I started looking for some type of PBX for Skype due to frustrations that are not necessarily Skype’s fault, but they do point to some weaknesses Skype could shore up. Some of it seems odd, seeing as we are talking about IP addresses and software instead of hardwired phone lines and switches these days. Other issues I’ve had is with the voicemail system, which gets odd when running Skype on multiple devices.

PrettyMay Call Center

My first glance was at PrettyMay Call Center. The features sounded impressive, but the reviews weren’t so hot. Still, there is a free trial. However, a free trial means that at the end of it, I have to decide whether or not to buy it. So, I always look at the price even on free trials. I had to pick up myself off the floor after looking at the price.

It gets worse.

I have a “home” line and a “business” line. I would want to personalize the greeting accordingly. That cost is almost twice as much!

Google Voice

I’ve been playing recently with Google Voice. I’d been resisting it for several reasons, one of which is that since I have Skype I didn’t see the point. However, there are some things that Skype cannot do, and, so far, Google Voice has impressed me.

Consider what I just wrote. Google Voice has many currently free features, while Skype costs (currently) for a few of the same services. For example, Skype online numbers are not free. Skype calls to landlines are not free, even in the US. Currently, both of these are free in Google Voice.

I keep saying “currently” because there is no reason to believe they will necessarily stay that way forever. While you can get Free calling in Gmail extended through 2011, it would be premature to come to the conclusion that it will remain that way. Having said that, “free” means you get to save money immediately if you take advantage of it.

In addition, Google Voice has some features that are severely lacking in Skype. For example, the ability to ring all of your phones at once, to take over your cell phone voice mail and of course the integration with Gmail. Better yet, you can create groups of contacts and determine which phones get rung for them. This is better than having a single home phone, if you ask me, because you can always route your sister-in-law to your spouse if you so desire (that’s an example only; I actually think highly of my sister-in-law).

However, I was only moderately impressed. That is, until yesterday morning. I was actually Googling something else, when I came upon the following video that shows how to transfer devices while still on a call:

Naturally, I had to try this out. Much to my delight, it worked!

Downsides

OK, Google Voice isn’t the be-all and end-all, but it looks like a platform with great promise. There are a couple of things that I would think should work better:

1. Scheduling times is per device. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I would rather block certain types of calls during certain times but still use the same devices. Have you ever seen someone with two cell phones? That’s what I don’t want. I don’t want personal calls during the daytime, and I don’t necessarily want business calls on the weekend. I would rather specific groups go to voicemail during specific times than try to juggle different devices.
2. I’ve noticed that whatever sound device I’m using during a call gets locked in. I normally have the webcam hooked up because it is nice and out of the way, while even the USB headset has wires dangling off of it that restrict movement. So far, plugging in my headset during a call doesn’t switch it over to the headset. I assume it has to do with it being a web app, unlike Skype which works as expected. It’s not a big deal, but the webcam does pick up a lot more background noise than the USB headset.

Now, this system is a long way from a full-fledged PBX. However, for simple needs, it beats shelling out over $600 just to get the voicemail message right and send the call to the correct place.

In this case, free is a hard price to beat.