Google Voice

I just received an invite to Google Voice. I've been hoping this would happen, because I think it has the potential to revolutionize the way small businesses handle their calls.

What is Google Voice? The simplest way to find out is by hearing it from Google themselves. http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html

But I'll highlight a few things.

Basically, the service allows you to have a virtual call center, free of charge. You get one number, from any locale you want, and you can then forward anyone who calls that number to any phone that you want.

Not only that, but you can forward to different phone numbers based on who is calling. Number you don't recognize? Send it to voicemail or a phone you have set up to screen calls. Someone on your friends list or a valued customer? Forward it to your cell phone. The possibilities are endless, especially since it integrates seamlessly with my Gmail contacts.

And only one number you have to remember. Only one number to give to people and clients.

You can also hold conference calls with ease, as well as record and save phone calls as they happen. This combination I see being used quite a bit.

My favorite feature, however, is how it handles voicemail. It will automatically create a transcription of your voicemail and place it in a searchable inbox. Search is great with Gmail. Now imagine bringing that capability to your voicemail.

The problem with current voicemail has always been organization - or rather, the almost complete lack of it. Now, thanks to transcribe and search, the valuable time you spent trying to find that voicemail, or remember an email address from a voicemail in the distant past could be shrunk into just a few seconds. This is huge.

In short, Google Voice, if used right, can vastly improve your productivity, letting you and your business focus more on the things that matter.

I encourage you to sign up and see if you can get an invite to the beta.