A Google Voice Account Is Worth What??

A look at eBay’s completed listings for “Google Voice" today shows Google Voice accounts selling for between $50 and $399.99. That’s what people have paid, not what sellers are asking.

The top price was paid by someone who wanted a Los Angeles 213 area code vanity number whose last four digits spell out “SING” or “RING.” This probably has something to do with the entertainment or communications businesses. The second-highest price, $385, went for a Washington, DC, 202 area code number of no specified vanity value. However, area code 202 carries its own cachet. Prices declined rapidly as one moved down the power ladder:  San Francisco 415, $150; Florida 813, $115; New York 212, Columbus OH 614, San Fernando Valley 818, Orlando 407, all around $100. The lowest prices were paid for area codes in mundane places like Youngstown OH, Jacksonville FL, and Macon GA. eBay is a great way to learn what things are really worth.

But it is often said among eBayers, “The winner of an auction is the one who pays more than anyone else thinks a thing is worth for something the seller didn’t think was worth keeping.” You can request a specific phone number from a carrier when you order service, and if it’s available you will get it at no additional charge. What are these Google Voice fanatics buying?

“One phone number for all your phones, for life” is the Google Voice marketing mantra. You get a phone number that forwards to all of your phone numbers:  business, home, office, the motel you’re staying at temporarily, etc. From a Web interface you control what happens to incoming calls depending on who’s calling and when they call. You can do tricks like text messaging and voicemail-to-text transcription. See “15 Ways In Which Google Voice Can Ring Your Bell” on Voip-News.com.

For business, Google Voice greatly simplifies the complexity of anytime, anywhere communication with customers, suppliers, and coworkers. The IT department can manage everyone’s phones and individuals can manage their own. Google Voice is great for telecommuters, traveling sales reps, globe-trotting executives, and the IT guy who’s running from facility to facility. And it’s free!

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages to Google Voice.  Depending on your overall business needs, it may be better to choose a full PBX system than simply a call forwarding service.  Focus has a lot of information to help with those decisions, so don't forget to check out their research and Q&A sections for more information.