Are you looking to upgrade your business phone system to VoIP but not sure which provider to choose? With so many options, it can be overwhelming trying to determine the best VoIP providers for your unique needs.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explain what business VoIP is, its key benefits, top providers to consider, and things to look for when making your decision. Let‘s dive in!
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What is Business VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It allows making phone calls over the internet rather than traditional analog phone lines.
With business VoIP services, calls are converted into data packets and transmitted digitally over the internet. This allows businesses to benefit from advanced calling features, flexibility, and significant cost savings compared to conventional landline systems.
Here’s a quick overview of how it works:
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VoIP providers supply virtual business phone numbers that route calls to desired phones and devices. This works similarly to how email doesn’t depend on a physical location.
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When someone calls your VoIP number, the provider converts voice data into IP packets and sends it over the internet to registered devices.
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You can register smartphones, desktop apps, IP phones, or other compatible devices with the service to send and receive calls.
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The VoIP system handles call routing, voicemail, interactive menus, and other features to deliver a full-featured business phone solution.
Some key benefits of switching to business VoIP include:
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Lower Costs – No need to pay for expensive PBX hardware or analog phone lines. VoIP runs on your existing internet connection.
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Increased Flexibility – Employees can use VoIP phones anywhere with an internet connection. Easily scale up or down.
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Advanced Features – VoIP providers include a robust suite of telephony features for improving customer service.
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Enhanced Mobility – Bring your business number and extensions along on smartphones or tablets.
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Easy to Set Up & Use – Intuitive online portals make it simple to manage your business phone system.
For small to mid-sized businesses, moving to VoIP can be a great way to modernize communications and enjoy these advantages.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Business VoIP Provider
Here are some of the essential factors to evaluate when researching providers:
Range of Plans and Pricing
VoIP providers offer a variety of voice plans tailored to different business sizes and needs. Smaller teams may need only basic features, while larger companies require more advanced call management capabilities.
Compare pricing for components like:
- Number of extensions/lines
- Per minute calling rates
- Toll-free minutes
- Advanced features
- International call rates
Watch out for hidden fees or complex pricing structures. The best VoIP providers are transparent about what’s included.
Call Quality and Reliability
One of the most vital factors is ensuring excellent call quality. Check reviews and evaluations of a provider’s voice network, uptime, and call clarity.
Things like jitter, latency, and packet loss can negatively impact calls. Opt for a reliable provider with robust voice quality across devices.
Customer Support and Onboarding
The setup process varies considerably among business VoIP providers. Some offer full white glove setup and training. Others are more self-service focused.
Evaluate the provider’s onboarding process and support channels. Know how much training and assistance you’ll receive during initial setup and long-term support.
Security and Compliance
For many businesses, keeping calls and data secure is a top priority. VoIP encrypts calls, but providers use varying encryption standards.
Understand the provider‘s security practices, compliance standards, and business continuity provisions in case of an outage.
Mobile App and BYOD Support
The ability to take business calls on the go is a major advantage of VoIP. Assess each provider‘s mobile apps and "bring your own device" support.
Things like call quality, ease of use, platform support, and app features can influence productivity. Seamless desktop phone integration is also ideal.
Integration and API Options
Top providers play nicely with other tools, like CRM or help desk software. This creates a unified workflow for call tracking and support.
Evaluate what types of integrations or APIs they offer out of the box. More open platforms give greater flexibility.
Leading Business VoIP Providers for 2024
Now that you know what to look for in a business VoIP provider, let’s explore some of the top options on the market today.
1. Nextiva
Nextiva is our choice as the best overall VoIP provider for small businesses in 2024. They make it easy to transition to VoIP and manage your business phone system.
Nextiva offers exceptional call quality and reliability across devices. Their network achieves over 99.999% uptime for seamless communications.
They provide straightforward pricing with no hidden fees. Plans scale up gracefully to accommodate growth from solo entrepreneurs to enterprises.
Setting up Nextiva is straightforward with their guided onboarding and 24/7 support. The online dashboard also simplifies management of call routing, voicemail, IVR menus, and more.
Nextiva shines when it comes to mobile capabilities. Their VoIP apps enable connecting the entire team and maintaining continuity.
They also offer advanced features like auto attendants, voicemail transcription, CRM integrations, analytics, and more. Nextiva delivers the complete package to power productivity.
Key Features
- Superb call quality with 100% network SLA
- Easy-to-use online account portal
- Scalable pricing tiers
- VoIP mobile and desktop apps
- CRM, help desk, and other integrations
- Full-featured phone system capabilities
Pricing
- Essentials Plan – $22/mo per user
- Professional Plan – $29/mo per user
- Enterprise Plan – Contact for Quote
2. RingCentral
RingCentral is another highly rated business VoIP provider. They blend powerful features with an intuitive interface across devices.
RingCentral offers top-notch mobile apps that make it effortless to connect distributed workforces. The desktop app also provides robust call management and switching between devices.
They provide reliable uptime and voice performance. You get enterprise-grade capabilities without the cost and complexity.
RingCentral offers deep integrations with popular business apps. For example, syncing CRM contacts and call logs to track interactions.
Plans are easy to administer and add or remove extensions as needed. You can also add toll-free numbers or local DIDs. Automated attendants and shared lines boost efficiency.
Key Features
- Flexible BYOD apps and softphone
- CRM, marketing, and other integrations
- IVR menus, call routing, and dashboards
- Video conferencing and screen sharing
- Call recording, analytics, and reports
Pricing
- Essentials Plan – $24.99/mo per user
- Standard Plan – $34.99/mo per user
- Premium Plan – $49.99/mo per user
3. Ooma
Ooma Office is a low-cost VoIP solution designed for small business budgets. Despite the affordable pricing, you still get a full-featured phone service.
Their service runs on a plug-and-play hardware device installed locally. This eliminates any bandwidth concerns and provides natural call quality.
You get intelligent call routing features and an IVR system for call handling after hours or when teams are unavailable. Ooma also includes voicemail, conferencing, remote extension monitoring, and other tools.
For mobility, you can use their VoIP app to place and receive calls from anywhere as if you were in the office. Ooma makes it easy to unify communications.
Key Features
- Plug-and-play on-site VoIP gateway
- Sophisticated auto-attendant and call routing
- Remote access from iOS and Android apps
- Voicemail transcription to text/email
- Number porting and E911 service
Pricing
- Office Pro – $24.95/month per user
- Office Pro Plus – $29.95/month per user
4. 8×8
8×8 is a longstanding provider of business VoIP and PBX solutions. They offer a unified platform spanning voice, video, chat, contact center features, and APIs.
The system is easy to manage with their web-based admin dashboard. It provides tons of visibility into call analytics too.
Mobility is at the core of 8×8‘s services, with excellent VoIP apps for desktop and mobile. The apps integrate seamlessly across devices.
You get access to sophisticated small business phone system features. These include IVR menus, ring groups, call monitoring, barging, and advanced call reports.
8×8 offers competitive pricing bundles for unlocking complete business communications capabilities in one platform.
Key Features
- Unified admin dashboard
- Voice, video, and contact center
- CRM, calendar, and app integrations
- Real-time analytics and reports
-BYOD mobile apps across devices
Pricing
- X Series X2 – $25/month per user
- X Series X4 – $45/month per user
- X Series X6 – $65/month per user
5. Vonage
Vonage Business Cloud brings simplicity and flexibility to VoIP. Their platform makes it easy to manage employees‘ extensions and business phone settings.
The mobile app enables you to make and receive calls from any location using the same business identity. Vonage also provides video conferencing capabilities.
Vonage integrates with platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk, and Microsoft Teams to create an enhanced workflow. You can embed communications directly within tools.
For customer service, they offer an AI-powered virtual receptionist and advanced call routing options. Voice and video APIs also allow customization.
Overall, Vonage delivers a robust feature set at affordable pricing tailored to small business requirements.
Key Features
- Flexible mobile VoIP apps
- CRM integrations
- Virtual receptionist
- Video conferencing
- APIs for customization
Pricing
- Mobile Plan – $19.99 per line/month
- Premium Plan – $29.99 per line/month
- Advanced Plan – $39.99 per line/month
6. Jive Communications
Jive provides a business VoIP solution optimized for mobility and integrations. They make it easy to collaborate from anywhere.
The phone system auto-configures devices you plug into your network. You can also use their desktop and mobile apps for remote calling.
Jive integrates nicely with common tools like G Suite, Salesforce, Zendesk, and HubSpot. This allows interacting with key business systems while on calls.
Some standout features include unlimited domestic calling, cloud storage for recordings, ring groups, call parks, paging, and customizable hold music.
Key Features
- Auto-configured desk phones
- CRM and help desk integrations
- Unlimited domestic calling
- Visual voicemail and voicemail transcription
- Ring groups and call parks
Pricing
- Basic Plan – $29.95 per user/month
- Pro Plan – $34.95 per user/month
- Enterprise Plan – Contact for pricing
7. Dialpad
Dialpad is a modern VoIP provider focused on AI-driven features and integrations. Their platform unifies voice, video, meetings, and messaging.
Smart features like real-time speech analytics gives insights into call productivity. AI also powers automated note transcription and smart notifications.
The mobile app makes it easy for remote teams to connect. You also get video meetings, screen sharing, and team messaging built-in.
Dialpad integrates with today‘s top business apps like Office 365, G Suite, Salesforce, and Slack. You can embed calls directly within tools.
Key Features
- Voice AI for real-time analytics
- Video meetings and team chat
- CRM and messaging integrations
- Answering bot and custom IVR
- Voicemail transcription
Pricing
- Standard Plan – $15 per user/month
- Pro Plan – $25 per user/month
- Enterprise Plan – Contact for pricing
Key Takeaways When Choosing a VoIP Provider
The most important aspects to evaluate are reliability, voice quality, mobile capabilities, features, and cost. It‘s critical to find the best match for your specific size and needs.
For most small businesses, choosing a provider like Nextiva, RingCentral, or Ooma hits the sweet spot between affordability and features. Mid-sized companies may value broader platforms like 8×8.
Take time to extensively test VoIP providers with demos and trials before committing. Get a sense for the call and audio quality you‘ll receive. Also verify any potential integrations with your other software are seamless.
The good news is providers cater to making VoIP and PBX systems easy to use, with minimal hardware requirements. Look for superior voice quality across devices to ensure a top-notch experience.
With a little research, you can find a capable VoIP provider to take your business phone system to the next level. Just follow the criteria above, and don‘t hesitate to reach out to their sales team with any specific questions during your evaluation process. The right business VoIP platform will provide value for years to come through enhanced communications with customers and employees.
