Managing phone calls when you are away from home or when you cannot attend the calls is crucial. Many of the telephone and cellular services offer call forwarding or you may set up an answering machine for this. But what if you can do more and handle the phone/voice effectively. There are sites/tools which allow you to do the same. You can link your numbers together with the service and by using the VOIP and SIP technology they will forward your incoming calls to the numbers you assign with no or minimum charges.

By using these services you can make free or cheap outgoing calls and even to international numbers. Here are 6 such services where in you can easily link your phone numbers together and effectively manage all your calls from one place. Most of the services are free to use and you can save a lot by using these services according to your calling needs.

3jam

In this site you can find number of features which can make your life easy and enable you to answer calls from anywhere. Using this service you can also make International calls which cost you less than the local calling rates. All that you have to do is port your number, you can port your old phone number with this site such that anyone can call to that number. Then you need to create an account with the site to enable its services.

After you have setup an account with the site you can assign phone numbers and other details like your IM ID such that you will get alerts and simultaneous ring to all the phones that you have given. By this way no matter where you are you can always give a number such that you can attend the call. You can also replace your landline number to 3jam and save of phone bills and more. You can also make text messages using this service and many other benefits.

Google Voice

This is one another service from Google which offers great features to make your life lot easier and helps you save more on your voice/phone calls. You can have a virtual number on Google Voice such that people can call to this number to reach you. The interesting feature in this service is the call screen using which you can know who is calling and keep unwanted calls away. You can also listen to the caller before you attend the call and send, store and receive text messages.

You can assign other phone numbers such that when a caller calls to your virtual number all the other phones which you have assigned will ring simultaneously or you can choose which phone to ring based on who calls. It also provides voicemail service where in you can get the transcripts of the voicemail as email or SMS. You can also forward or download voicemails at your wish. You can also join people to make a conference conversation and also record calls easily.

To get an overview about Google Voice click here.

Nimbuzz

Nimbuzz is an Instant messaging client and also mobile VOIP client. Like that of 3jam and Google Voice you can use this application to make free or low cost calls and also get a virtual number. People can call to the virtual number to be in touch with you. This is possible if you have a third party SIP account with any of the SIP provider.

A mobile, PC and Mac versions of this application are available such that you can manage all your Instant messengers and phone calls at one place. When someone calls you to your virtual SIP number you will get alerts on the phone. Currently the mobile version of Nimbuzz supports over 1000 handsets which include Java, Windows Mobile, Symbian, iPhone and many Blackberry models.

Skype

This is one another application most of the people are aware off. This is one such cool application which allows you to make Skype to Skype fee calls and you can make low cost international calls. You can get an online number such that people can call to this number to get in touch with you. When you are offline then you can activate call forwarding feature such that all incoming call will be redirected to your mobile phone or to the number that you assign.

Now from Skype you can send text SMS and also have this voicemail feature such that you will never miss a call even if you do not answer to call forwarding. Skype now also has mobile version such that you can manage all your needs right on your mobile and also make free Skype to Skype calls and save a lot on money and effort. This is very easy to use and setup you can pay monthly for the calls you make or pay as you go.

Voxofon

This is one another service like that of Skype using which you can make low cost international calls and also use it to manage you calls directly. Voxofon offers virtual number in about 53 countries such that people can call to this number to reach you. You can assign any local number such that when people calling from international number will charge for local calls. This call to the virtual number will be forwarded to the phone anywhere in the world.

To make calls using Voxofon you need to buy calling card such that you can make cheap international and local calls. You can install mobile version of Voxofon such that you can start using this application directly on your mobile or iPhone.

Truphone

This is a Symbian and iPhone mobile application that allows you to manage and make cheap international calls. It provides Internet telephony on your mobile handset such that you can save a lot on your cellular bills. You can get your unique Truphone number such that people can call you to this number. You can also send free SMS messages using this application to any mobile phones. It uses VOIP to make and receive calls such that you need to connect to the net using Wi-Fi or WLAN if you are unable to receive a call when a user calls to your Truphone number. Then you can give number such that all your incoming call will be forwarded to that mobile or landline.

If you have any voice mails they will be forwarded to the email address that you have given as an attachment so you will never miss a call. This application has no connection with your wireless network carrier such that you will be charged for any data transfer or on your data plan.