The period of frustration with Google Voice for Canadian residents soon ended, as Google Voice became available for Canada on May 6, 2020. This Google Voice number was made available for Canadian Google Workspace users, adding it to the collection of Google apps for Canada. Now, just as US residents, Canadian residents can start making business calls more effectively with the same logic as before.
With Google Voice now available in Canada, there is a total of 14 Countries that are officially supported by Google Voice. And the fun fact is, the setup process is completely different from that of the US.
In this guide, I will show you how to get a Google Voice number in Canada, what to expect from the service, and the different features of every Google Voice account you should expect to have.
How Google Voice Works for Canadian Residents
As per Google Blog, here is a quick summary of Google Voice for Canada:
Google Voice is now available in Canada. This means that:
- G Suite customers based in Canada can now sign up for Google Voice.
- Google Voice customers in Canada, as well as international customers with the Google Voice Premier edition, can assign numbers with Canadian country codes (+1) to users.
- Soon, customers will be able to port existing +1 numbers in Canada to Google Voice. Follow the G Suite Updates blog to see when this becomes available.
Google Voice is a cloud-based phone system that’s optimized for businesses of all sizes. You can use it to deploy and manage phone numbers at scale with the intelligence and security of Google Cloud.
How to Set Up Google Voice in Canada
To setup Google Voice in Canada, you must be a Google Workspace user. Google Voice offers three account levels known as license levels for G Suite users.
You must be subscribed to one of these levels to get a Google Voice number for free in Canada.
The different license levels to get a Google Voice number in Canada are;
- Starter license(CAD$13.32)
- Standard license(CAD$26.63)
- Premier license(CAD39.95)
Depending on the level you select, the features may vary; that is, some features available on the higher level will not be available for the lower license level of Google Workspace, wanting to get Google Voice in Canada.
An overview of the features for each license level for Google Workspace users is shown below.
Starter License (CAD$13.32/license)
- As a G Suite user with this license, you will get all the basic Google Voice features listed above, with the exception of ring groups, phone desk support, and multi-level auto attendant. This license is great and ideal for all small businesses, freelancers, and some developers who want to better manage customers' phone calls.
- In a sense, with more than one work phone, you can have 1 particular cell phone number to reach you on all of your devices. Similarly, you can send calls to voicemail beyond your work hours thanks to the integration of Google Calendar. This maintains your work and private life separate, getting the most out of your time.
Standard License (CAD$26.63/license)
- Google Workspace users in Canada with this license level get the most out of all the Google Voice features listed above.
- You can organize your incoming calls to reach a specific team/individual within your organization thanks to the Multi-Level Auto Attendant feature in Google Voice. As a briefing, a caller would call the Google Voice number, and with the auto attendant, they'll be able to navigate through the menu to reach the correct person or team.
- With the ring groups feature available for this level, you can specify certain team members to answer calls from the same Google Voice number. This is good for organizations that let members choose who can answer a call. You can assign a ring group for each group or team in your organization or business.
Premier License (CAD$39.95/license)
Designed for large international companies, a Premier Google Voice License offers more advanced controls and features. For offices around the world, a premier license allows you to have an unlimited number of licenses, no matter where you are (as long as you are available in the supported countries).
This is the only license that will allow you to have international locations. As for the advanced features, a premier license has the ability to export voice activity to BigQuery, allowing you to keep track of phone calls within your organization.
Google Comparison chat gives you detailed comparisons for each level.
In summary, Google Voice is taking a step forward in the work industry by allowing you to stay connected effectively and efficiently and easily manage your business, team, and customers.
Final Thoughts
Google Voice is one great product of Google made available to many businesses, freelancers, and developers to better manage their customers and get the most out of the US with a phone number. Now Google Voice is available for Canadians, and they can get a Google Voice if they are Google Workspace users. They will need to get a license among the 3 license types available for Google Workspace users in Canada to get a Google Voice Number.
Google Voice for US residents is completely free. If you live outside the US and you don't want to pay anything to get a Google Voice number, you will need to apply some tweaking: getting a US number, getting a US IP, and signing up for a Google Voice free number.
If you do not own a business for which you think a US number is vital for reaching your customers, it won't be necessary to pay for it. Rather, you can use this method to get a Google Voice number from outside the US for free.
