Business owners often use Google Voice to handle calls and texts. Calls to a user’s Voice number will ring on any device they have signed in with, such as their phone, tablet or laptop.

While this solution provides some helpful business features, it does have limitations that prevent businesses from scaling up. These include the inability to integrate it with other business apps.

Auto-attendants

Google Voice’s auto attendant allows you to set up a call menu that directs callers to specific departments in your business. It can also record custom greetings and audio prompts. It can even transcribe your voicemails and send them to email for easy reading.

Google’s auto attendant also provides the ability to create ring groups, which are sets of phone numbers that can be ringing simultaneously in order of priority. For example, incoming calls can be routed to a business’ home and office phone numbers, or even the team’s cell phones. This feature is useful for businesses that rely on customer calls to get work.

Another useful feature of Google’s auto attendant is texting, which allows users to send short professional communications like appointment notifications and promotions. It also supports group texting for up to eight users and a built-in search function that allows agents to quickly navigate calling and texting logs based on keyword or customer name.

However, there are some limitations to using Google Voice accounts for business. The starting plan only accommodates 10 users, and adding more than this could be a challenge for your company. Additionally, it is not possible to use Google Voice with a toll-free number and lacks external integrations with other apps like Slack and Hubspot. Many companies that need to keep their teams on the same page and communicate throughout the day will need a more robust platform than Google Voice.

Call forwarding

With call forwarding, you can automatically send calls to the phone or device of your choice. This is especially helpful when you are traveling or working from home. The feature can also help you keep in touch with your customers. To activate call forwarding, go to Google Voice and open the Settings menu. Once you’re signed in, click on the gear icon and select “Call forwarding.” You can then choose the devices where you want to receive calls.

You can also use call forwarding to route calls based on who is calling you. You can set it up so that calls are forwarded to your home number first, then to your work number if you don’t answer, and finally to your cell phone if none of the others pick up. This is an excellent tool for small business owners who often travel.

The main dashboard on the Google Voice website is where you can see all of your recent calls and messages. You can also make new calls and create a new auto-attendant from here. You can also manage your linked numbers and edit existing ones. There are many advanced features on Google Voice, including conference calling and integrations with other Google apps such as Google Meet and Calendar.

Despite all of the useful tools on Google Voice, the platform has some limitations that make it less than ideal for a business phone solution. For example, it can’t be used to host conference calls or send and receive text messages. Also, it can be difficult to organize multiple inboxes when a contact leaves a call, text, or voicemail on multiple accounts.

Call screening

If you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, or independent service professional, you may have heard about Google Voice and wondered how it could benefit your telephony system. This cloud-based phone solution brings Google-caliber spam filtering to your incoming calls, text messages, and voicemails—and even transcribes them into written form, so you can read or listen to them from any device. It also provides call screening, a robust system of contextual call forwarding, and free unlimited calling to other Google Voice users.

But despite all its features, Google Voice has a few shortcomings that are important to consider. One of the most important is call quality. Many users report muffled or distorted sound on their calls, which can be very frustrating for clients and leads. It also doesn’t offer the full range of business phone features that a traditional telephone system would, including auto-attendants and ring groups.

To start using Google Voice for your business, you’ll need to buy a Workspace subscription. After that, you can either get a new number with Google Voice or port your existing number to it. You can also choose a plan based on how much calling you need to do. Depending on your plan, you can add Google Voice features like auto-attendants, ring groups, and voicemail transcription. You can also integrate it with Google apps and devices like desk phones and certified headsets.

Voicemail

Google Voice offers a wide range of features for business use. It is compatible with many operating systems and devices, including Apple iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Android phones. It also supports call screening and voicemail transcriptions. In addition, it offers a mobile app that allows users to make and receive calls on the go. The app works through Wi-Fi or a data plan, so users can connect with it while working from home, on the road, or at the office. Buy Google Voice accounts for your business from BulkLogin.

For businesses that require multiple team members to handle incoming calls, Google Voice offers ring groups. These allow multiple devices to ring simultaneously when a call is received. This helps to ensure that a call is answered quickly, and it prevents lost opportunities due to missed calls. Google Workspace also provides call transfer capabilities and transcripts of call recordings to save time and improve team communication.

The Google Voice business phone system is a useful solution for small businesses that don’t need a full-featured VoIP phone system. However, it is not designed for large teams and has limited integration capabilities with third-party apps. This could be a disadvantage for businesses that rely on other tools, such as CRM software, to manage their customer relationships. Google Voice also doesn’t support extensions or call flows, which are essential for a fully-featured business phone system.