Google Voice gives small businesses an affordable telephony solution built for integration with Google Workspace and is straightforward to implement. A survey found that 23 % of consumers worldwide depended on third-party apps for voice calls through their smartphones. This highlights the need for assessment and critiquing whenever one selects a voice-calling application.
This article will help you by providing a comparative view of the pros of Google Voice for small business owners.
What is Google Voice?
Google Voice is a telecommunication service belonging to the giant Google with a wide array of features primarily based on the unification of phone lines. But the bizarre thing is that it can give the user a single Google Voice phone number and start using voice-over-telephonic communication, web, and text from a computer. Individuals and companies have used this because of its flexibility and ability to integrate with many other services from Google.
How Does Google Voice Work?
Google Voice functions by interacting with the user’s Google account. When signing up to Google Voice, users are provided with an unavailable phone number to use with the service and port in their current number. This number becomes their central point of contact, can be programmed to ring one or several connected devices such as smartphones, tablets, or notebook computers, and lets them handle calls and messages from anywhere.
Google Voice sends voice calls and text messages through the Internet using VoIP, the telephony standard.
Google Voice for Business: Setting it up
Using Google Voice for small business is easy, as it has to be added to Google Workspace, and phone settings must be configured. Follow these steps to get started:
- Add the Google Workspace app. If you don’t have Google Workspace yet, follow the steps below; please visit the Google Workspace website<|human|>. If you are not registered, or if your organization has not signed up for Google Workspace, go to the Google Workspace website and get signed up.
- Add Voice. In the Google Workspace admin console, navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Google Voice and select it as one for your organization. Ensure Google Voice licenses are assigned to those who will use those services the most. This has to be done under Billing > Subscriptions and then Google Voice.
- Select a subscription. Select a plan (Starter, Standard, Premier) for the selected period and buy a subscription. You’ll be billed for all users except yourself per month. For instance, if you have 6 users, you pay 60 USD/month on the Starter plan (plus at least 36 USD/month for Google Workspace).
- Configure phone numbers. Select Get Started in the admin console, configure the user’s location to obtain local numbers, and follow the legislation. Then, give them identification numbers and port a number if needed.
- Configure call routing and auto attendant. Inside Google Voice preferences, specify ring groups and auto attendants to help route the inward call to the appropriate employee or division.
Advantages Of Google Voice for Small Business
Google Voice improves business communication by providing an all-in-one call, messaging, and voice mail platform.
1. Cost Efficiency
The first benefit of Google Voice for Small Businesses is the cheap cost of its services, especially its tariffs for local and global calls. Free local calls in the US and Canada and charged very low Global rates means that business people can always call despite being charged. This makes Google Voice cost-effective for any enterprise, irrespective of size.
2. Easy Integration
The other advantage of Google Voice for small business is that linking it to other Google products like Gmail and Google Calendar is very convenient. It can link several working processes, enhance work relations, and make communication easy within the organization, thus enhancing output and effectiveness for organizations that operate or are affiliated with the Google environment.
3. Scalability
Due to scalability, it becomes easy for small businesses to match their communication requirements with their growth rate. Google Voice can easily be expanded or contracted to match business needs, whether businesses enjoy high traffic from new users or open new branch offices to meet new needs.
4. Enhanced Mobility
Google Voice also makes it easier for people to be mobile as they conduct or receive a call when using any device with a link to the internet. This rather valuable and convenient feature enables workers to accept calls while moving or in positions where they cannot be at their desks. Therefore, essential calls will always be answered, no matter the number or device used to make the call.
5. Free number porting
This means you can always take local numbers and port them over to Google Voice without a cost. However, toll-free numbers are not supported or portable.
Moreover, users can’t transfer numbers from one Google Workspace account to another. You can’t transfer numbers associated with consumer Gmail addresses, mobile numbers in the EU, or any number that does not belong to the Google Voice domain.
6. Free calls to the US
Whenever using Google Voice for small business, you have the freedom of making the call and, in addition, you can make unlimited outbound calls to other people in the US. However, you cannot dial a number in a nearby country, such as Canada, if you do not have an American or Canadian phone number. Yet, you cannot use toll-free numbers with Google Voice for your business. At the same time, you might own the numbers.
7. 24/7 Google support
Moreover, they are a Google Partner, and in contrast to those individuals working on the PPC independently, those working with the team have access to the support of the Google support team at any time. This feature is available on all Voice plans.
Like with any support service, you decide to attempt to see if the answer to your question is available on the Google Voice Help page.
8. Smart calltransfer function
When one uses Google Voice, making and adjusting the forwarding aspect of the call is very convenient. It is most suitable to determine which device is preferred to receive a call and which device is not preferred to receive a call. Google Voice also permits the Standard and Premier accounts to interact with the multi-level auto attendant. This enables the callers to find the right inbox, thanks to the guarding rules that can be established on the spot.
9. Works on any device, anywhere
Another advantage of Google Voice over Skype and other VoIP services is that It may be accessed from any smart device.
Take a call on the desktop, get on your smartphone, or answer the call received on the desktop through the smartphone. In addition, with Voice, users can connect to others via either cellular data or Wi-Fi, meaning no data plan is required.
10. Strong admin controls
Admins can easily customize users’ settings to be more or less flexible. These include setting up your values, using application reports to understand how your small organization is leveraging Voice, setting up one automatically welcoming callers, and much more.
11. Google Workspace integration
Google Voice has more in common with Google Workspace than a simple and intuitive interface familiar to many users. It can also be accessed from Gmail by clicking the Voice icon on the right side of the Gmail sidebar. Furthermore, integrations with Meet and Calendar give Voice a sense of continuity in your workday.
12. Intelligent AI
With such sophisticated auto-reply functionality, Google Voice saves time. Instead of listening to all the voicemail messages left, you can skim through the text.
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In Conclusion
Google Voice is an effective solution for small business owners who want to save time money, and sound professional. Its interconnectivity with Google Workspace, mobile environments, and the capacity to expand and contract as needed make it appropriate for organizations of any kind. For the business owner or someone who has to interact with clients on his or her own or has a limited number of employees working for him or her, Google Voice can work wonders.
Frequently Asked Questions - Google Voice
Yes, but integrating it with Google Workspace opens other features like call recording and team management.
No, it is not suitable for those businesses that are HIPAA compliant.
Every plan costs $10 per user per month, while other features and usage costs additional fees.
You can even port in existing numbers for $10 per number if you want to use Google Voice.
Google Voice is widely used only in the United States, but some of its features are usable in other countries.
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