AT&T ‘s Virtual Receptionist app from RingCentral recently caught my attention, not because it seems to offer a lot of functionality for free, but because it seems to duplicate everything the Google Voice app, that was ‘not approved, ‘ tried to do.
Apple ‘s official response on not approving Google Voice was that it would duplicate functionality already in the iPhone, and cause confusion to end users. Personally, I think this is BS, as there are plenty of other (thousands, mind you) apps that ‘duplicate ‘ functionality already in the iPhone, and they don ‘t cause any confusion.
So it’s not that Google Voice would duplicate existing features on the iPhone, it was that AT&T didn’t want it duplicating, or providing a better choice, an app they were about to release. Still, part of me wonders if AT&T saw the Google Voice app, ordered Apple to reject it, and then created their own to capitalize on the demand. Just a thought…
So now while only jailbreakers get to use Google Voice ‘s iPhone app, non jailbreakers can now use a similar, though more limited, service from AT&T. The Virtual Receptionist app ties in with the AT&T service with the same name, typically aimed at small businesses.
Rather than assigning local phone numbers like GV does, Virtual Receptionist instead assigns a toll-free 800 or 888 phone number so that callers can call from anywhere in the country without racking up long distance charges. This is a handy feature, and does make a small business appear more professional with a national audience.
When you set up the Virtual Receptionist service for the first time, you choose a phone line which will receive calls when people dial your new 800/888 number. You can assign multiple numbers, and have them ring simultaneously or sequentially. You then set up your voicemail and configure a few other call details.
Much like the Google Voice app, dialing out using Virtual Receptionist is a two step process. You use the app ‘s built-in keypad or address book to dial the number, but then the app initiates a phone call to the Virtual Receptionist service, which then dials your recipient ‘s number.
This two-stage process is due to the inability of any third-party app to directly access the iPhone ‘s telephony components. While somewhat awkward to begin with, I suspect with habit it may become more second nature.
Neither Google Voice or Virtual Receptionist aim to reduce your cell phone minutes usage, and in fact you ‘ll still be using up minutes for every minute of calling using the third-party service. This is because all the app is doing is initiating a traditional cell call to their service, which then connects you to your caller.
Why go through all that for outgoing calls? Well, it ‘s one thing to publish your Google Voice or Virtual Receptionist number as the single number people can call you on, and have it ring wherever you are.
That ‘s all fine and dandy, and the primary purpose of both services. But then what if you return a call to someone? They ‘re going to see your cell phone ‘s number on their caller ID, not your GV or VR number.
By using the app to initiate your outbound call, you can route your call through the VR service, displaying your VR number to your callers. This just keeps things looking more consistent, though it does not reduce the actual minutes used, as some people have mistakenly thought.
However, by using a new feature from AT&T where you can add five frequently called phone numbers to your account to have unlimited calling to them, you could add your own Virtual Receptionist number to your AT&T account, and then all your outbound calls, as long as you dial your VR number first, would not count against your AT&T mobile minutes. This tip also works for Google Voice calling.
One major feature that Virtual Receptionist is lacking compared to the Google Voice offering is the built in SMS messaging. This is probably because AT&T just assumes you ‘ll use the iPhone ‘s built-in SMS and MMS app, and therefore paying them the monthly fee. It would make no sense for AT&T to offer users a way to dump their monthly texting charges, as that is a large source of revenue for them.
Another major difference between Google Voice and Virtual Receptionist: While GV offers unlimited calling and texting, and VR does not offer any texting capabilities, AT&T ‘s offering also limits your free calling to only 60 minutes per month! Additional time can be purchased, but it ‘s not cheap. Remember, this is a premium service targeting towards small businesses, not individual consumers.
The app is a free download on the iPhone App Store, and with the 60 free minutes and a toll-free phone number, this is a worthwhile download. Even though most people these days have mobile phones with free long distance, there are those times you may have family or friends that call long distance, and this could be a way to help them avoid additional charges when calling you.
If you have a small business and are looking for a way to use a phone number gateway service, with a toll free number, this app offers what you ‘re looking for and runs on non-jailbroken and jailbroken iPhones, though you ‘ll probably find yourself limited by the 60 minutes of free monthly calling, and will need to purchase additional time.
You can download the app in the App Store here (link).
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TAGS: AT&T, google voice
