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Google Voice vs Easyline

With limited features aimed at general users, Google Voice can't compare to Easyline's professional service for small businesses.

A Quick Comparison between
Google Voice and Easyline

Features

GoogleVoice
GoogleVoice

Unlimited SMS and MMS messaging.

professional phone number
professional phone number

Choose a US or Canada phone number.

professional phone number
professional phone number

Conference calling.

professional phone number
professional phone number

Voicemail notification via email.

professional phone number
professional phone number

Local toll-free number and vanity number.

professional phone number

HD calling quality.

professional phone number

SMS business marketing.

professional phone number

Business contacts separation.

professional phone number

Business call recognition.

professional phone number

Incoming call notes.

professional phone number

No missing calls.

professional phone number

Client managemet.

professional phone number

Custom greetings and replies.

professional phone number

Mobile voice/data/WiFi calling.

professional phone number

Auto attendant and dial-by-name directory.

professional phone number

Simultaneous call forwarding.

professional phone number

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For users looking to get a second phone number without having to buy a second mobile phone, Google Voice is a go-to. For a start, it's free – and Google Voice reviews are always pointing out that it's easy to use, with a set of simple options for a range of supported devices. All you need is access to the internet or cellular data, and you can use Google Voice to call anyone, landline or mobile.

Until now, Google Voice has been a workable option for many businesses. But Google Voice limitations are everywhere, since its service wasn't designed especially for small business users. Fortunately, Easyline is your number-one similar alternative to Google Voice. With a full suite of professional features, Easyline is tailored to the small business owner as a replacement app that can increase communication efficiency and help your business flourish.

What is Google Voice?

Launched by Google back in 2009, Google Voice is a telephone service that provides call forwarding and voicemail services, voice and text messaging, as well as U.S. and international call termination.

Google Voice provides a U.S. telephone number, chosen by the user from available numbers in selected area codes, free of charge to anyone with a Google account. Calls to this number are forwarded to telephone numbers that each user must configure in the account web portal. Multiple destinations may be specified that ring simultaneously for incoming calls.

One of the benefits of Google Voice is allowing a user to answer and receive calls on any of the ringing phones they configure in the web portal. During a received call, the user may also switch between the configured telephones. But a key limitation to Google Voice is that you must have a US telephone number to establish the service.

Another problem is the Google Voice international calling rates, which are different when it comes to calling inside the US and calling outside the US. If a user has a US phone number and calls a phone number registered outside the US, the international rates will be referred to for calling charges – these can be up to $9.50 per minute!

If Google Voice users make calls outside the US, the international calling rates will be charged based on their mobile phone plan. Moreover, they may be subject to extra roaming fees from their mobile phone company outside the US.

Google Voice is popular primarily because users can get a phone number for free with which they can make calls, text messages and voicemail. But when it comes to calling internationally, it's far from free, and hefty calling rates are charged according to the calling destinations. Because of this, small businesses will likely need to look elsewhere to support their growing customer base.

Google Voice works based on VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology that allows you to make voice calls through a broadband internet connection instead of a cable. The VoIP technology makes it possible to make calls from a PC, mobile or even a tablet as long as internet access is available. For small business owners, however, customer care and the quality of phone calls is important, and this technology means the Google Voice call quality is often lacking.

Google Voice Review

Since Google Voice is used quite often for business, most complaints come from businesspeople fed up with its poor service and limited options. Check out these:

"I needed a safer way to contact clients while keeping a low profile, as well as a way to contact guys I date and block them if need be – I needed this all while being able to archive messages to reference later, since I'm also a writer. Overall, the service works great, but why no address book was included in the iPhone app version is beyond me. Because of this, I had to add clients' numbers to my iPhone contacts. This quickly became problematic when Facebook linked my profile to these contacts, and all of a sudden my privacy was violated."

"I run an animal rescue and I meet all kinds of weirdos that try to call me in the middle of the night, look up my address, and give out my number to total strangers. I tried Google Voice to get an additional line on my phone without having to buy an actual second phone, and it's given me a small amount of privacy while letting me separate my work people from my home people. BUT THIS APP CRASHES ALL THE TIME. ALL. THE. TIME. Almost every day, and often multiple times in a day. I will be trying to have a convo by text with volunteers, giving time-sensitive information so they can have written instructions to refer back to later when they're at the vet, and I can't get it done because Google Voice won't stop crashing. It's absolutely maddening. And there are very few options in the settings. The whole app is very clunky and SO. SLOW. There's also a substantial delay in voice calls. If I knew of an alternative to Google Voice, I would absolutely use it as a second number for my business."

"The app used to show me when incoming calls to my iPhone were being routed via Google Voice, along with the incoming phone number's caller ID info. Not anymore. Now all calls coming through Google Voice look like regular incoming phone calls to my personal iOS device. This means I've been missing a load of legitimate work calls, and my business is suffering. I am not sure what happened. It used to work great, but not anymore."

Google Voice Limitations

Looking at Google Voice for business, we can see it has the following limitations:

* No customer support from Google
* No toll-free numbers or vanity numbers (essential for business)
* Unable to sign up outside of the US
* No auto-attendant or IVR features
* Low call quality
* Limited features for business
* Can't be customized based on specific business demands

It can work in a pinch, but in the long term Google Voice is a bad choice for business.

Mixing Business with Pleasure. You might also ask, is Google Voice safe? Does it protect my privacy? Unfortunately, there are problems here too. Google Voice uses a blanket caller ID feature that will expose your personal information and cannot help you separate your personal life and business. That's a problem for a small business or startup where most calls are handled by one person on one or two devices.

Let's Talk about Data. As with the majority of social applications, Google Voice stores users' data, including their calls, call logs, messages, voicemail, etc. on Google servers. And with large-scale hacks regularly making headlines, your personal data won't be well protected. It could even be sold to criminals or competitors without any of your knowledge, putting your business in danger.

Marketing and Memory. Nothing helps drive business like an easy-to-remember phone number. A toll-free number is useful to optimize your brand so that your business looks trustworthy. A vanity number, on the other hand, helps your potential customers to remember your contact details from any advertising you do. But Google Voice doesn't offer these services, so you'll be missing out!

Call Management. Call flows – for directing customers to the appropriate specialist – are super useful for businesses with more than two people. But you'll need an alternative to Google Voice for that. And it also doesn't have an automated voice system, which can save you many hours when all the customer needs is some basic information.

Easyline: The Best Alternative to Google Voice for Small Businesses

If you compare Google Voice with other similar replacement apps on the market, there's only one clear winner. Reviews of Google Voice vs Easyline consistently show that on pricing and customization for small businesses, Easyline comes out ahead. Here's why:

* Unlimited local numbers. Unlimited local numbers are provided by Easyline. You can expect both toll-free and vanity numbers from Easyline. A toll-free number helps your business gain trust from potential customers, while memorable vanity numbers bring in more business opportunities.

* Top quality calling. All calls on Easyline are based on providers' service to ensure high quality calling 100% of the time. This is the number one advantage over other applications that are based solely on the internet or cellular with low stability.

* Customizable marketing. Easyline's business marketing SMS service gives you numerous business templates and can be set up to send automated SMS, increasing your business efficiency and orders.

* Contact organization. Easyline allows users to integrate just their business contacts, making it easy to separate them from the personal contacts on your phone.

* Caller ID. With Easyline, you can quickly recognize business calls thanks to the advanced caller ID function that displays information securely.

* FAQ templates. Any business will get asked the same set of questions on a regular basis. Easyline allows its users to set up a reply template that can be automatically sent when customers enter keywords.

* Caller Notes. Easyline lets you add notes to contacts. These will be automatically shown when a call comes so that you can instantly know their expectations and demands and provide a focused service.

* Professional Outreach. Easyline has multiple tunnels to send notifications to its users, so that any important call or message won't be missed.

If you're looking for the best second phone number app for small businesses, it's clear that Google Voice can't hold up. And what's more, learning how to port a number from Google Voice is as easy as downloading the Easyline app.

So, what are you waiting for? Easyline is available across any device and can be downloaded free. It's the best in the business for call forwarding and professional business communication, and it allows small business owners to manage clients in a way that's easy, customizable, and which will exceed your customers' expectations every single time.

Ready to go mobile? Try our business phone plans to
grow your business.