A Google Voice alternative for when your business number needs a dialer.

What is Google Voice, and who is it for?

Google Voice is a business phone service you add to a Google Workspace account, in the Workspace Admin Console. Google says 'Your Voice line works on mobile devices, laptops, and supported desk phones', and calls can be made from Gmail.

Starter, at $10 a user a month, is for up to 10 users in up to 10 domestic locations, with calls to the US, voicemail transcription and Android and iOS apps. Standard, at $20, removes the user cap and adds a multi-level auto attendant, ring groups, desk phone support, SIP Link and eDiscovery. Premier, at $30, adds unlimited international locations and advanced reporting in BigQuery. Every plan lists 'Unlimited text messaging in US'.

Google's Voice page doesn't say whether these prices are monthly or annual, and Workspace is priced separately by region, so we don't quote it here. Google Voice has no CRM and lists no dialer.

When is Google Voice the better choice?

Google Voice is the better choice when you need a simple, cheap business line and calls are a small part of the day.

• Your team is already on Google Workspace and needs a business line for each person.
• You make occasional calls and want them inside Gmail, Calendar and Meet.
• You want the lowest price per user on top of Workspace: Starter is $10 a user a month.
• You need a multi-level auto attendant, ring groups or desk phones, which Google lists from Standard.
• Nobody on the team works through call lists, so a dialer and a pipeline would go unused.

When does a CRM with a built-in dialer fit better?

A CRM with a built-in dialer fits better when the business line is how you sell: you call through lists, follow up when people don't answer and need to know where every deal stands.

On Google Voice, each call is dialed by hand, notes live somewhere else, and nothing reminds you to follow up. In TopReach, a rep builds a saved list, or a dynamic list that fills itself from rules, and starts the dialer. The call script shows next to the outcome form, the outcome saves to the contact, and the deal moves along a pipeline.

When a call isn't answered, TopReach can drop a voicemail and then send a text or an email on the days you choose. Managers see conversations and outcomes per rep, with leaderboards, and can listen in, whisper or barge in on live calls.

How do the dialers compare?

Google Voice has no dialer, so every call is a tap or a click. TopReach includes two dialer modes in the same phone license.

Power mode calls one number after another, so whoever answers reaches a rep. It suits warm leads, existing customers and callbacks. Parallel mode rings several numbers at once and connects the rep to whoever picks up first. When two people answer at the same moment, one of them gets dropped, so keep parallel mode for large cold lists where most calls go unanswered.

In the US, the Telemarketing Sales Rule limits abandoned calls to 3% of answered calls per campaign, measured over 30 days, and Canada's limit is 5%. A team using parallel mode for telemarketing needs to watch that rate.

Can you dial from your phone?

In TopReach, yes. The iPhone and Android apps run power and parallel sessions: pick a call list, tap Power or Parallel, and the next lead, the live call and the call script share one screen. Parallel shows when your workspace has it turned on. Calls go out over Wi-Fi or mobile data from your team's business numbers, so your personal number stays private, and incoming business calls ring like any other call.

The Google Voice app is a good business line on your phone: calls, texts, voicemail, spam filtering and forwarding. It has no dialer and no CRM.

How does pricing compare for a calling team?

Google Voice costs far less, and it's a phone line, not a sales tool. TopReach costs more because it includes a CRM, two dialer modes, local presence, AI summaries and minutes.

TopReach is $55 a seat a month, or $49 billed yearly. Each person who calls also needs a $99-a-month phone license with 3,000 minutes. Phone numbers are $10 a month each.

For one person who calls, TopReach is $164 a month with one number on monthly billing, or $158 with the seat billed yearly. Google Voice Starter is $10 a month for that person, plus Workspace.

For four callers and one manager who doesn't call, TopReach is $711 a month on monthly billing, with five seats, four phone licenses and four numbers, or $681 with the seats billed yearly. Five Google Voice Starter users are $50 a month, or $100 on Standard, plus Workspace and whatever CRM and dialer you add. If your team makes a handful of calls a day, Google Voice is the sensible choice.

What should you check before you switch?

Check how your team really uses the line, what you'd give up and where your contacts live. A short list:

• Call volume: if each person makes a few calls a day, a dialer won't pay for itself. If they work through lists for hours, it will.
• Inbound: TopReach has no auto attendant or ring groups. If callers need a menu, keep a phone system for that line.
• Desk phones: TopReach runs in the browser and the iPhone and Android apps, with no desk phone support.
• Numbers: TopReach can move existing numbers over; check with Google that your Voice number can be moved out. New local numbers are $10 a month each.
• Minutes: estimate each caller's monthly minutes against the 3,000 included. Extra minutes come in packs of 1,000, 5,000 or 10,000.
• Your contacts: export them as a spreadsheet. TopReach finds the phone column on import and can merge duplicates.

What rules apply to outbound calling and texting?

Outbound calling and texting are regulated in both the US and Canada, whichever tool you use. This is general information, not legal advice.

• TCPA: autodialed or prerecorded calls and texts to cell phones generally need the person's prior express consent, and a dropped voicemail counts as a prerecorded message. Many states add their own mini-TCPA rules.
• National Do Not Call Registry: telemarketing calls must respect it. TopReach keeps your own do-not-call list and handles texting opt-outs, but it doesn't scrub numbers against the national registry.
• Telemarketing Sales Rule: covers telemarketing calls, including the 3% abandoned-call limit that parallel dialing can push against.
• Caller ID: the Truth in Caller ID Act bars sending misleading caller ID to defraud or cause harm, and carriers check calls with STIR/SHAKEN. Calling from local numbers you own is different from spoofing.
• Call recording: some US states require everyone on the call to consent before recording.
• Canada: the CRTC's rules include the National DNCL and a 5% abandoned-call limit, and CASL covers commercial texts and emails. Check with your counsel before you start.