Here is why you should use Google Voice for your business phone system.
Now, to be honest, voice calls are dying out, and messaging apps like WhatsApp are far better forms of communication. It would be best if you took the time to consider whether having a business phone number is right for you.
The phone was once the only way to communicate with someone not in the same room as you, and due to its heritage, many people still prefer to communicate exclusively over the phone. If these types of people are your target market for your business, then having a phone number makes sense. However, if your target audience is more happy using messaging apps to communicate, a phone number is significantly less critical.
The phone has many problems when it comes to using it as an effective way to communicate; once the sole way to communicate with others, the internet and messaging apps have superseded the phone call. Phone calls are typically unscheduled. Therefore, there is a good chance the person or business being contacted is unavailable, or if you do get through, you or they likely won't have the information needed to hand in or have to take time to find the information while you wait on hold. Messaging apps get rid of all this inefficiency and uncertainty. You send a message; the recipient can reply when they see it and have the required information to hand to share it with you; if a voice or video call is needed, that can quickly be started when both participants are free to talk.
So, before spending money on a telephone number for your business, take some time to consider whether you need one. If you decide you do, Google Voice by Kimbley IT is an excellent option.
Why Google Voice?
Recently, the BBC has highlighted the fraudulent practices of most business phone service providers. These providers openly missell their service and trick businesses into signing up for contracts that can run up to seven years and cost tens of thousands of pounds, with no way to escape.
Google Voice is a telephone service that integrates with Google Workspace. This means your company needs to be running Google Workspace to use Google Voice. Your team members can access Google Voice to make and receive calls through Gmail, the Google Voice website, or mobile apps. It even supports desk phones if you want to use them.
The key feature of Google Voice is that there are no contracts; you pay for what you use from the service each month, and you can cancel at any time. Google Voice offers three service levels, each adding more features. You can upgrade or downgrade from each level per month. Nearly all our clients are on Google Voice Standard, the middle package that costs around £16 per team member per month. You only pay for the people who need Google Voice; you may have many team members using Google Workspace, but you may only want a handful to have Google Voice, and that is all you'll get billed, and your team members can be added and removed to Google Voice monthly.
Features of Google Voice
As I mentioned, the Google Voice Standard edition is the package most of our clients use because of these few key features:
Multi-level auto attendant: a menu system for callers to be guided to the right person to answer the call. You don't need to hire a voice actor to record your menus; using AI, you type in what you want to be spoken, and AI will read out the options to callers.
Ring Groups: Dedicated numbers that, when called, will call the numbers of certain people. For example, a sales number would only call the people on the sales team.
Call Recording: With a button press, your team can start recording any inbound or outbound telephone call, and an automatic announcement will indicate that the call is now being recorded.
Many more features come with Google Voice, which you can view here. If this article has piqued your interest and you feel you want a phone number for your business that is operated fairly, book a video call, and let's get you setup.
