VoIP: from Utility to Application

VoIP is most commonly thought of as a replacement for POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). However, the platform provides for a much more diverse range of features and applications. DialMyCalls.com is an automated mass Voicemail Distribution and calling service that uses VoIP technology. The service caters to both personal and professional needs, allowing for distribution to lists from 2 to 20,000 numbers. There is both a free and paid option, the free version limits users to 30 second messages, 1 time per day to up to 25 numbers, with branding at the end of the message. The paid option, which is priced on a credited basis, has none of the branding, message length, or call list restrictions.

We tested the free trial, and were successful at sending a test message within 10 minutes. Recording messages to send is easy (although the directions to record from a phone are a bit misleading, as the option to record a message from a phone is listed as “touchtone phone,” even though it is possible to use a cell phone) and adding contacts is equally simple. There is also the option to type a message which an automated voice will read, as well as uploading an mp3.

For marketing purposes, this type of service has a lot of potential, if used correctly. For personal use, it remains to be seen if friends will tolerate having twitter like updates dropped into their voicemail boxes. The premium service also offers text messaging, with downloadable reporting available. In our trials the phone would ring, and upon answering the message would play, but simultaneously a “New Voicemail Received” message would appear. This type of redundancy may help to get the point across, but could simultaneously be excessive.

VoIP has long been a utility, like phone service, but now more and more applications are emerging that harness the full power of the VoIP platform. This application works well and could be put to use in a wide range of time saving situations that both increase the efficiency and quality of communication. Many companies and individuals could benefit from this service, and it will be interesting to see what the future of service holds.

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1. VoIP: from Utility to Application — April 24, 2009 @ 11:50 pm

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