Google Voice

[cutman1000]

My office (veterinary clinic) currently uses an answering service to handle our after hours emergencies, and we are not happy with them.  To cut a long story short, they are idiots and expensive.  We are thinking about switching to Google Voice (or something similar?), but I'm not sure if it meets are needs.
 
Current setup:
 
Someone calls answering service and a live person answers the phone.  The callers identify themselves and establish if they are a client or not.  If they are not current clients, they are referred to a local 24 hour emergency clinic.  If they are clients, the answering service gets basic information (client name, brief description of the emergency, contact number).  That information is then texted and emailed to both vets.  If neither vet responds within 15 minutes, they are both called.  If neither vet can be reached by these three methods, the callers are referred to a local 24 hour clinic.
 
So, is Google Voice capable of replacing these basic services?  Obviously a real person won't answer the phone, but is it possible to set up something where a client calls a number (preferably our current emergency number that we can port to Google Voice?), they can leave a message, and that message be transcribed and sent to both vets' cell phones?
 
If Google Voice is not a good solution, anyone got any other ideas? 

 

[AlNipper49]

My office (veterinary clinic) currently uses an answering service to handle our after hours emergencies, and we are not happy with them.  To cut a long story short, they are idiots and expensive.  We are thinking about switching to Google Voice (or something similar?), but I'm not sure if it meets are needs.
 
Current setup:
 
Someone calls answering service and a live person answers the phone.  The callers identify themselves and establish if they are a client or not.  If they are not current clients, they are referred to a local 24 hour emergency clinic.  If they are clients, the answering service gets basic information (client name, brief description of the emergency, contact number).  That information is then texted and emailed to both vets.  If neither vet responds within 15 minutes, they are both called.  If neither vet can be reached by these three methods, the callers are referred to a local 24 hour clinic.
 
So, is Google Voice capable of replacing these basic services?  Obviously a real person won't answer the phone, but is it possible to set up something where a client calls a number (preferably our current emergency number that we can port to Google Voice?), they can leave a message, and that message be transcribed and sent to both vets' cell phones?
 
If Google Voice is not a good solution, anyone got any other ideas? 

Nope. You really want to use an answering service for this.

Fins a good one

 

[canderson]

Google is killing Voice pretty soon.

 

[brs3]

The transcription of voicemails by Google Voice is hilariously terrible. I use a Google Voice number for work, and sometime let it go to voicemail just for the hilarious transcription. For example:
 
it's been Lazar over the rebound. I've tried if you'd I just wanted to reconnect from last time wespoke. I think you're heading down to Orlando T E R C but I just heard that we can. It actually left thecompany. Good morning to reconnect with you to finally show you some of the new features and urbanbounce technology. If you gimme a call back.

 

[jercra]

It's still just as awesome as it always has been.  Here's a recent VM:
 

 
It's. Jamie Hi. My friend from college. Children's house and I just want to know But I don't know. Whose funeral, kal networks have 23% I couldn't tell if it's okay how you're doing a lot of time off lately light because Three fourths, Okay, so I am. Thank you, Kate and I have personal day. If you need to do this Sunday for blacks. Albert the following months, a thank you. Area, I don't have the offer. It's just give me a call when you come in please bye.

 
Canderson, you're news was sad to me.  I've been using GV as my primary phone number for long time now and that option is ending.  If there's one thing I can be sure of it's the Google will fuck up the integration with Hangouts.  Text integration with Hangouts is just about unusable.  

 

[Curll]

Damn, I love my Google Voice.
 
I'll make calls from my computer pretty regularly, especially if I'm calling a company/service and will be on hold for a while. 

 

[Rancho Relaxo]

I'm a big fan of urbanbounce technology.

 

[cutman1000]

Ha. Ok, thanks. Glad I asked here first rather than waste time setting up a Voice account.

 

[Marceline]

Is Voice really going away or is that just speculation? 

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

Is Voice really going away or is that just speculation? 

 
As with all Google products, we are at the mercy. My guess - we're good for another year or so.

 

[AlNipper49]

Only google could fuck up a nearly-perfect product like grandcentral so thoroughly and completely.  They're worse than yahoo at this point.

 

[PortlandSoxFan]

My main number has been GV pretty much since I switched to Android.  I'm too lazy to port it to my carrier, and also to lazy to give out my real cell # to everybody after 5 years.

 

[Marceline]

 
As with all Google products, we are at the mercy. My guess - we're good for another year or so.

 
So just speculation, in other words.
 
I have heard rumors that they'll get rid of Voice for years, but it's still sticking around. Not that I would be surprised if they changed course.

 

[jercra]

This appears to all be coming from a notice to Talkatone from Google that 3rd party app support was being discontinued as of May 15th along with a long rumored unified messaging system code named Babel.  I can't find any official notice from Google that they're shutting anything down but I can find rumors from the past 5 years that GV has 1 more year before it gets shut down.

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

I don't think it's Voice is going away, but there are a lot of indicators that it might be merged into Hangouts. Particular with the recent addition to make calls via Google Voice from Hangouts. Don't think Google would do that if killing Voice was in any short term plans.

 

[canderson]

Is Voice really going away or is that just speculation? 

They are reportedly merging it with Hangouts. Which I'm sure eliminates the easy and good usage.
 
http://mashable.com/2014/03/18/google-voice-to-hangouts/

 

[jercra]

Right, this all just piling on the same rumor from the spring.  Everyone predicted an announcement at IO and then there was no announcement at all.  Google usually gives a lot of notice when they kill/merge a product so I actually think it's really unlikely that people are forced off of GV any time in the next year or two.

 

[theapportioner]

GV integration was the main thing that drove me to switch to Android a number of years back. Getting rid of it or making it unusable would make me seriously consider going back to the iPhone.

 

[crystalline]

Right, this all just piling on the same rumor from the spring.  Everyone predicted an announcement at IO and then there was no announcement at all.  Google usually gives a lot of notice when they kill/merge a product so I actually think it's really unlikely that people are forced off of GV any time in the next year or two.

Its been clear as a user that Google has done zero development on Voice over the past three or so years. So its felt like the end is coming for a while.

I use it to forward calls and as a data-based SMS replacement. It's a great service except for one thing- MMS. Group texts have become common, and Voice just silently drops them. That means I can't give out my Voice number to everyone, so I still have to maintain two numbers. I use Voice only for business stuff where I doubt the person will be group texting me.

I looked into this a bit. I don't think any similar service offers MMS. And that's because each carrier has their own MMS protocol in which the payload is distributed over IP. The carriers have an incentive to interoperate with each other and not with VoIP services like Voice. Sadly, it's working- that prevents me from switching to Voice.

 

[canderson]

Right, this all just piling on the same rumor from the spring.  Everyone predicted an announcement at IO and then there was no announcement at all.  Google usually gives a lot of notice when they kill/merge a product so I actually think it's really unlikely that people are forced off of GV any time in the next year or two.

I hope you're right - I use it as the biz line for my freelance business - but the lack of updates, support, news and denial is kinda troubling. Plus Google's known to take some of their most usable products and totally fuck them over.