Google Voice, Revisited

I wrote about Google Voice several months back, but they have so many new features that I knew it was time to share again!

Google Voice is yet another amazing and free tool that, once you start using it regularly, you will never know how you lived without it before! The service provides you with a free virtual telephone number that you can forward to any phone number or straight to an email address if you choose not to take calls.

Here's an example: You spend the weekdays at work where you have bad cell reception, so during the weekday work hours, you can forward your Google Voice (GV) number to your work phone. After work, you can forward your GV number to your cell phone. And at night when you are sleeping, you can forward your GV number straight to email so that you will not be interrupted.  You distribute your GV number, and you decide when, where and how you are contacted each day.

How I Use Google Voice:

• I give my GV number to those businesses that I want to contact me again, but I don't want them to have direct access to me.  I want to choose how and when we communicate. For example, when I give blood, I give the agency my GV number because I don't want to answer their weekly calls requesting more of my blood for the rest of my adult life! I still would like to know that they called and that they have a shortage of my blood type, but I much prefer they just leave me a voice mail that I can hear later.
• My high school students who want to use me as a reference for a prospective job. I really don't want to give them my cell phone number, but I don't mind giving them my GV number since all calls and voice mails are sent directly to my email account.  No prank calls at 2am!
• Sign up to get text messages from my stores and other businesses. Some of my favorite stores have text message sign ups, and I want to be included on their text messages including sales and coupons, but I don't really want all of their advertising to clutter my text message inbox. 
  

(Note: I use GV as my secondary phone number as you see above, but Google now offers number porting, so you could move your cell phone number into GV if you want to use it in that way.) 

All of these calls, voice mails, and text messages go straight to my GV account then I receive an email notification. The great part about GV is its ability to personalize. You can receive calls to any phone number at specific hours of the day or never at all.

After you have created an account, you will be amazed at all of the ways people use GV!  They have a YouTube Channel with more ways to fully utilize their service.

I would love to hear how you are using Google Voice!