6 High Picks + 10 Alternate options

After researching 29 completely different telephone programs, we discovered Nextiva to be the very best for many. It has options for each kind of enterprise, from model new to essentially the most advanced contact facilities. 

It doesn’t matter what you want, it’s versatile, straightforward to implement, extremely scalable, and helps dozens of {hardware} choices (when you want bodily telephones). As some of the feature-rich and well-supported programs on the market, it’s powerful to beat. See Nextiva in motion for your self or maintain studying to study extra about it and the opposite high enterprise telephone programs available on the market. 

The High Enterprise Telephone Methods

These are our high picks that cowl the wants of most individuals on the lookout for a enterprise telephone system:

The suggestions beneath could also be a greater match for particular conditions:

Our Enterprise Telephone System Evaluate Course of

We got down to assessment each telephone system on the market–as many as we may discover, at the very least. We began with 29 earlier than narrowing it right down to our high six picks and 10 options for particular conditions.

Past name high quality and reliability, we regarded intently at elements like inner collaboration, ease of implementation, the person interface, primary name dealing with, {hardware} combability, worldwide calling, toll-free minutes, and customer support.

Our analysis workforce spent months digging into the specifics, studying how they work, determining what issues, what’s noise, and which choices are greatest for various eventualities.

We distilled all the important thing factors from greater than 200 pages of analysis beneath.

Nextiva: The Greatest Enterprise Telephone System For Most

Nextiva is likely one of the most respected and dependable enterprise telephone programs available on the market.

It matches the wants of nearly anybody—from small companies to advanced name facilities, Nextiva does nearly every part.

Whether or not you’re in a standard workplace setting with a handful of workers or you will have lots of of hybrid and distant workers in a name middle, you’ll be proud of Nextiva.

With a clear and arranged UI, anybody on your workforce will really feel proper at dwelling. On the executive facet, that ease of use extends to managing the system’s administrative duties, like organising voicemail, including customers, and customizing the decision stream.

Plus, the platform’s Admin Portal provides you step-by-step guides that will help you configure settings and implement the system throughout your enterprise.

However Nextiva doesn’t simply work for telephone calls. You need to use its video options to fulfill and collaborate with as much as 250 folks or permit your groups to collaborate on an upcoming mission by way of group messaging.

You’ll additionally get on-line faxing, primary SMS options, file sharing, and extra.

Plus, you’ll get all the usual telephone options. From easy instruments like caller ID and voicemail to superior options like multi-level auto-attendant and HIPAA compliance, Nextiva will be molded to suit any enterprise.

It’s flexibility is second to none–it morphs to work the way you do, moderately than the opposite approach round.

Nextiva additionally caters to the wants of inbound and outbound name facilities—in conventional on-site contact middle environments, digital name facilities, or each. You may arrange superior interactive voice response programs for self-servicing and customise your name routing tree to make sure inbound calls are shortly answered by the correct particular person.

No matter your wants, you’ll be able to truthfully… cease your search now. You don’t should take our phrase for it–you’ll be able to get a free demo to see in motion plus attempt it free earlier than spending a penny.

However if you wish to study extra about why we find it irresistible, try our full Nextiva assessment for a deeper dive.

RingCentral: Cheaper Name Recording, Harder Set Up

RingCentral is one other top-notch enterprise telephone resolution. By way of total name high quality, reliability, and customer support, it’s basically neck-and-neck with Nextiva. 

That stated, Nextiva is certainly simpler to make use of and arrange. Nextiva additionally has larger texting limits, a stronger built-in CRM, extra toll-free minutes, and limitless faxing obtainable on each plan.

These variations, significantly for ease of use and deployment, make Nextiva the higher alternative for many companies.

Nevertheless, RingCentral provides name recording on each plan—whereas Nextiva solely provides this at its highest tier. You’ll have to join certainly one of RingCentral’s higher-tiered plans to robotically file each name, however you are able to do it on demand at each degree.

RingCentral additionally supplies a wider vary of integrations and superior options in comparison with Nextiva. This may be good when you want them, nevertheless it sometimes makes issues extra difficult when you don’t (most traditional enterprise don’t).

Take a look at our side-by-side Nextiva and RingCentral comparability or our standalone RingCentral assessment to study extra about it.

Ooma: Best Setup, Missing Lengthy-Time period Scalability

Customers reward Ooma for its ease of use and handy setup, particularly relating to including new customers and configuring the system to work with a enterprise’s particular wants.

Even when you use desk telephones. it provides preactivated {hardware} that works as quickly because it’s plugged in.

Whether or not your operation is completely digital or certain to an workplace, most small companies can get arrange and working in simply quarter-hour.

Ooma’s system provides you native or toll-free numbers with limitless calling to the US, Canada, and Mexico. Mixed with low worldwide per-minute name charges, which means your international workforce can talk with each other with out wrecking your funds.

Whereas Ooma doesn’t embrace workforce messaging or file sharing, some plans permit for video conferencing, texting, and digital faxing along with voice calling. 

All of that is nice when you’re a smaller enterprise that plans on staying small for the foreseeable future. However when you plan on rising in any respect, you’ll attain some extent the place Ooma can not develop with you.

You additionally gained’t get superior name administration capabilities, name middle instruments, or AI performance, but it’s basically the identical worth as different high-octane suppliers. 

Ooma’s entry-level plan doesn’t even embrace a desktop app. It doesn’t supply HIPAA compliance and solely provides actually primary analytics. You may have the ability to stay with these things for a 12 months or two, however many companies will finally want one thing that does a bit extra.

Take a look at our Ooma assessment if it’s ease of DIY implementation and easy administration attraction to you.

Vonage: A Nice Deal if You Don’t Want Bodily Telephones

Vonage has a tremendous reasonably priced softphone-only plan that’s nice when you simply want the fundamentals and may get by making and receiving calls out of your sensible telephone or pc. It begins at simply over $10 per person per thirty days in case you have greater than 20 customers.

It’s undoubtedly a steal. Nevertheless, many options you’d get normal with different suppliers are solely obtainable as add-ons. When you begin including these on, it’s not deal.

You may basically get all of those options (and extra) for much less cash with Nextiva.

This finally makes Nextiva a greater worth than Vonage, even when you’re small and don’t want any {hardware}. 

That stated, Vonage does have some bundled worldwide plans which might be a fantastic worth when you’re doing plenty of worldwide calling. That is one occasion the place it might make sense to go along with Vonage over Nextiva. 

Vonage additionally has over 100 integrations through its app market. One of many cooler integrations is the flexibility to attach it with Livestorm to run webinars and stay occasions on Vonage’s infrastructure.

Simply bear in mind that Vonage doesn’t supply 24/7 assist. Whereas this isn’t a dealbreaker, it may be a critical ache when you need assistance after hours.

See our in-depth assessment of Vonage for extra info.

Easy Enterprise Telephone Methods: Telephone.com and 1-VoIP

Telephone.com and 1-VoIP are each low-cost, easy telephone programs if all you want is a barebones arrange that lets your workforce make and take the occasional telephone name. In case you can afford Nextiva, we nonetheless suggest it over each of those.

However we wish to ensure you perceive your whole choices, particularly if worth is your high concern. 

Telephone.com–Nice for Rare Calling

Telephone.com is the way in which to go if you’d like a low-cost resolution now that’s versatile sufficient to scale up while you want it to. This platform works particularly properly for seasonal companies, smaller distant work groups, and sporadic name volumes.

On its entry-level plan alone, you get 500 shared minutes, one quantity per person, and conferencing for as much as 10 individuals.

What makes Telephone.com distinctive is the flexibility to combine and match customers. You may put a pair customers on a higher-priced plan whereas conserving the remainder of your workers on a primary tier. This provides you the liberty to provide options and administration solely to particular customers who want them. It can save you a ton since you’re not pressured to place everybody on higher-costing plans.

Whilst a bare-bones VoIP supplier, Telephone.com provides video conferences and HIPAA-compliant options. The video calls aren’t fairly as superior as different programs available on the market, however they get the job finished for one-off conditions. 

Take a look at our Telephone.com assessment for a deeper look.

1-VoIP–Appropriate with a Bunch of Legacy IP Telephones

1-VoIP is an efficient possibility for companies needing a easy telephone service with out a bunch of bells and whistles. Its enterprise telephone system choices might lack some options that others ship, like faxing and workforce chat, however you’ll pay a low month-to-month fee per extension for voice calling.

Its pay-as-you-go pricing mannequin works for firms that aren’t reliant on fixed calling. For rare calling wants, it can save you fairly a bit of cash with 1-VoIP in comparison with the feature-packed communication suites available on the market. 

For a budget-friendly resolution, 1-VoIP is surprisingly dependable. It boasts a powerful 99.999% uptime fee, no matter the place your workforce members are situated. 

It’s additionally value noting that 1-VoIP is suitable with a variety of various IP telephones, which is a pleasant perk for conventional workplace settings or cases the place your workforce prefers desk telephones or softphones. However Telephone.com most likely makes extra sense when you simply wish to use your smartphones or computer systems for calling. 

If you should make video calls, 1-VoIP gained’t work for you. You’ll be higher off with Telephone.com or one of many different, extra highly effective telephone suppliers on our checklist. 

Take a look at our full 1-VoIP assessment for a full breakdown of its enterprise telephone providers. 

Simply Want a Digital Telephone Quantity? These Are the Greatest Choices

Digital telephone quantity suppliers are perfect for including a devoted enterprise line to your present telephone so you’ll be able to separate private calls from enterprise.

In case you’ve ever made a name by way of Google Voice, you’ve already used one.

Grasshopper is the best and hottest–it’s additionally what we use. Its True Solo plan is the best choice for single customers who simply need an additional line. Take a look at our full Grasshopper assessment to study extra about its plans and options.

If you would like a extra superior possibility, TalkRoute is an efficient technique to go. Nevertheless, it’s priced larger than the remainder. At this worth, it most likely makes extra sense to get a full telephone system.

800.com is nice when you want a toll-free quantity. It has reasonably priced choices whether or not you want just some minutes per thirty days or limitless. Be taught learn how to get a 1-800 quantity or try our full 800.com assessment to study extra about the way it can assist.

In case your workforce goes to share a digital quantity, OpenPhone is your greatest wager. Nevertheless, there are setup and service charges that add to our month-to-month invoice.

It’s least expensive plan additionally maxes out at ten customers, though it’s best to most likely go along with one thing extra superior (like Nextiva) in case your workforce is already that giant.

Greatest Limitless Worldwide Calling Choices

Nextiva fees worldwide calls per minute, which is ok for rare calling however can get costly at scale.

At scale, you’ll be higher off with limitless worldwide calling. The very best one for your enterprise will finally boil right down to which nations you should attain.

GoTo Join provides limitless worldwide calling to 52 nations on its Normal and Premium plans.

In case you additionally do numerous digital face-to-face conferences, Zoom‘s worldwide plan helps limitless calling to 40 completely different nations and contains video conferencing.

Aircall is healthier for acquiring worldwide telephone numbers in areas the place you do enterprise. That is ultimate for outbound gross sales in addition to inbound assist, as clients in these areas will really feel extra snug dialing or answering calls from a quantity they acknowledge. 

Whatever the supplier you select, ensure you look intently on the checklist of supported nations.

Take a look at our Zoom assessment and GoTo Join assessment if you wish to study extra about them. 

Superior Enterprise Telephone Methods for Contact Facilities

Name middle software program provides much more performance vs normal enterprise telephone programs. These options are outfitted to deal with a excessive quantity of inbound and outbound calls.

Whether or not you’re working a contact middle or name middle, you must also search for an answer that comes with superior reporting, agent coaching instruments, computerized name recording, IVR options,  and a stay view of your most essential name middle metrics. 

Nextiva is a good possibility. It has devoted name middle plans, however its common enterprise telephone plans will also be used for smaller groups—because it’s feature-packed sufficient to assist a excessive quantity and route calls appropriately.

Nevertheless, there are just a few different suppliers we suggest for various conditions.

In case you do numerous outbound calling, CallHippo is a viable resolution. It’s straightforward to arrange–extensions will be configured in a matter of minutes. Gross sales groups can benefit from its voice broadcasting system, which helps you to ship a prerecorded voice message to a number of folks.

Dialpad and CloudTalk are pretty comparable, as each supply a variety of superior name middle options. 

Dialpad boasts highly effective AI know-how to assist assembly transcriptions, post-call summaries, and stay speech teaching. You may get speedy suggestions about calls with out having to hear first, then give key steering to brokers after the decision to enhance outcomes subsequent time round.

In case you’re on the lookout for a extremely customizable name routing system, CloudTalk has the sting.

With each ACD and IVR capabilities, it helps you to handle calls within the particular approach you need, plus automate points of your name stream. You can too use its energy dialer, predictive dialer, automated name again function, and caller emotion analytics to take your name middle to the subsequent degree.

Enterprise Telephone Methods vs VoIP: Terminology Defined

VoIP (voice over web protocol) is a sort of enterprise telephone system that permits calls to be revamped the web as a substitute of a conventional landline. Most fashionable VoIP telephone providers are additionally cloud-based telephone programs—so these two phrases are beginning to change into interchangeable. Technically, you can have a VoIP telephone system that’s put in and maintained on-premises (as a substitute of the cloud) or a non-VoIP enterprise telephone system, though we sometimes don’t suggest these. 

A digital telephone quantity helps you to make and obtain calls from smartphones, computer systems, or IP telephones with out a hardwired phone line.

That is the kind of telephone quantity supplied by VoIP and cloud-based telephone suppliers. 

A multi-line telephone system simply means you’ll be able to deal with two or extra calls on the similar time. Callers will be positioned on maintain whereas an inner or exterior quantity is dialed, and it’s one thing that’s generally provided from VoIP and non-VoIP enterprise telephone programs. 

PBX stands for personal department trade, which is an inner community that permits for inner calls inside an organization or group. There are a number of alternative ways to arrange a PBX telephone system, however a hosted cloud VoIP is commonly the very best route. 

Regardless of the minor variations between enterprise telephone programs, most of those phrases are beginning to converge on one another.

Truthfully, the variations between all of the phrases don’t matter a lot. The fitting enterprise telephone system will enable you to decide which one’s the correct resolution for you.

What Issues When Reviewing Enterprise Telephone Methods

We regarded intently at a ton off metrics when placing this information collectively. We summarized the ten most essential concerns beneath.

Telephone System Setup

It doesn’t matter what you employ your enterprise telephone system for, simple setup and beginner-friendly usability are no-brainers. There are far too many straightforward programs on the market to undergo with one thing no one likes to make use of.

Though an IT division can assist arrange the VoIP system for bigger firms, every agent ought to have the ability to function on the system with ease.

That is significantly essential in case your telephone programs shall be deployed remotely to dwelling places of work or hybrid work environments. 

Name Dealing with Options

Companies with excessive name volumes lean on telephone programs to ship calls to the correct particular person and make it straightforward for brokers to seek out buyer info.

Whether or not that’s achieved by way of an ACD (computerized name distributor), IVR (interactive voice response), digital receptionist, stay receptionist, or some mixture of those, name dealing with options are essential for velocity and effectivity with inbound calls. 

Name Recording and Analytics

Tons of companies file calls and monitor name analytics to make sure that all buyer wants are adequately met. These recordings can present supervisors when further coaching is perhaps obligatory, whereas analytics may point out areas of enchancment with holding occasions, assist escalations, and different elements.

Name recording will also be used for compliance or authorized functions.

Inner Collaboration Instruments

Along with primary audio calling performance, most of the greatest enterprise telephone programs present collaborative instruments constructed for groups. From video calling and file sharing to texting, faxing, direct inward dialing, and workforce chat, you may get much more than simply calling.

Desktop and Cell Apps

Apps are actually essential when you’re not planning to buy {hardware} and wish your workforce to make calls utilizing their present units.

Integrations

Connecting your enterprise telephone system to the instruments your workforce makes use of daily can streamline communications and productiveness.

The variety of integrations doesn’t matter as a lot as the particular options a supplier integrates with and the way deep the combination goes.

Worldwide Calling

If a enterprise telephone system fees for worldwide calls by the minute, it might get costly actually shortly–particularly in the event that they occur frequently.

Some suppliers supply limitless worldwide plans to sure nations to assist maintain these unpredictable prices as little as doable. If all of your calls are in North America, this gained’t matter to you.

Safety and Compliance

Many firms do numerous enterprise over the telephone, which means that delicate info, like financial institution numbers and figuring out information, travels over their telephone strains. Excessive-level end-to-end encryption and safety can maintain this info protected.

Your system may must adjust to particular rules, like GDPR or HIPAA compliance.

{Hardware} and Tools Compatibility

Most fashionable enterprise telephone programs don’t require {hardware} past a smartphone or pc.

It’s your decision desk telephones, although. If you have already got some you wish to proceed utilizing, ensure that the supplier you select can assist it. When buying new tools, it’s greatest to purchase it immediately out of your supplier to make sure plug-and-play implementation.

Name Heart Options

Name middle options are obligatory for coping with a excessive quantity of inbound or outbound calls.

For inbound calls, routing options are important—particularly if they will additionally present reps with extra context in regards to the caller.

For outbound calls, you’ll wish to search for auto dialers, predictive dialers, and different instruments that assist maximize the period of time your reps spend speaking to actual folks, versus losing time dialing numbers, listening to ringtones, or leaving voicemails.