Why You Can Trust GetVoIP + Our Research
We follow strict editorial guidelines and are committed to bringing you unique, independently researched, and valuable information. This list of business VoIP providers has been updated regularly for several years now. Every month, we re-test the tools to ensure pricing, features, and quality accuracy.
We shopped and signed up with each vendor on this list. We analyzed them according to pricing, available phone options, introductory offers, money-back guarantee, other important system features (voicemail, call handling, call controls, and more), limitations, user experience (desktop and mobile devices), technical support, onboarding, and each provider's inbound and outbound calling features.
We’ve validated every data point by calling, emailing, obtaining quotes, signing up for service, and live chatting with the service providers.
Editorial Note: We may earn a commission from partner links on GetVoIP guides. Commissions do not impact our opinions or evaluations. For a complete list of partners, please click on the advertiser disclosure link above.
Our latest report reveals our picks for the best business VoIP providers for 2024. Written by VoIP experts and analysts who conducted extensive hands-on research with leading vendors.
If there is something you'd like to see on this report or further assessed, please email Reuben Yonatan at ry@getvoip.com.
Who Made the Cut? Top Business VoIP Providers of 2024
Below, we review the top business VoIP providers, each offering unique capabilities, from flexible pricing to advanced features and integrations. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, our list includes a solution suitable for any company size.
- Nextiva
- RingCentral
- Zoom Phone
- Vonage
- GoTo Connect
- 8x8
- 1-VoIP
- Intermedia Unite
- OpenPhone
- Dialpad
- Ooma
- Grasshopper
- Avaya
- Mitel
- Aircall
Nextiva - Best for Multiple Communication Channels
Nextiva is a business VoIP provider with unique communication channels and social media features. It bundles voice calling, SMS, video conferencing, and messaging apps–plus live chat, email, social media management, and review site management.
Nextiva supports internal team collaboration and includes easy-to-use, advanced calling features–multi-level IVR, voicemail transcriptions, and ring groups.
What We Like
- User-friendly phone system: I found Nextiva’s desktop and web dashboard user-friendly, with easy access to each channel and my tasks. The IVR menus and ring groups are easy to build with a drag-and-drop editor.
- Live chat: No other provider offers live chat in a phone system, so Nextiva’s $30 price point is a great value. You can embed chat into your website or app to create a high-traffic touchpoint.
- Social media and review management: While alternatives connect with messaging apps like WhatsApp, Nextiva connects with X, Instagram, TikTok, Yelp, Google Reviews, and more–allowing users to engage customers from the Nextiva dashboard.
- Email: Nextiva’s interface combines email alongside the other channels, allowing users to manage all of their daily tasks in one place
- Contact management: One of our favorite parts of using the app was the ability to create notes on contacts and calls. This helped our team members share details about contacts or delineate who should respond to a particular call.
What To Know
We recommend Nextiva for small teams without complicated call queueing needs, directing inbound calls to just a handful of agents or departments. It’s a good choice for those new to business VoIP services, with user-friendly routing.
For those seeking more than a phone system, Nextiva is the best option for live chat, social media management, and review site management.
Cost
Nextiva’s Core phone system plan costs $30 monthly per user when charged annually, and $35 when charged monthly. It includes all the channels mentioned above and basic call routing. At $40 annually, Nextiva’s Engage plan includes call center features like advanced reporting, queueing, and toll-free minutes. The $60 Power Suite adds advanced IVR, intelligent routing, and AI call transcriptions.
RingCentral - Best for a Feature-Rich Phone System
RingCentral’s business VoIP service supports unlimited calling in the US and Canada, plus SMS, MMS, team chat, and AI video meetings with up to 200 participants. Create unlimited team chat channels with interactive features like huddles, whiteboards, and file sharing.
The dashboard includes a wide array of routing tools: multi-level IVR, ring groups, and call queues. Monitor calls with whisper and barge technology, and access real-time analytics.
What We Like
- Advanced routing and queueing: Companies of any size can customize an intricate routing system with call queues, ring groups, and multi-level IVR with a drag-and-drop
- Customizable analytics: RingCentral’s analytics are the most customizable of any provider I tried. View KPIs like call and message volume, channel usage, queue stats, and customer IVR choices–sorted by date, user, or department.
- Feature-rich mobile app: I enjoyed using RingCentral’s mobile app, which offers a surprising breadth of features, including options to customize call handling and device ring order. Our users forwarded calls to multiple devices so they could answer business calls on whichever device they were using–mobile or desktop.
- Collaboration tools: Create unlimited team chat rooms to create threads, share files and whiteboards, and join huddles with one click. I was especially impressed by the project-management tools, like assigning tasks and deadlines.
- AI video meetings: RingCentral’s video meetings promote collaboration with breakout rooms, whiteboards, and AI tools like auto-summaries and highlights go beyond Zoom’s offerings.
What to Know
RingCentral’s biggest drawback is its SMS limitations–just 25-200 monthly SMS per user, depending on your plan. However, each plan includes all the routing and queueing features you want. It’s a great option for teams of any size that want an advanced phone system and team collaboration channels.
Cost
RingCentral offers three phone systems costing from $20 to $35 monthly per user, when billed annually. The Core plan includes calling, SMS, team chat, AI video, and multi-level IVR. Higher-tier plans add call monitoring, recording, and business analytics.
Zoom Phone - Best for High-Quality Audio
Zoom Phone is a business VoIP provider with unlimited calling and SMS in the US, along with team chat. For those who want video, Zoom Phone bundles with Zoom Workplace for complete unified communications under $20 monthly per user.
The business VoIP system offers excellent value at a low cost, with a full suite of routing features: custom call distribution rules, multi-level IVR, queues, call monitoring, and call recording. It uniquely integrates with Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams.
What We Like
- Clear call quality: I was impressed by Zoom’s crystal clear audio quality, due to their usage of the modern Opus codec for HD voice
- Full suite of calling features: All Zoom plans include multi-level IVR, call queues, call recording, and monitoring
- Affordable pricing: At $15 monthly, Zoom’s Unlimited calling plan offers one of the best values on our list
- Metered calling option: For companies with low call volumes, Zoom’s Metered plan includes the full suite of features with pay-per-minute calling, starting at an incredibly cheap $10 monthly per user
- Interactive video meetings: For those looking to add video meetings, Zoom’s Workplace bundle is a strong value at under $20 monthly per user. Video meetings include breakout rooms, whiteboards, waiting rooms, and much more.
What to Know
I recommend Zoom for teams with low call volumes, those who prioritize video meetings and team chat, or those looking for a cheap and easy-to-use phone system. The option to send unlimited texts is a huge plus. Zoom Phone’s main drawback is its lack of analytics.
Cost
Zoom offers two plans with voice, SMS, and chat, at $10 and $15 monthly per user with a one-year commitment. For those who want video, Zoom bundles Zoom Workplace in two higher-tier plans that cost $22 and $27, respectively. The higher-tier Workplace plans also include the AI Companion.
Vonage - Best for a Low-Cost Phone System
Vonage offers business VoIP phone services in a multichannel unified communications platform with SMS, team chat, and video collaboration for up to 200 participants. All Vonage plans include an IVR and basic call controls: caller ID, call flipping between devices, call parking, conference calling, and simultaneous ring across a user’s devices.
What We Like
- Unlimited SMS: While some competitors limit the number of monthly SMS, Vonage supports unlimited SMS to the US, Canada, and Mexico
- Simple call controls: Vonage’s interface and call controls made it easy for me to manage and direct live calls. Particularly, call transfer and call parking let me quickly hand off calls to teammates.
- Call groups and IVR: Vonage’s call groups let you ring multiple agents simultaneously when one receives a call. We used this feature to create departments within our phone system. Call groups work well alongside IVR menus.
- International phone numbers: The phone system offers international virtual numbers from 85 countries, which support texting and calling. They also have toll-free and vanity numbers across the US.
- Custom call forwarding: Set an automated call forwarding sequence of up to five numbers or extensions. This feature ensured that we never missed a call.
What to Know
Vonage’s Mobile plan is great for companies that want a simple, low-cost phone system with just VoIP calling and SMS texting on desktop and mobile. However, note that the Mobile plan only has basic call controls and IVR–it lacks team messaging, video, and voicemail transcription.
On the other hand, Vonage’s higher-tier plans don’t offer great value since they lack advanced features like analytics and call queues but still charge premium prices.
Cost
Vonage’s three business VoIP plans range from $14 to $28 monthly per user. The Mobile plan is cheap and includes unlimited VoIP, SMS, and IVR. The $22 Premium plan adds team messaging and video conferencing, while the Advanced plan adds call groups and visual voicemail.
GoTo Connect - Best for International Calling
GoTo Connect is a multichannel business phone system with voice, SMS, team chat, and video meetings with up to 250 participants. Plans include a 50+ country unlimited calling area and unlimited access to all the key routing features: call queues, ring groups, auto attendants, and a custom dial plan editor.
Plans also include analytics for call volume, routing and SMS delivery. The higher-tier Customer Engagement plan adds call center features, including live chat.
What We Like
- International calling: GoTo Connect’s 50-country unlimited calling area is the largest of any VoIP provider on our list. From the international numbers I tried, the call quality was clear and reliable.
- Comprehensive, user-friendly routing: The dashboard’s drag-and-drop dial plan editor, unlimited queuing, and IVR enable teams of any size to build a custom automated routing system
- Call Center features: The Customer Engagement plan adds some call center features, like live chat on your website and app, custom surveys, and a shared inbox between users.
- Supervisor analytics: I enjoyed the simplicity of GoTo’s real-time reports about call volume, channel usage, queue status, customer routing choices, and SMS delivery
- AI Features: Video meetings feature AI transcription, and the AI Messaging Assistant on the Customer Engagement plan automatically messages customers based on the tone, topic, and campaign you choose
What to Know
GoTo Connect stands out with its 50+ country calling area and unlimited access to routing features with a dial plan editor. The Customer Engagement plan is a great way to get some call center features, like live chat, without investing in a full contact center.
Cost
GoTo Connect does not publicize pricing information, but they offer one Phone System plan and a Customer Engagement plan. The Phone System includes calling, SMS, team chat, video meetings, and unlimited routing features. The Customer Engagement plan adds live webchat, SMS surveys, and a shared inbox.
While GoTo doesn’t publicize pricing, the software recently cost around $25-$30 monthly per user.
8x8 - Best for Team Collaboration
8x8’s business VoIP solution includes voice, SMS, team chat, and 500-participant video meetings with interactive features: polls, emoji reactions, and breakout rooms.
Its business phone system includes voicemail transcription, queueing, call monitoring, live speech analytics, and unlimited calling to 14 or 48 countries.
What We Like
- Full suite of routing features: Small and large teams can build a comprehensive routing and queueing system with multi-level IVR, queues, custom ring order, and ring groups
- Large unlimited calling area: The X2 and X4 plans include 14- and 48-country unlimited calling areas, respectively–much larger than the typical US and Canada that most alternatives include
- Supervisor tools: With queue and ring group analytics, the Business Summary report, and call monitoring with whisper and barge, 8x8 provided our supervisors with strong real-time visibility across the whole team
- Engaging video features and live streaming: Video meetings include rich features like emoji reactions, polls, and breakout rooms. 8x8 is the only provider offering live streaming to YouTube, which is great for webinars and demos.
- 8x8 Frontdesk: Frontdesk is a desktop application for receptionists and front desk workers. The interface lets you handle up to 10 calls at once, with note-taking, chat, and teammate presence detection for easy transfers.
What to Know
8x8 is not just a VoIP phone system but a feature-rich UCaaS platform. For those seeking a basic phone system with domestic calling and texting, 8x8’s wide suite of features and channels might be overwhelming. However, for companies that plan to call internationally, handle large call volumes, or take advantage of collaborative video, 8x8 offers tremendous value.
Cost
8x8 offers two business VoIP plans, X2 and X4, with quote-based pricing that isn’t posted publicly. The plans include unlimited calling to 14 and 48 countries, respectively, plus video meetings, team chat, IVR, and call queues. The X4 plan adds business analytics and the Frontdesk app.
1-VoIP - Best for Desk Phone Connectivity
1-VoIP offers a business VoIP phone system on desktop and mobile, with calling and SMS–no team chat or video. Build a routing system with call queues, ring groups, and auto attendants, Park calls, transfer them between users, or automatically forward calls to your cell.
1-VoIP’s desktop app does not support softphone functionality, but the mobile app does. Further, the highest-tier Corporate plan includes a VoIP phone with each signup.
What We Like
- Simple call controls: 1-VoIP’s features are basic, only limited to the call queues, auto attendants, and essential call controls. This means that users don’t have to manage internal chat, text messages, and other features that can feel overwhelming.
- Works well with desk phones: 1-VoIP’s business phone service is designed to work with desk phones. We found that the queue functionality, call controls, and pickup groups synced seamlessly with our VoIP phones.
- HD call quality: I was impressed with the clear audio on 1-VoIP calls. People’s voices sound crisp, without the distortion I’ve experienced with other VoIP systems.
- Routing features: Build a custom routing system with multi-level auto attendants, ring groups, and call queues
- Free phone on Professional plan: Each signup on the highest-tier professional plan includes a VoIP phone
- SMS texting: Send unlimited SMS texts across the US with the Corporate and Professional plans
What to Know
While 1-VoIP’s mobile app supports softphone functionality, the desktop app does not; I had to connect a physical VoIP phone or third-party softphone app to make calls from my computer. This is a major drawback for remote teams planning to use softphones. Still, 1-VoIP provides a simple option for companies planning to use desk phones, who don’t need team chat or video conferencing.
Cost
1-VoIP offers three VoIP plans: a $15 monthly Metered plan with per-minute pricing, the $20 Corporate plan with unlimited calling, and the $35 Professional plan that includes a VoIP phone. Unfortunately, each plan has an additional starting cost depending on the number of phones you have, which adds around $150 for your whole account.
Intermedia Unite - Best for Building a Custom Ring Sequence
Intermedia’s business VoIP software includes voice, SMS, team messaging, and video conferencing for up to 200 participants. Accessible on a cell phone or desktop, the system’s plans are pricier than many competitors but include unlimited calling to 33 countries, with the option to mix and match pricing plans for users.
The phone system includes several other useful features: voicemail transcription, auto attendants, and call recording.
What We Like
- Hunt groups: Hunt groups make it easy to customize call distribution to a group of agents. I could choose the agents in the group, the ring order, and even how much call follow-up time each agent gets before the system sends them another.
- Unlimited calling area: Intermedia’s Essentials plan supports HD calling to 22 countries, and the higher-tier plans support unlimited calling to 33 countries
- Mix-and-match plans: Intermedia’s mix-and-match pricing structure allows teams to mix Enterprise and Pro plans for each user, helping teams only pay for features that users will actually use. You can purchase a Premium plan for supervisors and a Pro plan for agents.
- Free VoIP phone: Unite includes a desk phone with every user sign-up, making an excellent value for in-person phone systems and call centers
- Interactive video meetings: Video meetings support collaboration with live transcription, unlimited recording, AI-generated insights, and screen annotation
What to Know
Intermedia Unite sets itself apart from the competition with a large international calling area, free VoIP phones included, and unlimited SMS. However, the phone system doesn’t have call queues, monitoring, or supervisor analytics–and it only allows one IVR menu at a time.
For teams with more complex routing needs or those who don’t plan to call internationally, you can find better value in an alternative.
Cost
Intermedia Unite has three VoIP plans, each with quote-based pricing that isn’t publicized. The Essentials plan includes team chat, video conferencing, an auto attendant, and ten call groups. Higher-tier plans add SMS, call recording, voicemail transcription, and AI meetings features.
OpenPhone - Best for Phone Number Sharing and Flexibility
OpenPhone’s business VoIP software includes voice calling, SMS texting, and team chat–but no video conferencing. It has a modern, comfortable interface with unique phone number-sharing features. Share business phone numbers between multiple staff members, enabling users to jump between phone numbers with one click. Users can send texts and make calls from a business number simultaneously.
The app also includes IVR, call recording, and ring groups.
What We Like
- Phone number versatility: A team member can have multiple virtual numbers, jumping between them throughout the day as needed. A company can share a number between multiple users, who can make calls and text simultaneously from that number.
- SMS features: Send unlimited SMS texts, with advanced features like scheduled messages, group messaging, and AI message responses
- Routing tools: Build IVR menus and ring groups with custom ring orders
- AI features: OpenPhone is one of the most AI-forward VoIP solutions out there, with AI call summaries and transcripts, contact suggestions, and automated SMS message responses
- User-friendly desktop and mobile interface: While using OpenPhone, I immediately noticed the modern feel of the interface, which made the platform enjoyable to use.
What to Know
We recommend OpenPhone for teams that prioritize agent and phone number flexibility, or whose users share and monitor multiple business numbers. The interface makes it so smooth for team members to switch between numbers throughout the workday. OpenPhone’s advanced SMS features also make it a good option for those who frequently text customers.
However, OpenPhone isn’t a good fit for teams that want a simple phone system, or those who want to collaborate with video meetings.
Cost
OpenPhone offers three plans from $15 to over $23 monthly per user. The $15 Starter plan includes a business number, unlimited calling and texting, and shared phone numbers. The $23 Business plan includes advanced AI features, group calling, custom ring orders, and analytics.
Dialpad - Best for Analytics and Live Agent Support
Dialpad is a business VoIP provider that offers unlimited calling within the US and Canada, unlimited SMS, team chat, and video meetings for 10 participants. Starting at $15, plans include multi-level IVR, ring groups, real-time analytics, and live call transcription. Advanced plans add call queues and international SMS.
It offers a handful of useful integrations, like Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Microsoft Teams–with open APIs to integrate the phone system into your proprietary apps.
What We Like
- Customizable analytics: I was impressed by the customizability of Dialpad analytics. I could filter analytics by time period, user, and channel, with a variety of unique metrics and displays like SMS texts, heatmaps, AI transcription and key moment logs, and queue history.
- High-value Standard plan: Considering the $15 monthly price tag, the Standard plan packs surprisingly advanced features like real-time analytics and call transcriptions
- Phone number availability: Dialpad offers business phone numbers in over 70 countries, including a wide selection of phone numbers from every area code we wanted within the US
- AI transcription: All plans include real-time call transcription, which I found surprisingly accurate. This provides a great log for supervisors or agents looking to revisit key details from a call.
- Routing tools: Dialpad offers an advanced phone system with IVR menus, ring groups, and call queues that are easy to set up on a desktop
What to Know
I recommend Dialpad for those seeking an advanced phone system, with analytics and AI, at a good value. At $15 monthly, the Standard plan is my pick for one of the best-value phone systems since it includes features normally reserved for high-tier plans.
Dialpad isn’t a good fit for teams that want basic calling and texting, as the feature-rich interface may feel overwhelming.
Cost
Dialpad offers three plans, from $15 to $27 monthly per user when charged annually, and $25 to $35 when charged monthly. The $15 standard plan includes all the communication channels, IVR and ring groups, plus analytics–the best value for most companies. The $27 Pro plan adds ring groups and call queues–a good choice for larger companies with high inbound call volumes.
Dialpad offers a 14-day free trial.
Ooma - Best for Unlimited Texting and Basic Calling
Ooma's VoIP software bundles unlimited business phone service within the US, Canada, and Mexico–plus unlimited SMS, team chat, and video conferencing for up to 100 participants.
Ooma Office includes a well-rounded suite of call-handling features: IVR, ring groups, custom ring orders, advanced call management, call queueing, and analytics. All plans have over 50 call controls like transfer, voicemail, hold, and multi-ring to receive calls on any device.
What We Like
- User-friendly mobile app: Ooma’s mobile app is feature-rich enough that it can support an entirely mobile phone system
- Easy routing setup: I created ring groups, call queues, and IVR for the whole team in under an hour, using Ooma’s easy setup
- Auto dialer: Available on the Pro Plus plan, auto dialers automatically dial calls from a campaign list, identify when real humans answer, and transfer the call to an available agent
- Advanced texting features: Ooma Business texting includes shared inboxes between users, messaging analytics like delivery status, templates, and bulk messaging
- Analytics: Dashboards display data for call volume trends, message usage, and queue activity–broken down by hour of the day and day of the week
What to Know
While Ooma offers excellent business SMS features like bulk texting and shared inboxes, each plan caps the number of monthly texts per user at 250 on the Pro and 1000 on the Pro Plus plans.
The phone system includes all the routing tools you need, and analytics, but I found the dashboard outdated and visually unappealing. Still, Ooma offers above-average call quality and strong value on the Essentials plan.
Cost
Ooma offers three plans ranging from $20 to $30 monthly per user. The $20 Essentials plan is on mobile app only, with unlimited calling to North America and Mexico, plus IVR. The $25 Pro plan adds the desktop app, SMS, and video conferencing. The $30 Pro Plus plan adds team chat, call queues, and CRM integrations.
Ooma offers a 30-day free trial.
Grasshopper - Best for Simple Calling and Texting
Grasshopper is a simple, small business VoIP system with unlimited voice and SMS throughout the US, non-desktop and mobile apps.
The software lacks routing features like queueing and IVR but includes phone extensions that allow you to create multiple lines per phone number. They offer your choice of virtual phone numbers across the US. Set up custom voicemail with transcription, transfer calls between extensions, and forward calls between devices.
What We Like
- Simple functionality: Due to its basic functionality and simple interface, Grasshopper makes a great VoIP platform for users who are new to cloud-based telephony
- Phone number sharing: With unlimited extensions and four phone numbers, the Small Business plan can provide great value for companies that want staff to share numbers
- Unlimited texting: Grasshopper supports unlimited texting within the US
- Simultaneous ring: Set up multiple numbers, extensions, and devices to ring together. This ensured that our company never missed a call.
- Custom forwarding: Design a custom ring order that forwards calls to another user if you don’t answer
What to Know
Grasshopper works best for companies that want straightforward calling and texting on desktop and mobile. With no IVR menu, your inbound call routing will be limited, but simultaneous call handling means users can share inbound call responsibility.
With Grasshopper’s account-based pricing, small companies can share a handful of phone numbers among multiple users.
Cost
Each Grasshopper plan offers a bundle of phone numbers and extensions, charged by the account. All plans offer the full suite of features.
The True Solo plan offers one phone number and one extension, at $14 monthly per user. The Solo Plus plan offers one phone number and three extensions at $25 monthly, and the Small Business Plan offers four phone numbers and unlimited extensions at $55 monthly per user.
Avaya - Best for Call Monitoring
Avaya Cloud Office offers VoIP as part of its multichannel UCaaS platform bundling voice, SMS, team chat, and video conferencing for up to 100 participants.
Choose toll-free and business numbers from 40+ countries with unlimited calling in the US and Canada. Each plan includes multi-level auto attendants, call monitoring, and custom call management features like parking, forwarding, and shared phone lines between extensions. Higher-tier plans ad analytics and call recording.
What We Like
- User-friendly call management: While on call, I found it very intuitive to use the active call controls like transfer, record, and call parking
- Collaborative team chat: Chat channels worked well for collaboration, with file-sharing, one-click huddles, and project-management features that felt like a weaker version of Slack
- AI meetings: Each meeting includes AI features–live transcripts, summaries, and highlights
- Call monitoring: All plans provide a dashboard for supervisors to see agent status, with the ability to quietly listen, whisper private guidance, or join the call
- Connection to Avaya devices: Avaya Cloud Office connects UCaaS functionality with Avaya hardware, including Avaya phones and in-person cameras
What to Know
Avaya Cloud Office is powered by RingCentral, meaning a similar-feeling interface and high call quality. But Cloud Office works especially well with Avaya devices, and it uniquely offers call monitoring on the low-tier Core plan.
The main downside is that each plan limits a user’s monthly texts–to 25, 100, and 200, respectively–making Cloud Office a bad choice for companies that plan to text a lot.
Cost
Avaya offers three plans from $20 to $35 monthly per user. The $20 Core plan includes all channels, IVR, and voicemail transcription. The $25 Advanced plan adds call recording, call monitoring, and business analytics. The $35 Ultra plan adds unlimited storage.
Mitel - Best for Deployment Flexibility
MiVoice Business is Mitel’s phone system and team collaboration software, accessible on desktop and mobile. Bundle channels of your choice including voice, SMS, team chat, web chat, chatbots, and email. Build inbound call routing systems with IVR, hunt groups, and custom call distribution with a drag-and-drop setup designer.
Use MiVoice Business to set up a cloud-based or on-premise PBX system, with softphone and deskphone connectivity.
What We Like
- Drag-and-drop routing design: The IVR and call distribution design tool was intuitive and quick, making it easy to connect hunt groups and business phone numbers
- Easy and quick setup: I deployed a virtual phone system in about five minutes, choosing from virtual and toll-free numbers across the US
- Call parking: Users can place an inbound call in a digital parking lot, where all other users can view the waiting call and pick it up
- Dashboard interface: The MiVoice Business UCaaS interface is easy to manage. Users have a general task inbox, team chat and messaging conversations, a call log, and an SMS inbox
- Desk phone compatibility: Mitel’s phone system works with a wide range of VoIP desk phones
What to Know
MiVoice Business offers core business features like routing and call management but lacks advanced capabilities like analytics and call queues. However, the setup process for the cloud-based infrastructure is quick and easy. If your company wants opts for the on-premise PBX infrastructure, Mitel assists with setup.
Cost
Mitel does not publicize pricing information for MiVoice Business, and they offer several other products that combine a phone system and team collaboration features. Contact Mitel to find the right product and pricing information for your company.
Aircall - Best for Sales and Customer Support
Aircall’s virtual phone system supports unlimited calls and SMS texting in the US and Canada, plus integrated email. The platform doesn’t have team chat, but users can comment on calls and texts, or assign them directly to teammates.
Route and manage calls with features like IVR, call queueing with automated callbacks, call monitoring with whisper and barge, ring groups, and business hours. Set up a shared call inbox between different numbers to spread call responsibility between users.
What We Like
- Intelligent routing: In addition to an IVR and ring groups, Aircall offers time-based, date-based, and skills-based routing that uses CRM data to automatically directs callers to the best agent to help
- Advanced queueing: Aircall’s queueing system includes automated queue callbacks, letting customers hang up and receive a callback when an agent’s available
- Task assignment tools: Tag coworkers on calls, comment under calls and messages, and even directly assign tasks to other users
- PowerDialer supports sales: Aircall’s Professional plan includes a PowerDialer, which sets it apart from alternatives on this list. The PowerDialer automatically dials numbers from a list, making outbound sales efforts more efficient.
- Advanced analytics: I loved Aircall’s advanced analytics dashboards. The colors and display styles make it visually appealing and easy to view agent performance, the reasons for missed calls, and other trends
What to Know
Aircall’s VoIP phone system is unique in that it combines call center and UCaaS functionality. It includes support and sales tools like a PowerDialer and call monitoring, and also team collaboration features like a shared call inbox and task assignment.
It’s a great option for companies that want some call center features, without paying the high price that CCaaS platforms typically cost.
Cost
Aircall offers three plans, ranging from $30 to over $50 monthly per user with an annual commitment. The $30 Essentials plan supports unlimited calling and SMS, plus call routing, IVR, call queues, and shared inboxes. The $50 Professional plan adds Salesforce integration and advanced queueing, analytics, and routing capabilities.
Important Business VoIP Features to Look For
When comparing business VoIP providers, look for the following features and capabilities:
- User Portal: Most VoIP providers offer a desktop and mobile user portal to access system features–making and receiving calls, call handling tools like transfer and call parking, sending texts, checking voicemail, and monitoring queues. Look for a user-friendly app interface that lets users and supervisors manage phone system capabilities intuitively.
- Call Routing: Call routing navigates incoming calls to the right agent or department. For more advanced routing capabilities, look for automatic call distribution (ACD) features that determine the call routing destination based on data like business hours, customer information, menu selections, and agent skills.
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR): An IVR system is an automated self-service phone menu that presents inbound callers with dial-tone options to direct their call to the right user or department within your phone system. Some VoIP providers offer drag-and-drop design tools to customize IVR call flows.
- Call Queueing: Call queueing organizes incoming calls into hold queues when your agents are busy. From the agent dashboard, business staff can view the queued calls and wait time, and call users back with one click.
- Call Recording: Many business VoIP providers offer automatic or on-demand call recording. These call recordings are stored with each call’s data in the call log, where supervisors can download, share, or review them later.
- Call Transcription: Some VoIP providers offer call transcription, which generates live captions for agents. Transcriptions are stored within each call’s log for evaluation purposes, download, or to help agents review call details. Advanced phone systems will use call transcription as the basis for AI-based features like customer sentiment detection, action items and conversation topics, and canned response suggestions.
- Call Monitoring: Call monitoring enables supervisors to supervise phone calls by listening quietly, whispering private guidance to the agent, barging into the call as a third party, or taking over the call entirely. Also known as “listen, whisper, barge, takeover,” call monitoring helps with phone-system supervision, feedback, and agent accountability.
- Call Analytics: Business VoIP platforms include real-time and historical caller analytics that track and organize agent activity and productivity, call volume, call trends, and more.
- Business Phone Numbers: Companies can purchase local and toll-free numbers from area codes around North America and the globe, easily assigning these numbers to team members
- Communication Channels: VoIP phone systems generally offer not only calling, but multiple business communication channels like SMS texting, video conferencing, and internal team chat. Users can manage and jump between these channels in the app dashboard.
- Voicemail and Call Logs: Agents can customize their voicemail inbox and greeting, and access call logs with voicemail transcription and one-click callback options
- Contact Management: Businesses can create contact profiles, or sync contact lists with CRM systems. Contact logs can track information like preferences, interaction history, and recent purchases.
- Integrations: Business VoIP software usually integrates with popular business tools–like CRM platforms, databases, analytics tools, and calendar apps–for unified functionality and data that syncs across apps.
Benefits of Using Business VoIP
A business VoIP phone system often leads to cost savings, promotes better flexibility for staff, enables you to scale, and leads to better customer service overall.
Here’s a further breakdown of how VoIP can benefit your business:
1. Cost Savings
VoIP is generally 30-50% cheaper than traditional landlines because it reduces hardware needs, IT and staffing demands, and calling costs.
- Less hardware: VoIP applications use desktop and mobile apps to make and receive calls, texts, and even faxes. You don’t need a VoIP phone or hardware beyond an Internet-connected device.
- Quick setup: Hosted business VoIP systems involve minimal setup–simply purchase subscriptions, assign phone numbers, and your agents are ready to call
- Reduced maintenance and staffing needs: Since VoIP requires no onsite hardware, you reduce the need for maintenance costs, upgrades, and IT staff
2. Flexibility and Mobility
While landlines limit you to making business calls from the office, VoIP works anywhere you have Internet: in the office, at home, at a coffee shop, in the car, or on vacation.
- Hybrid and remote teams: VoIP supports hybrid and remote businesses because administrators can purchase phone numbers and assign them to users in minutes, no matter where the staff member is based
- On-the-go business functionality: Users can make business phone calls, message teammates, or join video meetings from their mobile phones on the go
3. Better Customer Service
Business VoIP enhances a company’s customer service in multiple ways: improved routing, quicker support, self-service, more ways to connect, and stronger customer context.
- Improved routing: VoIP phone systems often include built-in IVR, automatic call distribution functionality, and intelligent routing options like skills-based or relationship-based routing
- Quicker service and self-service: Tools like IVR help callers reach the right agent on their first try, and contact profiles give agents context to provide quicker support
- More ways to connect: A VoIP-powered phone system enables your company to connect with customers in multiple ways–self-service, VoIP call, SMS, or video
4. Scalability and Global Presence
VoIP service providers offer DID phone numbers from around North America and the globe, including toll-free numbers. Companies can purchase numbers and assign them to employees instantly, making it easy to scale up or down.
- Scalability: Add new users to your company account instantly, no matter where they’re located, simply by purchasing a new subscription and assigning a phone number
- Global presence: Purchase local, toll-free, and vanity business numbers around the country or globe
5. Advanced Features
Business VoIP solutions include dozens of native features that promote efficiency and team collaboration better than a traditional phone system.
- Efficiency: Routing and queueing features organize inbound calls so agents spend time and effort interacting with customers, rather than forwarding calls
- Collaboration: Video-meeting tools like breakout rooms and whiteboards, team chat and file sharing–these features help remote and hybrid teams collaborate
6. Business Insights
Get analytics, AI, and monitoring features to support supervisors and administrators with business insights.
- Analytics: These reports provide information about channel usage and caller behaviors so that administrators can make more informed staffing decisions and which features to purchase
- AI support: Advanced VoIP systems use AI for automatic transcriptions, conversation and video analysis, and even live speech recommendations for agents. This improves performance and training.
- Monitoring: Call monitoring tools help supervisors track teams, providing better evaluations and feedback
Drawbacks of Using VoIP for a Business Phone System
While business VoIP offers plenty of benefits compared with traditional landline, cloud-based telephony also has a few drawbacks:
- The learning curve with new features
- Requires a stable internet connection
- Difficulties with emergency location tracking
- Hidden fees
The Learning Curve with New Features
When using a new VoIP system, some teams and users may struggle to adjust to the features and interface.
Agents must learn to navigate the software dashboard and call controls, such as transfer and parking, on desktop and mobile. Administrators may have difficulty setting up routing tools like auto attendants and call queues.
These complications are often more of a challenge with teams that aren’t tech-savvy or who have become very familiar with your previous phone system. However, business users typically adapt to their VoIP platform within a few weeks.
Requires a Stable Internet Connection
Since VoIP uses the Internet to connect calls, users need a stable Internet connection with sufficient bandwidth.
Each VoIP call generally requires roughly 3 Mbps of bandwidth. If your local network can't provide this bandwidth, calls may suffer latency, jitter, or dropped calls.
Most routers can easily support multiple VoIP calls at once. However, users should be mindful of their available bandwidth when sharing a network among large groups.
Difficulties with Emergency Location Tracking
Emergency services like 911 can more easily identify your location when you place the call from a landline.
Emergency services like 911 utilize the address registered with the caller’s carrier account to help track their location. Since VoIP users often dial emergency services from an address that isn’t linked to their company account or address, dispatchers have a harder time pinpointing the caller’s location.
Hidden Fees
In addition to your monthly VoIP service subscription, VoIP costs often incur additional “hidden fees.” Hidden fees cover things like state sales taxes, government expenses, and emergency 911 fees.
These fees typically add about $10 monthly per user to the monthly VoIP service subscription that providers post on their websites.
What to Look For in a Business VoIP Provider
To select the best provider, look for the following in a business VoIP offering:
- Unlimited calling
- Available phone numbers
- Sufficient features and channels
- Ease of use
- Integrated apps
- Call quality
- Uptime
Unlimited Calling
Ensure that your provider offers unlimited calling to the countries you call most often.
While most business VoIP providers support unlimited calling within the United States and Canada, some providers also support unlimited calling to Mexico and dozens of other countries.
Available Phone Numbers
Choose a VoIP provider that offers the phone numbers you want in your desired area codes.
Specifically, look for a service that meets your business needs in these areas:
- Phone number types: Make sure that your VoIP phone system includes not only local numbers, but toll-free numbers and vanity numbers
- Phone number availability: Most VoIP providers offer local virtual phone numbers based throughout the US, and some offer international numbers
Sufficient Features and Channels
As outlined above, a VoIP solution offers much more than calling: advanced plans include routing, queuing, analytics, collaboration tools, and communication channels.
Determine which features and channels your company needs, then aim to find a plan that offers all the features you want with minimal extras.
Ease of Use
Before choosing a provider, evaluate each system’s overall ease of use. The best way to get a feel for ease-of-use is to watch YouTube tutorials and take advantage of free trials.
- App dashboard: The user dashboard and interface should feel spacious and intuitive, making it easy to access important features. The left-hand menu should be easy to navigate.
- Call management: Agents should be able to monitor their queues, view caller profiles, and access live call controls with ease
- Notifications: Users should be able to easily view and organize new tasks as they come in, including queries from customers and internal communication items
Integrated Apps
Most VoIP phone systems support integrations that unify functionality with popular third-party software tools.
In particular, look for the following integrations:
- CRM systems: Salesforce, HubSpot, SugarCRM, and more
- Communication platforms: Asana, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace
Call Quality
VoIP generally provides clearer audio than landline, but VoIP call quality varies based on your location, the devices you use, and your provider’s supported codecs.
VoIP codecs are the part of VoIP software that compress audio data for transmission. Older codecs like G.711 and G.729 compress a limited range of frequencies, therefore limiting call quality. More recent codecs like Opus and G.722 transmit a wider frequency range with lower bandwidth demands, thus supporting clearer call quality.
Research each option’s codecs by Google searching “[provider name] codec”. Prioritize providers that support the Opus codec, which is the highest-quality codec on the market today.
Uptime
VoIP uptime refers to the percentage of time that your VoIP service provider is functional and working. VoIP is generally equally reliable to PSTN landline, with most providers guaranteeing over 99% uptime across all plans. However, some VoIP providers offer 99.999% uptime on their higher-tier plans, for guaranteed connectivity year round. Before deciding on a provider, inquire about each plan’s uptime and decide if 99.999% uptime is worth the cost of upgrading to a higher-tier plan.
In our experience, we have not noticed a major difference between the 99% uptime of lower-tier plans and the 99.999% of higher-tier plans. We don’t recommend upgrading to a higher-tier pricing plan for the uptime increase unless your company deals with highly critical data that cannot withstand a few hours of downtime per year.