VoIP is a voice-over-internet protocol technology that allows you to make phone calls over the internet. Telecom companies typically provide VoIP services.
Choosing the right VoIP provider for your business can be daunting whether you are a small and medium-sized business or an enterprise-scale business. There are too many to choose from, and they all offer different services, with different prices and package deals.
This difficulty in choosing the right provider can cost you time and negatively impact the success of your business. Thankfully you found this article. We have taken the time to investigate some of the best VoIP providers, comparing their features, pricing, management, and support.
This post will explain a business VoIP provider and its characteristics and recommend the best providers, including why we chose them. You can make an enlightened decision about the best VoIP provider for your business.
Let’s get into it.
In this article:
- What is a business VoIP provider?
- What are the characteristics of a good business VoIP provider?
- Which are the best business VoIP providers on the market and why?
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What is a business VoIP provider?
A business VoIP provider is a service company that allows businesses to communicate using voice and data over an IP network.
It offers features such as call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, conference calling, and much more.
Unlike a traditional phone service that uses the landline, a VoIP phone system uses the internet to transmit phone calls.
What are the characteristics of a good business VoIP provider?
VoIP providers offer a wide range of benefits to businesses. There are many VoIP providers available in the market, but not all of them will be able to provide the best services for your business.
Some of the essential characteristics that you should look for in a VoIP provider are:
A comprehensive set of service plans at a reasonable cost
The service plans offered by VoIP providers vary significantly in price and features. A good business VoIP provider should have a flexible and holistic plan with the basic features your business needs to get started on your budget.
Find out what is included in their plans before signing up with them, and make sure it meets your needs and budget requirements before committing.
Comprehensive system and network security
Any internet technology system is prone to security breaches. A good business VoIP provider should have a robust design and network security measures to handle such situations.
Therefore, they should have compliance certifications and security measures like HIPPA, GDPR, SOC2 certifications, and end-to-end encryption.
Compatible with your business operating system, hardware, and essential applications
A good VoIP provider should be compatible with your current operating system, existing hardware, and any third-party business communication software you want to continue using.
Quality call service
Phone calls via VoIP are cheaper than the traditional telephone system. However, it wouldn’t make sense if the quality of the calls isn’t good. A good VoIP provider should offer high-quality call service.
Reliable and accessible round-the-clock technical support
A good business VoIP provider should have a high bandwidth capacity, internet speed, and 99.9% uptime, offering technical support on at least one communication channel. This can be either by phone, email, or chat service.
Available VoIP Features
Good VoIP service providers should have the features you need for your business, such as call queuing, auto-attendant, call reports, multi-device routing, VoIP interactive voice response, conferencing, etc.
Make sure to check if these features are available as an add-on or if they are included in a monthly service package.
Scalability of VoIP provider
An important characteristic to look out for in VoIP providers is scalability. A good VoIP provider needs to be able to scale its products and services with the needs of a business.
It is critical for a business to partner with a VoIP provider that can offer a broad range of products that is flexible and tailored to their need and at a minimal cost.
Which are the best business VoIP providers on the market and why?
A recent report states that the worldwide market for VoIP services should rise from $85.2 billion in 2021 to $102.5 billion by 2026, with a CAGR of 3.8% from 2021-2026.
That’s impressive growth in five years. Yet there are tons of businesses around the world that are yet to take advantage of the benefits VoIP technology services offers. Many are still neutral about their choice because they do not know which VoIP provider to use.
As a business, the most important criteria for evaluating VoIP providers are reliability and customer service. You want to ensure that your phone line is always available when you need it, with no interruptions.
In addition, you should be able to speak with a live voice. VoIP services are a cost-effective and reliable solution. In this section, we will discuss our best 3 VoIP service providers in detail so you can find out which VoIP provider is best for you and your business.
Nextiva
Nextiva offers a complete communication system for growing your small business. They offer all the essential VoIP services with features such as call routing, caller ID, call recording and rating, conference bridge, call pulling, auto-attendant, free domestic calling, voicemail to email, and text, online fax, and more.
Their technology is easy to set up, their price is highly competitive at $14.95/mo-$57.95/mo, and they give a 12% discount if you subscribe to the annual package.
Interestingly, unlike many other VoIP providers, they don’t require annual contracts. In addition, they have CRM and live chat features, making them a complete communication suite.
So, whether or not you’re at a desk, on your mobile device, using a headset, or on a conference call, you are good to go with Nextivia.
RingCentral
RingCentral is a top VoIP provider servicing small and enterprise-scale businesses worldwide, including the US, Europe, and Asia.
They offer extensive VoIP services with features such as call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, advanced call routing, conferencing, and more.
Their system is easy to setup up and scales up as your business grows. One of their best features is that they can easily integrate with most of the third-party services you may be using, like Dropbox, Google workspace, MailChimp, Salesforce, Amazon, Microsoft Outlook, Zendesk, and more.
Other features worthy of note include team calls, video conferencing, and messaging all in one app.
Their price could be costly to small and medium-sized businesses starting at $19.99/mo-$49.99/mo. However, you can save up to 33% if you subscribe to the annual package.
Vonage
Vonage VoIP services are suitable for small, medium, and enterprise-scale businesses. They offer an extensive communication system that goes wherever you go.
Their service offers include call forwarding, call routing, caller ID, call waiting, team messaging and chat, conference calling, automatic call attendant, call recording, and more.
Their system integrates with third-party software and services such as Salesforce, Microsoft team, Microsoft dynamic, social CRM, etc.
Their basic price could also be costly to small and medium-sized businesses, starting at $19.99/mo per user extension. Still, it features unlimited calling and SMS messaging, as well as team messaging, making it a budget option if you need only basic features.
Conclusion
As a business in this era of remote work, it is essential to find the best business VOIP providers for your team and business and enable a powerful customer experience that ultimately improves the bottom line.
The best providers will offer you various services that suit your needs.
Regardless of your industry, take the time to evaluate a provider that matches. You can initiate a free trial or demo to see which provider service works best for you.
We hope this article assists you in some way in finding the best business VoIP provider for your business. Let us know what your choice is and get in touch if you need our assistance.