As we recently highlighted, there are 10 reasons why Google Voice is NOT a business telecommunications solution — and the recent integration of Google Voice with G Suite doesn’t change this. In case you’d like a recap, here are the 10 reasons:
- No Business Caller ID
- No Technical Support
- Number Porting Limitations
- SMS Problems
- Feature Limitations (e.g. no toll-free numbers, no vanity numbers, no hunt groups, etc.)
- Blocked Calls
- Quality Issues
- Privacy Concerns
- Voicemail Confusion
- No Implementation Help
Any of these reasons — let alone all 10 of them — is enough to disqualify Google Voice as a legitimate, reliable business telecommunications solution (or even a personal tool for calling family and friends for that matter).
However, there is one drawback in particular that we believe is the MOST problematic, because it simply isn’t optional — it’s absolutely essential. Of course, we’re talking about SERVICE.
Here is the key message: if your business is thinking about upgrading to a hosted cloud phone system and you want to ensure that your experience is profitable and rewarding instead of costly and regrettable, then you MUST NOT overlook the importance of responsive, professional and expert service.
Why is this great service so vital? Because a hosted cloud phone system is not a “plug and play” product. Rather, it’s a sophisticated technology-led solution that must be properly integrated, configured and optimized for your specific network infrastructure. And that’s just the start! You also need to:
- Ensure that the hosted cloud phone system is properly protected with advanced security products, like a next-generation firewall and end-to-end data encryption.
- Port (i.e. transfer) existing phone numbers to your hosted cloud phone system, so that your customers, suppliers, vendors, strategic partners and other callers won’t get a “the number you have reached is no longer in service” message.
- Provide administrators with tools and training to manage the system (e.g. add users/extensions, create calling rules, monitor logs, etc.).
- Provide end users with resources and orientation to confidently and enthusiastically hit the ground running and use the new solution vs. drag their heels because they’re confused, intimidated, and afraid of change.
- Monitor calling and video quality to ensure that server capacity and bandwidth are sufficient based on your changing needs (e.g. more employees using video calling than you initially anticipated).
- Verify that you are not paying for more users (i.e. seats) than you need to, based on your current and anticipated capacity.
- Ensure that upgrades and innovations to the hosted cloud phone system are compatible with other solutions in your ecosystem, such as your CRM platform, ERP platform, etc.
You also need the power to pick up the phone, send an email, launch a chat session, or pay an in-person visit and connect DIRECTLY with support specialists who care about your business, and are accountable to you. When you have questions, issues or need advice, you can’t afford to get the “runaround”, or be told to solve your own problems. Each hour that goes by costs you money, and adds to your frustration and stress.
At Carolina Digital Phone, we pride ourselves on providing the industry’s BEST SERVICE. It’s in our DNA. Here is a sample of what some of our customers have to say about their service experience (click here for many more testimonials):
“We are a free public charter school in Spartanburg, South Carolina and have been using Carolina Digital Phone now for 3 years. Not only have they provided great service at a very fair and competitive price, but their Customer Service has been second to none! They always respond to ticket requests in a timely manner and go the extra mile to help out in every way possible. I would highly recommend them to any business that is in need of Phone Services! Thank you Carolina Digital Phone for all you do!!” Joe Sanders, High Point Academy, Spartenburg, SC
“The folks at Carolina Digital Phone know what they are doing. They have excellent experience in the industry and are there to assist with the touch of a button. They helped us implement a phone system in 2013, which has helped create great cost savings for our business. They are cost effective, and have great service to back it up. Their team is great!” Will Berry, Director of Operations, Berico Fuels, Greensboro NC
“We’ve been with Carolina Digital Phone for almost three years and the service has been great! Having our phone service hosted in Carolina Digital Phone’s cloud data center on NCREN offers us immediate access to changes and hosted in a secure backup to route calls to cell phones when we have power failures. The customer support Awesome!” Froi Romero, Coordinator of Technical Support Services, Bertie County Schools
Now, here’s a look at what some Google Voice customers have to say about their service experience:
Posted on Reddit: “I had some huge issues porting in that took forever to get resolved by Google. Their support seems to be slow and relies on a ‘try again next week and see if the problem resolves itself’ attitude. As far as business usage, I would absolutely NOT recommend. Even at that low volume of calls I’m betting you miss 1-2 business calls per day that get sent mysteriously straight to voicemail”.
Posted on CustomerServiceScoreboard.com: “My Google Voice phone number worked flawlessly until just before Christmas. Now I don’t get many of the calls people are placing to it. They don’t show up on the list of calls received. If I search around, I can find them listed as “missed call.” Since I let ALL the calls to that number go to voicemail, wouldn’t ALL my calls to it be “missed calls”? There’s apparently no one you can speak to at Google about the Voice service and there seems to be no way to get this resolved. I don’t know what to do at this point”.
Posted on Quora: “Google is all about scale, and frankly, having to hire customer support reps. to deal w/ millions of ad sense, docs, gmail, and other Google services doesn’t scale. On top of that, our engineering-heavy hiring and focus doesn’t make for great customer support anyway”.
To learn more about getting the BEST hosted cloud phone system and the BEST expert support — because your business needs both! — contact the Carolina Digital Phone team today at (336) 544-4000 for your free live demo and consultation. We can connect with you in-person at your location, or over the web.
About Carolina Digital Phone:
Carolina Digital Phone is a local North Carolina based pioneer of hosted phone services, and provides products that improve the capabilities of business, education and government telephony, while reducing their overall cost. The company’s offerings stand out for their excellent value, including very competitive pricing, the industry’s deepest feature set, ease of deployment, and many user-friendly packages – from a full turnkey setup including dial tone and VoIP phones to automated call answering and routing solutions that work with existing landlines, cell phones or VoIP phones. Learn more at CarolinaDigitalPhone.com
Carolina Digital Phone, Inc.
301 S Elm Street, Suite 601
Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
(336) 544-4000