Google Voice is finally available to all of us here in the U.S.A. Google’s cool web-based application allows small and mid-sized business owners to have full control of their phone communications. With Google Voice, you receive a single phone number that rings multiple lines (cell, office or home phone). The service provides voice message transcription and best of all; you can make free calls within the U.S. and Canada. International calling rates are low and you can make 4-person conference calls hassle-free.

How Google Voice works…

Once you sign up for an account with Google Voice, you choose your phone number. Then you can use your office, home and cell numbers. Google allows you to choose any U.S. area code you desire. You can forward your phone calls to six other phones. It even allows you to make free text messages. This makes life a whole lot easier. Now you don’t have to worry about being interrupted by phone calls while you’re in the middle of an important project.

Here are a few pros and cons of Google Voice:

Pros:

For business owners, Google Voice can be combined with Gmail, Google Docs, Google Buzz, Google Wave and Gdrive for an optimum online communication experience.

Personally, it lets me have a Georgia area code, without changing the number I have had for years, enabling me to get into the security gate at my apartment.

Cons:

Last year, Google Voice experienced a glitch in the system that raised a few eyebrows. Prospective users who were given the opportunity to test-drive the service (by invitation only) discovered that their voicemail transcripts posted in the search results. Google quickly rectified the problem. Today, all transcripts are kept away from the search engine crawlers.

Many people that call me are disgruntled by the unnecessary amount of time Google Voice takes when transferring a caller to voicemail that they hang up and I never know what it is they wanted or if it is an unknown number who it was that called.