Google Voice - Why Should I?

[billyk]

I've had invites from Google Voice for months now. I really can't see any significant benefits for my situation. Here are some points that characterize my phone usage for voice and texting:

- I don't need to use voicemail more than 1 or 2 times a month
- I have free texting as part of my family plan - it doesn't cost more for just my phone
- I do lot's of texting
- For the few voicemails I do get, I don't care to push them to different phones
- Pushing a new GV phone number to the 400+ phone contacts I have will be a hassle to reverse, if I decide after the fact that I don't want to use Google Voice
- I do no international calling

What am I missing here?
Advice?
-bk

 

[thebowers]

Looks to me like you don't need GV. Unliess you want one of the following.

You have the friends and family deal (call 5 or 10 numbers for free). You could then have unlimited calling.
You want multiple phones to ring. Like work phone, home phone and cell all in one.

 

[bastosero]

I've had invites from Google Voice for months now. I really can't see any significant benefits for my situation. Here are some points that characterize my phone usage for voice and texting:

- I don't need to use voicemail more than 1 or 2 times a month
- I have free texting as part of my family plan - it doesn't cost more for just my phone
- I do lot's of texting
- For the few voicemails I do get, I don't care to push them to different phones
- Pushing a new GV phone number to the 400+ phone contacts I have will be a hassle to reverse, if I decide after the fact that I don't want to use Google Voice
- I do no international calling

What am I missing here?
Advice?
-bk

I don't get your point, bro. LOL

If you don't need then don't get it. That's all I could say. I don't know how simpler I could explain it to you. I'm not trying to be mean either. Also, if you do have invites, you can toss them to the people that actually need it. There's a thread here in the forum for people that are asking for a Google Voice invite.

 

[hookbill]

I've had invites from Google Voice for months now. I really can't see any significant benefits for my situation. Here are some points that characterize my phone usage for voice and texting:

- I don't need to use voicemail more than 1 or 2 times a month
- I have free texting as part of my family plan - it doesn't cost more for just my phone
- I do lot's of texting
- For the few voicemails I do get, I don't care to push them to different phones
- Pushing a new GV phone number to the 400+ phone contacts I have will be a hassle to reverse, if I decide after the fact that I don't want to use Google Voice
- I do no international calling

What am I missing here?
Advice?
-bk

Your only advantage is that it would give you the opportunity to be a real nice guy. People are screaming for Google Voice Invites. You would be able to share the wealth.

And it's not like it cost you anything to have it. Just another bookmark on your computer.

So while it might not do anything for you, it would help others.

 

[Yodes]

Kind of my situation. I don't use GV at all I just got it so I could say I have it :icon_ devil:, and to send invites to those who needed it.

 

[billyk]

I've had invites from Google Voice for months now. I really can't see any significant benefits for my situation. Here are some points that characterize my phone usage for voice and texting:

- I don't need to use voicemail more than 1 or 2 times a month
- I have free texting as part of my family plan - it doesn't cost more for just my phone
- I do lot's of texting
- For the few voicemails I do get, I don't care to push them to different phones
- Pushing a new GV phone number to the 400+ phone contacts I have will be a hassle to reverse, if I decide after the fact that I don't want to use Google Voice
- I do no international calling

What am I missing here?
Advice?
-bk

I don't get your point, bro. LOL

If you don't need then don't get it. That's all I could say. I don't know how simpler I could explain it to you. I'm not trying to be mean either. Also, if you do have invites, you can toss them to the people that actually need it. There's a thread here in the forum for people that are asking for a Google Voice invite.

I was wondering if I really understood all of the benefits - that's all!

 

[bennyj]

The only possible benefit I could see for you using it would be just for the visual voicemail. It's nice to have transcripts for your messages. Also you can set up custom greetings for all the diff contacts you have. You could set up a greeting that only family would hear, and then set up a voicemail greeting only co workers would hear. I would urge you to read up on the various things you can do with GV without having to change your number.

 

[jsh1120]

Sounds like the OP doesn't need GV. For me, however, it's a godsend.

() I give the GV number only to my work colleagues and customers.

() All calls to my GV number are forwarded to both my home office (which is my family phone number, as well) and to my cell phone.

() This means that I can be reached on either device with a single phone number by a limited number of people. Callers no longer have to track me down by calling both numbers and leaving voice mails on each. It also means that I can tailor the voicemail greeting to particular calling numbers. And my wife no longer has to remember to save voicemails on our home phone from my colleagues and customers.

() When I miss a call on my cell phone I receive an email with the voice mail message attached, making VZW's "visual voice mail" unnecessary and redundant.

() Finally, the transcripts of voice mail messages Google provides along with the .wav file in my email are hilarious. Not accurate, but hilarious! In one case, the transcript of a call from my wife while I was on a business trip indicated she asked me how my ex-wife was enjoying the trip. I checked the actual message. Suffice to say I found the inaccuracies funnier than my wife did.

 

[billyk]

The only possible benefit I could see for you using it would be just for the visual voicemail. It's nice to have transcripts for your messages. Also you can set up custom greetings for all the diff contacts you have. You could set up a greeting that only family would hear, and then set up a voicemail greeting only co workers would hear. I would urge you to read up on the various things you can do with GV without having to change your number.

Great advice. I'll definitely look into the option of keeping my current number. Can't help but think that there might be advantages for me.

 

[J*Bishop]

i will gladly take one of your invites.

 

[CBLJazz]

The only possible benefit I could see for you using it would be just for the visual voicemail. It's nice to have transcripts for your messages. Also you can set up custom greetings for all the diff contacts you have. You could set up a greeting that only family would hear, and then set up a voicemail greeting only co workers would hear. I would urge you to read up on the various things you can do with GV without having to change your number.

my voicemail usage is identical to yours.
mosty texting.
i have gv simply for the free visual voice mail.