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Senior Writer: Supriya Bajaj
Date: March 29, 2024Small businesses rely on business phone services to enhance external communication and create better connections with customers. These services facilitate easy customer access at no cost, granting a competitive edge.
The global VoIP market, projected to reach $102.5 billion by 2026, underscores the effectiveness of small business phone services.
For small businesses aiming to expand their clientele, these services offer cost-effectiveness and reliability, accelerating goal achievement. Embracing business phone services empowers small businesses to thrive, enabling faster growth and enhanced customer relationships.
In this blog, we will understand what business phone services, things to keep in mind when opting for one, and the top 10 best business phone service providers. Let’s start.
What are Business Phone Services?
Business Phone Services are technologies that are provided to businesses to amplify their communications and collaboration processes, mainly externally. Many business phone services are provided regarding VoIP, virtual phone systems, toll-free numbers, IVRs, etc. All these services make it easy for businesses to connect with their existing and potential customers and vice versa.
In this age where technological advancements are highly frequent, it is the best time for start-ups and small businesses to gain this technological advantage. These services are offered at affordable prices, which weigh less on budget and offer optimum and desired results.
"Business phone services are essential for all businesses nowadays. Maintaining communication with existing customers and reaching out to prospective customers daily is essential for a business to survive. This software is assistive in expanding business, getting new clientele, and amplifying sales. So for a small business, this is a must-have platform."
Importance Of A Reliable Business Phone Service Provider
Regardless of size, a business phone service is important for each and every business organization. Especially for small businesses, it is a boon as many small business phone service providers offer advanced functionalities at extremely cost-effective prices. It is important for your business in the following ways:
With business phone services, you can effectively keep track of how many calls are made, call duration, call hold duration, call waiting duration, etc. In addition to that, it offers call forwarding, call recording, internal call routing, and rerouting for seamless operability and maintaining performance.
Most importantly, it offers convenience to business owners and agents as these vendors offer mobile applications from which all the processes can be handled efficiently. It reduced costs for the organization to a great extent.
Business phone services are really important for small businesses to thrive not only in terms of features but in terms of cost as well. But it’s up to you which service provider you must choose on the basis of your requirements. So choose the best one to gain an instant competitive edge.
You May Also Read: 16 Best Small Business Phone Systems [With Pros & Cons]
Features To Consider When Selecting A Business Phone Service Provider
It is important to choose a business phone provider that offers robust features at competitive prices must be chosen. But in the end, it’s up to the business organizations and their requirements, and on the basis of that, a viable choice is made.
Also, it is a basic understanding that every business must want a trial of the features provided. This will help stakeholders make informed decisions and choose a yearly package. As there are many small business service providers in the market, it’s natural that most of the features will be common. However, here are the most important features that you should consider.
1. Easy integration
The business phone service software must be easy to integrate with third-party CRM applications as it assists the teams in making the processes more effective by providing them with important and insightful data.
2. Reporting and analytics
Like any other analytics, the call center or communications analysis is important for business owners to get a clear idea of whether or not effective communications are being made and other important information like client conversion ratio, number of calls made by an agent, the time has taken on each call, etc.
3. Maintenance
It is important to invest in business phone services that do not entail a high level of maintenance. Ensure that the business phone service provider will provide complete support to your organization during the initial setup. Minimize hardware and maintenance costs to gain a competitive edge and increase bottom-line profits.
4. Mobile application
For better and seamless operability, the business phone provider must offer a mobile application in addition to the web application. As small businesses are always looking out to save costs, and with mobile applications, they can save huge expenses without the performance or productivity affected.
5. Call recording
Last but not least, to map the call quality effectively, this feature is a must, and every business phone service vendor must offer this feature. Other than that, it is also assistive in tracking an agent’s individual performance and effective monitoring.
Hence, these are the features that you must ensure that every business phone service provider provides, as without these features, there are high chances of complications.
You May Also Read : How to Get a Business Phone Number Free
Top 10 Best Small Business Phone Service Providers
Small business phone service providers are a dime a dozen, so you need to evaluate each software based on the features they provide critically and at what price before opting for one. As a small business organization, you will always be on a budget. Thankfully, we have saved you from the hassle and evaluated the 10 best small business phone service providers in 2023. They are as follows:
| Brand Name | Rating | Key Features | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| CallHippo | Intelligent call recording Power dialer Call barging Call tagging | Basic: $0 Bronze: $16 /month Silver: $24 /month Platinum: $40 /month | |
| Nextiva | Auto attendant Hold music Mobile app and desktop app Video conferencing Audio-only conferencing Advanced IVR systems Caller ID | Essentials: $18.95 Professional: $22.95 Enterprise: $32.95 | |
| Grasshopper | Automated attendants Smart integrations Desktop and mobile application Call recording | Solo: $26/account/month. Partner: $44/account/month. Small Business: $80/account/month. | |
| Openphone | Virtual receptionist Mobile application Call forwarding IP phone paging | Essential: $19/user/month. Pro: $24.95/user/month. Pro Plus: $29.95/user/month. | |
| RingCentral | Business phone or toll-free numbers Unlimited calling within the US and Canada Business SMS IVR | Core: $20 Advanced: $25 Ultra: $35 | |
| Aircall | Call recording Warm transfer Integrations Call recording and analytics IVR systems | Essentials: $30/month/user Professionals: $50/month/user Custom: Custom pricing is offered. | |
| 8x8 | Multi-level auto attendant Unlimited calling Call recording Visual voicemail | X2: $24/month/user X4: $44/month/user | |
| Vonage | Business inbox Call recording Call forwarding Call flip | Mobile: $19.99/month/line Premium: $29.99/month/line Advanced: $39.99/month/line | |
| Dialpad8 | Unlimited calling Internet fax Real-time call transcriptions Live speech coaching | Standard: $15/user/month Pro: $25/user/month Enterprise: Customer-based pricing is offered. | |
| Zoom | Team chat Automatic call distributions Workspace reservations Unlimited whiteboards | Basic: Free of cost. Pro: $149.90/year/user Business: $199.90/year/user |
1. CallHippo
CallHippo is a cloud-based business phone service provider. It offers small business phone services in over 50 countries, making it one of the most trusted and best business phone service providers. It is highly assistive in getting a hold of communications costs, tracking executives’ performance, and strategizing workflows effectively. It offers features that will amplify your sales and contact center processes drastically.
Features
- Intelligent call recording
- Power dialer
- Call barging
- Call tagging
- Call reminder
- Call queuing
- Smart routing
- Advanced reports and analysis
Mitel Pros and Cons
- MIt offers a local presence feature to your callers, which enhances the reliability of your organization.
- Voicemail gets automatically gets transcripted and gets received in email as a result, you don’t miss any important messages from customers.
- It provides a feature of recorded call transcription wherein a text form of the conversation between agents and customers can be accessed.
- The mobile application offered doesn’t possess all the features as that of the web application.
- It gets tough to reach customer support at times, due to which queries don’t get resolved quickly.
- MIt offers a local presence feature to your callers, which enhances the reliability of your organization.
- Voicemail gets automatically gets transcripted and gets received in email as a result, you don’t miss any important messages from customers.
- It provides a feature of recorded call transcription wherein a text form of the conversation between agents and customers can be accessed.
- The mobile application offered doesn’t possess all the features as that of the web application.
- It gets tough to reach customer support at times, due to which queries don’t get resolved quickly.
Pricing
Four plans are offered for call center solutions. They are:
- Basic: It’s totally free of cost.
- Bronze: $16/month/user on a yearly subscription and $20/month/user on monthly billing.
- Silver: $24/month/user on a yearly subscription and $30/month/user on monthly billing.
- Platinum: $40/month/user on a yearly subscription and $50/month/user on monthly billing.
- A 10-day free trial for bronze, silver, and platinum packages is provided.
Three plans are offered for office phone systems. They are
- Starter: $12.99/month/user on a yearly subscription and $19.99/month/user on monthly billing.
- Professional: $21.99/month/user on a yearly subscription and $30.99/month/user on monthly billing.
- Ultimate: 30.99/month/user on a yearly subscription and $42.99/month/user on monthly billing.
- A 10-day free trial is offered for all the plans.
2. Nextiva
Nextiva is a VoIP and a small business phone provider. If you want to save costs and work conveniently, this platform is for you, as you don’t need to hardwire any systems. You can conduct all the processes efficiently from the web and mobile applications offered. All in all, Nextiva is a one-stop solution for all your communications requirements.
Features
- Interaction analytics
- Voicemail transcription
- Unlimited video conferencing
- Auto attendant
- Call recording
- Internet fax
- Single sign-on
Mitel Pros and Cons
- There is little to no downtime on the platform; as a result, operations can be conducted seamlessly.
- As it operates on cloud-based technology, data can be easily stored and accessed from anywhere.
- It is easy to integrate with many third-party applications with which processes can be streamlined effectively.
- Calls recorded have a lot of jitters, due to which there is hardly any clarity.
- Voicemail and call transcription can be made more accurate and effective.
- There is little to no downtime on the platform; as a result, operations can be conducted seamlessly.
- As it operates on cloud-based technology, data can be easily stored and accessed from anywhere.
- It is easy to integrate with many third-party applications with which processes can be streamlined effectively.
- Calls recorded have a lot of jitters, due to which there is hardly any clarity.
- Voicemail and call transcription can be made more accurate and effective.
Pricing
The pricing is divided into two parts; they are as follows:
Business Communications:
Th; as plans are available. They are as follows:
- Essential: $18.95/month/user on annual billing and $25.95/month/user on monthly billing.
- Professional: $22.95/month/user on annual billing and $30.95/month/user on monthly billing.
- Enterprise: $32.95/month/user on annual billing and $40.95/month/user on monthly billing.
Call Center:
- Four plans are available: core, premium, optimum, and ultimate. Custom pricing is offered.
3. Grasshopper
Grasshopper is one of the best small business phone service providers as it is cost-efficient and offers many functionalities that are appropriate for small businesses. Moreover, it offers desktop and mobile applications that streamline tasks and enhance efficiency. It does not provide services in many countries, making it the best local business phone service provider.
Features
- Automated attendants
- Smart integrations
- Desktop and mobile application
- Call recording
- Business texting
- Virtual fax
- Simultaneous call handling
Mitel Pros and Cons
- Voicemail are directly transcripted and shown in inbox to stay updated regarding the pending calls to be made.
- Grasshopper offers reminders of the scheduled appointments, which enhances agents' performance and improves the company's goodwill.
- The main advantage is the uptime offered, due to which seamless operability is feasible.
- The framework needs to be more secure as sensitive data must be dealt with.
- This platform is only feasible for small businesses, which is a major drawback.
- Voicemail are directly transcripted and shown in inbox to stay updated regarding the pending calls to be made.
- Grasshopper offers reminders of the scheduled appointments, which enhances agents' performance and improves the company's goodwill.
- The main advantage is the uptime offered, due to which seamless operability is feasible.
- The framework needs to be more secure as sensitive data must be dealt with.
- This platform is only feasible for small businesses, which is a major drawback.
Pricing
Three plans are offered. They are:
- Solo: $26/account/month.
- Partner: $44/account/month.
- Small Business: $80/account/month.
4. Ooma
Ooma is a cloud-based business phone provider that is best for small and medium enterprises. It is an advanced platform that allows organizations to reach potential customers and strengthen relations with existing ones. Moreover, it offers a wide range of features that make the smooth functioning of businesses feasible.
Features
- Virtual receptionist
- Mobile application
- Call forwarding
- IP phone paging
- Virtual fax
- Call blocking
- Phone Call transfer
- Call park
Mitel Pros and Cons
- Voicemail are directly transcripted and shown in inbox to stay updated regarding the pending calls to be made.
- Grasshopper offers reminders of the scheduled appointments, which enhances agents' performance and improves the company's goodwill.
- The main advantage is the uptime offered, due to which seamless operability is feasible.
- The framework needs to be more secure as sensitive data must be dealt with.
- This platform is only feasible for small businesses, which is a major drawback.
Pricing
Three plans are offered for small businesses, which are as follows:
- Essential: $19/user/month.
- Pro: $24.95/user/month.
- Pro Plus: $29.95/user/month.
5. RingCentral
RingCentral is a VoIP and small business service provider. It offers cloud-based AI and UCaaS communication services. Its global presence makes it one of the best business phone service options. Furthermore, it offers a wide array of services that assist small businesses in enhancing the efficiency of their process in a cost-effective manner.
Features
- Smart reporting and analytics
- Integrations
- Customizable dashboards
- IVR
- Internet Fax
- Auto call recording
- Single sign-on
- Advanced call monitoring
Mitel Pros and Cons
- With RingCentral, processes can be scaled easily and quick ROI can be achieved.
- Elevating operational efficiency and streamlining processes is feasible as RingCentral offers easy integrations.
- All kinds of small businesses can opt for RingCentral as it offers a dynamic and wide pool of advanced features.
- Major improvement is required in the security feature as it is not accurate as compared to other providers.
- The platform is not easy to navigate, making it difficult to gain seamless operability.
- With RingCentral, processes can be scaled easily and quick ROI can be achieved.
- Elevating operational efficiency and streamlining processes is feasible as RingCentral offers easy integrations.
- All kinds of small businesses can opt for RingCentral as it offers a dynamic and wide pool of advanced features.
- Major improvement is required in the security feature as it is not accurate as compared to other providers.
- The platform is not easy to navigate, making it difficult to gain seamless operability.
Pricing
Three plans are available, namely,
- Core: $20/month/user on annual billing and $30/month/user on monthly billing.
- Advanced: $25/month/user on annual billing and $35/month/user on monthly billing.
- Ultra: $35/month/user on annual billing and $45/month/user on monthly billing.
- A free trial is offered on all the plans.
You May Also Read : Top 10 Best Small Business Virtual Phone System
6. Aircall
Aircall is an AI-based business phone service provider. It is highly advanced and offers robust features that optimize outbound and inbound calling processes for organizations. Apart from that, it offers such a level of automation that makes the processes highly effective and enhances the performance of the workforce.
Features
- Call recording
- Warm transfer
- Integrations
- Call recording and analytics
- IVR
- Call routing
- Call queuing
Mitel Pros and Cons
- The platform is easy to set up and offers a dedicated customer success manager to each small business.
- You can integrate the platform with hundreds of applications to amplify performance and productivity.
- Effective plans of action can be strategized with the insights provided on the platform through reporting and analytics.
- The platform is costly compared to other business phone service providers.
- Frequent updates disrupt the operation and slow down the process hampering productivity.
- The platform is easy to set up and offers a dedicated customer success manager to each small business.
- You can integrate the platform with hundreds of applications to amplify performance and productivity.
- Effective plans of action can be strategized with the insights provided on the platform through reporting and analytics.
- The platform is costly compared to other business phone service providers.
- Frequent updates disrupt the operation and slow down the process hampering productivity.
Pricing
Three plans are offered. They are:
- Essentials: $30/month/user on annual billing and $40/month/user on monthly billing.
- Professionals: $50/month/user on annual billing and $70/month/user on monthly billing.
- Custom: Custom pricing is offered.
- Free trial for essentials and a professional plan are offered.
7. 8×8
8×8 is a small business phone services and VoIP provider that provides communications and collaboration solutions. The framework is highly advanced and offers the most effective workflow. Utilizing 8×8 will allow small organizations to scale their processes quickly and achieve the determined goals and objectives. All in all, it is the business phone service provider when the goal is to optimize the calling process and customer experience.
Features
- Multi-level auto attendant
- Unlimited calling
- Call recording
- Visual voicemail
- Call forwarding
- Call waiting
- Call queuing
Mitel Pros and Cons
- Plans can be tailored as per the requirements this will amp up employees' efficiency and scale the processes.
- Dashboard is insightful and comprehensive as it displays the performance and usage reports.
- Seamless connectivity is offered on the platform and can be operated from any device preferred by the user.
- Freshers cannot operate the platform effectively as the features are highly advanced, due to which professionals are to be hired, which affects the budget.
- Customer support is not appropriate major improvement is required there.
- Plans can be tailored as per the requirements this will amp up employees' efficiency and scale the processes.
- Dashboard is insightful and comprehensive as it displays the performance and usage reports.
- Seamless connectivity is offered on the platform and can be operated from any device preferred by the user.
- Freshers cannot operate the platform effectively as the features are highly advanced, due to which professionals are to be hired, which affects the budget.
- Customer support is not appropriate major improvement is required there.
Pricing
The plans are as follows:
Business Communications:
Two plans are offered, namely,
- X2: $24/month/user on annual billing and $28/month/user on monthly billing.
- X4: $44/month/user on annual billing and $57/month/user on monthly billing.
8. Vonage
Vonage is a business phone service provider that offers advanced calling and communication services. It offers a wide range of features that assist in effective communication. The software is easy to install; basically, you just require a fast and stable internet connection. Considering all these aspects, it is one of the best small business phone service providers.
Features
- Admin portal
- Business inbox
- Call recording
- Call forwarding
- Call flip
- Contact history
- Click-to-dial
- Call rerouting
Mitel Pros and Cons
- With the auto-dialing feature, calling can be done without any wastage of time and accurately.
- Leads can be prioritized with call tagging features, which increases the conversion rate.
- The customer's calls will never go unattended as with the follow me feature, the representative will be notified about the call even when they are out of the office.
- The platform is complex to operate for novices which is a major drawback.
- Downtime is frequent, which affects the productivity and performance of the workforce adversely.
- With the auto-dialing feature, calling can be done without any wastage of time and accurately.
- Leads can be prioritized with call tagging features, which increases the conversion rate.
- The customer's calls will never go unattended as with the follow me feature, the representative will be notified about the call even when they are out of the office.
- The platform is complex to operate for novices which is a major drawback.
- Downtime is frequent, which affects the productivity and performance of the workforce adversely.
Pricing
Three plans are offered. Things to check while selecting a business phone service namely,
- Mobile: $19.99/month/line, not including taxes and fees.
- Premium: $29.99/month/line, not including taxes and fees.
- Advanced: $39.99/month/line, not including taxes and fees.
- A free trial is offered
9. Dialpad
Dialpad is an advanced and reliable small business phone service provider. It is a completely AI-driven platform that will assist you in the customer support process, boost sales, and strengthen internal communications. Overall, it is a robust platform that offers unique functionalities that will exponentially enhance your business process.
Features
- Unlimited calling
- Internet fax
- Real-time call transcriptions
- Live speech coaching
- Single sign-on
- International SMS
- AI-based voicemail transcription
Mitel Pros and Cons
- It is one of the few business phone providers that offer AI-based features.
- Round-the-clock customer support is offered, making it one of the most suitable for small businesses.
- The main advantage of the platform is that it's never down.
- The security framework needs to be improved as the data that is dealt with is highly confidential and of utmost importance to the organization.
- Expertise is required to operate it as novices can’t scale the platform as required.
- It is one of the few business phone providers that offer AI-based features.
- Round-the-clock customer support is offered, making it one of the most suitable for small businesses.
- The main advantage of the platform is that it's never down.
- The security framework needs to be improved as the data that is dealt with is highly confidential and of utmost importance to the organization.
- Expertise is required to operate it as novices can’t scale the platform as required.
Pricing
Three plans are offered, which are as follows:
- Standard: $15/user/month when billed annually and $23/user/month when billed monthly.
- Pro: $25/user/month when billed annually and $35/user/month when billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Customer-based pricing is offered.
- Free trial is offered in standard and pro plans.
10. Zoom
Zoom is a cloud-based, feature-rich best business phone service provider that offers flexibility in call-making and receiving processes. With such robust features, it will assist small businesses in easily shifting from on-premises phone solutions to a hybrid workflow. Moreover, it will lead them to gain optimum results, making it the finest virtual phone system.
Features
- Team chat
- Automatic call distributions
- Workspace reservations
- Unlimited whiteboards
- Automated and translated captions
- Unlimited meetings
- Call and video recording
Mitel Pros and Cons
- It is one of the finest applications that is easy to use and adapt even for freshers with little to no experience.
- The framework is highly secure as it is cloud-based and offers easy access to agents.
- The downtime rate is almost zero, which is a major advantage and offers seamless operability.
- Features related to phone services are fewer in comparison to that video meetings.
- The basic plan is offered free of cost but with very limited features, and the paid plans are too costly.
- It is one of the finest applications that is easy to use and adapt even for freshers with little to no experience.
- The framework is highly secure as it is cloud-based and offers easy access to agents.
- The downtime rate is almost zero, which is a major advantage and offers seamless operability.
- Features related to phone services are fewer in comparison to that video meetings.
- The basic plan is offered free of cost but with very limited features, and the paid plans are too costly.
Pricing
Five plans are offered, namely,
- Basic: Free of cost.
- Pro: $149.90/year/user and $14.99/month/user.
- Business: $199.90/year/user and 19.99/month/user.
- Business Plus: Custom-based pricing is offered.
- Enterprise: Custom-based pricing is offered.
You May Also Read : Top 9 Best Virtual Phone Services For Small Businesses
Wrapping Up
According to the statistics, nearly 31% of businesses use VoIP business phone services, and 55% use a mix of VoIP and traditional business phone lines. This is an emerging technology, and its users are going to increase exponentially in the future. So, it is the best time for a small business to utilize some unique services available in the market and gain an advantage.
In addition to that, it offers advanced functionalities at reasonable prices that make it highly suitable for start-ups and SMEs. With a business phone system provider, small businesses will not be refrained from gaining exposure nationwide or globally.
FAQs
1. What are the benefits of Business Phone Services?
There are numerous benefits of a small business phone system. Important ones are seamless connectivity, fewer resources required, ease of adaptation, cost-effectiveness, robust features, etc.
2. How can Business Phone Services save businesses money?
Firstly it does not require as many resources as the traditional telephony system. Moreover, it allows organizations to conduct a hybrid workflow model, which cuts down investments considerably. Lastly, it can be operated via cell phone, which is a deal breaker.
3. How do business phones work?
You just need to get a business phone number from a VoIP solutions provider, pick a plan, and make payment, and you are ready to make and receive calls in no time. Business phone services don’t require any hardwired solutions to operate. Based on requirements, you can choose a plan for the team, and you are ready to go. It can also be operated from a mobile device.
4. How long do business phones last?
That completely depends on the type of call you are making and how long it takes for your agent to convince the customer. There is no specific time limit.
Supriya is a highly skilled content writer with over 8 years of experience in the SaaS domain. She believes in curating engaging, informative, and SEO-friendly content to simplify highly technical concepts. With an expansive portfolio of long-format blogs, newsletters, whitepapers, and case studies, Supriya is dedicated to staying in touch with emerging SaaS trends to produce relevant and reliable content.
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