How Do You Manage Your Voicemail?

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I read a <a href="http://www.jakeludington.com/voip/20051216_gotvoice.html">column</a> a short while back that was actually more of an endorsement for a service called <a href="http://www.gotvoice.com/">GotVoice</a>. The writer brought up an interesting point when it comes to voicemail. When someone calls my cellphone and leaves a voicemail, I'm more than likely to just call the person back and find out why they called than I would be to bother checking the voicemail (isn't it quicker most times?). I find that a lot of my friends will do the same. I'll leave a voicemail only to have them call me a few minutes later asking if I had just called. <br /><br />So what GotVoice does is essentially route your voicemail messages to your email inbox. How's this better than just checking your voicemail? Well, assuming you sit behind your computer most of the day (don't lie to yourself, I know most of you do), you may find it to be more convenient to just double-click an attachement, listen to the message, then delete the email at your leisure than it would be to pull out your cellphone, dial your voicemail, listen to the message, delete the message, and then hang up (all the while your full attention has been taken away from you computer and placed onto your cellphone).<br /><br />What are your thoughts? Do you guys do anything special for your voicemail?

[Jon Westfall]

I've been using Callwave's service (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=45233) since we posted on it a few weeks back. It's been a pretty good experience, and having it forward to my email has been great. Granted the last few weeks I've had world-record lows in cell traffic :)

[alon.albert]

My main problem with this kind of service is this:
I'm assuming there are 2 possible ways to handle this.

1. Forward voice mails to my email and from voice mailbox
2. Forward voice mails to my email and keep message in mailbox.

Option 1 is definitely not a good idea. What if I am away from my computer, I still want access to my voice mail right?

Option 2 means that even after listening to the message in an email, it will still be left on my voice mailbox and I would have to use my cell phone to get rid of it or mark it as listened to etc'.

The solution would be to be able to manage the message on my voice mailbox from the email itself - for example, a URL embedded in the email that will interact with the voice mailbox and delete it, mark as listened to etc'

Any idea if this is part of the service?

[Mark Kenepp]

A few years back, my office was enticed by the wonderful world of voice activated voicemail systems. The big draw was that the system we were getting, Sandi (http://www.interchangetech.com/sandi.html), would be able to use text to speech to read emails over the phone.

It also, if configured correctly, allowed viewing voicemail messages as emails with AVI attachments.

Of course, as soon as the president and vp realized that it was a new system and that they had to learn how to collect their voicemail a different way, we scrapped the system (after about one month) and went back to our old voice mail system.

I think that is is very handy to be able to "view" your voicemail in list format and even save and categorize them like any other object in Outlook. That said, I don't get enough voicemail messages myself to make too much of a difference.

[alon.albert]

Since the service is free, I thought I'd give it a try. After testing 2 voice mails (one a GetVoice test message &amp; one from me) and receiving 2 email's with zero size mp3 attachments, I decided it probably needs some work and canceled my account.

Good luck if you try this out...

[dma1965]

I too have been using the Callwave free service, and it does this quite well and it rocks. I have it forward my voicemails to my Gmail account, which has loads of space available, and is a great way to archive my voicemails. Very handy for when I delete a voicemail and want to refer back to it.

[lkawamot]

I think a better solution would be if it got forwarded as a txt message to my cell phone.

The reason I don't anser my cell is because I'm busy or I don't have my cell with me (*gasp* is that legal??). That means that the next time I do get to my phone or free up time, all I need to do is respond to my cell phone prompting me that I have a new txt message. If there was a call back number on there as well, I could (after reading the txt message) click one button and call back the person.

email's a nice idea, but I think most of us are probably more easily accessible via cell phone than email.

What happens when I get japanese (or other language) voicemail? Does it get converted to text properly?

[capo]

I use Vonage at home. Among other things, it will forward a small .wav file copy of all received voicemails to a selected email address. So far it's been bulletproof.

[MarcFou]

Well, assuming you sit behind your computer most of the day (don't lie to yourself, I know most of you do)Right on! :D

I voted maybe, I would have to try it. If the service provided voice to text transcript I would use it all the time and be happy to pay for it. I myself am not thrilled about audio attachments. No particular reason really.

From what other people are saying about the service, it doesn't sound like it would meet my needs. Basically, if I choose not to take a call its because I don't want to be disturbed. Which is the case 9 out of 10 times. I always have my phone and its always on. I sleep with it under my pillow 8O

[Darius Wey]

The writer brought up an interesting point when it comes to voicemail. When someone calls my cellphone and leaves a voicemail, I'm more than likely to just call the person back and find out why they called than I would be to bother checking the voicemail (isn't it quicker most times?). I find that a lot of my friends will do the same. I'll leave a voicemail only to have them call me a few minutes later asking if I had just called.

It's that very reason why I decided to disable voicemail from my account years ago. Now, if I miss a call, it'll show up on my missed calls list. More often than not, I'll just call them back.

Being a computer junkie, GotVoice has appeal, though I'm not sure it'd be enough to convert me. Besides, I don't live in North America. ;)

[Jon Westfall]

Besides, I don't live in North America. ;)

Simple Solution - Just Move :mrgreen:

[freddiemac]

Well, I just tried the gotvoice service. How do you play the mp3 file on your pocketpc? Everytime that I try to open up the attachment via PIE, it either can't (using my yahoo account) or it downloads an unreadable file (dn.asp) using a pop account, that I accessed using mail2web.com

It's not useful if the sound file can't be played! Am I missing something?

[alabij]

Funny enough! I don't have a problem listenning to VM. And I definitely dont have a problem with which keys are meant for what. I really don't understand all this talk about VM being a hassle.
I'm with T-Mobile. I turned off all the stamps ie date notification, phone number notification etc.
I know a lot of my friends don't listen to my VM's because they always call back asking why I called. Thank God for Text messaging.
However my tick for efficiency is to decide in the first 5secs of a VM whether to delete or finish listening

[kzemach]

Oh, this is SO what I need. Special case; I'm overseas for a few months. When I go overseas, I throw my cell service into a low rate plan and leave a message for them to email me instead. But now.... now I can just have my voicemail calls emailed to me and still get them. I'm signing up right now.

My question is: why doesn't a cellular provider offer this kind of thing as a pay service option? You could access your VM on their site portal, and when you delete from either place, it would sync the deletion. THAT would be useful.

[pocketpcadmirer]

Because I'm just a college going guy I dont need voicemails.


SUnny 8)

[Eriq Cook]

I've been using Vonage email attachments for a few months and satisfied. I haven't checked my voicemail through a phone since July. It's very convenient, and what people might not know is that your voice messages are still available by phone even after they've been retrieved via email.

[surfer]

I've got voicemail and it's a pain always having to call and see what people wants , when they really didn't want something.

[Jon Westfall]

Because I'm just a college going guy I dont need voicemails.


SUnny 8)

The college experience must be treating you differently than it treated me. I was used to getting frequent voicemails as people would call me while I was in class to ask questions about other classes or coordinate schedules!

[Clinton Fitch]

I've had unified messaging for sometime now both at home (Vonage) and at work (Cisco Unified Messaging) and love it. I would have a very hard time going back to a traditional voicemail system or answering machine (virtual or physical) at this point...

[scottb]

I've been using Vonage email attachments for a few months and satisfied. I haven't checked my voicemail through a phone since July. It's very convenient, and what people might not know is that your voice messages are still available by phone even after they've been retrieved via email.

I use Vonage too and I like it.

[pocketpcadmirer]

The college experience must be treating you differently than it treated me. I was used to getting frequent voicemails as people would call me while I was in class to ask questions about other classes or coordinate schedules!

I too have plethora of classes and my teachers and friends are intelligent enough to sms me,if in any case I'm not able to pick-up the phone

Sunny

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Wow! 8O

Pretty even distribution of people are saying they want it vs don't want it vs maybe. I would have expected most to see this as a "solution looking for a problem".

Sounds like this GotVoice service though has some kinks to work out.

I've had unified messaging for sometime now both at home (Vonage) and at work (Cisco Unified Messaging) and love it. I would have a very hard time going back to a traditional voicemail system or answering machine (virtual or physical) at this point...

We need to talk... we're looking into Cisco Unified Messaging at my workplace. We'll be looking into client testimonials soon to help us justify bringing this in. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Craig Horlacher]

I've been using Vonage email attachments for a few months and satisfied. I haven't checked my voicemail through a phone since July. It's very convenient, and what people might not know is that your voice messages are still available by phone even after they've been retrieved via email.

I use Vonage too and I like it.

I've been doing this type of thing with Vonage for over 2 years. It works great. You don't have to send the voice mail as an attachment. I have it set so it sends an email it to my mobile phone (as you can with almost any mobile phone by emailing something like [email protected]) when I get a new vmail. The message vonage sends my mobile phone gives the time/date and the phone number of the caller. I can then either call with my mobile phone to check the voice mail or log into my vonage account with a web browser and listen to my message there.

[karen]

I have Vonage for a second phone line and also have the voicemails sent as waves. However, since it is a second line, all of these are voicespam. And since Vonage has no way of blocking phone numbers, there is no way to keep them from being forwarded.

But what I have that really works (and is the best kept telecom secret in Canada is Bell Canada's Single Number Reach.

http://www.bell.ca/shop/Sme.Sol.Applications.Single.Number.Reach.page

This service, which is about $20-25 a month, is a virtual phone number. It belongs to no device.

It comes with software for my PC, which rings when I have an incoming call. I can then forward the call to another number, to vm, or just listen to the call. The software is even smart enough, if I want. to detect where I'm online and forward the call to the phone number associated with that computer.

The SNR number can be pointed to any other number, it can be pointed to numbers based on a schedule, or it can be screen with a private pin so that only people I want can ring through. I have mine set to a schedule. I can also log in to the service and dial out, saving me on hotel phone charges.

I also have mine set up to notify my cell and my e-mail when there is a new voicemail. I don't have mine set to send the actual voicemail as I can log in to hear it on a website.

SNR can receive faxes, then you can forward them to a fax machine or e-mail them to someone else.

SNR also has voice dial, so I can call any of my contacts, as well as configure the service, listen to messages, chang my schedule, forward to another number, etc. all with voice commands. They include sync software so that I can sync my Outlook contacts with the service.

It even has a wake up call service, so SNR calls me when I need to be reminded about important meetings or even just to wake up. This wake up service even has a snooze. It will even keep calling me until I answer.

I've had the same number for about 10 years, even though I've lived in several cities and countries and had a dozen cell phones. My business cards have this number on them, with no other numbers. My clients can reach me via one number and never have to keep track of where I am or what device I might be using. And my clients don't have to know that I'm working from home or from a mall.

It's one of the most valuable services I've ever had. I would be lost without it. Sorry that this sounds like a commercial (and I have no affliation with Bell Canada), but I really do think this is a professional's dream service.

[peterac]

[quote="lkawamot"]I think a better solution would be if it got forwarded as a txt message to my cell phone.

quote]

I agreed that it would be much better to get the voicemail as a text message. Imagine, you could actually know what the message was even if you were on the phone when the person was calling.

If this exists please let me know.

Thanks,
Pete R.

[dlinker]

I think a better solution would be if it got forwarded as a txt message to my cell phone.



I agreed that it would be much better to get the voicemail as a text message. Imagine, you could actually know what the message was even if you were on the phone when the person was calling.

If this exists please let me know.

Thanks,
Pete R.

It exists in Australia - the mobile (cell) phone providers all offer a similar service where a real live human operator takes the call. They answer with a phrase of your choosing - then send you an SMS with the message. I couldn't live without this. When you're in a meeting, you can't (poplitely) listen to your voiccemail - but this way, you get the message immediately with all the details. It's charged to your mobile bill at a fixed cost per message. Worth every cent. Sometimes a combination of low tech (human operator) with high (well not so high these days) tech - SMS is the answer.

You can call these same operators from your mobile (cell) and ask them anything - YES literally anything. From looking up a phone number to movie times, to driving directions, to any sort of trivia. They look it up for you (the advantages of Google) and tell you or SMS you (or both) the answer. It's usually quicker and easier (and with GPRS rates these days, often cheaper) than looking it up yourself using your wireless PocketPC.

I even used this once for help with directions while sailing on Sydney Harbour during a "Treasure Hunt" contest.

[Mark R Penn]

For me, this seems pretty pointless.

The reason for having a mobile phone is to be in touch when I'm out, right? And when I'm out, it's more effort (and cost) to retrieve e-mails than it is to retrieve voicemail.

The even at the desk, the argument that it's too much effort to retrieve messages doesn't wash. If my phone's on, then my voicemail will phone me as soon as it recieves a message and play it automatically (and for free), so no effort there, and if it's off it will do the same as soon as I turn it on. Given that I'd turned it off, it's safe to assume that I don't want to take any calls that might come through on the mobile, so why would I want to be distracted by e-mails?

Plus, as you have to click a button to get the service to retrieve the messages, then mail them to you (according to the faq's), it involves more input from me than the original voice mail does!

The only use I can see for it is for anyone who would like to keep thier mobile on at work, but isn't allowed to (I know no-one in that sittuation), or for saving voice messages longer than my voicemail service allows (7 days), though I can't see any reason to do that.

Mark