How to Set Up Google Voice!

Google Voice was started in 2009 after Google purchased the service Grand Central.

I was an early adopter of the platform because I like being able to respond to texts using a computer, and I wasn't too concerned about the other benefits this platform has to offer.  However, as more and more of the benefits rolled out, I became quite dependent on them!

We know those feels, bro.

Today I'll go over how to use Google Voice!

The first thing you need to determine is if you want to sign up for a new number with Google, or if you want to use your existing telephone number.  I recommend signing up for a new telephone number, as having an additional phone line can be incredibly useful in some aspects.  For example, if you tend to go between different providers frequently, sometimes things can get messed up when you are moving that number between providers.  

We saw this in the cable industry pretty frequently; someone signs up for a new phone service and the person who helped them do it missed a checkbox, now suddenly they are at risk of losing the number they've had for 27 years.  It's fixable but it requires a lot of people working in a way that is atypical for it to work.

Google Voice has several nice features to allow you to have this second number and use it best to your advantage.

For example, have you ever had a job where your coworkers do not understand the idea of work/life balance and constantly call you all day and night about several issues that they could solve if they just thought about it for a second?  I think we've all had this job at one point in time or another.

What if you could automatically turn off the ability to call you after a certain time of day, forcing all calls to voicemail?  You can do that with Google Voice!  Do you have a client that threatens you and causes you all manner of trouble?  What if you could announce you are recording them and record them at the press of a button?  Yep, Google Voice can do that too!  What if you don't want to listen to that annoying co-worker's voice, but still want to see what the voicemail says?  Google Voice will transcribe that message for you, no trouble!  (Although sometimes the transcription is a little bit weird, hey, COMEDY!)  

To start a new Google Voice number, simply go to voice.google.com and log into your favorite google account.

If you are using Google Voice for a business, you should sign up for business.  It starts at 10 dollars a month so it's not incredibly costly, and the business suite does offer some advantages over the personal suite.  I do not have a business account for Google Voice because, for me, it's a non-urgent voicemail catcher.  However, if you are using it for business, this will allow more people to get forwarded calls from your mainline, more on that later.

Once you have signed up, you'll get to choose whether or not you are transferring a number to Google Voice.  We're going to make the assumption here that you are creating a new line.

So, while you create your new line, a few interesting facts:

1. If you know a person from a particular area code will be calling you often, it makes sense to get a telephone number in that same area code.  For example, if you have a loved one in the prison system, you can sign up for a Google Voice phone number in the same area code as the telephone number they are calling from.  This will usually cause the rates to be much cheaper and allow your loved one more talk time.

2. If you have a phone number with an area code outside of the current state you live in, it may be beneficial to create a Google Voice number in the area you currently live.  This way, you won't be singled out as "that weird guy from Indiana" at work.

So, select your number!  Now, Let's set up a forwarding phone number and all that fun stuff!

First, link your current cell phone number under voice settings under the heading "My Devices"

My number appears under Android Device, but I blotted it out.

Now that your device and telephone number are linked, let's set up more specific call forwarding.

Ok, now this is where things get a bit weird and wonky.  Either use a computer for this or use your phone's browser.

Under Voice, you want to look for a tab that says "Legacy Google Voice"

This changes the interface a bit!  Now, go to phones, and choose "edit" under your phone number

When you do that, you'll get a menu that looks like this one below.

This is an example of how to set it up so that you only receive calls 9am-6pm Monday through Friday.  You can edit this as you need to, and remember to hit SAVE, or it won't save.

You can also set it up so that if someone calls your Google Voice line, it rings on all of your devices including your office phone.  This is great for those times you really don't want to miss a call.

This is a pretty straightforward process, just hit "Activate" and follow the instructions.  Make sure that you add your Office Line as a forwarding line, just like you did with your Cell Phone in step 1.

You do not have to activate Google Voicemail on your main phone if you do not want to. If you set it up, Google will either email you or text you with the transcription of your device's voicemail.  This is nice for those times when you are in the middle of a conversation and cannot stop to answer the phone, you can simply read what the person said.

And that's pretty much it!  As with anything, just messing around will often yield you the best results.

Thanks for reading this Tech Witch Tip, see you tomorrow!