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Google Voice caller ID: Does Google Voice offer caller ID?

Google Voice caller ID

For small business owners looking to connect with customers via phone, accurate caller ID names are more than just nice to have — they’re essential. 

With the rise of spam calls and telemarketers, people are screening their calls more than ever. However, this can lead to missing important calls. In fact, a recent Numeracle study revealed that 69% of consumers have missed, ignored, or rejected an important call because they didn’t recognize the name on the caller ID.

If you’re using Google Voice and your business name is showing up wrong — or not showing up at all — you’re justified in feeling frustrated. Incorrect caller ID names can create a poor first impression and prevent you from connecting with customers. And unfortunately, this issue is not uncommon.

Let’s take a closer look at Google Voice’s limitations, as well as solutions that work for small businesses.

Does Google Voice offer caller ID? 

First: Do you know what CNAM is? 

If you answered “Caller ID name” or “Caller Name Delivery,” you’re a winner!

CNAM is what shows up on your phone when someone calls you. This might be a phone number or a name, depending on who is calling and if you have that contact saved in your phone. 

CNAM

A little more on how CNAM works: 

  • CNAM databases store all available CNAM text data for phone numbers.
  • Multiple providers maintain the databases.
  • Phone carriers can subscribe to one or more databases.
  • When a call is received, the recipient carrier looks up existing CNAM information from one of the databases it subscribes to.

Here’s the catch: CNAM was created for landlines and rarely works for cell numbers. When it does work, the CNAM information is often outdated, resulting in incorrect caller ID displays. While you might think the logical thing to do would be to update your CNAM record, that’s not possible with Google Voice for business. The platform doesn’t register CNAM for customers or provide updates to CNAM databases. 

The bottom line: If your business caller ID name is showing up incorrectly, Google Voice doesn’t offer a way to change it. You can only change the phone number that appears — not the name. 

If you’re in this situation, your only solution is to: 1) reach out to the recipient’s carrier (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, etc.) to update CNAM data or 2) port your phone number to a different VoIP provider that allows you to customize your caller ID name.

Beyond no caller ID name, what are the other major limitations of Google Voice?

While inaccurate caller ID names are a significant drawback, Google Voice has other shortcomings for your small business. Here are some of the most common limitations of Google Voice

1. Requires a Google Workspace subscription

You can’t buy Google Voice for Business as a standalone product. You have to add it to a paid subscription to Google Workspace. This means you’ll be paying for a suite of tools you may not need (Google Meet, Gmail, Google Drive, etc.), and you’ll have to maintain two subscriptions. 

Google Workspace for Google Voice

At a minimum, you’ll pay $6 per user per month for Workspace alongside Google Voice’s pricing ($10 per user per month) to sign up for Google Voice’s paid business plan.

That’s at least $16 per month — for just one user. 

2. Must upgrade for 10+ users and ring groups

Google Voice’s base plan only accommodates up to 10 users and can only be used in select countries. It also doesn’t include vital features, such as ring groups, which limits your ability to manage work across teams. 

google voice number of users

That means if you want to add 11 users and access ring groups, you’ll need to upgrade to the second-highest tier at $20 per user per month, plus pay for the Workspace subscription. 

3. Texting unavailable outside the US

If you have international clients, you’re out of luck. Google Voice texting only supports sending text messages to Canada if you live in the US. You’ll have to find another provider to send messages to any other country. 

4. No team collaboration features

No functionality within Google Voice fosters collaboration or sharing across your team. This can be particularly important as your business grows and you don’t have time to toggle back and forth between apps during the day. 

5. Limited automations and third-party integrations

Being able to automate processes and connect your phone system with the other tools in your stack can boost productivity and streamline workflows. Sadly, Google Voice has limited options in this department since it only integrates with Google Workspace products. With Google Voice, you also don’t have any option to schedule texts, save text message templates, or send auto-replies.

6. Difficult to catch up on conversations

Reviewing past conversations and tracking your call logs is less intuitive than many Google Voice users would like. It can be challenging to navigate communication history and sort through it to find the information you’re looking for since text messages, calls, and voicemails are kept in separate inboxes. 

Why OpenPhone is the best VoIP for caller ID and beyond

caller ID

If you want accurate outgoing caller ID names every time, OpenPhone can help. 

While self-service CNAM registration is temporarily unavailable in OpenPhone, the manual registration process is straightforward. You will need a business tax ID number and an approved US carrier registration to be eligible, and each update typically takes 2-3 days to show up.  

Here are some of the other advanced features you get with a paid OpenPhone plan: 

  • Thousands of US and Canadian toll-free, local, and vanity numbers are available (plus one included number for each user)
  • Free, unlimited outbound phone calls to the US and Canada
  • International calling and texting with transparent rates 
  • 7,000+ integrations and automations via Zapier, HubSpot, Slack, and more
  • Works on any device, including Android, iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web browser
  • Shared numbers, internal threads, and access to customer contacts facilitate seamless collaboration 
  • Unified inbox containing all communications: calls, texts, call recordings, missed calls, and voicemails
  • AI-generated message response, auto call recording, transcripts, and action items for each call

Moving existing Google Voice phone numbers to OpenPhone

When you’re ready to make the switch from Google Voice, you’ll need to port your number to another provider. This allows you to change providers while retaining your business number. 

You’ll need to follow one of two processes, depending on whether you have the free Google Voice plan or a paid account: 

How to port your number out of the free Google Voice plan

  1. Go to voice.google.com, sign in to your account, and at the top right, select Settings.
  2. Go to Account.
  3. Tap Unlock under the number you wish to port.
  4. You’ll see a pop-up message asking you to confirm.
  5. You’ll need to pay a $3 porting fee via Google Pay to unlock your number.

Now you can port the unlocked number to another provider.

Porting a number from Google Voice for Google Workspace

  1. Sign in to the Google Admin console.
  2. Select Apps > Google Workspace > Google Voice.
  3. Select Number porting.
  4. Select Port-out info to open the window and click on Preview to see the code.
  5. Copy the code.
  6. Your new provider may request additional information based on your location to port your Google Voice number.

Porting your Google Voice number to OpenPhone

Now that your number is ready to transfer, it’s time to experience OpenPhone for yourself. 

  1. Sign up for a free seven-day trial to see why thousands of growing businesses use OpenPhone.
  2. Once you’ve confirmed that OpenPhone is a great fit for your team, fill out the porting request form in the OpenPhone app with all your information to initiate your porting request.
  3. Give us about two weeks (give or take) to get everything set up.
  4. And just like that, you’re done! Now you can purchase as many phone numbers as you’d like. Due to emerging regulations, you’ll first need to complete US carrier registration to text from a local number. And if you have a toll-free number, you’ll need to complete the toll-free registration.

See why OpenPhone is the best alternative to Google Voice 

We’ve seen that there are some serious limitations when using Google Voice. 

From unreliable caller ID names to a lack of helpful automations and integrations — not to mention almost nonexistent team collaboration options — it’s clear that Google Voice struggles to support the needs of small business owners. 

There’s no better time to try OpenPhone and revolutionize the way you do business. Ready to go? Start your free seven-day trial today.

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