Small Business VoIP

Yes, businesses can often reduce their communication costs by 30-70% by using VoIP business phone service instead of landlines. In fact, it saves you money not only on the phone call charges but also on the initial setup and ongoing costs. There is little to no hardware for you to purchase and maintain. Adding or removing lines, users, and features can be also done quickly.

You will no longer be tied to a desk in the office. With VoIP, you can make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection. This flexibility is especially beneficial for remote and on-the-go workers.

You also get advanced features compared to traditional landlines. VoIP is usually part of a UCaaS ( Unified Communications as a Service) solution, which provides additional communication tools like text messaging and video conferencing. This unified business phone solution will help streamline your communications and enhance team efficiency.

VoIP-capable business phone systems offer a range of key features that enhance communication and productivity. Some of these key features include:

• Auto Attendant: A virtual receptionist that greets callers and helps direct them to the right person or department through menu options. It can be adjusted based on business hours and holidays.
• Call Recording: Record calls for training purposes, quality assurance, or compliance requirements. This is essential if you have a call center for sales or support and need to compliant with regulations.
• Voicemail-to-Email or Visual Voicemail. Voicemails are transcribed into text and delivered to your email or display right on your softphone app. This saves time and allows you to quickly scan messages without listening to lengthy recordings.
• Mobile/Desktop Softphone. An app that connect to your business phone system and allows you call, meet, and chat with colleagues or customers using your business number.
• Call Forwarding: Redirect calls to another number or device, ensuring you never miss important calls.
• Call pops. See contact details or incoming calls, including caller name, company name, job title, past interactions, etc. This screen pop functionality enables your team to deliver more personalized customer support. It often works with CRM integrations, where you store all your customer records and important customer data.
• Business Hours & Holidays. Automatically route calls to a designated number (such as an on-call employee or voicemail) outside of regular business hours. Ensures that urgent calls are handled promptly even when the office is closed.
• Analytics and Reporting: Access detailed call analytics and reports to gain insights into call volumes, performance, and trends.

These are just a few examples of the many features to look for when selecting a business VoIP phone system. For more information on how to evaluate if a phone system is right for your business, please refer to small buiness phone system buyer guide.

• Yeastar provides both Cloud and on-premises VoIP solution. It's a business phone system with built-in call center, messaging and meetings and is simple to use from a desk phone, desktop, or mobile device. In 2024, G2 review ranks it in the top 10 among 423 VoIP providers for small business based on the user reviews and satisfaction.
• Zoom Phone is an affordable VoIP service that includes toll-free numbers and voicemail transcription. It’s great for businesses looking to save costs while maintaining quality. However, it's missing outbound call features sales teams tend to need.
• RingCentral focus on cloud-based communications service. It’s powerful enough for smaller teams and easy to use across various devices, yet customer support are limited for smaller plans. Some features such as internet faxing are not available without an upgrade. In terms of both cost and complexity, it can be overkill for some small offices.
• Goto Connect offers only cloud VoIP. It's most preferable for its multisite compatibility and plans to allow unlimited locations, users and dial plans. Yet, many reviewers also point out that it's call-reporting features lack the detail and ease of use of other business phone vendors’ call management and analytics.
• 8×8 offers robust features for contact centers, making it ideal for businesses that handle customer inquiries and support. The system takes time to set up the system at higher tiers. It's pricing and setup favor more enterprise-level companies rather than small businesses.

The cost of a small business VoIP phone system can vary depending on several factors, including the size of the business, the number of users, the desired features, and the service provider. As a rough estimate, a small business VoIP phone system can range from $10 to $50 per user per month, excluding any upfront hardware costs. It's recommended to research and compare different providers to find the best fit for your specific needs and budget. Here are some cost considerations. You can also refer to business phone system TCO (Total Costs of Ownership) analysis for more details.

• Monthly or annual subscription fees
• One-time setup and installation costs
• Hardware costs
• Additional features and add-ons
• Phone number, call minutes, and international calling rates