: 717-620-9MLM (9656)
Great post!
- Yo
.-= Yo Le´s last blog ..“Look Mom… I Grew Up And Joined A Tribe” – 3 Reasons You Should Too =-.
Hi Yo!
Good to see a trend here! I am glad you have MLM in yours, I thought about that too. It’s something actually worth giving a bit of thought to before you start your number search, it can get overwhelming with the choices!
Thanks for stopping by, always great to see you!
Wishing You Brilliant Success,
Thank you for sharing this information. I’m always looking for valuable resources to share with clients and my coworkers, and this post is definitely worth sharing!
Thank You Graham!
I’m glad you found it useful, and thanks for your comment and sharing it!
Wishing You Every Success!
Hey Vicki, great review. Google Voice was actually my first ever blog post…haha. I never got around to sharing it though. It is a phenomenal tool and is just right for business owners.
They just released a patch yesterday as well allowing for the phone connections to go through almost instantaneously now. I’ve noticed a huge jump in quality over the past day.
Again its an awesome tool and will save most people a ton of money and time. Not to mention the peace of mind of not putting your actual phone number out on the web.
Highly recommended from my end.
.-= Brian Tomlinson´s last blog ..Free Entrepreneurs Report – 4 Critical Blog Design Tips Free PDF =-.
Hey Brian!
Great to see you again, thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the update on their call quality, I had not noticed any issues but it’s great to know they’re on top of providing a good service!
Have a Fantastic weekend and thanks again for stopping to comment!
Wishing You Brilliant Success!
Vicki,
Great post.
Looks like it’s time to start using the
Google Voice Number 801-683-WOLF (9653)
I got July 21, 2009.
It was unstable and buggy back then
and could not afford unreliable communications.
Thanks again and make it a great day
Lead, Follow and Share !
Dennis
Great Dennis!
Glad to see you thought to do a bit of personal branding there too! I have had great calls so far, no issues at all, making calls with Google Voice.
Actually once the calls are set up they are over your provider (either wireless or wireline) anyway. The setup is a SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) which oddly enough, I work with, and even wrote the software for the simultaneous calling feature on our switching product (the kind that allows Google Voice to ring all of your numbers at once). Well I have to say it brings out the geeky side of me having fun with this one!
Wishing You all the Best!
Vicki,
I begged and pleaded with a friend of mine to send me a Google Voice invite and managed to get one about 6 months ago.
One of the best parts about Google Voice is that with some patience, you can get a number that facilitates personal branding (909) 26-LEADS. Unfortunately for me, that number wasn’t in my area code, but it still works!
Another great feature is that you can record INCOMING calls that come in on your Google Voice number. Obviously, there are local, state and federal laws in play, but the functionality is there.
One of my favorite parts of Google Voice is the ability to Block Callers and play a “disconnected number” message (which most of us have heard). That telemarketer who insists on calling you in the middle of dinner every night, despite the fact you’ve indicated disinterest? No longer an issue when you put your Google Voice number on everything and block his/her company from calling you.
This is one of the most powerful tools in Telecommunications…and can’t wait to see what they do next!
Great post Vicki!
.-= Yemi Ogunbase´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Vicki,
I will have to look into this, as I did not really know anything about Google Voice before reading your post. I am excited to get an account and implement it into my business.
Thanks for sharing this information.
Jon
.-= Jon Ochs´s last blog ..How To Get Your Posts and Pages In The Search Engines In Minutes- Even With A Brand Spankin New Blog =-.
Hi Jon!
Yes I only recently stumbled upon it, after having applied from merely hearing about it and having no idea of it’s cool features (I just love getting the voice mails in my Google in box and playing them online!)
Wishing You an Awesome Day!
Hi Vicki,
Thanks for writing this post! I forgot all of the features it has.
Just curious, how long did it take for you to get yours? I applied awhile ago and I had heard it could take months to get.
Thanks,
Kim
Kim´s last [type] ..How To Become A Network Marketing Powerhouse And Lead People To Join YOU TODAY Without Begging Or Convincing
Hi Kim!
Actually it took so long for me to get mine I nearly forgot about it! But I believe it was nearly six months or so. Give it time and one day you’ll have a surprise!
Yes it’s really great. I’ve even got it to where it will go straight to voicemail during the night and on Sundays, and it even works with your cell phone so that even all of your cell calls can go to Google voicemail which I love, one less voicemail box to worry about, and it’s cool that you can play them from your gmail too!
Thanks for stopping by once again, great to see you!
Wishing You Brilliant Success!
loved this post!
We’ve been using Google voice for about a year. I like the fact that I can give clients (family, too) one number, and it will ring my phone wherever I am. However, I have to say that the text versions of my messages crack me up because they are SO “off”. Sometimes I can figure them out. Usually I just give up.
I also used Google Voice back in February when I interviewed Kristy Yamaguchi for one of my blogs. It allowed me to record the conversation so that I could listen back to make sure that I got the quotes right.
This looks interesting! I’m actually looking to replace my home phone as it costs $40 a month and I rarely use it. I still want something like Skype or Google Voice so I’m looking into what might be a good avenue for me to go to. Another valuable resource! Do you have any opinions either way on skype vs. google voice?
Roz Pearcy´s last [type] ..Is Your Blog Mobile Phone Ready A Video Review of WPtouch Pro 20 Plugin for WordPress Blogs
Hi Roz!
Well there is one key difference and that is that Google Voice as far as I know does not do internet calling with your computer like Skype does. It routes calls to your Google number to any of your phone lines you already have, so you could have your home phone, office phone and cell phone all ring when you receive Google voice calls. Likewise, when you make calls from Google voice, it lets you dial on the web page, but it will actually ring your phone of choice and then when you answer it, it places the call to your dialed number. Either way, you are using your existing landline or cellular service.
Now with Skype, it actually uses the internet for the voice path, and you can use your computer headset to make the call. The problems with internet phone calling is that it is sometimes low in quality depending on your internet connection and computer (and even the headset, if you don’t have a good one, the person you are talking with hears a serious echo!). So with the internet phone calls you get often great but sometimes choppy and delayed voice.
Frankly I wish Google did have the option to include internet calling as i believe it would make the service even more fully functional. Anyway, hope this helps! If you have any other questions let me know!
Wishing You Fabulous Success,
Hey Vicki,
you are always showing so valuable content it it literally blows me away. Google voice seems to offer very cheap oversea calls.
That a super attractive tool and I´ll get my fingers on it immediately.
Thanks for the awesome tips,
Gerald
Gerald Gigerl´s last [type] ..How To Instantly Win Friends – You´ll Love that
Hi Gerald!
Thanks very much for that! I hope Google offers service where you are by now, but if not, it may only be a matter of time! At least I can make calls from my land line and cell phone for as cheaply but better quality as Skype using it!
Thank you for stopping by, always a pleasure to see you!
Wishing You Continued Success!
Hey Vicki, Where do you come up these creative posts?
Those are some super cool features. Thanks for sharing Vicki and congrats on your Google Voice!
Ryan Yokome´s last [type] ..Get Traffic 30 BONUS PACKAGES
Hi Ryan!
LOL! I just write about what I experience mostly I guess!
Anyway, I was just surprised after finally getting a response from Google to find out just how useful it really was! And then when I couldn’t find an easy to remember number in my area code I realized it would be cool to find some memorable text, and Vicki seemed obvious (4-Vicki-411 0 ought to be easy for anyone to remember!).
Then the calling rates were my next surprise, and as it turns out best of all because I was in need of a great international calling package – calling free to Canada is great because I have so many friends and team mates there! Anyway, all definitely worth sharing!
Thanks for stopping by, always great to see you!
Wishing you Tremendous Success,
Hey Vicki,
That is so cool! I’ll definitely be looking into this!
Patat
Patch´s last [type] ..Dealing with Disappointment in a Purpose Driven Life
Hi Patch!
Great! Hopefully it won’t take you as long to get your account as it did mine, they should be in full swing by now I would think!
Wishing You Brilliant Success,
Now you can get your Google voice number on the fly. I’ve been using it since July and it is great.
And the Google Apps accounts too. Google is transitioning all Apps accounts to full Google accounts with all services available.
Initially the voice quality was not so good, but now calling from Gmail is working very well.
Thanks for sharing the tips.