As a writer about phones and marketing, the challenge of conveying the benefits of technology to the broader public hits close to home. That’s one of the reasons that I admire Google. To my mind, one of Google’s greatest contributions is their ability to make a sophisticated technology easily accessible to the non-techie public.
Here’s a great example. Brian Wis, a music teacher and blog editor of “Teaching Music in the 21st Century,” wrote an excellent post about why Google Voice is great for teachers. In fact, the post’s practical tips relate to many professionals, not just teachers. I recommend reading the entire article “What is Google Voice and Why is it Great for Teachers?,” but I’d like to comment on five of his key points.
1) Having a number not attached to a phone
When your phone number exists independently of your actual phone device, you can define the rules without walking around with 3 cell phones attached to your belt. You decide which phone calls you want to route to your office, which to your cell phone, which to your home, and which to all numbers simultaneously. You can create multiple phone personas without opening multiple lines. As a teacher, you put the system into play by giving parents and co-teachers one number, while giving friends another, etc. With Google Voice, you can set up different voicemail greetings for different parties (e.g. friends vs. coworkers). Especially for teachers, whose profession can be quite personal, the need to clarify the boundaries between work and pleasure becomes all the more relevant.
I often find myself running to catch a call on my cell phone, only to wonder how the party ever obtained my cell phone number. Or, I could be on vacation abroad, and pick up my cell phone for a distant colleague that could have just as easily received a greeting saying that I’m on vacation. If one maintains greater control over call routing, through services like Google Voice, then these situations are easy to limit.
2) Call screening
Even if your call routing rules don’t solve every single situation, your Google Voice call screening stands as a second line of defense. The ability to listen to voicemail in real-time prevents classic teacher situations like picking up the phone for a parent’s call “just checking in” right as you’re about to go to bed.
3) Call Translation
OK, so now let’s look at the flip side. On some occasions you want to maintain communication lines for work or personal situations, but you can’t leave your phone on. Google Voice will translate voicemail messages to text messages and send then to you as email, including an audio attachment.
4) Number Permanence
The advantage of number permanence really relates to everyone, in both the professional and personal spheres. The extra step of distance between your phone number and your device helps you out both in terms of convenience and security. Google Voice frees you from worrying about having to update all of your contacts if you change a mobile, work or home number. Just reroute your GV calls, and you’re all taken care of. When it comes to security, the added distance of a GV number prevents you from having to think twice about whether it’s smart to give out your personal numbers.
5) Call Routing
We already discussed some benefits of call routing, but Brian Wis adds one point here that’s worth mentioning. Google Voice’s call routing also works for outgoing calls, so that people won’t always see what location you are dialing from.
My Concluding Thoughts
Call management systems, such as Google Voice, create a sense of order in the constant noise of the phone ringing. Distinguishing phone calls between the critical and mundane, personal and professional, family and friends, etc. can provide a feeling of organization, calm and responsibility even for the non-techie professionals out there.
Related posts:
- Ring Central and Google Voice: Businessweek’s Take
- Question of the Month: Did Apple Really Reject Google Voice?
- Real Time Google Voice Translation in the Works
- Voice is Coming Back in Style with iPhone Apps and Google’s Nexus One
- Google Voice Enters the iphone – Through the Web Browser
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