In 2008 I named phone service GrandCentral one of the top 10 must-have tech tools for mediators. Then Google bought GrandCentral and no one new could get accounts.

A few weeks ago Google announced the newly named Google Voice, which replaces GrandCentral with a terrific new interface and a few more compelling features.

Google Voice gives you a single number for all your phones, or as Google says, “a phone number that is tied to you, not to a device or a location.” It isn’t a phone service as much as a service that helps you manage all your phones and customize your callers’ experience. Google Voice works with landline, mobile and VoIP (digital) phone lines and since it lives on the web, there’s no software to install and it’s both PC- and Mac-friendly.

If you own a Blackberry or Android mobile phone, you can get a free Google Voice application for your mobile phone, offering you some intriguing possibilities for saving air time. If you own an iPhone, it looks like the app is coming very soon.

Already have a business number you don’t want to change? Google’s announced they plan to support number porting in the future.

If you want to learn more about features, there are some links at the foot of this article. But, frankly, I’m more interested in the benefits to me and my clients than I am in features, so here are some ideas for translating features to benefits.

Ideas for Mediators Using Google Voice

1. Use the voice transcription service to find message records quickly and efficiently. Google voice transcribes your voicemail automatically (and does a darn good job of it, I must say, though not flawless), then sends it immediately to your email inbox or as a text message to your phone. If that sounds like a frill you don’t really need, think again: The transcribed voicemails are searchable in your email software, a terrific way to capture and find client message records the moment you need them.
2. Record a personalized outgoing message specifically for a client. Heck, do a personalized greeting for each of your clients if you want. When a client dials you from a specific number or numbers you’ve told Google Voice to recognize, they’ll hear the message you left specifically for their ears alone. Talk about personalized service.
3. Get alerted when a specific client calls you, just by listening to the ringtone. Designate a custom ringtone just for them, as you may already do on your mobile phone.
4. Client calling you on your office phone just as you’re about to head out the door? No problem — just switch the call to your cell with the click of a button and continue the conversation.
5. Stop sending out a separate conference call number and access code to clients. Instead, just ask them to call the same Google Voice number they use to phone you individually. They call and you can conference in up to 4 callers at a time.
6. Set a single or group of clients to ring you at designated phones. For instance, if you’ve been waiting to hear from a specific client but don’t want them to have to try you at several different numbers, now you can give them a single number to use. You set which phones ring when that specific client calls you.
7. Make it easy for prospective clients to take the leap and phone you. Using a Google Voice widget on your website, all a client needs to do is enter their phone number and Google Voice calls them, then calls you, and connects you both instantly.

Learn more about Google Voice

Fore more information and reviews of Google Voice try these:

• A First Look at Google Voice
• GrandCentral Reborn as Google Voice, a Suite of VoIP Services
• Google Voice: A Dutiful if Klutzy Secretary

What’s the catch? There isn’t one, but there may be some waiting to get the chance to try it. Google Voice is only available at present for GrandCentral users like me. But, you can get your name on the list to receive an invitation into the service when they open it more broadly. Get your Google Voice invitation request here.

How would you use Google Voice to serve your clients extraordinarily well? I’d love you to share your ideas in the comments.

Making Mediation Your Day Job by Tammy Lenski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at MediatorTech.com.