GSuite has already proven itself as a contender not just for personal daily use, but for collaboration and productivity throughout the corporate sector. And in July, Google announced that they were in the process of adding a version of their Google Voice service specifically for enterprise. And, now it’s almost out.
What is Google Voice?
Google Voice itself is an internet-based phone service through which users can get a free phone number that, if they so choose, may be assigned to multiple lines. That Google Voice number remains unattached to any particular carrier, SIM card, or phone.
Google Voice also includes features like voicemail transcription, conference calls, call recording, and SMS. And in most cases, all this requires is a Google account.
What’s different about Google Voice for Enterprise?
The essential function of offering phone numbers untethered to a device is the same; However, it specifically caters to the needs of the modern workplace. Google describes it as their “cloud telephony solution that’s easy to deploy and gets better over time.”
Google Voice for Enterprise is currently in its Beta phase, or Early Access stages. They’re currently promoting the new service using an Early Adopter Program (EAP). Once applied and accepted into the EAP, GSuite admins can provide Google Voice numbers for their users who then have access to the features that Google Voice has to offer.
Here’s a full list of benefits:
- An app for web, Android and iOS where users can link their Google account to their Google Voice phone number
- Saved time with fast deployment and instant flows to let admins assign numbers to users individually and in bulk
- Flexibility to let users choose their own numbers and set up their forwarding preferences
- Assigned phone numbers automatically syncing with the company directory and surfaced in Google Contacts
- G Suite integrations with Hangouts Meet and Calendar
As expected, Google Voice integrates with the rest of GSuite and comes in handy particularly in regards to Google Calendar and Hangouts. Users can also set the forwarding preferences for their Google Voice number, and Admins have access to how reports about how voice is being used. Setting up a new user is very simple so that adding phone lines no longer requires hefty IT support.
The benefits of Google Voice for Enterprise are obvious for those already utilizing GSuite, and definitely up the ante for those considering adopting GSuite for their business, since telephony services would no longer be a separate ordeal from the current collaborative software.
Tentative release dates for Google Voice for GSuite are set for March 2019, but applications to the EAP program are already open.
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