EVoice
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | January 1, 2000 in Menlo Park, California, United States |
| Founder | Wendell Brown, Mark Klein, Craig Taro Gold |
| Headquarters | Menlo Park , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Australia |
| Products | Virtual phone numbers, voicemail services, call routing, mobile applications |
| Owner | j2 Global, Inc. |
| Parent | j2 Global, Inc. |
eVoice is a telecommunications provider under the ownership of j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:JCOM), specializing in managing both inbound and outbound calls through the use of virtual phone numbers. Established in 2000 by Wendell Brown, Mark Klein, and Craig Taro Gold, the company underwent a relaunch in March 2010, introducing enhanced offerings tailored for individual and corporate clientele.
Overview
By 2020, eVoice supplied subscribers across the United States and Canada with options for toll-free and local telephone numbers. Users can choose from a variety of area codes and set up the service to route calls directly to their existing devices. To receive calls, an active telephone service within the U.S. or Canada is necessary. The virtual number system ensures that users remain reachable regardless of their physical location.
Competing with platforms such as Google Voice, eVoice distinguishes itself by providing continuous live customer service alongside email support around the clock.
History
Founded in 2000 in Menlo Park, California, by Wendell Brown, Mark Klein, and Craig Taro Gold, eVoice pioneered one of the first large-scale voicemail systems accessible via the Internet. The patented technologies developed by Brown—such as voicemail-to-email, visual voicemail, and advanced caller ID—were subsequently adopted by major players including Google Voice and Apple. eVoice's voicemail solutions were utilized by prominent telecommunications firms like MCI and AT&T, in addition to VoIP providers such as Qwest, Snowball, and Dialpad.
In July 2008, eVoice was purchased by AOL Time-Warner and incorporated into the AOLbyPhone service. Before this acquisition, the company secured over $50 million in funding from investors including idealab!, BlueRun Ventures (formerly Nokia Ventures), Oak Investment Partners, and Worldview Technology Partners.
The eVoice brand and domain were acquired by j2 Global (NASDAQ:JCOM) in June 2004, a firm specializing in cloud-based voice, email, fax, and data backup services. In 2011, j2 Global’s stewardship of eVoice received positive recognition in a review published by PC Magazine, part of its subsidiary Ziff Davis.
eVoice's presence in Australia traces back to Zintel Communications, established in Australia and New Zealand in 1995; this entity was absorbed into eVoice's operations following its acquisition in 2012.
Technology
- Availability of local and toll-free phone numbers throughout the United States and Canada.
- Support for multiple extensions allowing direct inbound calls to staff or specific departments.
- Call routing capabilities that enable simultaneous or sequential forwarding to various phone lines.
- Caller identification with name announcement for call screening; options to answer or redirect calls to voicemail.
- Voicemail messages accessible via email and manageable through standard web browsers.
- Voicemail transcriptions sent via SMS or email for easy review.
- Features supporting conference calling.
- Professionally recorded greeting messages.
- Ability to transfer calls to voicemail, different extensions, or alternative phone numbers.
- Mobile applications compatible with iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry platforms.
- Round-the-clock live customer service and email support available.
References