Internet Voicemail Services

Internet Voicemail Service Providers

Why do voicemail online? Individual users can increase productivity by handling voice messages online, and small businesses will benefit by presenting a professional sounding "virtual office" to callers. Here are my quick reviews of the top internet voicemail services. Each has it's own unique features and pricing options, ranging from free online voicemail to feature-rich packages for business users. You can try most them for free, and find out which is best for you or your business.

• Google Voice is a free voicemail service from Google. I think the best feature is the ability to forward your voicemails to your email inbox, where you can listening or read a text transcription of the message. Google Voice also offers the ability to customize greetings based on the calling number, as well as conference calling, call blocking, and call recording - all for free!

• My1Voice, more geared towards small busines, gives you a dedicated toll-free phone number for your business, a dial-by-name directory, and virtual receptionist to direct callers with a voice menu. Voicemail messages can be left at pre-defined extensions, and are accessible via the Web. Your voice greetings will be recorded in a profesional studio; you just provide the scripts, which give information about your business, hours, location, etc. Pricing starts at $10/month, with a 30-day free trial.
• MaxEmail, despite the name, offers a range of voice and fax services. You can forward voicemails to your inbox, but messages are sent as audio attachments, no transcription. Packages cost between $7 and $40 per month, and customized voicemail solutions are available for large enterprises.
• RingCentral provides VOIP (Voice-over-IP) phone and online fax services, as well as high-quality conference calling for both small and large businesses. Single-user plans (up to 10 extensions) start at $50/month, or you can move up to 8 users for $180/month. All plans include a local or toll-free voice number, and a separate number for incoming faxes.
• Grasshopper (formerly known as GotVmail) is geared toward entrepreneurs seeking virtual office services. The basic plans provides a toll-free or local number with unlimited extensions for $10/month. You can customize with greetings, voice menu and fax-on-demand menu options. Your greetings and voice menu scripts are recorded professionally. Other features include conference calling, voicemail-to-text transcription, a dial-by-name directory, and music on hold. You can forward incoming voicemail and faxes to your email, or forward emails to your fax inbox. The call routing feature makes sure that if the intended party is unavailable, someone else gets his callers.
• Onebox offers LIVE receptionists and virtual PBX systems for small businesses. 100 minutes of live receptionist service starts at $170/month, and $1.95/minute over the initial allotment. All monthly plans include 2000 minutes of call forwarding, call transferring, fax inbox, conference calling, and other VoIP services.

Do you use an online voicemail service that's not on my list? Post a comment and tell me about it...