What are VoIP systems?
When using corporate VoIP services, you don’t have to be concerned about having a finite number of physical phone lines. Small business owners adore the numerous benefits that VoIP services provide. One of these is the capability to use your VoIP phone number to make VoIP calls from your desktop or mobile device. The caller ID will display your company phone number when you call rather than your cell phone number or another number you use to make the call, which is fantastic. This also applies to incoming calls. They will call the VoIP number, and you can respond on any phone of your choosing.
VoIP phone systems have grown in importance over the past several years as more workers work from home. VoIP small-business phone systems let employees use your company phone line to place and receive calls from home.
What is the Price of a Small Business Telephone System?
Business VoIP solutions in use today charge on a subscription basis. How many users (phone extensions) do you require? Some sellers demand that you sign a contract for a set period, while others do not. Purchasing a full year of service in advance will typically result in a discount.
Features of VOIP Systems:
- Superior Call Management.
- Routing calls.
- Rejection of an anonymous call.
- Vehicle Attendant
- Text Messages for Business.
- Invoke Analytics.
- Forwarding calls.
- Contact Notify
Pros:
- lower prices
- higher accessibility
- full portability
- increased scalability
Cons:
- dependable internet connection
- Jitter and latency
- No emergency calls can be tracked by location
List of 11 best VOIP systems for small businesses:
We combed the market for the best services and discovered the top 11 VoIP companies, with RingCentral at the top of the list because of its competitive pricing and extensive feature set.
1. GoTo Connect:
A LogMeIn product called GoTo Connect provides professional audio, video, and messaging services. For web collaboration, LogMeIn replaced join. Me with GoTo products, however, have several joins.Me alternatives. RingCentral’s entry-level package does not have video. However, GoTo Connect has several features that RingCentral does not, such as whiteboarding.
Unlimited 40-minute video meetings are supported under the GoTo Connect Basic package, but only for four participants. Since the Standard and Premium plans offer cutting-edge video features at a low monthly cost, we rank them as the best for video conferencing. Check out the top GoToMeeting alternatives if you think this is important, but GoToMeeting isn’t the ideal option for your company.
GoTo Connect makes it simple to arrange repeating meetings, including co-organizers, and instantly transition from an audio or chat conference to a video session. GoTo Connect is an economical, adaptable, all-in-one system for small business owners.
2. 8×8:
International calling to 47 countries is available with the whole unified communications (UC) infrastructure offered by 88. Although GoTo Connect offers plans with calling to 52 different countries, their unlimited plan only covers particular area codes within those countries and excludes mobile phones. In contrast, 88’s coverage is nationwide, preventing unforeseen fees from appearing on your phone account.
The least expensive entry-level phone plan with an auto-attendant, visible voicemail, and audio or video conferencing for up to 100 people is also provided by 88. X-Series plans from 88 have also recently been improved, enabling you to connect with up to 500 active members. Each participant has the option to present, share a screen, and exchange videos.
But unlike Nextiva, 88 doesn’t include toll-free minutes in its plans. Read our 88 vs. Nextiva comparison to see how these two suppliers compare.
3. OpenPhone:
OpenPhone is a reliable VoIP platform with cutting-edge capabilities that can grow with your company. Even if you’re a solopreneur, OpenPhone ensures you never feel alone in managing your conversations with many automation possibilities, including phone menu features and SMS auto-replies and interfaces with your favorite business tools. The best part is that OpenPhone makes it simple to call and text on any current computer, smartphone, or tablet.
You can at any moment increase the number of users on your account as your company expands. You may develop your business across North America by having users receive their own US, Canadian, or toll-free number. Users can even share their numbers with other team members to help answer calls and texts. Because teammates can add particular notes to contacts, collaborating is also ridiculously easy. Additionally, start internal threads so everyone can collaborate on external communication and delegate duties.
4. Grasshopper:
Grasshopper, positioned as a small business phone system, offers an unusual price structure for each plan. All of Grasshopper’s capabilities are accessible to all users, while higher-tier subscriptions merely provide users access to more phone numbers and extensions. However, even its top-tier plan is only designed for five staff, so if your business expands, you’ll soon need to find a new supplier or pay significantly more. Additionally, Grasshopper is very much a legacy supplier, so even if you pay a premium to access all of its capabilities, you still won’t be able to meet essential business requirements like connectors or shared numbers.
5. Ring Central Office:
Ring Central is our top choice for the best VoIP for small businesses and the finest Wi-Fi VoIP service. Now provide phone, messaging, and video options for teams of hundreds of workers.
Ring Central offers an astonishing array of functions that you can use. The most basic plans include a selection of toll-free minutes, unlimited calls to the US and Canada, business SMS, voicemail to text, team messaging, document sharing, and an iOS and Android-compatible mobile app.
As you start to go up the package grades, Ring Central comes to life. As your package size increases, you will receive upgraded usage and additional benefits like hot desking, advanced call handling (whisper, barge, etc.), real-time analytics, integration with various CRM platforms, and usage storage where necessary.
The customer service was Ring Central’s lone drawback. Even with the 24-hour access, we encountered lengthy resolution delays and frequently switched between departments to resolve issues or questions. It’s important to note that they were resolved, although not as quickly as we’d wanted.
6. Ooma:
So many organizations have already implemented the software because Ooma is among the finest VoIP for small businesses and is easily scalable as the firm grows.
Speaking of installation, it’s not that difficult to do. Setup wizard and getting started should only take a few minutes. Similar to the paper clip from earlier versions of Microsoft Word, but less unpleasant, the wizard is also available when you use the platform for questions and tips.
The features and usability of Ooma are well-balanced. Some significant highlights include having access to HD audio, inexpensive international calling rates, messaging, virtual fax, virtual receptionist, mobile apps, toll-free lines, and free local phone numbers.
The prominent selling feature of Ooma is how simple it is to use. This will be a great option if you’ve never used VoIP. However, it lacks some functionality as you become used to it. Better solutions are available if team calibration are required (Check out Ring Central). We’ll also mention that Ooma seems to be developing all the time. The platform has changed and improved significantly over the past two years, demonstrating that they pay attention to consumer feedback and work to improve wherever they can.
7. Nextiva’s:
Because of its advanced privacy and security features and integrated CRM software, Nextiva’s cloud-based business phone system is perfect for multisite retail and healthcare enterprises. If your company often handles private medical or consumer information, Nextiva’s call encryption, round-the-clock network monitoring, and compliance with SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001, PCI, and HIPAA compliance are a perfect fit. One of the simplest to use and navigate the NextOS admin portals among the rivals we’ve seen, including Ooma and 8×8, is Ooma. Multisite retail and healthcare organizations make up a sizeable portion of the platform’s overall subscriber base, claims Nextiva.
8. Zoom:
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Zoom became the industry leader in video conferencing and transformed how businesspeople thought about meetings. You might not be aware that Zoom also provides a strong phone system with current communication capabilities and well-liked video communications solutions.
Zoom’s metered and unmetered phone plans include the same extensive collection of top-tier features and tools, including advanced call handling, integrations, 24/7 support, SMS, real-time reporting, video conferencing, and call recording, as opposed to plans built around tiers of progressively more sophisticated features. A Zoom Phone package might be an affordable and feature-rich option for unified communications, provided you are fully aware of your calling-minute needs.
9. Net2phone:
A cloud PBX service called Net2phone was created to enhance company communications and promote expansion. All essential VoIP call management capabilities are included in its platform, including welcome messages, call recording, call forwarding, call transferring, call queues, music on wait, and voicemail. Net2phone combines real-time communication analytics with performance-based data to find and fix inefficiencies. You may use this unified communications platform via the web and mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. All plans offer unlimited telephone and email assistance.
10. Vonage:
Compared to more recent VoIP service providers like OpenPhone and Dialpad, Vonage is a well-known but somewhat outdated option. The few built-in features in its base plan mean it lacks modern necessities like auto-attendant functionality and CRM connectors, which must be added afterward. While Vonage offers desktop, web, and mobile apps, which is excellent for small businesses, it can’t compensate for the high cost of extensions, toll-free numbers, and add-on costs for things other providers include by default.
11. Sideline:
The only choice on our list that is not a real virtual VoIP app is Sideline, a virtual phone that lets you make calls using your phone. Because Sideline uses your current cell phone service to make and receive calls, you must continue to pay for a standard phone plan in addition to your Sideline plan.
You will receive business texting services like auto-replies on Sideline’s essential subscription. However, if you examine the more expensive Sideline plans, you’ll discover that despite your upgrade, not all features are offered with every single one of their plans. Right, it isn’t apparent.
