Conference Call with Google Voice- How to Make One?

Table of contents

• To conduct a conference call via Google Voice
• Notify participants to call you at a fixed time
• Accept a call from one of the callers and then press 5 to add other callers
• To turn conference recording on and off, press 4

Conference calls have become an hourly necessity with more and more companies having their employees telework and outsourced from different parts of the country or abroad. Conference calls are just another form of meeting. No matter if you are working from home, own a business or want to stay in touch with friends or relatives, you can take advantage of the free services available in the market.

Currently, the world is going through the worst period as the coronavirus has taken a toll on different parts of the world. To limit the spread, most workers, officials, students… are advised to work from home. For now, you’ll need software that calls every minute.

Now, if you are wondering which free service to use, Google Voice is the answer. When you need to talk to many people at the same time or even to one person, Google voice conference calling is a great choice. It is quite easy and simple to configure and manage audio conference calls with this program. Google voice is even useful for business purposes when you need to conduct a meeting with many people.

Highlight the features of Google Voice conference calls

First, let’s know about the outstanding features of Google Voice Conference Call:

1. Unlimited Conference Calls and SMS

Google Voice becomes an inexpensive conference calling solution, as subscriptions start at as little as $10 per user per month. You can make unlimited free calls to the US from anywhere, or even from the US to Canada. US citizens also get unlimited free SMS. Google Voice is much cheaper than standard landline and mobile plans, and also has no minutes limits or overcharges. However, you will need Google Meets or Google Hangouts to use Google voice’s conference calling feature.

2. Call screening and screening

Just as you can filter email, Google Voice allows you to filter incoming calls so you can manage them more efficiently and increase productivity.

Be it a call from someone you don’t want to talk to, a spam call, or any other unwanted call, you can set Google Voice to send those calls to voicemail or block them entirely. You can also set a voicemail message to a specific number if you want.

3. Compatibility with all devices

Google voice gives you a toll free phone number for unrestricted access from any device. You can use your Google Voice number on any device like Android, iOS, and web apps.

4. Many plans

Google Voice offers a variety of packages:

• The $10 Beginner plan is best for conference calling for groups of up to 10 members.
• Upgrade to $20 per user per month Standard plan will allow unlimited users and domestic locations along with some extras like ring groups, eDiscovery for calls, SMS and voicemail records as well as a multi-level autoresponder system.
• The Premier plan starts at $30 per month and is best suited for those working abroad. This plan supports international locations along with all the features you get in the Standard Plan.

You must choose a plan that best suits your business requirements.

Requirements to make a Google Voice conference call

To start a Google Conference call you will need:-

• a Google account,
• a computer, smartphone or tablet with the Google Voice app installed; for computer, you can use it through web.
• stable network

If you have a Gmail account, you can start using Google Voice right away.

How do I set up a Google conference call?

To start a Google Conference call, you need a Google account, and a computer, smartphone, or tablet with the Google Voice app installed. If you have an Android or iOS device, you can install the app, and for a computer, you can use it over the web.

If you have a Gmail account, you can start using Google voice right away.

Get started with Google Voice

1. Go to the Google Voice website and click on one of the available options- ‘For individuals’ or ‘For businesses’.



2. Clicking ‘For Personal’ will ask you to choose from the next three choices – Android, iOS or Web. If you are using it on your phone, you will be redirected to the app link, otherwise you will be directed to the ‘Sign up for Google Voice’ page.

Clicking ‘For Business’ will take you to the ‘Getting Started’ page.



3. After clicking ‘Web’ for personal use, press ‘Continue’ if you agree to the terms of service and privacy policy.



4. On the next page, enter the city or area code to get the phone number for that area.
5. Go through the available numbers and choose one for you as your Google Voice number, click ‘Select’.
6. Then verify your current phone number using the ‘Verify’ button.
7. Enter a number to link to your Google Voice account where your incoming calls will be forwarded, then tap ‘Send Code’.
8. Enter the code you received on your phone and tap ‘Verify’ to confirm.
9. Click ‘Request’ to confirm call forwarding to that number and press the ‘Finish’ button to complete the Google Voice setup.
10. Click ‘Finish’ again to open your Google Voice account.

Google Voice- How to start an audio conference call?

Before learning about conference calling, let’s know how to use Google voice to make a free phone call to one person, here are the steps:

1. Sign in to your Google Voice account and click the ‘Make a Call’ button on the left.
2. In the ‘Call’ section, enter a name or number and tap the green phone icon to have Google dial the number.
3. Google Voice will call that number and connect you to that number.

You can even use Google Voice to make free phone calls from your PC by installing the free Google Voice and Video Chat Plugin, also known as the Hangout Plugin.

Now to make a conference call via Google Voice, here’s what you need to do:

• Be sure to inform all participants in advance that they should call you at the scheduled time. The first step is to place a call through Google Voice to any person or have one of them call you.
• Once the call is activated, start adding other participants as they dial. You will receive a notification about an incoming call, and to accept the call, press 5 after hearing the announcement about making a conference call.
• You can even record a conference call, for example, if it’s for business purposes, but you need to enable the option from the settings in Incoming calls preferences.
• All participants will then be added to the conference call. Press 4 to start recording the call and all participants will be notified when the recording begins and ends.

What is the participant limit for a Google Voice Conference Call?

Only 10 participants are allowed with a free Google Voice account while with a paid Google Voice account you can add up to 25 people to your conference call.

25 might not be enough for a large enterprise, and in this case, for conference calls, you can use Google Hangouts Meet (the video conferencing service that comes with your G Suite license) for allows you to include up to 250 participants on a regular video or conference call.

Tips for getting the best out of Google Voice Conference Calling To ensure maximum benefit and best experience with Google Voice Conference Calling, here are some quick tips for you:

1. Notice before time

Conference calls take a lot of time, so make sure you notify everyone who will be on the call in advance to be ready at a fixed time. This will notify participants of when to call you; you just need to press 5 to add any subsequent calls.

To organize your calling schedule, you can create an invitation on Google Calendar and add a Google Voice Conference Call as an event before sending the invitation to your guests, or you can simply send an email.

2. Manage regular workflow

Google voice can be a great tool for managing daily workflows with scheduled conference calls. Through the admin control center, you can customize number assignment, transfer, automatic timekeeping, call forwarding, etc. Additionally, you can also assign one of your Google voice numbers to those different users.

Note- Google Voice is not compatible with third-party software, so you cannot integrate it with CRM, help desk, or other apps.

3. Say NO to Spam

Receiving spam calls can easily ruin your day, and it also puts your personal information at risk. The good news is that Google Voice takes care of spam calls when you use it to make conference calls. It uses AI technology to filter spam calls and even lets you view spam calls, messages, and voicemails from the Google Voice app.

4. Call Recording

Google Voice even lets you record calls with one click. All participants have joined the call, you can start recording by pressing 4 on the dial pad. This will broadcast an automatic notification to all participants that the call is being recorded. To stop recording you will have to press 4 again or simply end the call. The voicemail tab will have all the call recordings that can be used for future reference.

Google Voice for Free Conference Call- Right or Not?

Basically, Google Voice is not a conferencing service, so you can’t have higher expectations. However, it works fine when making group phone calls. You can only add 10 people with the free account, which is also a limitation.

What makes it great is the ability to connect participants’ calls from any type of phone like Android, iPhone, Skype number, or other Google Voice number.

There are no tools available to manage the people on the call, and you can’t send invitations like you can with other video conferencing call services. Skype conference calls have some extra features compared to Google Voice.

Another limitation is, free calls using Google Voice can be made for up to three hours, after which it will be disconnected. You will have to call that number again. Also, calls are only free if you’re calling someone in the US or Canada, otherwise you’ll have to pay a few dollars. All in all, Google Voice has essential conferencing features that anyone with basic equipment can use. It integrates well with smartphones and iPhones, so I’m very supportive.

Categories: How to
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