Everything you should know about Google Voice voicemail

Voicemail might not be the flashiest part of a business phone system, but it’s critical when you can’t pick up. And a basic inbox won’t cut it — you need to manage voicemails, respond faster, and keep important calls from slipping through the cracks.

Unfortunately, Google Voice doesn’t deliver much beyond the basics. For the price, its voicemail system feels outdated, with limited features that don’t support a growing business.

This post breaks down Google Voice’s voicemail feature, including how it works and why it doesn’t make sense for growing businesses. We also provide an alternative that offers better voicemail features.

Does Google Voice have a voicemail feature?

Both the free and paid versions of Google Voice come with a voicemail system. It works a lot like your personal phone carrier’s voicemail service: if people call and you don’t answer, they’re automatically greeted by a voicemail recording and asked to leave a message after the tone.

This, unfortunately, is about all you get with Google Voice’s voicemail. There aren’t any bells and whistles, even if you upgrade.

You should also know about its weird quirks and limitations. For example:

• Voice messages live in separate folders. You can’t review voicemails alongside other phone calls and text messages, making it harder to get up to speed on specific customer conversations. The best you can do is switch between multiple tabs, which isn’t ideal if you’re moving fast or pressed for time.
• Recording new voicemail greetings can be a pain. You can’t record new voicemail greetings with Microsoft Edge at all. Recording on the Google Voice app (Android and iPhone) can help you get around this, but if you don’t have a decent built-in microphone, the quality might be poor.
• Team members can’t split responsibility for responding to new voicemails. You can’t share a voicemail inbox or automatically forward incoming voicemails to your team. Instead,  you can only send them to the email address associated with your Google Voice account, which isn’t very helpful.
• There’s no way to keep tabs on voicemails outside of Google Voice. Since Google Voice can’t integrate with external CRMs, you can’t automatically log voicemails into platforms like HubSpot or Salesforce. 

9 other Google Voice limitations that could hurt your small business

Not a fan of all the limitations of Google Voice’s voicemail feature? Just wait until you read about the rest of Google Voice’s cons.

Here are nine to keep in mind:

1. Voicemail transcripts may be incorrect or missing

Google Voice offers voicemail transcripts on every plan, but don’t expect them to always be accurate. In some cases, they might not show up at all. Google Voice explicitly states on its website that “Voicemail transcripts may be incorrect or missing. We’re working to improve transcription quality.”

You might end up having to listen to that three-minute voicemail anyway.

2. No shared numbers for team collaboration

Google Voice wasn’t built for teamwork — and it shows. Collaboration is nonexistent on its platform.

The lack of features speaks for itself:

• You can’t share one phone number to send or receive customer texts as a team.
• You won’t have access to team messaging unless you rely on a third-party messaging app like Slack. Even if you record calls in Google Voice, you’ll have to forward them manually to other members of your team.
• The only way to split responsibility for incoming calls is to set up ring groups for your team (which requires a Google Voice for business plan).

Speaking of ring groups…

3. Ring groups requires an upgrade

Want to lower your chances of sending customers to voicemail? Then you’ll need Google Voice’s ring groups, which are only available on the Standard plan, which costs $20 per user per month. 

4. No third-party app integrations

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Google Voice’s integrations are only compatible with other Google Workspace apps. There’s no way to connect it with the rest of your tech stack with tools like Make or Zapier, which means you can’t create automated text flows to nurture customer relationships.

5. Texting is limited to the US

Google Voice doesn’t support texting outside the US. If you’re located overseas or do lots of business with international customers, you might want to think about a Google Voice alternative.

6. Three-way calling is a privacy risk

You might want to think twice about starting a three-way call in Google Voice.

If you make a call using its mobile app, the first person you add will see your Google Voice number. But the second will see your personal number, which isn’t ideal if you need to keep your details private.

7. Pricing is more expensive than you think 

Google Voice’s pricing starts at $10 per user per month — or at least, that’s how it looks on the pricing page. But when you read the fine print, you’ll notice you need an active Google Workspace subscription for every user on your plan. This means it costs at least $17 per user per month.

8. No support for toll-free numbers

Unlike many other VoIP systems, Google Voice doesn’t support toll-free numbers. You can’t purchase additional 1-800 numbers or port them in from your existing provider. You’ll have to leave your numbers with your previous provider or port them to another carrier that offers toll-free support.

9. No texting automations to save time

You can’t set up Google Voice to automate texting on your behalf. This means you won’t have access to:

• Scheduled texts, which let you queue messages to customers so you don’t accidentally bother them outside of business hours in their time zone
• Snippets, which help you create customizable templates so you don’t need to manually type the same messages over and over
• Auto-replies that let you instantly acknowledge missed calls, texts, or voicemails, leaving customers uncertain about when (or if) they’ll hear back from your business

A better business alternative to Google Voice

Google Voice’s voicemail feature works, but it comes with several limitations and makes it hard for your team to work together to solve issues.

The good news is there are far better Google Voice alternatives for small and growing businesses, including Quo. 

With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), you can get a business phone number with voicemail for $15 per user per month. You can easily access your voicemail inbox from your laptop, tablet, or mobile device from any location with a WiFi connection.

Here’s how Quo’s voicemail features make it easier to build better relationships with your customers:

• Set up shared phone numbers for everyone on your team. Team members can make and receive calls and texts from the same phone number, making it easy to split responsibility when solving customer issues. Plus, shared phone numbers make it easy for everyone to browse calls, texts, and voicemails from the same central inbox so they can easily keep track of customer conversations. 
• Notify reps in Slack every time they receive a voicemail, text, or missed call. Since we integrate with more than just Google Workspace apps, you can easily sync specific call activity to the channels where your team is most active. Maybe it’s Slack or an email account. Unlike Google Voice, it doesn’t have to only be Gmail.
• Store voicemails for as long as you have an active account. Even if you cancel your account, you have an extra 14 days to export your information or pop back into your call logs to grab anything you might’ve forgotten.
• Save time on repetitive texts with automations. OpenPhone connects with more than 7,000 third-party integrations with the help of Zapier and Make.
• Transcribe voicemails and calls so you can catch up on conversations. With Quo’s AI-powered call transcriptions, you can easily read older conversations to keep track of who said what for compliance, training, or customer satisfaction. You can also get call overviews and action items with the help of our AI summary tool.

How to set up your business voicemail with Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), you can set up a voicemail greeting in six easy steps: 

1. Log into your Quo account or sign up for a seven-day free trial.
2. Pick or port the number(s) you want to put voicemail on. Unlike Google Voice, we support local, vanity, and toll-free numbers, all of which are compatible with our voicemail features.
3. Select one of our three plans. Voicemail is available on every plan, so no need to upgrade until you’re ready for more features (like AI call tagging, for example). Prices start at $15 per user per month — no hidden fees or nasty surprises.
4. Navigate to Settings in your Admin Dashboard. This is where you can turn solo numbers into shared numbers, set up auto-attendants, and set company-wide business hours to give your voicemails more context.
5. Now it’s time to record your voicemail greeting. In Quo, you have three options:

1. Record in-app
2. Upload an MP3
3. Use text to speech

Keep in mind you can also create a professional business voicemail using our free business voicemail generator (which, by the way, you don’t need a Quo account to use).

6. You can set up two different voicemails in Quo: one during business hours and a voicemail for after business hours. That way, you can easily give customers specific instructions or messages, like listing your hours when your business is closed or providing alternative contact info in case there’s an emergency. 

Quo: The best Google Voice alternative 

Google Voice’s voicemail feature gets the job done, but it’s limited at best and lacks the essential features most businesses need to grow. 

If you want a voicemail inbox for three or four calls per month, it can (maybe) take the pressure. But for small business owners who are ready to upgrade, VoIP systems like Quo go the distance for your business. 

Quo offers dozens of voicemail features you can’t get on Google Voice’s legacy software, including the ability to set multiple voicemails and generate instant voicemail greetings.

No need to take our word for it, though.

Put our voicemail features to the test by signing up for a seven-day free trial.