Small Office VOIP Phone System

Every business, regardless of its size, should have a small office VOIP phone system.

Although many businesses may stick to their regular landlines or PABX systems, it would be ideal for all of them to switch to VOIP phones.

It provides several benefits to the business and its customers. Plus, it is relatively cheap.

Here, we will walk you through what VOIP is, how it can be beneficial for your business, some of the best VOIP service providers, etc.

WHAT IS THE SMALL OFFICE VOIP PHONE SYSTEM?

The acronym VOIP means Voice over Internet Protocol. It is a phone service that utilizes your internet connection to make a phone call or receive one.

Other than that, it provides numerous benefits that could help your business. Perchance, the most crucial advantage is that you do not need to stick around near a landline.

The small office VOIP phone system allows you to communicate with your customers and colleagues from your smartphone, as long as you have a working internet connection. In short, you will have a virtual office with a phone system.

HOW CAN THE SMALL OFFICE VOIP PHONE SYSTEM BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO YOUR CUSTOMERS?

In today’s competitive market, all customers expect the best possible service. Sometimes, as a business owner, you may need to bend backward to accommodate certain clients.

As such, the traditional ways of doing business is not enough to keep your customers hooked. So, to have many happy clients, you need a small office VOIP phone system. Here are some advantages:

Interactions with customers become more efficient. All customers hate repeating themselves to several agents to get their problem solved. So, the customers can be routed to the appropriate agents as quickly as possible. It helps the business to solve customer’s problems, reduce organisational errors, and appease unhappy customers.
VOIP allows your business to answer more calls. The business can outsource its customer services team, so that the service is available round the clock.
You can program the VOIP phone system to try multiple numbers at a time to ensure that your customer is connected to an available agent as quickly as possible.

It is because you could spread your workforce out across various time zones. It will ensure that your workforce is fresh and they are able to provide help in a more cheerful attitude. Plus, you can quickly remove anyone from the team on short notice if you are outsourcing them.

The on-hold music in VoIP phone systems allows you to keep your customers on hold for a longer period of time.

WHY SHOULD YOU USE THE VOIP PHONES IN YOUR WORKPLACE?

Well, you can already see an ample amount of benefits that your customers will enjoy. If you are a small business owner, you can easily take your VOIP phone with you anywhere.

How? Well, the VOIP service providers have smartphone apps that increase your accessibility. Hence, you can answer your phones, even if you are not in your workplace. Plus, the VOIP number is a totally virtual number, so you can carry the same number with you wherever you go. Thus, if you are a frequent traveller, you can keep the number with you at all times, which gives you complete portability. Other than that, you can add several additional features at no extra costs. It is safe to state that the small office VOIP phone system is better than both the traditional landline and PABX.

HOW MUCH WOULD THE VOIP COST YOUR BUSINESS?

Of course, a phone system with such lucrative features may sound too costly for any small business owner. Yet, the small office VOIP phone system is indeed inexpensive once you factor in all those amazing features. While the charges vary from one service provider to another, here’s a brief outline to give you a rough idea about its potential costs.

The initial setup costs range from $0 to $50 per line
The service providers charge $19 to $45 per line monthly
The IP phone’s cost ranges from $80 to $600, depending on the model you choose for your business.
Making international calls using your VOIP phone is surprisingly cheap at $0.01+ per minute
The fees and taxes levied for using VOIP varies depending on your city, county, and state.

Overall, it is safe to assume that a small office VOIP phone system is the cheaper option for you.

ISN’T TRADITIONAL PHONE SYSTEMS CHEAPER THAN VOIP PHONE SYSTEM?

In short, the answer is no. The traditional phone systems have a plethora of documents that you need to go through. Plus, most of them have several hidden costs, which might be unexpected for you. Here are some of their hidden charges.

Their installation charges range from $50 to $100 per drop
They require you to pay a deposit, which can range from $100 to $500.
Their maintenance contact can charge you $1000+ per annum
Their international calls are pretty expensive, starting from $1.00+ per minute
They do a hard pull credit check

So, you can clearly see that a traditional phone system may not be a feasible choice for you.

TOP-RATED FEATURES OF A SMALL OFFICE VOIP PHONE SYSTEM

The feasibility of the features mentioned below will certainly depend on your requirements. But, most businesses are known to use many of those options for ease of operations.

Auto Attendant: The automatic call receiver will receive your customer’s call with greetings and a phone menu. The feature will easily direct your customers to the appropriate department or agent to get their work done quickly.
Applications for Desktop and Smartphone: Most VOIP service providers offer apps for the business’s computer and mobile devices. As such, you will not miss calls if you are not in the office.
High-Definition (HD) Call Quality: Making a customer repeat themselves time and time again will only infuriate them. But, the HD call quality will enhance the sound quality of the incoming calls.
Call Encryption and VOIP Security: Security is a top priority for any company, especially since telephone calls can contain confidential information like credit card numbers. The VOIP phone systems have built-in security measures that prevent anyone from tapping your calls.
Call Recording: Recording calls will allow you to listen to those calls at a later date to ensure that your employees are actually treating your customers with care and precision. Plus, by hearing those calls, you can locate the places that require improvements. In addition, these recordings are completely secure. So, only authorized personnel can gain access to these recordings.

SOME OF THE BEST VOIP PHONE SERVICE PROVIDERS

If you are intrigued to know the top-rated services providers in the market, we have the perfect list for you.

Ring Central: Ring Central has been around for over two decades, providing excellent service. Their phone system provides a combination of voice, video, conferencing, and group messaging services… all in one!

Their features include transcription of voicemails, software phone, SMS messaging, automatic call-back, call monitoring, voicemail to email, electronic fax, E911 service, SIP phone support, toll-free option, video conferencing with screen sharing, etc.

Their pricing begins at a discounted rate of $19.99 per user per month for their “Essentials” plan. It accommodates up to 20 users. It gives toll-free number, voicemail to text option, team messaging, document sharing, unlimited calls within USA and Canada, conversational SMS, etc.

They also have other plans, such as “Standard,” “Premium,” and “Ultimate,” which cost a discounted rate of $27.99, $34.99, and $49.99 respectively. The other plans also offer more functions, such as no limit of number of users, CRM integrations, unlimited storage, quality of service reports, 24/7 support, etc.

8X8, Inc.: The thirty-five-years old company has been in the industry for a very long time. Their business acumen ensures quality service at all times.

They provide all the services like Ring Central, except for electronic fax and automatic call-back. Their pricing starts from $15.00 per user per month for their 8×8 Express Plan. The package allows you to create a personalised greeting and menu for your customers.

It also gives branded music on hold, which gives your business a professional look and feel. The advanced call management features allow you to route calls to the correct resource during business hours, and routing them to other resources during out-of-business hours. The Team Collaboration allows team messaging to collaborate on tasks together.

It also gives unlimited SMS in USA and Canada. The plan would accommodate up to 10 users and it merges voice, video and messaging in one app. Other plans include X2 and X4, which cost $24 and $44 respectively, with several added features.

Dialpad: Dialpad is only a decade old. Yet, it has made its way into our list. As per a Bloomberg report, the company is valued at $2.2 billion. Both Dialpad and Ring Central provide similar services.

But, Dialpad’s starting price is lower than Ring Central’s. Their cheapest plan for business communication costs only $15 per user per month, which gives unlimited calling, SMS, and MMS. It also provides call controls, such as call forwarding, call transfer, hold and mute options. In addition, it provides voicemail transcription, integrations with G Suite and Office 365, custom off-hours routing, etc. They also provide free video conferencing for 45-minutes with up to 10 participants and screen sharing. They also offer customizable features that you can look into by contacting them directly.

Ooma: The company was founded by Andrew Frame in 2004. Its present market cap is $436.73M indicating its great performance. Ooma offers both residential and business solutions. Their small office VOIP phone system plan starts at only $19.95 per user per month.

It provides facilities, such as virtual assistant, mobile app, call park, ring groups, music on hold, transfer music, extension dialing, voicemail, call transfers, call logs, one conference bridge per user, extension-to-extension dialing, forwarding calls during device outages, one virtual fax per user, seven-digit dialing, call blocking, intercom, call forwarding, multi-device ring, virtual extensions, voicemail audio email attachments, SMS messaging, call flip, and overhead paging.

That is indeed a lot of services for a very cheap rate. If you go for their “Ooma Office Pro” plan, then it will cost you $24.95 per user per month. You will get all the features mentioned above.

Plus, you will also get video conferencing, desktop app, call recording, enhanced call blocking, voicemail transcription, caller info match, and higher usage limits for extension monitoring, call park, and audio conference room participants.

Intermedia Unite: The business was founded in 1991 and it has assisted over 125,000 businesses in improving their communications within the organisation and with their customers.

They provide the same services as Ring Central or Dialpad, but with some added incentives. Their pricing starts at $27.99 with their “Unite Pro” plan. It provides a free phone or device that each user can choose. The choices include Poly VVX 450, Yealink T54W, Logitech C270 AND Blackwire C3210 Headset,Poly Sync 20 BT Speaker.

They also have five concurrent endpoints, free mobile apps, desktop app, free unlimited calling, auto attendant, call pickup, caller ID, paging, call park, intercom, spam call blocking, 911 admin notification, voicemail, voicemail transcription, call recording, receptionist mode, web fax, call transfer, call hold, three way calling, music on hold, etc. They also give you 10GB storage, 100 participants for HD video calling and screen sharing, and 200 participants for HD audio calling, etc.

FEASIBILITY OF VOIP PHONE SYSTEMS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Now that you know exactly what the VOIP phone system is, you can easily comprehend how it affects your business in a helpful manner. So far, you have seen that the use of VOIP can positively impact your relationship with your customers.

It can, undoubtedly, improve your customer service sections by a large margin. Aside from the customer’s aspect, you have also seen that using a VOIP phone system allows you to gain greater control over your business.

In addition, the comparison of the costs of using VOIP phones versus traditional phones should sway you in VOIP phones’ favor. Regardless, a small office VOIP phone system is extremely feasible for the long-term well-being of your business.

But, the service provider you choose depends on your needs. Thus, you would need to do your due diligence to judge which service provides best fits your business’s interests.