Value-Adds Won’t Save VoIP Providers
Garrett Smith invited several of us bloggers to comment on what value-add a VoIP provider could provide to survive and thrive in the marketplace. To me, a value-add is just another feature. For me, features are no longer interesting. They might staunch the bleeding for a little while, but at the end of the day, most of them are doomed to fail because the guys who own the pipes have deeper pockets and can simply let the smaller guys starve.
I’ve been using and watching VoIP providers for the past 4 years or so. To be honest, Vonage hasn’t changed all that much since then. Other providers have had other features and you know what? I haven’t really used all those advanced features. The Vonage of four years ago, in terms of feature set, would suffice my calling needs. Yeah, sure there are lots of really cool things out there, but it’s all just noise and easy for a competitor to replicate.
What will truly change the game is something most VoIP can’t even begin to think about offering–a completely integrated communication experience that just works over a variety of communication types. Each method you use to communicate with me has it’s own identification: a phone number, an IM name, whatever. I just want one identifier.
GrandCentral, right now, comes closest to this nirvana. My one number gets sent to all the different places I am, but it lacks a couple of things:
- SMS. I can’t tell people to use that number for SMS. Won’t work. (Incidently, it’s the same issue I have with TalkPlus, another contender in this space).
- The ability to use my GrandCentral number in outgoing caller ID. When I call someone, I don’t want to necessarily present the identifier of the thing I’m using to call, I want to present my GrandCentral number. This is something TalkPlus can do, though it requires software to be loaded on your mobile phone.
Of course, what I really really really want is one number, period. My cell phone, my landline, my IM, my SMS, whatever. I want ONE number to bind and rule them all. All one, big, happy system. I don’t want to have to think about what I’m using to communicate with whom. One identity. One place to manage it all.
If someone can accomplish that, then and only then will we have something that truly changes the game. Maybe this is overly ambitious. Maybe it will never happen. Maybe I’m being completely unreasonable. But who said you had to ask for that?
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Comment by Jason K
Doesn’t GrandCentral allow you to use your GrandCentral number as your outgoing caller ID when you use their click to call(dialing from the website) feature from the web?
No software to load on your cellphone. Although you do need to be next to a computer with internet connection. Hmm… I wonder if I can click to call from my web enabled cell…
Comment by Aswath
If I understand correctly, the second item you want from GrandCentral is the ability to display GC phone number even though you are calling from your home phone line, say. This is possible only if the service provider to your home phone line agrees to do this. It is not in the hands of GC. So I am not sure how TalkPlus does that, with or without software. I am aware of their “Mirror Numbers” service, but that is putting home phone number when one makes TP call and not the other way around.
Comment by Stefan Constantinescu
I’m waiting for the VoIP provider who can offer people unlimited mms and sms. Carriers charge way too much for these services.
Comment by helloritesh
I hear your pain. However, if you ask different users, you would get a different picture. One number, one identity creates spam issues that are difficult to stop. So there is a need for a disposable identity for temporary transactions, e.g. selling online, social networking, dating etc. I see some emerging companies in this space. Take a look at http://www.craigsnumber.com Having said that, one identity is a good idea. The way TalkPlus does it is totally different. Aswath posed a question earlier on this. The outgoing identity is not a home number but the TalkPlus number so there is no issue of your service provider agreeing to change the CID. TalkPlus will be the service provider. However, I don’t like having a data plan and downloading/installing funky software on my mobile. I have been enough worried about downloads on my notebook. Do I need to worry about scam/virus/spam etc on my mobile phone now?
It never hurts to ask for more. Hey, we are consumers and as long as we have a need, there will be someone listening.
Have a good one.
Cheers!
Ritesh
Comment by Michael Cerda
Dameon-You are an enlightened consumer since you have the benefit of understanding lots of under the hood interworkings. Your ask is ambitious, so therefore all those driving toward that end must take baby steps to get there.
If hundreds of millions shared your view today, I would have built this. Instead, I elected to take baby steps toward this precise vision. The baby steps would need to take a different approach than had been done, and the baby steps would need to affect lifestyle.
I did not elect to go the GC route, simply because that one-number value prop has been out there for like 10 years from companies like RingCentral. We’ve all seen how that movie plays out. GC is certainly better, and market timing is on their side. I’m sure they share this same vision however, and are taking the one-number approach as their baby step. TalkPlus may share the same vision, but are taking a mobile app approach with identity management.
What I did do, was build Jangl. Jangl gives you an ID and people get #s to call you on thru that ID. You can then control who can/can’t call you. It uses the same voice mail you have existing on your phone today, but masks your greeting to provide privacy. I’ve found that this baby step is excellent for online dating. My next baby steps are going to be compelling well beyond daters though.
-Jangl will very soon support SMS thru Jangl #s. It’s working in a few areas already.
-A single number will become an alias for a Jangl ID, for easier passing around.
-We’ll let you send SMS as if it was from your Jangl #, from the web, e-mail, IM, etc – oh an from your phone
-There’s a whole lot more I shouldn’t get into here.
Sorry for the lengthy comment. I just wanted to tell you I’m working on what you’re asking for!
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