I love Google Voice. I really do. Plus -- it's FREE!!
You can get a free, local number. You can set that number to ring any combination of phones you want. Never miss a call!
I have my office and cell phone set up so that all voicemail goes to my Google voice account. Why? Because not only can you set it up to let you know via email that you have a voice message -- it will send you the contents of the voicemail as an email!! Yes, that's right. For free, you get a speech-to-text translator. Even if you don't use your Google Voice number, you can set you cell phone to send your calls to Google's voicemail instead of your carrier's voicemail.
Personally, I find it easier to read my voicemail than have to interrupt what I'm doing and calling in to hear it.
Here's where the laughs come in. Depending on the quality of the call, and the speed and speech clarity of the caller, the speech-to-text can get a bit garbled. I can always get the gist of the call -- and will know whether I have to call back immediately or not. But sometimes the fine details are lost in the translation.
Take this call for example. I know it was another office calling back with showing instructions -- a call I didn't need to return and could listen to later for the instructions.
Google even color codes the words when it does speech-to-text. Dark black -- it's sure it got the word right. Light gray, not so sure.
What Google heard: Hi Richard, This is Danielle at potential peacetime properties giving you a call for your confirmation with <deleted> Street for Saturday the 29th between 245 and 345 please, Not. First, you'll find electronic lock box located on the milky and next to the debt and also leave your card. Thanks a lot. Bye bye.
What Danielle really said: Hi Richard, This is Danielle at Prudential Keystone Properties giving you a call for your confirmation with <deleted> Street for Saturday the 29th between 2:45 and 3:45. Please knock first. You'll find an electronic lock box located on the milk can next to the deck and also leave your card. Thanks a lot. Bye bye.
Potential peacetime properties! I love it! Thank you, Google, for my laugh today!
I hope I can find the lock box next to the debt.
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