Usability Forum

Quick Review: CallWave VoiceMail

By Eddie LopezEddie_Lopez. Friday, January 26, 2007 5:20:01 AM

UI, cellphones, voicemail, user centered, usability

Well, it's not *exactly* my idea of VoiceMail, but it may be within acceptable limitations- or at least it could be if I can get a Opera Widget Guru to help me out.

I found (Gizmodo) the CallWave voice mail service which interrupts your cellphone carriers normal VM and adds desktop management. It doesn't convert to MMS and deliver as I'd like, but you can have your normal VM server experience (although it's CallWave's now instead of your cell providers- but pretty much the same) or you can also listen to the message on your desktop through the delivered email message.

So, you can get an SMS text that includes a name and number and message length. If you don't get many calls*, I don't see much value added than the existing setup here. Before CallWave, if I see a "missed call" and a "VM" indication, I have a good idea who it was who left a call, so an SMS indicator on your phone doesn't seem to add much. The SMS message just replaces the VM notification and tells me a few more pieces of information.

*If you do get many missed calls, you might find more value in finding out which ones of those left a message- the SMS would help you more.

You can get an email. CallWave will send an email with easy access to the website with a bit "Open" link that immediately plays the message. You can Optionally include the message as an attachement... this led me to think that I could have the file delivered to my smartphone and listen that way, but this isn't working for me (technical issue? Or not possible- i don't know yet)

So, from this user's point of voice, I now have the capability to either dial in to listen (same as always) or just wait until I'm in front of a desk and listen and delete message from my email inbox... this is the most likely scenario...and the "selling point" for me.

The service is free, setup is a walk in the park (BB users have on extra step that's easy), there doesn't appear to be any lag or delays, my voicemail shortcut key still works, except now it dials CallWave. At its worse, it appears exactly the same as my existing VM service from my carrier. At it's best, it's all that plus email management of my voicemails.

But it could be event better- the one beef I have with CallWave so far is that it works fine if you are accessing through your phone or your inbox. But I would have expected to see a "inbox" of collected VMs directly from the CallWave's website. Either they don't have one, or we need to talk about website usability since I can't find it:

They do have Widgets though! But only Dashboard and Yahoo! widgets. There's also some desktop software as well that basically looks like the widget. But if we're widgitizing my inbox, why not inlude the same capability in website?

If I could get someone to work with me on an Opera Widget, that would be aces! That would give me an interface other than my inbox to manage all my voicemails:

The other thing I'd like to see is an "email for smartphones" message that takes all the fancy html out of the email message (in the first screenshot above) and just has the same details as the SMS but includes the file as an attachment... or as an MMS if it's small enough to meet that criteria. I have my gmail forwarded to my phone and these messages look good in gmail but have little use other than notification on my phone.

In conclusion.. to my friends and family: I still prefer you send a text or email message but at least now I won't get mad at you if you leave a VM

Also- check out Grandcentral.com to see if that might meet the needs better than CallWave or you see something it does that CallWave can't do. (I thought we wrote about Grandcentral.com in the past, but can't find a post on User Centered)

Send...Don't SaveThe OLPC Human Interface Guidelines

Comments

DaveStu_Pedasso # Friday, January 26, 2007 7:04:57 PM

The option to have voicemail emailed to you as an attachment is one of the things that sold me on Vonage instead of Qwest, who incidentally gave me minimal features and charged me $35 more. I love being able to check my email from wherever I am and by doing so also knowing if I have any voicemail at home.

Also, when I am expecting an important call, I can have my home phone ring both my cell and my home for free.

I doubt I'd use Callwave for my cell phone VM though, since my cell phone is a lot more accessible to me than an internet connection. For people who are constrained to large concrete and steel buildings that cut off cell coverage, I can see this as being a great tool though!

Eddie LopezEddie_Lopez # Friday, January 26, 2007 7:44:12 PM

I read about Vonage's offering. Sounds cool.

I think my biggeset problem is that I never get voicemails of any note...so it's more *my* problem.

Plus even when someone does leave me a message of note, I'm usually not expecting it and I never have a pen handy to write down the number or all the then things I'm supposed to get out of the message... I think: "if only this could be written down *for me*... like through a short message service.. we'll call it SMS!" oh wait.

so in conclusion- i'm lazy and don't carry a pen with me.

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Anonymous # Monday, March 26, 2007 7:30:44 PM

yd writes: Callwave has added more features, including fixing your two biggest gripes. You can now get a list of calls (and even undelete deleted calls!) and there's now an option to email the voicemail audio as an atachment. I just noticed the attachment option, so I haven't had a chance to test it yet...

Anonymous # Monday, March 26, 2007 7:44:36 PM

yd writes: Takes a few mins for the setting to go into effect (I set it, then called myself, and it didn't attach that message). The next one I tried worked. Comes across as a WAV, which I assume could get forwarded to the MMS email address.

Eddie LopezEddie_Lopez # Monday, March 26, 2007 8:16:36 PM

Thanks yd- I'll check into it. I'm using CallWave, but I don't many VMs to notice.

Anonymous # Sunday, April 6, 2008 10:47:39 PM

Wasim writes: I used other services with callwave, and I'm completely dissapointed, they cancle and suspend your account without notification, and when you complain there's no body to talk to or complain who can understand you. The disconnection and suspension of my account was excused to be a new policy of international users without notification to the user, or warning, and when I asked them why didn't you tell me so I can backup my data they said sorry we missed that! what a crab service! more importantly they delete all of your records and deny to hand it back to you (as history of transactions). very disappointed and would warn everyone who's trying to use them. :(

Anonymous # Friday, May 23, 2008 6:11:18 PM

Michael writes: BAD EXPERIENCE WITH CALLWAVE. I recommend using some company other than Callwave. I am having a very bad experience with them. I tried the free trial of their online fax service back in March. The number they assigned me wouldn't answer on a Sunday, so I canceled the trial, and was told I would get a complete refund. I just assumed they would properly credit my card. On May 15 I called them after I noticed the credit was never issued. They assured me they would now issue me a full credit. The next day, the $22.95 credit was still not issued to my card. I called my credit card company to make sure it was not there are was not pending. I then called Callwave. They told me they show it was issued, and it would take 1-2 billing cycles to show up on my credit card. I told them I can check my credit card online, so I don't have to wait for a statement, and that I called them to confirm. I tried to get a supervisor, but he was busy and was supposed to call me back. I called again the next day as they never called, and went through the same thing. The next day I finally got a supervisor, who told me it would take 1-2 cycles on THEIR end to issue me a credit, so in the mean time they will be earning more interest on my money as it's in their account. I wonder if what they are doing is even legal.

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