What is a company phone system?
A corporate phone system is a multiline phone system that frequently has features like unlimited calling, automated menus, ring groups to reach numerous employees at once, voicemail-to-email capabilities, and call recording. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Private Branch Exchange (PBX), and Key System Unit are examples of business phone system types (KSU). The finest phone systems for small businesses employ VoIP technology, which enables you to use your company’s internet connection for the whole system.
- Small businesses that need phone, video, chat, SMS and fax are turning to cloud-based business phone system providers that offer all-in-one unified communications via the internet.
- Most cloud-based service providers offer great call quality and reliability with uptimes of 99.999% and higher.
- Business owners should look for communications platforms that integrate with the other productivity tools and CRM software they currently use.
- This article is for business owners shopping for a new business phone system for unified communications.
VoIP, or cloud-based, phone systems have largely replaced traditional landlines in business settings. Today’s modern phone service providers offer unified communications across phone, video, chat, text and fax with key software integrations that help companies make better use of every conversation that takes place. While some systems offer SIP trunking to integrate with older on-premises telephone hardware, most service providers work exclusively through the cloud with no hardware required to facilitate calls. Calls can still be taken on a traditional-looking IP desk phone, but most users opt for a headset with a desktop application or simply their mobile device. Today’s best business phone systems offer a wealth of call management tools, with virtual receptionists, advanced call routing, custom business hours and many other helpful features to ensure that calls are never sent to a voicemail box when someone’s available to answer.
REVIEWS
RingCentral: Best Business Phone System for Collaboration
A unique cloud-based business phone solution for collaboration is RingCentral MVP. The platform offers message, video, and phone (MVP) communication capabilities with excellent reception, great dependability, and a stated uptime of 99.999%. With capabilities that can transform any place into a virtual conference room for last-minute scrums or scheduled meetings, RingCentral is a particularly helpful tool for hybrid teams and remote workers. Unlimited audio conferencing may accommodate up to 1,000 individuals each call; for video conferences, the cap is 200.
Editor’s evaluation: 95/100
The industry-leading list of software connectors across areas, including as analytics, automation, collaboration, CRM, and productivity, is one area where RingCentral truly stands out. RingCentral’s large app gallery offers much more integrations than any other business phone system service provider we’ve studied, especially when combined with an open API for customized solutions.
With thoughtful additions like the hand-raise function, which kindly informs the group when someone has a question or needs a moment to take a note, RingCentral also provides one of the greatest video conferencing tools. RingCentral offers a full digital workplace for team communications where users can exchange direct messages, bookmark crucial notes, look up older information, create personal folders, and share video recordings to efficiently interact when away from the office.
AI is used in video meetings by RingCentral in a number of ways. The software can automatically recognize the important moments and put them together for a highlight reel for those who miss a meeting. We like that this lets viewers go to the most crucial segments without having to watch the full video. AI is further utilized to produce real-time transcripts of meetings as they take place. This can be particularly useful for people who join the group at a later time and wish to find out what they missed.
RingCentral has improved the capability of RingCentral Rooms, its video conferencing room service, since more and more employees are going back to the office. There are new hardware possibilities, such as interactive touch displays and AI that recognizes who is speaking in the room and automatically focuses the image on them. New whiteboard tools and ways to connect through laptops and mobile devices are also provided by RingCentral Rooms.
The security methods used by RingCentral help set it apart from its rivals. End-to-end encryption protects the whole platform, whether you are conducting voice or video conversations, sending messages, or holding video conferences. Users should feel confident knowing that all of their communications are safe and secure as a result.
With an annual subscription, the costs for the four plans offered by RingCentral MVP — Essentials, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate — run from $19.99 to $49.99 per user each month. The most popular plan, Essentials, has a 20-user maximum. If you purchase more than 99 user accounts, discounts are offered. Along with these additional services, RingCentral also provides vanity numbers, high-volume SMS, and its Rooms virtual conference license. RingCentral’s new Webinar offering was free at the time of our assessment, saving users $400 per month.
Nextiva: Best Business Phone System for Multisite Retail and Healthcare
Because of its strong privacy and security settings and integrated CRM software, NextivaOne’s cloud-based business phone system is a perfect tool 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. The NextOS admin page for the system is among the most user-friendly we’ve examined among rivals, including Ooma and 88. Multisite retail and healthcare organizations make up a sizeable portion of the platform’s overall subscriber base, claims Nextiva.
Editor’s evaluation: 96/100
Call Pop, which automatically shows helpful caller information for all incoming and outgoing calls, is another notable function for sales and healthcare organizations. Call Pop, which is included with all of Nextiva’s business phone subscriptions, gives agents information about the caller’s previous interactions, overall account value, survey replies, and sentiment. This information may be utilized to provide helpful context and improve the caller experience.
The fact that Nextiva uses data and process visualizations to make it simpler to create and update complicated call flows and auto attendants is one of the reasons it is so user-friendly. The whole process is laid out for call flows, making it simple to comprehend the entire system at a look. The majority of the time, helpful pop-up instructions and prefilled drop-down menus that contain all of the necessary information to carry out a desired activity successfully are always there when setting up new systems or adding new users.
Additionally, NextivaOne makes it simple to keep track of every discussion you have with clients and colleagues. Users may access all conversations with each individual in one place thanks to its threaded discussion feature, regardless of whether they took place through voicemail, email, text message, or Slack conversation. Employees gain from not having to go back and forth between different programs thanks to this capability.
For the smaller enterprises, NextivaOne’s three business communication options, Essential, Professional, and Enterprise, vary from $23.95 to $37.95 per user per month. Larger businesses can save up to 25% on their per-user costs by purchasing more user accounts. Additionally, Nextiva offers a large range of IP phones, conference phones, and analog adapters that may be used to upgrade outdated desk phones or fax machines. Every package comes with unlimited domestic and international calling, an auto attendant, call groups, round-the-clock customer service, email integrations, mobile applications, and more. Additionally, Nextiva provides contracts up to 36 months that can qualify for extra discounts.
Ooma: Best Business Phone System for Small Businesses
One of the most user-friendly business phone systems we’ve examined is the Ooma Office platform. The solution aimed at small businesses was created especially for non-technical business managers and owners. The straightforward dashboard is especially well suited for small firms that don’t spend much time interacting with spreadsheets and other data-driven tools since it has a consumer-oriented feel. More than 35 calling and communication options, flat pricing, round-the-clock customer care, and no long-term commitments are all included in the company’s basic package. Representatives for Ooma claim that the firm receives more than half of its annual income from its small business clients.
Editor’s evaluation: 94/100
Only Nextiva and 88 are in our opinion more user-friendly than Ooma, therefore it is in the top tier of providers. Even if you’ve never used any contemporary call management software, setting up features like the virtual receptionist with text-to-speech greetings for call routing is quick and simple. In order to fill a customer’s profile with useful data, one practical solution, Caller Info Match, may automatically pull data from Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many CRMs. If you buy new IP phones and conferencing equipment, everything may be setup to function straight out of the box and delivered in 24 hours. Ooma offers base stations that turn outdated analog phones and fax machines into IP devices and is interoperable with many major phone brands.
There are three small business phone systems offered by Ooma: Office ($19.95/user/month), Office Pro ($24.95/user/month), and Ooma Pro Plus ($29.95/user/month). The mobile app, virtual receptionist, call park, call forwarding, ring groups, voicemail, intercom, multi-device ring, and SMS are features that are included with all subscriptions. The video conferencing feature, the desktop application, call recording, improved call blocking, voicemail transcription, Caller Info Match, and greater use limitations for extension monitoring are all included in the Office Pro subscription. Pro Plus, the newest option, comes with hot desks, phone queues, and an interface with Salesforce.
Shared voicemail boxes, virtual receptionist scheduling, call queue agent log in and log out, options to transfer calls to external phone lines, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration are additional call flow features and tools that are accessible to Pro Plus users.
Vonage: Best Business Phone System for Best for APIs and Customization
With every package, Vonage provides a special blend of more than 50 business phone capabilities and round-the-clock U.S. customer service. The only competitors to its entry-level package for small enterprises are 88 and Ooma. Vonage provides 17 premium add-ons in addition to its core capabilities, including faxing equipment, on-demand call recording, call queues, individualized IT assistance, and an AI virtual assistant for voice-activated consumer self-service. In addition to mobile apps, assistance in more than 40 countries, and over 96 international numbers for local incoming calls, all Vonage users experience uptime of 99.999%.
Editor’s evaluation: 86/100
Dialpad: Best Business Phone System for Voice Intelligence
Dialpad is a cutting-edge corporate phone system that employs speech intelligence to record and analyze conversations better than any other service provider. With a built-in AI that serves as a dedicated receptionist to take thorough notes and deliver post-call summaries, the hosted VoIP unified communications platform offers calls, texts, and voicemail in addition to audio and data messaging. While Dialpad’s phone package does not allow video conversations, it does provide Meetings, a free and more feature-rich premium video platform that integrates with the rest of Dialpad’s communication capabilities. Dialpad is compatible with various plans on iOS, Android, Mac, PC, web browsers, and desk phones.
Editor’s evaluation: 96/10
Excellent call statistics are made possible by Dialpad’s capacity to correctly transcribe calls in real time. With the aid of simple-to-understand charts and graphs, the analytics dashboard displays call volume over time and detects calling patterns. Through heat maps for call volume trends and response times across the organization, you have access to additional visual data. Beyond only providing raw data, Dialpad may also provide speech coaching by pointing out instances when an agent has to slow down for the sake of the client or filler words like “uh.” In order to prevent important calls from ever going to voicemail, Dialpad includes a full range of management tools for handling calls, such as custom routing and ring groups, which allow you to designate specific teams to answer calls with simultaneous or sequential ringing across all of their connected devices.
Artificial intelligence technology is also a part of Dialpad’s contact center services. When creating scorecard results, its QA scorecard automatically highlights particular terms and actions. As a consequence, call center agents may receive feedback more quickly.
Standard, Pro, and Enterprise are the three corporate communication options offered by Dialpad. The Enterprise plan has no specified cost; therefore, you will need to contact for an estimate. Prices range from $15 to $25 per user per month. All plans include with unlimited domestic and international calling, mobile applications, call recording, tiered auto attendant, personalized call routing, and more. A 100% uptime service-level agreement, desk phone support, local number support in more than 50 countries, 24/7 assistance, and more than a dozen integrations are all features of advanced subscriptions. Dialpad has a 14-day risk-free trial period.
GoTo Connect: Best Business Phone System for Remote Teams
For remote teams, GoTo Connect is a reliable VoIP business phone system. Across phone, video, and chat, the unified communications platform was designed for flexible work. Through desktop, web, iOS, and Android apps, GoTo Connect enables you to make or receive calls from any internet-connected device. Many employees are already familiar with the GoTo family of products for IT support, remote device access, training, events, and conference rooms, making the transfer to GoTo Connect simple if you are at least somewhat familiar with the interface of the navigational tool. GoTo Connect has also worked with dozens of other software providers, like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Marketo, to offer simple connections that keep everything operating smoothly.
Editor’s evaluation: 89/100
Zoom: Best Business Phone System for Video Conferencing
When the COVID-19 epidemic hit, Zoom became the industry leader in video conferencing and transformed the way businesspeople thought about meetings. You might not be aware that Zoom additionally provides a strong phone system with contemporary communication capabilities in addition to its well-liked video communications solutions. All of 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 could be an affordable and feature-rich option for unified communications provided you are fully aware of your calling-minute needs.
Editor’s evaluation: 88/100
Grasshopper: Best Virtual Phone System
A dependable virtual phone system made to separate personal and professional conversations is called Grasshopper. The platform was created for independent freelancers and small enterprises that are prepared to switch from a personal number to a business number without investing in any additional gear. Toll-free numbers, vanity numbers, local numbers, and the option to move over a business number from another provider are all available through Grasshopper. All subscribers have access to round-the-clock customer service by phone, email, chat, Twitter, and Facebook.
Editor’s evaluation: 80/100
8×8: Best Business Phone System for Basic Business Phone Service
The VoIP phone system 88 Business Communications platform has great call management tools for basic business service. The company’s entry-level plan, which is affordable and feature-rich and would work well for many small enterprises with less than 11 employees, provides the optimal balance of functionality and affordability.
88 is among the most user-friendly devices we’ve examined among its rivals, including Ooma and Nextiva, in terms of usage. The dashboard was created with non-technical business owners in mind, making it easy to grasp for someone who has never set up or used the capabilities of a contemporary, cloud-based phone system. Since 88 enables you to mix and match plans, unlike other carriers, you can make sure that each of your employees has access to the calling capabilities and resources they require without having to pay extra for those who don’t use the phone frequently.
Editor’s evaluation: 95/100
A contemporary phone system with features like multilayer auto-attendants and professionally recorded welcomes may give many new and small businesses a polished appearance and feel. Another approach to convey professionalism is through branded video conferencing, which 88 lets you personalize with distinctive backdrops, business logos, and vanity URLs. Regardless of the size or age of your company, 88 makes it simple to present a professional image whenever you interact with customers, suppliers, or business partners. Unlimited domestic calling, visible voicemail, robust call management tools, unlimited video conferencing, meeting recording, meeting transcription, and file sharing are features that are included in all 88 communications subscriptions.
The three business phone plans offered by 88 – Express, X2 and X4 – range in price from $15 to $44 per user per month. The first month is free with the Express plan, which is the lowest-priced option, and an additional 30-day trial. On the X2 and X4 plans, a yearly membership can save you up to 25% per month. With advanced calling options, you may make limitless calls to 48 different countries and use “monitor, whisper, and barge” to exchange coaching advice with the agent while remaining silent on some calls. You can intervene whenever necessary to help solve a complex problem or seal a significant sale. The service offered by 88 is supported by a 99.999% uptime guarantee or service-level agreement, like the majority of business phone service providers.
net2phone: Best Business Phone System for Scaling Businesses
A cloud PBX service called Net2phone was created to enhance company communications and promote expansion. All essential VoIP call management capabilities, including welcome messages, call recording, call forwarding, call transferring, call queues, music on wait, and voicemail, are included in its platform. To find and fix inefficiencies, Net2phone combines real-time communication analytics with performance-based statistics. To stay connected both inside and outside of the workplace, you may use this unified communications platform through the web and mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. All subscriptions offer unlimited telephone and email assistance.
Editor’s evaluation: 83/100
Kinetic Business by Windstream: Best Business Phone System for Midsize Businesses
A cloud-hosted VoIP phone system called Kinetic Business by Windstream provides unified communications for calling, voicemail, faxing, instant messaging, and conferencing. You may easily alter call flows or individual business hours thanks to the platform’s centralized, web-based admin tools and staff self-service capabilities. No data is ever retained on desk phones, and every conversation, meeting, and communication is encrypted. In addition to third-party integrations with Salesforce, Skype for Business, Google, Office 365, HubSpot, Accelo, and other services, all plans come with round-the-clock customer assistance.
Editor’s evaluation: 82/100
COSTS OF BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEMS
Depending on the features and degree of service, a business phone system normally costs $15 to $50 per user each month. In many instances, advertising costs are offered with the presumption that a sizable portion of customers will employ an annual payment plan. Generally speaking, larger firms who purchase several accounts and sign an annual contract get a per-user price reduction of up to 25%. Small firms with fewer than ten workers should pay close attention to stated price since it frequently preselects a plan with more than twenty users and yearly payment pricing because these may not accurately represent what is actually accessible to them.
Pay-as-you-go “metered” pricing for calling and texting is offered by certain companies, including Zoom, but this arrangement is uncommon. The majority of service providers offer unlimited domestic and international calling, with extra per-minute charges for international calls that vary by location and service provider.
Many providers are able to reduce their monthly costs by adding add-ons here and there in place of regular functions. This is a great option for many organizations to cut money by excluding services like call recording that might not be used by everyone. Other companies employ add-ons to create a unique phone system that’s ideal for their long-term objectives. Most service providers do not offer this amount of flexibility, while some service providers do permit firms to mix and match programs to serve certain employees successfully.
Last but not least, the majority of corporate phone service providers offer and rent preconfigured IP desk phones and other phone gear that costs between $60 and $400. Desk phones aren’t necessary to use a cloud-based phone system, though.
Choosing a phone system for a business
There are several things to take into account when selecting a business phone system. The system must, first and foremost, have all the features and capabilities that your company requires. Can it accommodate all the employees that require the service? Does it include all the features that your company needs or would find useful?
Some companies simply need basic calling services like caller ID and voicemail, whilst others also need extra features like ring groups, an automated attendant, and on-hold music. Think about any other communication tools your company could want. Are you more interested in a unified communications system that includes features like video conferencing and instant messaging, or are you only searching for a system that lets you converse on the phone? Your response will direct you as you look for a new business phone system.
The dependability of a corporate phone system should be taken into account. If a phone system is down when you need it, it is of no use. This is crucial for a cloud-hosted system in particular. Find out the annual uptime % from each service. Find out what the firm is doing to address the problems and boost its dependability if it isn’t 99.999%. Also inquire about the service-level agreements and any uptime-related stipulations in the contract. If the system doesn’t achieve a specific uptime %, several suppliers of business phone systems will provide their clients a refund.
You need a phone provider that offers on-premises systems if cloud-hosted solutions aren’t a suitable fit for your company. Instead of using a cloud-hosted PBX, your company would house all the equipment on-site using an on-premises solution. While these systems don’t have as many recurring monthly expenses as cloud-based solutions, they do have higher upfront prices.
Very small firms would wish to think about whether they really require a phone system with desk phones on-site. If a business can get by with mobile phones, it could be better to consider a virtual phone system. These programs link employees’ mobile phones to the main corporate number. An automated attendant who can connect callers to a specific person or department answers the phone when they dial the main company number. Instead of a conventional office phone, the call is sent to the right employee. A virtual phone system is excellent for firms with a big remote staff, as well as for solitary entrepreneurs, in addition to extremely tiny enterprises.
Finally, think about the many kinds of customer service the phone provider provides. If your company doesn’t have a full-time IT manager or personnel who can handle problems, you’ll want a supplier of business phone systems who will be accessible to you whenever you have queries, preferably through a variety of channels and online resources.
BUSINESS TELEPHONE SYSTEM TYPES
There are various solutions for businesses in need of a multiline phone system. The options differ depending on factors like the pricing structure, how the connections are created, and where the equipment is located, among others.
A PBX is the piece of hardware that enables the ability to place and receive calls. Businesses receive all of the capabilities and tools offered by unified communications systems, such as automated attendants, call queues, and ring groups, from PBX technology, whether it is located onsite at a business or in the cloud.
Landline
Traditional phone system wiring and connections are used by landline phone systems, which are supplied by local and regional phone companies. These solutions require onsite PBX hardware, which is maintained and updated by your own IT team. A significant upfront cash investment is also necessary for these systems to purchase all of the PBX hardware. However, as more phone system manufacturers stop producing equipment to suit this architecture, landline systems are becoming obsolete.
VoIP
VoIP systems rely on internet connections to make calls, as opposed to landline systems, which use conventional copper cable connections. By doing this, you may utilize the same internet connection your business does to get online to operate your phone system. Why VoIP for Business Makes Sense in the Related Article Cloud-based and on-premises VoIP solutions are also available.
- VoIP services hosted in the cloud: These phone systems keep their PBX hardware there. This indicates that upkeep and improvement are the responsibility of the phone system provider. All you need to do to use a cloud-hosted system is connect the configured IP phones from your company to your local area network. The startup costs for these systems are often nonexistent. Businesses instead pay a per-user monthly charge. Costs per user each month often vary from $15 to $60.
- On-premises VoIP: These systems resemble landline systems in that your company’s PBX hardware is kept there. You must manage all repairs and upkeep. The distinction is that these systems continue to enable calls made through an internet connection as opposed to a landline. This allows you to implement whatever security measures you choose and offers your company more control over the phone system’s functionality. However, on-premises VoIP systems demand a sizable up-front financial commitment in addition to lower monthly costs to cover the necessary connections for placing and receiving calls.
Online telephone system
A virtual phone system is an additional choice for companies. Even office phones are not necessary for these setups. Essentially, a virtual system functions as a large call-forwarding tree. These solutions are configured to automatically forward all calls to your main company number to your staff members’ mobile devices. You have complete control over how and where the calls are sent. These programs only demand monthly fees.
FEATURES OF BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEMS
Numerous useful features are included in the business phone systems of today for small organizations. Perhaps the biggest advantage of cloud-hosted systems is this: They have made it possible for small businesses to have access to a wide range of features without having to shell out a significant sum of money. In the past, only larger companies could afford feature-rich systems due to the investment needed to deploy the requisite hardware.
Unlimited Calling: Today’s cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems frequently come with unlimited domestic calling for no additional cost. This provides you with a fixed monthly service fee that isn’t affected by the volume of calls your company places and receives.
Automated attendants: An auto attendant routes calls to the appropriate staff members or departments after taking incoming calls for your company.
Ring groups: This function enables you to organize employees so that all of their phones will ring whenever a caller needs a member of that group, such as customer service. You may decide whether or not you want the phones to ring sequentially or simultaneously.
Voicemail: Many corporate phone systems have voicemail-to-email capability in addition to the standard voicemail service. This feature allows employees to read or listen to their voicemails while away from the office by sending voicemail transcriptions or audio recordings to their email inbox.
Call recording: You may record calls with this. These recordings are then saved on your computer or in the cloud for subsequent replay.
Extension dialing, call forwarding, call queues, and connections with services like Microsoft Office and Google Workspace are additional beneficial features that many corporate phone systems provide.
These systems also include tools like video conferencing, instant messaging, presence indicators, and online meetings that can improve a company’s ability to collaborate.
Solutions for Unified Communications
Business phone systems of today provide a lot more than just a method to make and receive calls. Several of our top recommendations are unified communications systems, as are many of today’s options.
Unified communications solutions enable all of the ways that employees now connect with customers, clients, and coworkers rather than just focusing on a business’s calling needs. This includes text messaging, voice calls, audio and video conferencing, instant messaging, and online faxing.
Previously, several of these components were offered by various vendors. A company may have used one supplier for its phone system, another for conference calling, and a third for video conferencing, for instance. All of those are connected through unified communications platforms.
- Phone Calls: Calls may be placed and received using this conventional phone service, which is available to employees. The vast majority of carriers provide both local and toll-free lines.
- Conference Calls: A conference bridge is a feature of unified communications systems that enables you to arrange your own conference calls. Depending on the provider, a call can have a certain number of participants. While some systems can accommodate five to ten users simultaneously, others can handle hundreds.
- Video and web Conference: You and your staff can hold video conferences with video conferencing equipment or by using a PC that has a camera and microphone. The majority of these services include screen sharing, allowing participants to see presentations or documents. Each service has a different limit on how many people may be on a video call at once. There might be one or as many as 100.
- Instant messaging: is a feature of several unified communications systems. You may communicate with your staff via messaging to clarify information and work on projects together.
- Text messaging: Due to its growing popularity, several services let you send texts from your business line. This enables you and your staff to text consumers without giving them your personal phone numbers.
- Faxing: Instead of utilizing a specialized fax machine, these technologies let you transmit faxes online. From the site, you may send a fax to a recipient’s fax or email.
Employee communication may be greatly facilitated by having all of these technologies on one platform, which can increase productivity.
Unified communications system growth has been significantly accelerated by cloud-hosted solutions. You can obtain all of these capabilities through a cloud-hosted service for a small monthly per-user cost, which is far more affordable than spending tens of thousands of dollars for an on-premises system that includes all of these functions.
BUSINESS PHONE SYSTEMS BENEFITS
Modern corporate phone systems provide all the benefits of previous landline systems without nearly any of its drawbacks, which include pricey on-premises gear that must be purchased and maintained. Cloud-based corporate phone systems of today are capable of much more than just making calls. To effectively handle client data and communications throughout the whole firm, they provide connectors with well-known business software and CRMs. They also enable video conferencing, team messaging, SMS, and online faxing.
Business phone systems have become more adaptable, enabling employees to accept calls on any internet-connected device, including desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and IP phones, which offers the same functionality as a conventional-looking desk phone. To make sure all inbound calls are appropriately routed and received, businesses can set up ring groups that reach certain teams or workers using a simultaneous or sequential ring setting, or they can transmit inbound calls to all devices at once.
While some conventional landline customers might worry about poor quality because of a weak internet connection, the truth is that cloud-based phones are equally reliable and high-quality as landline systems. With service-level agreements, the majority of suppliers of business phone systems guarantee uptimes of 99.999% and higher. Many carriers additionally feature quality-of-service reporting, which describes the standard of each call made, as part of their analytics tools. For many business owners and managers, a cloud-based business phone system is a highly appealing alternative since it has a cheaper monthly cost, no hardware to handle, and an extensive variety of call management options.
FAQs about Business Phone Systems
Which industries stand to gain the most from a quality phone system?
Although not all businesses will profit from the same sort of business phone system, all businesses may benefit from a competent phone system. Professional communication with your clients and consumers is essential. Because of this, relying solely on mobile devices might lead to issues. Your goal is to leave a lasting impression on your clients. An automated attendant’s welcome is a superb initial move since it verifies the legitimacy of your company.
Because of this, companies that don’t require a regular office phone system have to think about purchasing a virtual phone system. These technologies enable organizations to maintain a professional appearance while continuing to use mobile devices as their primary means of communication. Automated attendants and a variety of other useful features are included in virtual systems. Additionally, the person you are phoning sees your company number rather than your cell number when you place an outgoing call.
Business phone systems for larger enterprises enable you to offer a professional image to your clients and provide your staff with all the tools necessary for effective communication. Your workers can carry their work lines with them wherever they go thanks to mobile apps, and video conferencing services make sure they can connect with anybody no matter where they are or how they like to communicate.
Unified communications: What are they?
The ability to use all of your communication tools from a single platform is known as unified communications. Today’s business phone systems frequently use unified communications. These systems still provide classic phone service, but they also come with additional forms of communication that are now used by professionals.
Unified communications systems also include text, instant messaging, audio, and video conferencing, as well as online and instant messaging. Previously, companies had to engage a distinct service provider for every communication technology in order to have them all. The procedure is streamlined by unified communications, which lets you use the same provider to access all of these functions. This not only increases worker productivity but also has the potential to save companies a lot of money.
Which corporate phone system is the best?
It is difficult to state that one company phone system can meet everyone’s demands because every firm is unique. The finest business phone systems for small organizations, remote workers, and contact centers are just a few of the use cases that we consider when making our recommendations.
We looked at the features and resources that various business kinds require from a phone system for each use case. Based on those parameters, we next contrasted and compared the various phone system suppliers.
In-depth descriptions of each choice are available in our evaluations.
When is the ideal moment to spend money on a quality phone system for your company?
There is never a poor moment to invest in a company phone system in the highly competitive industry of today. Due to the high demand for new clients, suppliers frequently provide discounts or other incentives to join up. This can include a few months of no charge for the service, free phones, or lower prices.
However, we have seen that several suppliers appear to increase their incentives around the conclusion of each quarter. Providers may provide additional incentives to attract more clients since they want to finish their books on the quarter with the greatest figures possible. Before you begin speaking with suppliers, you might want to take this into account.
What distinguishes a business phone system from a business phone service?
Between a business phone service and a business phone system, there aren’t many distinctions. Both provide you all the resources you need to interact successfully with people within and outside of your business
When deciding which one is ideal for your company, you should consider how well the system functions. The phone service is dependable. This is crucial for PBX systems hosted in the cloud. Landlines were the standard for corporate phone services in the past. Because everything was hardwired and you weren’t interacting with the internet, reliability was rock-solid. Finding a business phone service that gives the same dependability as a landline system is now essential as cloud-hosted PBX business phone systems grow in popularity.
Statistics on uptime are one of the most important elements to evaluate reliability. A cloud-based phone system’s uptime indicates how frequently it is operational. One of the most crucial features of a company phone system is the ability to pick up the phone whenever you need to and be reachable whenever someone calls. Uptimes for the top business phone services and systems are 99.999%. This implies that there are a few minutes of service outages every year. Some suppliers of business phone services even guarantee its uptime, paying you back if it ever drops below a predetermined level.
What significant distinctions exist between telephone systems for small enterprises and those for huge corporations?
The same capability as systems used by large firms is what makes today’s cloud-hosted unified communication solutions so enticing to small enterprises.
Large organizations were often the only ones who could afford the pricey onsite equipment for a complex phone system with features like automated attendants, extension dialing, and call queues until the arrival of VoIP and cloud-hosted alternatives.
Cloud-hosted VoIP phone solutions in particular have leveled the playing field. Small firms may readily install these technologies in the same manner that large organizations can since there is no longer a prohibitively expensive entry point.
The service tiers that small and large organizations select may be one distinction. Larger organizations may be able to afford the more expensive plans that allow them access to everything the phone system provider offers, but small firms may opt for a lower-tier plan that doesn’t include every feature under the sun.
What is the price of a phone system for small businesses?
Where the system will be hosted affects the price and pricing scheme of a small company phone system. You only need to be concerned about continuous monthly charges for each user if it is hosted in the cloud. Typical monthly costs range from $10 to $60 per user, depending on how many features and tools you require.
You must budget for one-time upfront fees if you wish to host your company phone systems on-premises (inside your actual place of business). You may anticipate spending several thousand dollars on all the necessary hardware and installation. There can also be ongoing monthly charges for your real calling services.
How is a small company phone system set up?
The ease of installation of modern company phone systems is a big advantage. A web portal is used to handle VoIP systems entirely. To assign company phone numbers and extensions, add new users, remove existing users, and enable or disable services for specific users, administrators can log in to the portal. This portal is accessible from any location with an internet connection.
The main winners of VoIP office systems are?
A VoIP company phone system is most advantageous to employees. These systems give workers the resources they need to meet all of their communication and collaboration requirements. The useful tools that employees have access to include phone forwarding, voicemail to email, call recording, and instant messaging.
VoIP systems also provide a lot of mobility. Many companies provide their own mobile applications that enable employees to take and make calls to and from their business lines using their personal mobile phones. This makes sure they never miss a crucial call.
Additionally, VoIP office solutions provide several advantages for small business owners. Small businesses now have access to features and resources that were previously only affordable for larger companies thanks to these platforms. Small firms greatly benefit from the ability to implement these systems for a reasonable cost.
Can a VoIP phone be used as a conventional phone?
There are IP phones and analog phones, technically. Today’s majority of VoIP phone systems employ IP phones. These phones are practically ready to make and receive calls right away because they plug right into your internet network.
You require a unique adapter to connect an analog phone to your network in order to utilize it with many of today’s VoIP systems.
