Best VoIP Phone Services for Business
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Want to get to the right point? My top picks for the best business VOIP phone services are RingCentral and Nextiva.
Good VOIP phone service makes customers happier.
After all, if they can easily contact you, you can easily cater to their needs too.
Besides the phone system, you also need to invest in the ability to make connections through social media, email and chat.
So if you can save some money on your phone system by installing the best VOIP phone service, while still receiving all the features you need, you will be able to expand their investment to other customer touch areas.
Fortunately, we've taken a look at the best VOIP phone services out there and can help you choose one that meets your needs.
Finding the best business VOIP phone services for your needs requires thinking about the requirements of their customers and employees to communicate within your business.
RingCentral
Best in terms of reliability and features
RingCentral is a popular VOIP phone service for businesses, as it includes a robust feature list and impressive reliability.
Top 7 Business VoIP Phone Service Options to Consider:
Relying on firsthand experience and hours of research, we've rounded out the best VOIP services. Our top recommendations are:
- RingCentral - Best VOIP Phone Service in terms of reliability and features
- Nextiva - Best VOIP Phone Service for Multi-Site Businesses
- Oman office - the best VOIP phone service for small business
- Grasshopper - the best VOIP mobile app for off-site managing
- Verizon - Best VOIP Phone Service for Medium to Large Businesses
- Jive - Best Encryption VOIP Phone Service
- 8×8 - Best Staff Collaboration VOIP Phone Service
- Read on for an honest review of each.
1 - RingCentral Review - Best for Reliability and Features
RingCentral Best for Reliability and Features
RingCentral is a popular VOIP phone service for businesses, as it includes a robust feature list and impressive reliability.
RingCentral is one of the most popular business VOIP phone services. It offers a great combination of features, price, and reliability.
Moreover, RingCentral guarantees an uptime of 99.999%, using more than ten data centres spread all over the world to provide you with virtually flawless service.
It also has multiple layers of security to protect even the most sensitive data at the highest possible level.
RingCentral VOIP System
Best VoIP Phone Services for Business
You can access a wide range of features when using RingCentral, including a virtual receptionist, call recording, call forwarding, and music hold.
They also offer a very powerful mobile application that gives employees the ability to access all of the service's features, even when they are not in the office.
And if you've never used a VOIP service, RingCentral's customer support team will guide you through the installation and implementation process step-by-step. So, you don't have to do it alone.
RingCentral Pros:
- Outstanding reliability
- Good customer service during installation
- Multiple features are available
- Powerful mobile app
RingCentral Cons:
- Lowest price tier
- Limited to 20 users
RingCentral Pricing:
- Basics: $19.99 to $29.99 (per user, per month)
- Standard: $24.99 to $34.99
- Premium: $34.99 to $44.99
- Final: $49.99 to $59.99
2 - Nextiva Review - Best for Businesses with Multiple Sites
Nextiva
Best multi-site companies
Managing the telephone system for a remote employee base, especially when it is possible for them to work from multiple office locations, becomes easier with Nextiva.
If you are a small business with multiple physical locations, managing phone service across all of them can be a challenge.
However, Nextiva has a powerful management platform that simplifies the operation of the system and keeps it running at the highest level for all users, regardless of their location.
And one of the best aspects of Next Iva is its ability to grow alongside your business. Most small businesses can take advantage of its basic features.
But when you need to add more users and access advanced features, everything you need is just a few clicks away.
You have to keep an eye on price levels with Nextiva, as some add-ons are hard to understand. As such, they can quickly raise the bill if you're not careful.
Also, keep in mind that you need to sign a long-term contract to get the best rate.
Nextiva Pros:
- Features can grow as your business grows
- Reasonable starting prices
- Easily manage multiple sites through the dashboard
- very reliable
Nextiva Cons:
- Pricing and contract terms can be confusing
- International calls can be more expensive than other VoIP calls
Nextiva Pricing:
- Basic: $19.95 (per month, per user)
- Professional: $20.95
- Foundation: $27.95
3 - Ooma Office Review - Best for Small Businesses
Ooma. office
Best for small businesses
Ooma Office provides customers with everything they need to run through their VOIP phone service while providing excellent customer service, ideal for small businesses without dedicated IT staff.
For a very small business, especially one just starting, Oma is a smart choice, providing all the hardware and software you need to get up and running quickly. You don't need a lot of knowledge to get started with Ooma, which is great for a small business, as the owner will likely wear many hats, including network management.
Ooma also provides a high level of customer service, which means that you can troubleshoot problems relatively easily.
This service doesn't have as many features as some of the others on our list of the best VoIP phone services for business, but it does hit all the basics a small business would need.
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| VoIP phone service for business |
Pros Ooma
- Reasonable price points
- Very easy to use, giving you everything you need to get started
- good customer service
- Includes a virtual receptionist inside the lowest pricing tier
Ooma. Cons
- It doesn't have a lot of extra features
- As your business expands, you may skip this service
Pricing
- Basic: $19.95 (per user, per month)
- Pro: $24.95
4 - Grasshopper Review - Best Mobile App
Best mobile app
When customers call, small businesses will look much larger when they use Grasshopper, as the mobile app and autoresponder features simplify operating the system from off-site.
For a small business that has employees who spend much more time outside of the office than at work, Grassland's excellent mobile app lets you run the system wherever you are. You can use the app to make calls or send texts that appear to come from your main business phone number.
Even small businesses will look a lot bigger when they use Grasshopper, thanks to its automated facilities. Each user on the network is given an extension. When the caller identifies a specific extension, the system can automatically forward the call to the requested number, even if it is a smartphone.
Grasshopper Pros
- Ideal for small businesses with remote employees
- Excellent mobile app design and features
- recently underwent the decline in prices
Cons of Grasshopper
- Not made for big companies
- Add-on costs will rise quickly if you need special features
Pricing
- Solo entrepreneur: $26 to $29 (1 user per month)
- Partnership: $44 to $49 (up to 3 users per month)
- Small team: $80 to $89 (up to 6 users per month)
- Try Grasshopper for free.
5 - Verizon Review - Best for Medium and Large Businesses
Best for medium and large companies
Verizon VOIP Business Phone Service contains a range of advanced features that give medium and large business users the ability to customize their phone systems.
Verizon may be better known as one of the great cellular network providers, but it's also one of the best VOIP business phone services.
Verizon also offers VOIP business phone services.
Best VoIP Phone Services for Business
Its features give medium and larger companies a better level of performance than small companies, especially considering the prices they will pay. Small businesses may not be able to take full advantage of the advanced features that Verizon has, which reduces their value compared to what a larger customer receives.
Verizon is one of the most reliable VOIP providers, ensuring your phone system is up and running at all times. The service has an easy-to-use mobile sync service, allowing you to operate the system from your mobile phone when you are out of the office.
Verizon Pros
- Very reliable service record
- Tons of features on the basic level
- Good Mobile Features
- Gives medium and large companies the greatest benefits
Verizon Cons
- Confusing pricing options
- Not all services are available in all locations
Pricing
- Starts at $35 per month per user
- #6 - Jive Review (Now Go To Connect) - Best for Cryptography
- Jive's logo
- jazz dance
- Best for coding
6- Best Jive Review for Medium and Large Companies
Jive has strong encryption capability through its VOIP service, ensuring that the data on your connected devices are safe to use.
When you need end-to-end encryption for your phone services, Jive offers that level of security at an affordable price, no matter what device you use with the Jive service. The Jive dashboard also keeps track of all devices connected to the service, letting you know if unauthorized users have connected.
You'll appreciate Jive's tiered pricing structure, where the cost per user per month decreases the more users you have on the network, which is not uncommon for corporate VOIP phone services.
If you are interested in adding video conferencing services, you will have to pay an additional fee.
Jive Pros
- Excellent encryption features
- Prices go down as you add more users
- Maintains a high level of security for any networked devices
Jive. Cons
- Video conferencing is an add-on
- It owns Go To Jive, so it can integrate with go-to services at some point, forcing you to switch
Pricing
- 1-4 users - $29.95 (per user, per month)
- 5-9 users - $25.95
- 10-24 users - $23.95
- 25-49 users - $21.95
- 50+ users - $19.95
- #7 - 8x8 Review - Best for Employee Collaboration
- 8x8 logo
- 8 x 8
- The good cooperation between employees
The 8×8 service provides employees with plenty of collaboration options, so they can continue to communicate efficiently, even when they are out of the office.
The 8×8 VOIP service is easy to set up and use, which is a huge benefit for a small business that probably doesn't have an IT professional to handle the task.
7 - 8x8 VOIP phone system
Best VoIP Phone Services for Business
For businesses that need better tools to allow for collaboration between employees, 8×8 has some powerful features. Staff can individually host conference calls, whether it's voice calls or video calls. They can set up online conversations with each other, which makes it easy to keep in touch, even when they're out in the field. 8×8 also offers integration with other collaboration tools you might already be using, such as Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365, or Google G Suite.
Positives
- Easy to set up and use
- Simplifies the process of keeping remote employees in touch
- Integrates with many popular software suites
Negatives
- It seems that price levels are changed frequently, which can be confusing
- Dashboard and mobile app design could be better
Pricing
- Fast: $12 (per month, per user)
- X2: $25
- X4: $45
Methodology for selecting the best business VOIP phone services
When compiling our list of the best business VOIP phone services, we paid attention to several important factors. Determine which of these factors is most important to you, and find a system that has its strengths in those areas.
cloud vs. at work
With a business VOIP phone service hosted in the cloud, the service provider will store all the data in the system for you. Your phone calls will still reach your work phone hardware, but you don't need other types of hardware to store your VOIP system.
All the items you need to run your PBX system appear in the cloud.
An important advantage of a cloud system is that updates to the system happen automatically on the vendor's site. You don't have to replace a lot of the local devices on your site to accept VOIP system updates.
As another option, some companies may provide the equipment needed to operate the PBX system in your physical location. This will be more expensive than a system hosted in the cloud, but you may feel more comfortable having the system on your business, rather than in the vendor's cloud.
Cell Phones Vs. office phones
With a VOIP system, you don't have to have traditional telephone hardware on your desk. You can route all calls through the cloud-based VOIP system to employees' mobile phones if desired.
You should be able to forward phone calls that come to your company's primary phone number to any connected mobile phone. This is an ideal solution for small businesses that do not have many employees, but most of them often have to work off-site.
Types of phone numbers
Most businesses will need a local phone number and a toll-free number to allow customers to contact the company in multiple ways.
Most VOIP phone systems give you both types of phone numbers, but some units may charge you additional fees for a toll-free number. Some systems make it easier than others to call international numbers as well.
User number
Some VOIP phone systems may offer pricing tiers that have a limit on the number of users you can have on the system.
If you have a large and expanding organization, look for a system that gives you an unlimited number of users, knowing that many systems charge your business a monthly per-user fee.
group calls
With the majority of these phone systems, you can host audio or video conference calls. Some systems may charge you additional fees for the ability to make video conference calls.
Some systems may limit you to five participants, while others can accommodate hundreds of participants at the same time, so find a system that can handle your needs. You may have to move to a higher rate category to access the number of conference participants you want to use.
Communication features
Any business VOIP system must give you basic calling features as part of the service, such as a per-user voice mail system and caller ID for incoming calls.
However, you may also like features like music on hold, call queues, voicemail for email translation, and automatic answering and forwarding of calls. If all employees work outside the office, you can use Auto Attendant to determine which employee should take the call. The host can then forward the call to that employee's mobile phone.
Other types of messaging
Within the company, you may be able to send and receive text messages or have an instant chat with other members of the company on the VOIP system.
You should also be able to send and receive faxes using this type of system, as the telephone system will communicate with fax machines. Faxes you receive must enter the system as a digital file.
wedding planner
With cloud-based VOIP phone services for business, you may worry about the security or the level of encryption provided by the vendor. Some companies need a vendor that can guarantee HIPAA or SOC 2 compliance, ensuring that data management is conducted in a safe and protected manner.
Ask the seller to explain how your data is protected.
the prices
The majority of the best VOIP business phone services will bill you monthly per user, especially cloud-based systems. You may also then have some additional costs for special features. Pricing structures can vary slightly from one vendor to another, so look closely at how you pay for the service.
Some VOIPs will require you to agree to a long-term contract.
RingCentral
Best in terms of reliability and features
RingCentral is a popular VOIP phone service for businesses, as it includes a robust feature list and impressive reliability.
What exactly is a VOIP phone service?
Modern VOIP phone systems save money by using Voice over IP (VOIP) technology to make and receive phone calls over an IP network.
By making calls over the Internet, instead of PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), you can save some money on your phone system.
A PSTN phone system hosted, on-premises can cost thousands of dollars, while a cloud-based VOIP system has a monthly subscription fee.
When does it make sense to invest in VoIP phone services for business
If you are happy with the performance of your current phone system, you may not need one of the best VoIP phone services for business... or you may not be fully aware of what they can do and how they can help your business become more productive all while saving money dramatically. Almost certainly on your current system.
Here are some ideas to help you see if a VOIP system will help your employees communicate more effectively with each other and with customers.
1. Equipment failure
When the equipment on the old phone system you're currently using starts to show its age and is costing you a great deal of time and money to maintain and repair, you may be ready to move to a VOIP system.
2. Increase productivity
By being able to take and receive calls anywhere, your employees will miss fewer calls from customers, making them more efficient while they work.
3. Save money
A cloud-based business VOIP system that uses the Internet costs slightly less than an old telephone system connected to a telephone network.
4. Connect on the go
With the right VOIP system, you can redirect all incoming calls to your main phone number to the cell phones of employees working in the field. This can be more effective than getting someone to sit and answer the phone all day.
5. Excellent internet bandwidth
To operate your phone system over the Internet using a VOIP system, you must have a very fast and reliable type of internet service. If your internet provider has recently upgraded your internet speed and capacity, you may now have the level of service performance required to use a VOIP system.
Summary: Putting the best business VOIP phone service to work
Small businesses' continued familiarity with cloud-based services and software, combined with the proliferation of mobile phones, has made now the perfect time to implement the best business VOIP phone services in your business.
By forwarding calls to cell phones, even remote employees can stay in touch with customers, reducing the amount of time they waste playing phone tag.
The relatively low cost of implementing VOIP systems means that they are affordable for new small businesses. Even a small business can feel like a huge enterprise when a customer places an incoming call, thanks to the many services that VOIP offers.