Google Voice leverages voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology to allow people to make phone calls via an internet connection. The service was created in 2009 and offers several advantages, including simple navigation, call transcriptions, and call forwarding and blocking features.
However, Google Voice is far from the only call system available to your business. Several Google Voice alternatives offer robust functionality and specific benefits and drawbacks. Let’s dig into some Google Voice alternatives that may be good choices for your company if you do not want to rely on Google’s service.
Using Google Voice only requires access to a simple Wi-Fi connection to make calls. This simplicity is a huge benefit, especially as most offices and homes have internet access. However, some limitations to the service could lead to you seeking alternatives.
The technology’s regional limitations block many countries from using Google Voice altogether. Currently, the service is only available in the following countries:
While this limited availability shouldn’t prevent you from calling people in other countries, it does mean that those outside these 13 nations can’t use Google Voice in their businesses.
Google Voice also doesn’t offer support for vanity or toll-free numbers. Both are essential business tools, primarily when operating a customer-focused call center. Without a toll-free number, you have to rely on customers spending money to contact you. Furthermore, no vanity numbers mean you can’t choose a unique phone number for your business.
Caller ID may also be an issue with Google Voice. While the service does provide it, many companies report problems when using their phones for business purposes. Google’s automatic Caller ID uses your name and number rather than a business name. This issue causes problems for small business owners who only have one phone for personal and company use.
Happily, Google Voice’s VoIP technology is far from your only option. Many Google Voice alternatives use different technologies to create similar or better results.
Virtual phone systems allow you to make business calls using a Wi-Fi connection, much like VoIP systems. However, they differ because they will enable you to make these calls via desk phones, mobile devices, and even desktop applications.
As a result, virtual phone systems allow you to set up an online phone in any location. As long as you have access to Wi-Fi, you can connect your hardware and begin making and receiving calls from any site.
Virtual phone systems are typically cloud-based, allowing them to provide several benefits. The cloud enables the system to scale up or down alongside the business. If your capacity increases, you can usually scale your system to incorporate more users and virtual telephones. Similarly, you can shrink the service back down if your capacity decreases, ensuring you’re not stuck with an expensive telephone system that you can’t use to its full potential.
Businesses that want to use their phone numbers as part of their branding efforts may find that virtual phone systems are among the most versatile Google Voice alternatives. Virtual phone systems also offer services that VoIP systems can’t, including SMS text functionality and specific business numbers.
Finally, virtual phone systems are ideal for companies with remote work or work-from-home cultures. Employees can set a virtual phone up in their home office without the company incurring any additional costs.
Since the introduction of cell phones, businesses have issued corporate phones to their employees.
There are several benefits to focusing on company-owned cell phones as Google Voice alternatives. Your organization can choose the exact hardware, carrier, and operating system that suits your business, ensuring consistency. Providing your people with suitable devices also means you know precisely what they’re capable of and what features and applications they have access to.
Establishing a corporate cell phone plan also allows you to control costs. Instead of reimbursing every individual who uses their personal phone for business purposes, you can set up a business account with a carrier. These accounts usually offer lower rates than personal phones, especially when buying phones in bulk.
Of course, offering business cell phones also ensures you have 24-hour access to your employees. While it’s vital to ensure a focus on work-life balance, having this direct access via a company-owned line means you’re always able to get in touch. Finally, company cell phones aren’t reliant on an internet connection, meaning you don’t have to worry about not being able to contact employees who are in limited internet access areas.
There are drawbacks to company cell phones. Your people may not appreciate having to carry multiple cell phones around. Most of your people will want to maintain a personal cell phone that the company can’t monitor, meaning this Google Voice alternative requires employees to hold more hardware.
Cell phones can also be damaged, which your company will ultimately pay for. More hardware creates more work for your IT department, which will already have to engage with Google Voice to ensure it stays up and running.
Finally, cell phones change rapidly, meaning you may have to deal with upgrade costs. Scaling is also an issue here, as using business cell phones means you have to pay for new equipment as the company grows consistently.
Like VoIP phone systems, softphone systems require an internet connection. Unlike VoIP systems, however, softphone systems are entirely computer-based.
A softphone provides the user with a telephone interface on their computer screen. This interface allows them to answer and make calls and provides muting, transferring, and holding features.
These systems tend to offer more features than VoIP. For example, many softphone services offer instant messaging, SMS, and video calling. The latter is essential if you have remote staff who need to attend company meetings.
Like Google Voice, softphones leverage cloud computing technology to allow employees to answer their phones wherever there is an internet connection. However, the need for a laptop does make it a less portable option than Google Voice.
Other potential drawbacks of softphone systems include their higher costs, especially compared to VoIP systems. Furthermore, any issues an employee has with their PC affects their ability to make softphone calls. Viruses, crashes, and hardware problems can lead to downtime that affects employee performance.
Voice clarity can also be an issue with softphones. The technology shares resources with all other computer applications, meaning clarity can drop if an employee needs to keep several applications open at once. This is a common issue in sales, where a salesperson may need to keep their customer relationship management (CRM) system open while making a call. That said, call clarity can also be an issue with Google Voice, especially if users keep several mobile apps open while calling.
Tried and tested, traditional landline systems can make great Google Voice alternatives. Landlines rely on Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and analog systems to provide stable connections.
The inherent stability and call clarity of these systems are key benefits. You won’t have to worry about call quality dropping, meaning less miscommunication between employees and clients.
Landlines also don’t require an internet connection. Though Wi-Fi feels ubiquitous in most built-up areas, many companies are located in areas with low broadband speed. Patchy Wi-Fi makes VoIP systems unusable.
In contrast, the physical hardware used in landline systems, coupled with analog technology, ensures that connection stability is rarely a problem.
Unfortunately, while physical technology provides landlines with their most significant advantage, it also gives them a severe drawback as a Google Voice alternative. In addition to consigning employees to their offices to take work calls, physical landlines are becoming increasingly outdated. Some companies, such as BT in the United Kingdom, have even started to phase out their ISDN systems in favor of internet-based telephone solutions. Line maintenance may become a problem as traditional landlines move towards obsolescence.
What we see is often more important than what we say or the tone of voice we use. According to Psychology Today, 55% of human communication comes from body language. Video conferencing systems allow your people to leverage body language and react to the physical actions of others to have more productive conversations.
While Google Voice has a video chat functionality, it’s somewhat limited compared to the many video conferencing systems available.
Many video conferencing systems also offer built-in transcription and file-sharing systems. These systems are ideal for remote work cultures. They reduce travel costs for your employees and enable your business to hold meetings without every participant physically present. Video conferencing also allows collaboration between employees by allowing them to show their work and talk about it.
Lack of consumer adoption is where video conferencing systems falter as Google Voice alternatives. These systems are best for internal office communication. If you’re relying on video conferencing to contact customers, you may find that many don’t have the required software. Or they are wary of downloading it for a sales or customer service call.
Furthermore, although video conferencing systems can save money on travel expenses, they also require substantial sums to set up. You may find that the upfront and ongoing costs eliminate the savings made, making them less cost-effective than Google Voice.
Your people also have to get used to the technology, which is not the case for the other Google Voice alternatives in this list. Most of these different systems mimic traditional phones or are regular phone systems. This means that the other options, along with Google Voice itself, are more familiar to users than video conferencing systems.
Google Voice has a lot going for it.
The ability to use it on any Android device means it’s a mobile service that your people can use anywhere there is an internet connection. Its call transcription facilities are ideal for employee training, plus the system is familiar enough for most to get to grips with it fairly quickly.
However, the service’s limited availability may prevent you from using it. Furthermore, as a VoIP service, Google Voice requires access to a strong Wi-Fi connection. Companies in rural areas with poor broadband connectivity may find that Google Voice isn’t stable enough for their needs.
At Telephono, we develop phone systems that are powerful enough for big businesses and priced for small companies. Our virtual phone systems cost less, require little additional hardware, and offer local and toll-free numbers. To find out more about how Telephono may be one of the best Google Voice alternatives available, contact us today to arrange a free trial.
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