#goooglevoice

For about six years I had a personal phone and number that I used for business as well. As a result my company reimbursed the mobile fees for the phone. All my colleagues, customers and friends had my number. All was good.

Then, about three years ago my employer then decided to stop reimbursing for personal phones. If I still wanted the company to cover the cost of the mobile service then I would have to switch to a corporate plan and phone provided by the company.

The catch? They would not let me port my personal number to the new phone/plan.

I fought vigorously but I was unable to convince them that the number had business value since all the customers who had worked with for the last half decade knew me on that number. Sorry, you have to get a new number they said. I understood the need to cut cost and consolidate but I vowed to that after changing my phone number this one time how never to have to do it again.

Enter Google Voice, a service available in North America currently for free that provides a permanent phone number, normal carrier cell calling, voip calling, voice mail and unified inbox capabilities through Google Mail (gMail).

But it goes beyond the basics. It offers voice mail conversion to text delivered to my inbox that is remarkably good - it will even translate messages left for me in a foreign language. It will allow me to have multiple voice mail messages, depending upon what group I have placed the contact calling in through the gMail app. It also allows me to redirect my number to any other phone/number in the world and roll through them until I answer. If I need to get a different phone or number or switch jobs then none of my contacts will ever need to know.

It essentially has become my ‘digital home’ and I’m ‘stuck’ and I love it. Did I mention it was free? I did? Well did I mention I would absolutely pay for this capability? I would.

I have watched and listened to communications providers as I’ve traveled around the world and I’m shocked frankly that none of them have adopted this strategy. Especially the smaller MVNOs (wireless service resellers who don’t own the networks) who are constantly trying to differentiate themselves by something besides price.