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One (Free) Phone Number to Rule Them All
This month's newsletter if for anyone looking to setup an affordable, yet powerful phone system for his or her small business.
If you have ever looked at getting an office phone system installed you know that it isn't cheap. While some businesses need the complex phone systems offered by voice companies, I'll bet many small businesses would do just as well using the free Google Voice service.
What is Google Voice?
While Google Voice is officially a service for individuals, it can provide small businesses with a very powerful phone system.
Google Voice provides you with a single phone number that you can then link multiple phone numbers. When someone calls your Google Voice phone number it simultaneously rings on the phones you've linked to your Google number. This multi-ring function can be very handy if you run a virtual office where you want people to be able to call a single number that would then ring on several employees mobile phones. The multi-ring feature can also be setup to ring certain phones based on the caller.
Watch a video overview of Google Voice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Q9MJdT5Ds
Google Voice also has an advanced voicemail system. When someone leaves a voicemail the recording is converted into a text message and can be emailed to sent via SMS to others. You can also create multiple voicemail greetings depending on who's calling.
Watch a video overview of the Voicemail features: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq33UDLaAtc
Google Voice isn't for everyone, but here are two scenarios where I think Google Voice would work well.
Senario 1: A small business with a virtual office.
Imagine a small business with several employees who all work out of their homes. In order to present a professional image the business wants a singe phone number that customers can call. This number should ring on the mobile phones of the employees. If no employees are available customers should reach a voicemail box that can be accesses by the all employees so the first available employee can respond to the caller. The business also needs to ability to have conference calling and record certain phone calls for future reference.
With the multi-ring and voicemail features employees can share the same phone number and work from home. Employees can also easily create conference calls and record important conversations.
Scenario 2: A home based business with a single employee.
The business owner wants to have a separate business phone and voicemail but doesn't want to pay for an additional phone line. The business owner can use Google Voice to have an additional number plus voicemail. Because outgoing calls can be placed though Google Voice the businesses phone number will be completely separate from the owners personal numbers.
Some other features of Google Voice are:
- Google Voice will automatically block known tele-marketer numbers.
- Free calls and SMS messaging within the US.
- Google Voice allows you to add a Widget on your website that allows website visitors to easily contact your Google Voice number. (See an example.)
Wow this is pretty cool, what's the catch?
Well, the catch is that Google voice is only available through an invite from Google. As Google increases their ability to support Google Voice, they will continually extend invitations to new users.
You can register to get an invite to Google Voice by filling out this form.
I hope that you find this newsletter interesting and useful. If not, let me know what technology related topics you want me to cover.
Jonathan Stoddard
President
Kahuna Technology Group, Inc.
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