RingCentral Review: Best Virtual Phone System

RingCentral Review: Best Virtual Phone System

Haswell 7:13 AM Add Comment

After conducting extensive research and analysis of business phone systems, we recommend RingCentral as the best virtual phone system.

Why RingCentral?

RingCentral's virtual phone system is easy to use, offers a wealth of features and is offered at an affordable price.

Ease of Use

RingCentral Professional is a virtual phone system that doesn't require any equipment, IP phones or special wiring. With this service, customers and clients call a business line, just as they would call any other business, but instead of the call being transferred to someone inside the office, it is transferred to a mobile employee's home or cellphone.

One of the most appealing aspects of RingCentral Professional is how easy it is to get started, set up and use. Since the sign-up process is done online, you can have the system up and running in just a few minutes.

After signing up and choosing a service plan that best fits your needs, you pick a local or toll-free business phone number. If you already have a business phone number, you can transfer that number into the system for no additional cost. Some of the other providers we analyzed charged a fee for this service.


Once you have your number, you have immediate access to the service and can start personalizing it via RingCentral's user-friendly online portal. The interface is well labeled and simple to navigate. It includes tabs for messages, activity logs, contacts, settings, billing and tools. [See Related Story: VoIP for Business: Why It Makes Sense]

After each employee is assigned their own extension, such as 101, 102 or 103, they can log into the system to set the numbers they want their calls forwarded to. What's nice about this part of the process is that employees can forward their calls to multiple numbers. They can then configure the service to ring their selected numbers simultaneously or in sequential order. They can also define the number of times a phone rings before calls are forwarded to another device. This capability gives on-the-go employees the ability to work from anywhere without requiring them to change their forwarding number when switching locations. Employees can have as many as 10 call-forwarding numbers in their queue.

From the caller's perspective, the process is just as simple as calling an office-based business. When a customer or client calls the main business number, he or she hears your professional business greeting, followed by the auto-receptionist asking them to hold while the service locates you. Then the call is either transferred immediately to you, or if you have it enabled, the auto-receptionist asks the caller to state his or her name. This allows you to hear who is calling before deciding if you want to answer the call or send it to voicemail. We like this feature because, if you're working on something important or are with another client, it gives you the ability to easily know if the call needs to be answered immediately.

In addition to setting up the call forwarding, the online portal provides access to voicemail messages and online faxes, as well as gives you the ability to set greeting messages, change payment options, upgrade to different service plans and access customer support.

Should your business grow to the point to where you need a full phone system, you can easily upgrade to RingCentral Office. This cloud-based system is designed for businesses that have an office full of employees who need to make and receive calls. What's nice is that the interface and online portal are exactly the same as on the Professional version, so it would make the switch rather seamless.

Cost

Small businesses will find the low cost of RingCentral Professional appealing. The only cost you incur with this system is a monthly service charge. Unlike some of the other virtual systems we examined, there are no setup or activation fees.

You can pay for the service on a month-to-month basis, or annually. If you sign a one-year contract, each of the three service plans is significantly discounted. This was one of the only providers we examined that gave such deep discounts for committing to at least a year of service.

While each service plan includes one local or toll-free number, the number of extensions included and talking minutes vary by plan. Minutes are incurred each time someone calls any of your extensions.

The cheapest option is the "Pro" plan, for $12.99 per month if you sign a one-year contract, or $22.99 if you just want to pay month-to-month. It includes two extensions and 300 local, long-distance and toll-free minutes. If you run over your allotted monthly minutes, you are charged 4.9 cents per extra minute. This package includes all of the available features, except the option to have a dedicated fax number and dial-by-name directory. In addition, phone support is not available; only Web support is offered with this plan.

RingCentral's most popular option is its "ProPlus" plan, which is $19.99 per month with a one-year commitment, or $29.99 if you want to pay monthly. This option includes five extensions and a combined 1,000 local, long-distance and toll-free minutes. Extra minutes in this plan cost 4.4 cents per minute.

The most expensive plan RingCentral offers is the "ProPower" package. This plan is $24.99 per month if you sign the one-year contract, or $39.99 on a monthly basis. This plan includes 10 extensions, 2,000 local and long-distance minutes, and 1,000 toll-free minutes. Extra minutes in this plan are 3.9 cents each. Both the ProPlus and ProPower plans come with a dedicated fax number, dial-by-name directory and phone support.

We like that the only other costs you can incur with this service are those for additional phone numbers or extensions. RingCentral charges $4.99 per month for each additional local or toll-free number and $2.99 per month for each added extension. You can also add dedicated fax numbers for $4.99 per month and purchase vanity numbers for a one-time $30 fee.

In addition to charging for additional phone numbers, some of the other providers we investigated tacked on extra fees for some features, like Internet faxing or voicemail-to-email service, both of which come standard on all RingCentral plans.

RingCentral was also one of the only services we found that allows you to try out the system for free. The seven-day free trial gives you the ability to test out the service to see if it works for you, without having to spend any money.

Features

What really sold us us on RingCentral's virtual system is the range of calling features that allow businesses with a mobile workforce to present a professional image. All of the features, except for the dial-by-name directory, come standard with all three service plans. Many of the other providers we examined charged extra for some of their best features.

One of the features we liked most was the ability to use "softphones," which let you receive calls on your desktop or laptop computer. All you need to do is download the RingCentral for Desktop app to your computer and plug in a headset to start answering calls. This feature is a nice option because it does not chew up any of your mobile minutes or tie up your own phone line. This feature was not offered by all of the companies we looked in to.

The auto-receptionist is another feature we found appealing. It welcomes callers with a custom company greeting, which you can record yourself or have professionally recorded by RingCentral partner Snap Recordings, and helps direct them to the person or department they want to reach.

We also like the voicemail options provided. In addition to being able to check your voicemail messages over the phone, you can have your messages sent directly to your email inbox. Users also have visual voicemail access via the system's online portal or mobile app. This allows you to see all the voicemails you have waiting for you and prioritize whom to call back.

The RingCentral mobile app, available on iOS and Android devices, gives you the ability to take your business calls using an Internet connection, rather than using your mobile phone's minutes. In addition, the mobile app also gives users the option to change their call-forwarding settings and check their visual voicemail wherever they are.

An added benefit of using RingCentral Professional is that Internet faxing is included. While some of the other virtual services we analyzed let you receive online faxes, RingCentral is one of the few that also allow you to send faxes via the Internet.

Some of the other calling features we found valuable included call recording, on-hold music, and notifications that instantly alert you via email or text message when you missed a call or have a voicemail message or online fax waiting for you.

Customer Service

Overall, we found RingCentral's customer service to be rather hit or miss. To gauge the type of support you can expect, we called the company multiple times posing as a new small business owner interested in virtual phone systems. Initially, we were not impressed with the level of service the company offered. The first representative we spoke with gave short answers to our questions and seemed uninterested in spending time on the phone with us after we said we were only investigating phone systems and weren't ready to make a final decision immediately.

However, during subsequent calls the level of support improved dramatically. The representatives we spoke to didn't rush us off the call and gave clear and detailed answers to all our questions. Over the course of our calls we discussed a wide range of topics, including how the virtual phone system operated, how it differed from a regular phone system, the pricing structure, the mobile app and the features offered.

We also evaluated RingCentral's live-chat support. Similar to what we encountered over the phone, the live-chat support was a mixed bag. While some of our questions were answered relatively quickly, it took other representatives between 15 and 30 minutes to answer us, and one time, our question went completely unanswered.

RingCentral offers Professional service customers support over the phone Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST. You can also receive help via the live- chat tool and by filling out an online form.

We were impressed with the company's online support materials. The RingCentral website features a learning center and knowledgebase, as well as a litany of FAQs, user guides and videos.

Limitations

The biggest downside with RingCentral is its inconsistent customer service. While our most recent interactions were very positive, our initial ones left a lot to be desired. If your business places more of an emphasis on customer service than on cost and features, we would encourage you to consider our second choice for this category, Grasshopper. While it doesn't measure up in terms of the number of features offered, all of our customer service interactions with them were positive ones. Grasshopper offers four different service plans, which range from $12 to $199 per month.

Another negative with RingCentral's virtual system is that when using the mobile app, you can't have your business line Caller ID displayed when making outbound calls. Some of the other virtual services we looked into, including Grasshopper, did offer this feature.

Ooma Office Review: Best Business Phone System for Small Offices

Ooma Office Review: Best Business Phone System for Small Offices

Haswell 7:12 AM Add Comment

After conducting extensive research and analysis of business phone systems, we recommend Ooma Office as the best business phone system for small offices.

Why Ooma Office?

Ooma Office is specifically designed for very small businesses, and offers all the features and tools most companies that size need, for a low monthly cost.

Ease of Use

What makes Ooma Office an ideal phone system for very small businesses is how simple it is to install and use. The system can be set up in just 20 minutes — no additional wires are needed, and it works with any type of phone, including standard analog phones. Nearly all of the other systems we analyzed required special IP phones, which cost anywhere from $100 to $700 each.

The system itself includes a base unit and Linx devices, which are used to wirelessly connect additional phones to the system. You can connect up to four Linx devices to the base unit. If your business has more than five employees, you need an expansion base station and additional Linx devices. Each expansion base station supports up to five additional users.

Once you have the hardware, it takes just a few minutes to set up the system. You activate your account by logging in to the Ooma online portal and entering your seven-digit activation code, providing your contact information, creating a login and a password, and entering an address for 911 calls.

Next, you select a new main business phone number, or temporary number if you plan on transferring over a current phone number. You have the choice of a local or a toll-free number. After picking a new number and clicking Activate, you start setting up the system's hardware by connecting the base unit to a high-speed modem. You then plug the AC adapter into a power outlet and plug a phone into the unit. When the base unit turns blue, you can start making and receiving calls.

To connect other phones, plug the Linx wireless devices into a power outlet near the base unit, and press the Page key for 3 seconds. The Linx turns blue when the system recognizes it. Once it's recognized, you can move it to another part of the office and plug a phone into it. [See Related Story: VoIP for Business: Why It Makes Sense]

The system's online portal is very user-friendly. It requires no extensive training, and can be updated and maintained by anyone, not just those with phone system expertise. Compared with many of the other systems we examined, Ooma Office was one of the simplest to set up and personalize.


The online portal is divided into five main sections: Manage, Home, Account, Add-ons and Support. The Manage section is where you add extensions or phone numbers for each employee and set up the virtual receptionist. The Home tab is where you can review call and fax logs, and the Account tab gives you access to business and administrator information, as well as security settings and payment details. The Add-ons tab is where you can check the status of a phone number transfer and purchase any additional hardware you may need. The final tab is for Support, which is where you can access any help you may need with the system.

Cost

Low cost is another reason Ooma Office is so appealing for small offices. The cost is broken into one-time hardware costs and monthly service fees.

The starter package of a base station and two Linx wireless devices is $250. Each additional Linx device is $50, and each office expansion unit is $99. Ooma runs promotions regularly, which can lower that price. For example, while we were conducting our analysis, the starter package of the base unit and two Linx devices was on sale for $100.

The second half of the cost equation is the monthly service fee. The service starts at $19.98 per month for one phone number and one user. Each additional user is $9.99 per month. With this option, each employee has his or her own extension. If you want each employee to have a dedicated phone number, there is an additional $9.99 per user, per month charge.

What we really like about this pricing structure is that nearly all of the features — such as voicemail, music on hold, the virtual receptionist, ring groups and virtual extensions — are included in the price. Many of the other services we analyzed had a variety of plans that each included a different number of features for a different price. The only features that cost extra with Ooma are Internet faxing and conference calling, each of which is $9.99 per month.

Included in the cost of the system is unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada for each local number. If you are using a toll-free number, however, only 500 minutes of inbound calling is included in the monthly cost. Each additional minute is 3.4 cents.

While many of the other VoIP cloud-based systems we looked at didn't charge the initial hardware costs, most had higher monthly fees, which ranged anywhere from $25 to $50 per user. In addition, some of the other companies charged an activation fee and required yearlong contracts, neither of which Ooma Office requires.

We were also impressed with how straightforward the company's pricing was. Many of the other providers we examined gave us estimated costs and said they would only get us a more definite quote when we were ready to sign up for the system.

Ooma offers a 30-day risk-free trial. This gives you the option to try out the system for a month and get all of your money back if doesn't fit your business's needs.

Features

We were impressed with the variety of features the system includes. Though it doesn't offer every feature offered by every other provider, it does have many of the features small offices would find most valuable.

One such feature is the virtual receptionist, which answers incoming calls and makes it easy for callers to reach the employee they need. This feature is supported by text-to-speech technology, so you simply type in what you want it to say, and it automatically converts that into a recording for your callers. You also have the option to record your own greeting and upload it into the system via .wav or .mp3 files. In addition to directing callers to specific employees, the virtual receptionist can provide information on your business, such as the hours it's open or directions on how to get there. You can also set the system up so it plays one set of greetings and prompts when your business is open and another when it's closed.

For businesses with employees who aren't always working in the office, the mobility features will be especially valuable. The system offers the ability to assign virtual extensions to employees who always work from a location outside the office, as well as a mobile app thatlets you make and receive phone calls from anywhere as if you were in the office with any iOS or Android device.

Another feature we like is the Ring Group option. This allows businesses to group employees by departments. So, for example, if you have multiple employees who work on a sales team or in customer support, you can have those calls directed to that group of employees. You can have calls transferred to employees in a specific sequence or simultaneously.

Other features your small office may find valuable include the ability to set up conference calls for as many as 10 users, caller ID, call logs and the option to play music or company messages while callers are on hold.

Customer Service

We were extremely pleased with the level of customer service we received from Ooma. To gauge the level of support customers can expect, we called the company multiple times, posing as a new small business owner interested in phone systems.

During our first call, the representative we spoke with initially wanted to make sure our business was a good fit for the system. Knowing that the Ooma system is designed for very small businesses, the representative wanted to ensure that one of the other providers, which serve larger businesses, wouldn't be a better fit. After believing we would be a good match based on our size and needs, the representative went on to thoroughly walk us through all of the service's calling features and how the system worked.

During subsequent calls, we spoke with representatives who were just as helpful and friendly. Over the course of our calls, we discussed how to set up the system, the hardware that was needed, the mobile app, the features included and the pricing structure. In each of our calls, our questions were answered clearly and thoroughly. Some of the other providers we spoke with didn't provide the same level of detailed answers that Ooma did. Each representative we spoke with followed up several times via email, inquiring if we had additional questions, providing us with videos of how the system operated and informing us of several promotions.

To further examine the company's customer service, we also tested out the live-chat tool on its website. Unlike some of the other services we looked into, this service was very helpful and extremely prompt. When we tested other providers' live-chat options, some representatives gave us incomplete or differing answers from what we got over the phone, or took a long time to respond. This wasn't the case with Ooma.

For users of the system, Ooma offers a variety of support options on its website, including video tutorials, answers to frequently asked questions and ways to troubleshoot any problems you may run into.

Support is available by phone Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT and on the weekends between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT. You can also contact support via email and live chat, which is available 24/7. Not all of the systems we investigated offered the ability to reach a support representative 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Limitations

The biggest limitation of Ooma Office is the upfront hardware costs. Most of the other cloud-based systems didn't require you to purchase the same type of hardware that Ooma does. Depending on how many employees you have, you can expect to pay anywhere from $250 to $1,250 in initial costs. However, most of the other systems make you use special IP phones, which cost at least $100 each. With Ooma, you don't have those same costs.

Another potential negative is that the system only supports up to 20 users. If you are hoping to grow your business beyond that, you might be better off finding a phone system that can grow with you along the way, such as 8x8, our pick for the best phone system for small businesses.

Another possible downside of Ooma is that it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that some of its larger competitors offer. If you want every feature that's out there — such as call screening, missed call notifications or videoconferencing — this service probably isn't for you.

We chose Ooma Office from a pool of the dozens of business phone systems we considered. To read our full methodology and see a more comprehensive list of phone systems, visit our best picks page here.

Source

8x8 Review: Best Phone System for Small Businesses

8x8 Review: Best Phone System for Small Businesses

Haswell 7:11 AM Add Comment

After conducting extensive research and analysis of business phone systems, we recommend 8x8 as the best phone system for small businesses.

Why 8x8?

8x8 combines an easy-to-use, reliable and affordable business phone system with excellent customer service.

Reliability

What attracted us most to 8x8 is its reliability. Overall, 8x8 has one of the highest documented uptimes — 99.997 percent — among all cloud-based VoIP systems. This translates into the system being down for only a handful of minutes each year. Overall, the service hasn't had a major outage since 2011, when it was down for just 30 minutes, according to data provided by the company on its website.

To help prevent systemwide outages, the company has a number of built-in redundancies. For example, 8x8 has multiple data centers around the world that are mirror images of each other and provide automatic and transparent failover to prevent disruptions in service. This means that if one of the data centers were to crash, all of the information is instantly transferred to one of the other data centers so your service is uninterrupted.

The company also works with seven different call carriers to guarantee high call quality at all times. Before each call, the system selects the path of least resistance. Should a carrier go down, the traffic is automatically redirected to one of the other carriers to ensure call continuity. We were impressed by the extra steps 8X8 takes to insure uninterrupted service. We didn't get this same level of assurance from many of the other providers we analyzed.

Ease of Use

Since 8x8 is a cloud-based VoIP phone system, it doesn't require any complex PBX hardware. All that's needed is high-speed Internet access and IP phones.

You can configure the service for your office via an easy-to-use online portal. This is where you create and set up employee extensions, personalize the auto-attendant and create ring groups. The portal, which is accessed through the 8x8 website, also allows you to manage billing, run call log reports and get help if needed. [See Related Story: VoIP for Business: Why It Makes Sense]

One step of personalizing the system is assigning extensions and numbers to each employee. In addition to 4-digit extensions, each employee is given his or her own dedicated phone number. Once employees are entered into the system, they can access it on their own through a desktop application, via a mobile app, or by logging in on any computer that's connected to the Internet. Accessing the system allows employees to use a softphone on their computer to make and receive calls, review the company directory, check their voicemail, instant message with co-workers, as well as make video calls, send and receive online faxes and conduct Web conferencing. We like how easy it is for employees to access the full scope of the phone system, especially when they aren't in the office. Not all of the systems we examined offered this level of remote access.

Setting up the auto-attendant feature is also done within the online portal. You can record and upload your own greetings, or upload customized pre-recorded greetings. 8x8 also offers the use of its audio production store for professionally recorded options. This service starts at $79, but can be more expensive depending on if you want music involved and how quickly you need it completed.

An added benefit of 8x8 is that it provides a technical installation specialist to walk you through the configuration steps during a free, 1-hour session. Unlike some of the other providers we investigated, 8x8 spends a little extra time to make sure you understand exactly how to tailor the system to your business. This is a nice option for small businesses, especially those who don't have an IT staff on hand.

Getting your IP phones configured for the system is also an easy process. If you buy phones directly from 8x8, they come preconfigured and can be used as soon as you receive them. If you're using phones from an outside vendor, an 8x8 support team member helps you configure them yourself. From there, all you need to do is plug the phones in, activate them and restart them.
Cost

The affordable cost is another appealing aspect of 8x8. Besides the phones, you don't have to purchase or maintain any other hardware. The only other costs you have are your monthly service fees.

The company offers two different types of service packages: unlimited and metered. The unlimited package include unlimited local and long-distance calling, while the metered package comes with a set amount of included calling minutes. Within both options, you have a choice between the Virtual Office and the Virtual Office Pro plans.

For the unlimited package, the Virtual Office plan costs $21.99 per user per month for between five and nine employees, or $19.99 per month per user for more than 10 employees. This plan offers a large range of features, such as voicemail, an auto-attendant, online call management, access to a softphone and the ability to connect to the system via mobile devices.

The Virtual Office Pro plan is an added $6.99 a month per user for businesses with less than 10 employees and $5.99 per month for those with more than 10 users. This plan includes all of the features offered in the other plan, as well as Web and video conferencing, Internet faxing and call recording.

If your business doesn't make many outbound calls, there is also an option to pay for metered extensions, which only include unlimited inbound calling. These plans come with the same Virtual Office and Virtual Office Pro options, except they only include 250 minutes of outbound calling to the U.S. and Canada. Each additional minute is 2.9 cents. These plans are $9.99 per month per user for the Virtual Office plan and $14.99 for the Virtual Office Pro.

The metered option is one not all of the providers we checked out offer. While it might be more cost-effective to just go with an unlimited plan so you don't have to concern yourself with how many outbound calls you're making, it is nice to have the choice to pay for something with fewer minutes if you know you don't need them all.

Other features that cost extra under both plans are the branch office function, which allows you to have a separate auto-attendant and corporate directory for multiple branches, call queuing and a virtual attendant.

What we really like about all of the 8x8 service plans is that you pay on a month-to-month basis and aren't bound by any lengthy contracts. While many of the other providers we looked at did offer month-to-month pricing, they charged a much higher rate for that option. Some charged nearly double 8x8's costs for the same level of service, just for the option of not locking into a year-long contract.

Besides the monthly service fee, you will pay extra for a toll-free number or if you choose to purchase IP phones from the company. Toll-free numbers are paid for monthly, with costs based on the number of inbound-calling minutes included. Plans range from as little as $4.99 per month for 150 included minutes to as much as $1,700 per month for 100,000 minutes.

While you don't have to buy your phones through 8x8, the prices they quoted us were cheaper than what we found elsewhere. For example, one specific IP phone was $69, which was nearly $50 less than the average price of the same phone at many other retailers.
Features

8x8 phone systems include just about every calling and integration feature available. In analyzing phone systems, we had a tough time trying to find a feature that 8x8 didn't offer.

One of the features we found most valuable is the direct phone number option. Each extension includes its own unique direct inbound dial telephone number, so customers can call an employee directly rather than dial the main business line. While most of the other providers offered this feature, many charged extra for it.

There are also a variety of mobility features we think business will find valuable. The 8x8 mobile app, available on iOS and Android devices, let you take the functionality of the phone system wherever you go. This includes making and receiving calls, checking online voicemail, making video calls, instant messaging with co-workers and sending and receiving Internet faxes. What we really like is that when you make calls using the mobile app, your business-line caller ID will be shown to those you are calling.

Some of the other calling features many small businesses will find appealing are three-way calling, call forwarding, conference calling, call waiting and call transferring. You can also view and listen to your voicemails online, or have them delivered to your email inbox.

The system also offers a variety of features that allow employees to communicate with each other inside the office. There is an online chat system, as well as a presence feature that shows who is available and who is busy.

The system integrates with a wide range of other programs that your business may already be using, such as:

Microsoft Outlook
Skype for Business
Salesforce
eAgent
Act!
NetSuite
ZenDesk
SugarCRM

Most other providers offered some integration options, but few offered a list that was this extensive.
Customer Service

8x8 offered some of the very best customer service we received during our analysis of business phone systems. To gauge the level of support offered, we called the company multiple times posing as a new small business owner interested in phone systems.

During our first call, we spoke with a representative who took all the time needed to answer our questions. We had a list of questions and for each one the representative gave us clear and thorough answers. We also liked that he understood we weren't looking to make a final decision during our call. Knowing that, he gave us suggestions on how we should evaluate providers during our search process and even emailed us a list of 13 questions he thought would be helpful when comparing and contrasting each provider.

During subsequent calls, the representatives we spoke with were just as helpful. They all answered our calls promptly and gave us clear, detailed answers to our questions. During our follow-up calls we spent more time talking about how the system worked, how it would fit in with our needs, the features it offered and the pricing structure. We also talked about the phones 8x8 offered and how much they cost.

After each of our calls, the customer service representatives followed up with emails that outlined the service and had detailed price quotes. Even though they did follow up, we were pleased that they didn't flood our inbox with emails checking to see if we made a decision. Many of the other providers we spoke to sent us daily emails inquiring if we were ready to move forward with their service. While we understand their job is to make a sale, at some point the constant follow-ups become annoying and too aggressive.

Overall, the entire U.S.-based 8x8 customer support team is available Monday through Friday between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. PST and on Saturdays from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST. In addition, live-chat support, which we also found very helpful, is offered between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST Monday through Friday.
Limitations

One downside we found with 8x8 is that some of the features you may want, such as having a toll-free number or call queuing, cost extra. Some of the other providers we examined included these features in the cost of their service plans. This could be, however, why many of the company's competitors have higher monthly costs. It's nice to know that with 8x8 if you don't need these features, you aren't paying for them.

Another potential downside is that 8x8 doesn't have round-the-clock customer service. Some of the other providers we looked at offered ways for customers to reach them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Additionally, we were a little unhappy that 8x8 doesn't include a breakdown of its pricing on its website. Having to call to get a price quote can be a turnoff for some small business owners who are just trying to get an idea of what costs they can expect.

We chose 8x8 from a pool of the dozens of business phone systems we considered. To read our full methodology and for a more comprehensive list of phone systems, visit our best picks page here.

Source

3CX Small Business Phone System

3CX Small Business Phone System

Haswell 7:07 AM Add Comment

3CX Small Business Phone System is an easy to install and manage phone system tailored towards small businesses. Completely replacing a Small Business PBX, it leverages VoIP throughout your company to cut down your telephone bill. 3CX Small Business Phone System offers:

• Leverage low cost VoIP throughout your small business
• Eliminate separate phone wiring
• Integrated Voice mail, Auto Attendant, Call Queues
• Unified messaging – have voice mail messages & faxes forwarded to your mailbox (works with any SMTP mail server)
• Easy call & extensions management from the desktop. View and Manage incoming and queue calls with a mouse click
• Click2Call from Outlook, Salesforce and other CRMs, with full logging
• Delivers mobility – work from home with a remote extension or intelligently forward calls to mobile
• Use inbuilt softphone or popular IP Phones from snom, Yealink, Fanvil, Htek and more
• Use low cost and flexible VoIP providers as phone lines
• Or keep existing phone lines with a VoIP Gateway
• Web Conferencing clienteles via WebRTC, fully integrated.

The FREE edition is a fully functional product – it supports an unlimited number of extensions and does NOT time out. Fill in the form below to download!

Business Phone Systems PBX

Business Phone Systems PBX

Haswell 7:06 AM Add Comment

What Is A PBX?

Also known as an IP PBX, Unified Communications System or business phone system, a PBX acts as the central switching system for phone calls within a business. PBX systems handle internal traffic between stations and act as the gatekeeper to the outside world. The initials PBX stand for Private Branch Exchange, a very old fashioned term for a system that has evolved significantly over the past century.

A traditional PBX is made up of two key elements: lines and stations. The lines, sometimes called trunks, are connections to the global public switched telephony network (PSTN) by way of a telephone company. Stations are simply telephones or other endpoint devices like fax machines, modems and credit card terminals.

The original mission of the PBX was to provide shared access to limited resources. Rather than having a separate phone line for each phone, a business could share a small pool of lines across a much larger pool of stations. When a call came it was answered by an operator who then connected it with the appropriate person or department. When someone inside needed to make a call, the operator connected them with an available line. Frequently these early systems were simply called “switchboards”.

Over time, operators were replaced by electromechanical and later electronic systems for managing access to lines. Additional features were added to automatically route incoming calls, to allow active calls to be transferred between stations and to permit or deny calls based on various rules. Adjunct systems were added for voice messaging, call queuing and other value added services.

Today, a business phone system is much more than just a simple switch. Adjunct technologies like automated attendant, voice messaging, call queuing and multi-party conferencing have become standard features. Basic analog and proprietary digital phones are giving way to standards-based IP phones. Outside connectivity is now available over the Internet in the form of SIP trunks or other VoIP services.

When PBXs were originally developed, wireline phone calls were the only type of electronic communication available. Today, the communications landscape has expanded to include email, instant messaging, video conferencing, desktop sharing, SMS and mobile telephony. Unified Communications is a catch-all term that describes the process of merging all of these technologies and integrating them with business processes. Unified Communications aims to increase efficiency while simplifying management.

Key PBX Features

If you’re looking for a PBX, here are some of the features you should be sure are included:

VoIP Ready: The world is moving away from legacy PSTN lines and towards VoIP. Make sure your PBX can support IP stations (phones) and IP trunks (service). SIP is the current de facto standard, so don’t buy a phone system that doesn’t support it.

Voice Messaging: Once upon a time, voicemail was an optional add-on. Today, it’s table stakes. Look for PBXs that can forward voicemail messages to your email as attachments. If possible, look for IP phones that support visual voicemail.

Mobility: Most businesses have at least some road warriors who spend much of their time out of the office. Make sure your PBX supports mobility features like Find Me / Follow Me, remote IP extensions and fixed / mobile convergence.

Conferencing: One of the best ways to cut down on travel costs is teleconferencing. Make sure your phone system has native support for true multi-party conferences (not just basic three-way calling).

Reporting: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Make sure that the PBX you pick includes basic call history reporting features.

Asterisk As A PBX

Asterisk was originally created as the engine for a PBX system (in fact, many refer to it as the Asterisk PBX) and includes all of the components necessary to build a powerful, scalable business phone system. These include advanced features that usually cost extra on a commercial phone system: things like voicemail, automated attendant, call queueing, conference bridging, parking, paging, and intercom calling.

Asterisk is technology and protocol agnostic, which means that you can connect it to the outside world using VoIP or traditional telephony technologies. It also means that you can use virtually any standards-based IP phone; Asterisk includes drivers for SIP and other protocols. That being said, Digium offers a line of IP phones that were specifically designed to compliment Asterisk and take advantage of a number of key productivity features.

Asterisk is future-proof. Unlike traditional phone systems that are generally upgraded using a forklift, Asterisk continues to evolve. Phone systems based on Asterisk see significant improvements each year as new features are included.

Build From Scratch

There are several options for building a PBX system using Asterisk. You can build a completely custom solution from scratch, starting with just the raw Asterisk engine. This gives you complete control over the way your phone system operates, but requires a good deal of effort and can be difficult to maintain unless you have an Asterisk expert on staff. Building from scratch is appropriate if you are creating a new product or service, if your project has extremely specific requirements that cannot be met with off-the-shelf solutions, or if you simply enjoy the challenge of learning a new skill.

Build From A Distro

Another DIY option (with a significantly lower learning curve) is to deploy a software appliance like AsteriskNOW. AsteriskNOW is a special Linux distribution that installs the operating system, Asterisk, drivers for Digium telephony cards and phones and an open source administrative user interface called FreePBX. The installation process if fully automated and takes roughly 20 minutes to convert a computer into a working phone system.

Buy A Turnkey Solution

Digium offers a turnkey PBX system based on Asterisk. The product, called Switchvox, combines the core Asterisk engine with an intuitive user interface and advanced Unified Communications features like instant messaging, universal inbox and fixed / mobile convergence. Priced at a fraction of what you would pay for a traditional phone system, Switchvox is the best of both worlds.

Learn more about VoIP PBX software by Digium powered by Asterisk.