Voicemail Gets a Makeover

If you’re like me, I frequently find out that my mailbox is full only after people tell me. Why is that? With text messaging so prevalent with almost every cell phone provider and carrier nowadays, who has time for voicemail?

But to be perfectly fair, voicemail isn’t as inconvenient as I just made it seem. But settling just isn’t in our 21st century digital vocabulary anymore. Now we have YouMail: Love Your Voicemail. And now we can do just that. This “digital secretary” service offers cell phone users visual voicemail, voice-to-text transcripts based on voice analytics, custom greetings, and smart filtering.

With over 1 million users strong only available in the United States, YouMail has dealt with over 300 million calls since its introduction in 2007. It’s safe to say that the numbers have hit the ground running. Good news for those with the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry is that free applications have been made available.

Most of the user-base consists of service professionals who cannot miss essential voice calls or want to personally greet callers by name or with a message. Luckily, the YouMail service is free and supported by advertisements. On the down side, the especially appealing voice-to-text transcription is only available through a paid, premium service.

Backed with $6.4 million from Vantage Point Venture Partners and Tech Coast Angels, its main competitor is Google Voice. However, the advantage difference with YouMail includes an API, Facebook integration, and personalized caller greetings. It’s nice to see a company facing a Google sector head on.

Just like the logo shows, there’s a new reason to smile.