VoIP systems can benefit your business, offering significant features and functions beyond traditional phone services. When you’re comparing business VoIP providers, there are several essential factors you should take into account. These factors include the pricing plans, customer support level, ease of installation, connection quality, the potential for system integration, video conferencing, and mobile options. Businesses should also consider the specific features offered by each of the VoIP platforms because some may be more important than others for your business.
The four platforms discussed below have each been found to be superior in their own way and provide excellent VoIP platforms for several different sizes of businesses. After reviewing the descriptions below, you should have enough information to research to determine the most ideal for your company’s needs. However, you can’t go wrong in selecting any of them since all are considered the best business VoIP phone in their class. There are, of course, some other providers available to you, so it will require careful research and deliberation to settle on the right provider for your company finally.
RingCentral
RingCentral is one of the leading choices for a VoIP system used by your enterprise-class operation. RingCentral has set the standard for small-sized businesses up to full-blown corporations. It offers a full-service PBX, providing advanced capabilities such as customized app integration and UCaaS. We’ll get right to the pros and cons of this product service:
Pros
- it has enhanced collaboration capabilities
- transcription is backed by artificial intelligence and call analysis
- it provides numerous add-on apps
- improved video conferencing technology
Cons
- configuration can be tedious because it is wizard-based
- it has limited ability to customize reports
RingCentral has been impressive for a very long time because of its business VoIP offerings. RingCentral MVP stands for messaging, voice, and phone, and this is the latest product version. It generally indicates the company’s intention to move away from basic voice services and toward a UCaaS approach. In addition, RingCentral has proven over the years that it is thoroughly reliable under situations of high call volume. This is something that many competitors need help to claim, especially when under severe pressure.
This system’s most impressive features are its artificial intelligence-backed transcription and call analysis features. In addition, RingCentral offers administration capabilities that include quite a few options for an easy-to-navigate user interface. As a result, this is an exceptionally well-rounded platform that provides just about everything you’d want to see in a VoIP system, whether you’re a small business or a full-blown enterprise. You might be even more impressed with RingCentral if your company routinely experiences a high call volume because the mid-level pricing tiers offered by the company has no ceiling on the number of users that can be included in your plan.
Nextiva
We consider Nextiva the best VoIP software for midsize companies, and it’s scalable for multiple locations. If your company operates more than one office or has employees sprinkled around the area, it will be easy to scale Nextiva without costing an arm and a leg. However, there may be better options than this if your company requires low-cost International calling features. Nevertheless, Nextiva is a terrific choice for midsize businesses on a budget because it can deliver an outstanding balance of features and pricing.
Nextiva’s desktop and mobile app will allow your employees to discard those awkward office phones of the past, and the online management platform facilitates the efficient juggling of several lines simultaneously. This is true even if your employees are working from several different locations. In addition, Nextiva is a platform that delivers many helpful features for employees who happen to be working from home. For example, the Nextiva app allows you to use your business phone number to make remote calls from a mobile or desktop device.
Nextiva also provides a team collaboration tool called Co space, which enables video chat for your team for collaboration and keeping everyone on the same page. Suppose this is the only feature you need, i.e., video conferencing for team collaboration. In that case, Nextiva offers a video conferencing collaboration service for unlimited numbers of users – completely free of charge. You can use this even if you don’t subscribe to the full-blown VoIP service, so that could be something you want to research for your company.
Next, we’ll take a second to look at the pros and cons:
Pros
- Offers video conferencing without subscribing to the entire VoIP service
- great for midsize companies with many remote workers
- has outstanding team collaboration tools
Cons
- pricing tiers can be fairly complex
- may not be ideal for companies requiring international calling
If you’re investigating pricing online, you might need clarification on Nextiva’s pricing schedule. For instance, if you click around their website to find the appropriate pricing level for your business, you might quickly need clarification. For example, on the website, you’ll find that the Essential Plan will cost $18.95 per month. However, when you click the question mark adjacent to the price, you’ll see that this price is only for prepaid 36-month contracts on plans geared toward a volume of users between 20 and 100.
That means any small business opting for a month-to-month plan would end up paying $30.95 for the same package. However, it must be conceded that all of Nextiva’s pricing plans are below $45 per month, which is impressive, considering all the VoIP services offered in the plan. In addition, for businesses that have some remote employees, it can be beneficial to have features such as unlimited video, team messaging, and screen sharing. All these features will make it easier to get work accomplished among users in different buildings simultaneously.
Dialpad
Dialpad is one of the best VoIP systems if you have some softphone users. While the company supports VoIP Hardware, it primarily focuses on its softphone offerings. It’s a great solution if mobility is essential to your company or if you need customized integration. Here are the pros and cons of the Dialpad platform:
Pros
- it has a new geographic call-routing feature
- includes artificial intelligence-based call transcription, and this highlights actionable call content
- the desktop client serves as a very efficient communication center
Cons
- the analytics report doesn’t contain helpful quality data
- video conferencing is a $15 add-on when more than ten meeting participants are included
Dialpad gets high marks for its dedication as a software-based service. Although it does have good support for hardware handsets, the real emphasis of this company is behind its softphone service. There are regular updates to the company’s softphone support, so if your business uses softphones extensively, you’ll probably be delighted. Dialpad has had a history of issuing new software updates on a schedule that occurs every two weeks. Of course, updates that are so frequent are only sometimes a good thing because they can keep you scrambling to get them all posted.
However, it’s noteworthy that the company does insist on upgrading its softphone offerings. This is a great platform that makes liberal use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide the best transcription capabilities on the market. Dialpad might not be able to go toe-to-toe with the most prominent fat cats in the business VoIP industry, but it still has several admirable features. For instance, if you are looking for a vendor that emphasizes technology first and constantly strives to innovate, this could be your go-to company. This is especially true if you’re planning to deploy softphones as some of your chief clients because this is a low-cost option that could be tailor-made for you.
Zoom
Zoom’s VoIP platform is loaded with features and offered at a great price. It’s used by over two million people worldwide, and it integrates exceptionally well with the Zoom video conferencing app and a great deal of other software. It’s user-friendly, and it offers several advanced metrics on call usage. Unfortunately, it has a per-user plan that can cost a lot more for businesses with many employees. However, it’s still an excellent VoIP service that should be considered among the top 10.
Pros
- Zoom has a vast list of potential software integrations
- the user interface is straightforward to use
- the company offers excellent modular pricing
Cons
- has suffered several breaches of security
- per user pricing will be expensive for larger companies
Zoom phone is offered in three different plans, all of which can be paid monthly or annually. Your business will get a discount of 20% if you choose the yearly pricing plan. The pay-as-you-go plan includes quite a few software features, but calls will be charged per minute. Since each country has its pricing, you will also end up paying for local toll-free numbers and SMS. For companies planning to make several calls in the US and Canada region, the Unlimited Regional plans can be highly advantageous and appealing. However, those companies outside the continental borders of the US will be obliged to choose the Pro Global Select plan.
This plan includes unlimited domestic calls in 40-plus countries supported by Zoom. In addition, you can purchase endless international calling add-ons that will only cost an additional $120 per user per year. That will provide you with unlimited calling throughout 18 different countries. There are several add-on services available from Zoom monthly as well.
You can get toll-free numbers and other phone numbers at just $5 per service. You can also lease hardware beginning at $5.99 per month per device. You can also sign up for real-time analytics and reporting, which will cost an additional $25 a month. One of the real benefits of the Zoom platform is that it offers affordable and transparent base pricing. Of course, your total cost can increase if you take advantage of several add-ons. However, the modular pricing still makes for an exceedingly flexible and affordable schedule.
Why should you switch to VoIP?
Most likely, you already use some form of Internet phone service or VoIP through your current business phone line. For instance, if you’ve ever used Facebook Messenger or Skype, you’re using the power of VoIP already. VoIP systems have become the standard for both large and small businesses because they provide a guaranteed way to make telecommunications more efficient and affordable. The savings can be highly significant for small and medium-sized companies and may offer the difference between marginal profitability and a losing situation.
Some of the headaches you’ve had in the past can be eased by the efficiency of a VoIP system, especially if your small-sized company lacks the human resources to handle complex communication needs. In addition, small businesses may not need some of the most sophisticated VoIP features like video conferencing or 100-plus participants. Still, you’ll benefit from the ease of operation, the pricing, and the terrific customer service provided by many VoIP companies.
When integrating VoIP services into your company’s processes, you should consider a few factors before settling on any specific provider. The best VoIP providers, including those discussed in this article, can help you reach more customers, enhance productivity and mobility, and ultimately lower costs. Some of the essential features to be on the lookout for when searching for a VoIP platform include the following:
- video conferencing and screen sharing
- mobile options
- call features and custom mobility
- customer service
- reliability of the system
- cost
- ease of installation and ease of ongoing operations.
Switching over to a VoIP system might involve some initial cost, but this will quickly be offset by the savings in the weeks and months following. In addition, VoIP services will increase your company’s efficiency and improve overall communications. It will also help you make the best use of the business tools a larger company typically requires. Before choosing an appropriate VoIP provider, try to find out how easy it will be to adopt a specific VoIP platform and how easy it will be to operate it regularly. Also, try to find out if the platform offers the features your company will use most often and which will provide you the biggest bang for your buck.
Benefits of a VoIP system
The total benefits your company will experience as a result of installing a VoIP system will always depend on the type of business you have and the size of your business. However, most companies of any size will benefit from some of the generalized features of a sound VoIP phone system. The first of these, of course, is the much lower cost, with an average business experiencing a cost reduction between 50% and 75% after switching to VoIP.
The significant savings here comes from the logistical benefits and the reduction of communication expenses. With a VoIP system installed, you’ll also experience greater productivity because it will allow your employees to work remotely when necessary. This remote work setup has the potential to increase productivity by somewhere between 20% and 25%, which makes it well worth considering. Reliability is another factor you will benefit from when installing a VoIP system.
The quality of service protocol handles several issues like latency, jitter, and delay, and a sound VoIP system will monitor all these to maintain a satisfactory standard for business. A recent study published showed that the number of respondents dissatisfied with the quality of their VoIP calls was less than .5%. Conversely, the customer satisfaction rate was extraordinarily high, hovering close to 92%. A big part of this high satisfaction rate comes from the fact that customers will have more ways to reach your business through the help provided by VoIP. This assistance could be in the form of employees who are working remotely, increased hours worked at the office, or simply providing customers with a virtual phone number that can be used in the event of some issue or problem.
Types of VoIP systems
The single most significant factor regarding the cost of a VoIP system to your company will depend on your chosen service. There are three primary systems available that you can choose from: a hosted system, an on-premises system, and a managed system. Your business will own the equipment in a managed system, but your provider will be responsible for setup and ongoing maintenance. This constitutes the best of both worlds option because it allows you to keep your equipment while taking advantage of the assistance offered by your provider.
In an on-premises system, your business owns the hardware, which makes you responsible for all maintenance work and any upgrades that need to be applied. This setup may not be viable for a smaller business since the initial cost will be fairly high in purchasing the hardware. In addition, the maintenance might require more human resources than a small company has on the payroll. On the other hand, an on-premises system usually provides better options for customization and increased security. Mostly, on-premises systems are better suited for larger businesses and more prominent corporations.
The third type of VoIP system is the hosted system, vastly like a website hosting plan. That means the vendor always retains ownership of the hardware, and your company leases or purchases the phones. The vendor will cover all maintenance, so you don’t need to take the time for maintenance, and you won’t need to hire personnel who can handle that for you. Providers of hosted systems will usually charge a subscription rate for usage of a business phone system. Hosted systems are best suited for smaller businesses on a limited budget and need more staffing to support ownership of all the hardware or maintain the VoIP system.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to upgrade your business phone system, don’t hesitate to contact one of our VoIP phone system experts. We’ll help you choose the right VoIP phone system and features for your business!
At Telco Data, we can provide the services you need to conduct efficient and streamlined communications. Contact us when you need structured cabling solutions, cell signal boosting, business VoIP phone systems, Internet data and voice services, and more. You can count on us to deliver the most affordable and effective possible solutions for your business needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Business VoIP Phone System
Is call quality better with VoIP?
The call quality is always at least as good as with traditional phones, and it frequently exceeds that quality. Since the calls go over the Internet, quality generally depends on the actual quality of your Internet connection.
Can I use my computer to make a VoIP phone call?
Yes, it is. You’re using your VoIP phone as long as your computer is connected to the Internet simultaneously.
Why should I choose VoIP?
VoIP offers several advantages, such as portability, better accessibility, scalability, reduced costs, and a more workable environment for remote employees.
Can I keep my existing phone when I have VoIP installed?
Most providers allow this option, so you’ll need to check with your specific provider.
Can I disconnect from my current provider after I get VoIP installed?
Yes, you can. However, follow proper procedures, especially if your provider has established guidelines for accomplishing this.
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