Thursday, June 25, 2009

GOOGLE VOICE - Great for consumers - A Sticky Problem for Businesses


Today, Google Voice was announced on a larger beta trial and had a morning news spot on the Today Show (see clip) to help generate even more buzz. Google Voice is the new rebranded Grand Central service that Google recently acquired.

One Google Voice is to the consumer what "Presence" or "Unified Communications" is to the business. Specifically, One number that can reach you at multiple devices and go to a centralized voice mail instead of one of the many voice mails attached to your one of many devices. Don't get me wrong, as soon as I get my invite I will be getting this service for my personal/consumer needs. The one thing that I will need to do is spread out the word to all my family and friends who call my personal cell phone number is that I have a NEW "Google Voice" number and throw out my old phone number. This will allow me to have my one number gets me anywhere that is desirable by many.

One sticky problem for all future users of GOOGLE Voice is that you will need to change your number to use this "Free for Now" service. And.....there becomes the sticky problem for businesses! Many service providers in the past, “Webley”, “Look Who’s Calling” and the like provide great services but require that they use their phone numbers. If for any reason you want to leave the service you realize how “STICKY” this type of services becomes.

For businesses looking for "Presence" or "Unified Communications", please note that Mitel is a leader in this field by providing its own cutting edge software that allows for Presence, Unified Communications, Audio and Web Collaboration and Mobility. Mitel also provides complete integration with Microsoft’s Unified Communications solution and IBM's SameTime. Mitel is able to provide a LEGACY RESCUE where you don’t have to replace your entire Enterprise Solution but just add the Mitel Applications on top of your current Legacy Solution. Lastly, only Mitel has had a Managed Services program to provide you these solutions with the same benefits as an Applications Service Provider.

Feel free to contact your current Mitel representative or myself if you don’t have one or you are located in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania.

No comments:

Post a Comment