FeatureUC&C18 Apr 2019 · 2 min read

Google Voice is Hanging in There

Google Voice expands to all users in key regions, adding Calendar and Hangouts Meet integrations. Published on UC Today, it strengthens cloud VoIP for businesse

Rebekah Carter

As countless collaboration tool providers explore new opportunities for voice, video, and other communication options, Google may still be in the running.

After a debut in 2018, Google's "Voice" service for G Suite recently introduced a brand-new expansion in availability and added features. Up until now, Google Voice has only been available to a handful of users throughout the UK, US, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, and France. Now, all users in those regions can access Voice, with upcoming access for users in Ireland and Canada.

The enterprise-ready version of Google Voice is designed to offer access to call-routing and complete account management for users and reports. There's also support for emergency numbers, certified VoIP hardware and more. Google additionally announced new integrations with Google Calendar and Hangouts Meet.

[caption id="attachment_20044" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Google Voice[/caption]

A New Era for Google Voice

According to Google, the expanded availability of Google Voice, plus the new integrations will allow companies of all sizes to upgrade their communication strategy. Alongside an easy-to-deploy service for voice, Google's solution offers improved convenience and security through integrations with Google's AI and safety systems.

Google Voice has been around for a while as one of Google's messaging and communication services. However, it's yet to achieve the same popularity as other Google services like Hangouts Meet and Chat. Despite this, Google hasn't given up on its Voice integration yet. With the latest release, the search giant hopes to enhance their already-powerful productivity suite and potentially gain more corporate customers in the process.

One positive thing about Google Voice is how easy it is to integrate. Once administrators purchase the correct licenses for Google, employees will be able to take phone calls on their work number from any device, including laptops and smartphones. What's more, Google's AI functionalities give users the option to transcribe voicemails and automatically filter calls from potential spammers or fraudsters. There's also the option to tap into text-to-speech and machine translation to create advanced call menus in 9 languages. This will make it easier for companies to direct customers to the right departments.

A Fully Functioning Solution for Cloud Communications

Google Voice will give IT teams the option to assign business numbers to employees throughout a business network, and see the expenses related to those calls in an admin network. There's also the option to migrate existing numbers into Google Voice, where services can be updated and enhanced accordingly.

The Google Voice service for enterprises starts at around $10 per user, and it comes with virtually everything your team might need for cloud communications. When linked to the new Meetings and Hangouts offerings, this gives Google a competitive strategy for the enterprise communications environment.

Although it remains to be seen whether Google will emerge as the new company to beat in the communications space, the updated Google Voice does make the productivity suite a lot more compelling for corporate users. You can find out more about the Google Voice expansion on the Google website.

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