Verizon Wireless has recently started advertising its new One Talk plan. This sounds good and I and hope it will be successful for the carrier. It will be attractive to a slice of its business customer pie. One Talk lets users get phone calls on their office phone and also have them delivered to their wireless phones like an extension so they don’t miss an important call.
While this is not a new idea, it is a new way to think about solving this common problem faced by many businesses. Verizon Wireless has put a brand name to this service and that should attract user attention. How do I know this is a great idea? I already use a service similar to the plan, and it has freed me to be out and about, yet I never miss a call.
I have been solving this issue for years by having my office phone forward calls to my wireless phone when I am out. So as I said, this idea is not new, but by branding it as a service, Verizon Wireless can now start to market it to the business community. In fact, I think the carrier should open it up to its consumer business as well.
If not in the Verizon Wireless territory, users could always sign up for simple call forwarding from the local phone company like AT&T, Verizon Communications or CenturyLink. That will provide the same result.
When signed up for One Talk, Verizon said, it will deliver the call to both the landline phone and wireless phone. There is, however, a difference between this new Verizon One Talk service and ordinary call-forwarding. One way just forwards the call. The other way requires users to change things around to use what I think is the Verizon VoIP service.
Who does One Talk benefit?
This service has value to many different business people, especially businesses like landscapers or plumbers who are in and out of the office during the day. This way they never miss a call, which is helpful as customers or prospects call them with questions or orders and don’t like leaving a message and waiting for a return call.
This service has value to salespeople who spend some time in the office, but mostly are out and about visiting customers and prospects. This way they will miss fewer calls and make more sales increasing their income and that of the company they work for.
There are a wide variety of businesses and workers who are out of the office and away from the phone who may all be interested to one degree or another.
Cost of Verizon One Talk
The cost of the Verizon One Talk service is affordable at roughly $25 per month. The solution I use is very inexpensive as well. The only cost is the call-forwarding service, and my solution works whether a customer of Verizon Communication, AT&T, CenturyLink or any other phone company with call forwarding.
The only catch with the Verizon One Talk service is that it seems to be Voice Over Internet Protocol service and not traditional telephone. This uses the internet, not the telephone network. That means when the power goes out, so does the VoIP phone service unless there is a backup battery in place.
This service also requires a new desk phone handset for VoIP calls. Verizon Communications is transforming itself into an IP-based company from a traditional telephone company. While this ticks off many long-time users who just want regular telephone service, it does open up the doors for innovative thinking like this new One Talk service.
Other similar solutions
Compared to One Talk, my solution lets me keep my existing phone equipment and landline phone line. So as you can see, there are many ways to skin this cat. Multiple ways for users to not miss a call, whether they be a business user or a consumer. That means there is a solution whether a Verizon Communications, AT&T, CenturyLink or a customer of another carrier.
This is a partnership between landline and wireless. I think One Talk is a good idea for Verizon Wireless. After all, when a phone call comes into the business line it can ring at the office phone and on a mobile phone. That way when in the office the call can be answered on the landline phone, but when out of the office, it can be answered on a mobile. It’s good to see Verizon Wireless offering something of value to its customer base.
