Have a great business, but a not-so-great communication system with your clients? You might just need to switch from that old landline phone to a business VoIP service.
Currently, almost 31% of all businesses have taken advantage of a VoIP system. That means there’s plenty of room for your business to join in on the rapid growth of this service.
Along with the fact that VoIP costs will decline by about 5% annually, you stand to provide your customers with a far better user experience while saving on your costs and time.
Let’s dive right into the 3 best business VoIP phone services to bring your business further into the modern age on the Internet.
What are the Best Business VoIP Phones?
- Nextiva: Rated #1 VoIP Phone System for all Businesses
- RingCentral: Nextiva Alternative for SMBs & Smaller Teams
- Grasshopper: Best for Entrepreneurs & Remote Teams
Disclosure: This post has affiliate links that I get a commission for at no extra cost to you, but rest assured that I only feature the best phone services to help your business scale – nothing less.
1. Nextiva (from $18.95/month)
Rated #1 VoIP Phone System for all Businesses
If ratings were the sole factor alone, then Nextiva would have plenty to boast about. With the honor of being the #1 best business phone service in 2020 by US News, you can already guarantee that you’ll find much to enjoy in terms of cost, reliability, and features.
For starters, plenty of Nextiva customers have reported that they saved a massive 60% on their phone bill. In essence, you get far better service that costs less. Along with an easy softphone service setup, you get a host of features such as an automated attendant, video conferencing, business analytics, team messaging, and far more. Whatever you need, Nextiva pretty much has it.
Even the most affordable plans come with unlimited video and audio phone calls, as well as a free phone number for every user in your team. If you want your business to have a much more professional image, Nextiva is the one for you.
Nextiva Key Features
Here’s a list of features Nextiva’s business VoIP phone service offers:
- Unlimited video and audio phone calls
- Interactive Voice Response for better caller experience.
- Advanced call management like blocking, routing, and transferring.
- Call analytics for a quick snapshot of your communication performance.
- Auto attendant for easy customer direction.
- Free local and toll-free numbers
- Mobile and desktop app
- Online fax
- Team messaging
- Voicemail to email
- Call queuing
- Call recording
- Microsoft and Salesforce integrations
As the industry leader, you won’t be disappointed with all that Nextiva has to offer for your business at affordable prices.
Nextiva Plans and Pricing
Nextiva has three pricing plans available for you to explore. It begins with the Essential plan and works its way up from Professional to Enterprise.
The Essential plan begins at $18.95/user/month, the Professional at $22.95/user/month, and the Enterprise at $32.95/user/month. If you have specific needs, you can request a quote for all three plans.
Want to see more how Nextiva works without committing to a plan? You can contact their account executives to get a personalized demo of what it can offer your business.
2. Grasshopper (from $29/month)
Best for Entrepreneurs & Remote Teams
Grasshopper is a professional VoIP system that can equip you with a business phone number to keep your work and personal life separate, but all on one device.
As soon as you receive a business call, Grasshopper further adds to your professionalism with custom greetings, extensions, easy routing, virtual receptionists, and more.
Because all your communication is on the Internet, you’ll never have to worry about missing a call with the service available straight from your desktop or mobile app. This makes it ideal for remote work environments, letting you hustle from literally anywhere.
With the ability to get up and running within minutes, Grasshopper makes it incredibly easy to get started and control the flow of your customers.
Having had over 350,000 happy customers itself, Grasshopper stands out as the best and easiest VoIP system to use for your remote team and entrepreneurial needs.
Grasshopper Key Features
Here’s a list of features Grasshopper’s residential VoIP service offers:
- Desktop and mobile apps for business management anywhere you go.
- Ruby virtual receptionist to answer calls when you can’t.
- Simultaneous call handling for quick communication.
- Custom greetings to provide a personalized experience.
- Voicemail transcription
- Business texting
- Virtual fax
- Business phone number
- Extensions
- Call transfers
- Incoming call control
- Instant response
Grasshopper doesn’t only provide you with a business phone number, but a complete virtual phone system to take your remote entrepreneurial pursuits to the next level.
Grasshopper Plans and Pricing
Grasshopper features 3 plans that have plenty to offer, including the Solo, the Partner, and the Small Business plan.
The Solo plan starts out at $29/month for 1 phone number and 3 extensions. The Partner plan comes in at $49/month and provides 3 phone numbers and 6 extensions. The Small Business plan is the most robust, which is priced at $89/month and offers 5 phone numbers and unlimited extensions. You’ll save over 10% if you go with an annual plan.
Keep in mind that most businesses choose the Partner plan as the most popular one out of the bunch. If you want more flexibility in choosing your perfect plan, do take advantage of the 7-day free trial.
3. RingCentral (from $29.99/month)
Nextiva Alternative for SMBs & Smaller Teams
With over 400,000 businesses that have used RingCentral to communicate with their customers, you’re sure to get a service that’s perfect for your small business and team needs.
As an alternative to Nextiva, we recommend using RingCentral if your team consists of 10 employees or less. As your business grows, RingCentral can also accommodate your needs so you never fully outgrow its use.
The reason why it’s so great for your smaller business needs is because the entry level plan provides a host of benefits for an affordable price. For instance, you can enjoy unlimited calls within North America, as well as unlimited business messaging. Whether you want to carry out conversations with customers on your desktop or on a mobile app, RingCentral equips every member with a free phone number to do just that.
Take a look at the variety of features available with RingCentral below to get a better sense of how it can take your business to the next level.
RingCentral Key Features
Here’s a list of features RingCentral’s business VoIP phone service offers:
- Unlimited calls within the US and Canada
- Unlimited business SMS text messaging
- Voicemail-to-text
- Team messaging
- Document sharing
- Business phone or toll-free numbers
- Unlimited internet fax
- Unlimited audio conferencing
- Video meetings with up to 200 participants
- Popular integrations with Microsoft, Google, Slack, and more
- 24/7 support
With RingCentral by your side, your small team can take on the work of an army while saving on costs and call durations at the same time.
RingCentral Plans and Pricing
For a team of 2-10 members, RingCentral provides four great plans. It starts with Essentials and works its way up from Standard and Premium to Ultimate.
The Essentials plan starts at $29.99/user/month, the Standard at $37.99/user/month, the Premium at $44.99/user/month, and the Ultimate at $59.99/user/month. You can enjoy a 33% discount if you go with an annual plan.
Before you commit, you can also try it free to get a more comprehensive view on how RingCentral can directly elevate your business.
Why Invest in a Business VoIP Phone System?
To put it simply, your business stands to gain a whole lot at a much more affordable cost. For one, you won’t have to worry about failing equipment, as your calls are now processed through the power of the Internet.
That also means your team can experience a boost in productivity by answering and making calls from literally anywhere. A VoIP system will also typically save you hundreds of dollars compared to a traditional landline.
Plus, who can forget about all the features and business integrations that such a system can add to your workflow and communication? There’s no doubt that there’s much to benefit from with a business VoIP phone system.
How to Choose the Best Business VoIP Phone Services
For as many benefits as a VoIP phone service can bring, there are just as many wonderful providers out there. So, how do you sort through all of them?
By considering a list of factors and determining what you need, you can quickly narrow down a big list to your perfect business VoIP phone system.
1. Volume & Users (Pricing)
How many calls do you need to make, and how many users are a part of your team? These questions are important to answer, because most services will price you per user and by how many calls you plan on carrying out.
If you’re on the smaller team side with low call volume, you might want to consider a service that prices you by usage. On the other hand, for a larger team with more call volume, you can go with a per-user pricing.
2. VoIP Implementation
Whether you choose to add hardware to your system or not, one of the biggest considerations in using the right service is how well your VoIP can be implemented. The faster everything can be set up, the better you can get started off on the right foot.
3. Customer Support
It’s crucial that you work with a provider that has its own customer support team to rely on when implementation gets difficult, or if you have any general questions. When choosing your favorite provider, make sure that they have a customer service which can be accessed in a short amount of time.
4. Hardware Requirements
When setting up hardware like traditional desk phones or softphones, some providers have more requirements than others, which can create a hassle. To avoid any unnecessary complications, look out for a system that is a breeze to deploy and has a setup that can be completed within minutes.
5. UCaaS Features
Beyond the basic features that most phone systems encompass, more advanced packages called United Communications as a Service (UCaaS) can provide more business features. Such capabilities include conference calling, video conferencing, internal team communication, and more. If you want a service that can do more beyond basic voice calling, look out for one that has a UCaaS package.
Executive Summary
Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, you can expect great things from a business VoIP phone service.
Want a comprehensive solution at an affordable price? You should check out Nextiva. Desire a service that’s more geared for small businesses and teams? Consider RingCentral on your list. Have a team or a business where most work is situated remotely? Grasshopper may be your best choice.
With a business VoIP phone system at your side, get ready to watch your customer communication soar, generating you more sales and leads than you could ever anticipate.