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What are Business Phone Services?
Organizations worldwide use business phone services for customer service, sales, marketing, and overall communications with a phone line (landline, VoIP, or virtual).
If you have a business, small or large, there is a high chance you already have a business phone service. Yet, it’s crucial to reevaluate if that phone service is providing your business with all the features and possible integrations (ex. Salesforce) that it is able.
The advancement of business phone services has been a hot topic lately because of all the benefits and new features that services are beginning to include to stay up to date with modern technology.
The best business phone services grant businesses the ability to connect with customers and with team members through phone, video, and text, helping to increase the efficiency of sales teams, marketing, and customer service.
Here are features that you should look out for in business phone services:
- Salesforce or other CRM (customer relationship management) Integration
- Inbound and outbound calling
- Omnichannel features
- Interactive voice response
- Call scripting and routing
Do I need a phone service for my small business?
The short answer is yes, incorporating a phone service into your business has immense benefits to your customer service capabilities and your sales and marketing efforts.
Not incorporating a phone service into your small business can compromise your customer service optimization, which can drive away customers.
Phone services help with customer interaction. They have become appealing as more companies begin to work remotely and look for solutions to flawless communication.
Let’s go over some of these benefits:
VoIP
VoIP, or voice-over-internet protocol, is cloud-based calling that runs directly through the internet instead of a traditional phone line.
This allows business owners to save money on installation costs and upkeep of hardware that comes with traditional landlines. VoIP also allows for freedom to integrate with third-party applications and usually provides phone services to have their apps for mobile devices.
Reporting/Analytics
When you own a small business, it is essential to ensure you stay up to date and aware of the trends happening with your customers and within your sales and marketing teams.
Ensuring that your business phone service has a reporting feature gives you essential information into your customers’ concerns, sales trends, and critical marketing strategies.
Video Conferencing
Ready to take your small business to the next level? Introducing a business phone service with a video conferencing feature will allow you to appear professional all on one platform without needing a third-party video platform.
Integrations
A valuable feature for a business phone service gives you the ability to stay connected with other tools you are already using, like Salesforce.
Voicemail Transcription
Save valuable time with voicemail transcription. No longer waste your worker’s time listening to voicemails, instead let voicemail transcription provide you with a written transcription of all voicemail messages making it easier to prioritize calls.
Overall, a business phone service is a tactical inclusion to your small business.
With all of the features that can help you improve your customer’s experience and enhance your sales and marketing team’s efficiency, you may find it challenging to pick what business phone service will work best for your business.
Luckily, we have reviewed and ranked the best business phone services and systems for small businesses below.
Best Business Phone Services and Systems for Small Businesses
Fastcall
What it does:
If you have already started your small business out with Salesforce, Fastcall gives you the best business phone solution for the investment you just made. Being 100% exclusively built for Salesforce, Fastcall provides all the essential features your business needs to succeed, all on one platform.
With inbound/outbound calling, SMS messaging, video conferencing, reporting, and call recording options, Fastcall is the top business phone service for Salesforce users. That’s right, the best of the best means you don’t need to look any further than Fastcall to start improving your business tomorrow.
Best for:
Fastcall is great for all-sized businesses, especially for small business owners looking to incorporate a business phone system into their Salesforce platform.
Fastcall is great for small businesses using Salesforce because of its user-friendliness and easy integration allowing your team time to focus on improving the company, not learning another software.
Pros:
- 100% accurate reporting features
- inbound /outbound calling
- Increases team productivity
- Native Salesforce Application
https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N3000000B4MTMEA3
Cons:
- Only available to integrate with Salesforce
Pricing:
One of the best parts about Fastcall is the option to try it for FREE for 14 days to ensure that you are ready to invest in one of their annual or monthly pricing packages that start at $24/user/mo. Fastcall users commonly remark on the ease and affordability of Fastcall; see for yourself on their website.
Discover all pricing options → here.
RingCentral
What it does:
RingCentral is a messaging, video, and phone business communication platform that takes the pressure off your teams and allows more time to concentrate on running and growing your business.
With integration options and 24-hour support, RingCentral has features that small or large businesses look for in their business phone system. RingCentral is an all-in-one solution that motivates better communication throughout your business and with your customers.
Best for:
RingCentral is best for businesses big or small that are hoping to incorporate a business phone service with features to enhance their everyday business practices on cloud-based software.
Pros:
- 24-hour support
- Affordable pricing
- Real-time analytics
Cons:
- Hard user interface
- Unreliable connectivity
- Salesforce AppExchange Reviews 3.4 stars with some 1 star reviews
Pricing:
RingCentral’s pricing is determined based on the features you wish to include and the number of employees within your business. Packages start at $19.99/user/month and go up to $49.99/user/month; check out their website for full details.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Zoom
What it does:
Zoom rose to the top for video conferencing for business and personal use due to its user-friendliness and great features. However, with the remote working world of 2020 and 2021, companies quickly needed to adapt to new ways of communicating, and video conferencing became the preference.
Maintain face-to-face communication with your team members and keep the spark of ideas growing with in-video messaging. Zoom is an excellent platform for small businesses looking to enhance their communication to the next level with sharp, quality video calling.
Best for:
Zoom is utilized by businesses of all sizes and at homes for personal use.
Connect to your global teams or your family across the country; Zoom is best for everyone looking for a quality video experience.
Pros:
- User-friendly
- A long list of features
- Affordable options
Cons:
- With multiple users, the video may lag
- No toll-free dial-in numbers
- Cannot add meeting agenda description on the app
- Salesforce AppExchange Reviews 2.3 stars with mostly 1 star reviews
Pricing:
Zooms offers a Free Basic pricing package for personal meetings, and from there pricing starts at $14.99/month/license and for larger enterprises, $19.99/month/license.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Nextiva
What it does:
Nextiva will help deepen your connections to customers and automate processes allowing your teams more time to help your small business succeed all on one reliable platform. In addition, Nextiva offers excellent customer service that helps you every step along the way get your business phone service up and running quickly.
Nextiva is the business phone service you are looking for to increase productivity and remain reliable with customers with video, voice, SMS, and chat features.
Best for:
If you are a small business owner or a part of a large enterprise, Nextiva is a great idea for those in any industry with any sized team.
Pros:
- Highly reliable
- Good customer support
- Video conferencing feature
Cons:
- No location tracking features
- Internet connection needed
- No Salesforce application
Pricing:
For Nextiva’s business communication software, you will need to determine the number of users; pricing packages start at $18.95/user/mo. If you are looking to pay month by month or yearly, check out their website for more pricing information.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Dialpad
What it does:
Helping businesses put all their communications into one place, Dialpad is more than just a business phone service. Dialpad may reinvent the way you communicate in your business with messaging, video conferencing, and other valuable features.
Dialpad’s built-in AI transcribes meetings, analyzes caller sentiment, and helps to coach agents that are just starting out, making it an overall beneficial feature.
Best for:
Dialpad is great for businesses looking to improve their overall communication and empower their teams to enhance sales, customer service, and marketing.
Pros:
- AI-based voice intelligence feature
- VoIP
- Video conferencing
Cons:
- 5-hour meeting duration limit
- Limited integration options
- Salesforce application is not native
Pricing:
Dialpad offers two pricing packages, standard offered at $15/user/mo, and pro offered at $25/user/mo, along with an enterprise option that motivates potential customers to contact them for a quote.
Discover all pricing options → here.
What it does:
Grasshopper is a virtual business phone system designed with small businesses and entrepreneurs in mind. Requiring no software Grasshopper is designed for on-the-go business owners to communicate whenever and wherever business happens.
Accomplished through their state of the art mobile and desktop app, Grasshopper gives business owners the ability to combine their personal and business phones into one while keeping them separated.
Best for:
Grasshopper keeps small businesses in mind, and their software is perfect for companies looking to grow and have their software grow with them.
Pros:
- Voicemail transcription
- Unlimited business calls and texts
- Mobile app for android and iOS
Cons:
- Limited features
- Only offered in the US or Canada
- No Salesforce application
Pricing:
Grasshopper’s pricing packages will be in your ballpark if you are a small business on a budget, starting at just $29/month. Check out their website for the complete list of features included in their pricing packages, and start making the right choice for your business.
Discover all pricing options → here.
8×8
What it does:
With a business phone, video meetings, and team chat features, 8×8 is a competitor for small businesses’ top business phone service for being a powerful, diverse communication platform at an affordable price.
8×8 does a great job focusing on both the customer and the employee, amplifying both experiences with various supporting features and integration capabilities. In addition, 8×8 empowers you with dynamic analytics and reporting, helping you improve and grow your business with real-time data.
Best for:
If you are in the market for a business phone system, 8×8 is an excellent option for you. If you are a small business owner or a large enterprise, 8×8 can help optimize your teams and drive success.
Pros:
- Global reliability
- All-in-one platform
- User-friendly
Cons:
- Unreliable customer support
- The call may be frequently dropped
- Very basic Salesforce integration. Mostly 1 star reviews in the AppExchange
Pricing:
8×8 offers special small business pricing that equips businesses with powerful features. Test it out today and take advantage of their one-one free trial; then try out their pricing packages, starting at $12/user/month and ranges up to $44/user/month.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Vonage
What it does:
Vonage has a global reach, with 40+ countries supporting Vonage business communications equipped with 50+ features including SMS, voice, messaging, fax, social, video meetings, and more.
Businesses that want a business phone solution for desktop and mobile use helps customer service and sales teams alike desire Vonage to collaborate with colleagues and customers with ease.
Best for:
Vonage is great for small remote businesses because it upgrades your business’s phone system to enhance company-wide communications further to help your business flourish.
Pros:
- Great integration abilities
- SMS messaging
- User friendly
Cons:
- Troubles will call history logging
- SMS with no images
- The Salesforce app is not native.
Pricing:
Check out Vonage’s website to understand their pricing packages: mobile, premium, and advanced. Vonage requests that you ask for a quote to receive pricing for your business.
Discover all pricing options → here.
What it does:
Windstream specializes in providing fast and reliable internet connection and communication systems to small and mid-sized businesses. Windstream equips teams with high-speed internet and voice solutions with features that enhance the work from lifestyle.
Features include cloud-based phone systems, chat and SMS messaging, video and audio conferencing, and the option for a contact center; Windstream is just what you need to help your teams hit home runs.
Best for:
When you enter Windstream’s website, you can choose your business size, with options that include; personal, small and mid-sized, to an enterprise. Windstream provides excellent service no matter how many employees you have.
Windstream benefits connecting remote teams with their all-in-one communications platform, helping you speed up, stay up, and sync up.
Pros:
- Great features
- Reliable internet connection
- Cloud-based system
Cons:
- Pricier option
- Lacking customer support
- No Salesforce app
Pricing:
WindStream does not offer their pricing on their website; request a quote that fits your small or midsize business.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Ooma
What it does:
Ooma is an affordable option for small businesses looking for reliable phone service at a great price. Ooma’s business phone plans have what every small business needs to feel supported and grow efficiently with virtual receptionist features, video, and a mobile app for those on the go.
Best for:
Ooma is the best business solution for small businesses looking to get their phone bill in half and gain features that help their business grow and thrive.
Pros:
- Great pricing options
- Cloud-based
- Crystal clear calling
Cons:
- Unsupportive customer support
- Limited languages offered
- No Salesforce app
Pricing:
Offering a wide variety of features in both pricing packages, any business will be able to find what they need with Ooma Office offered at $19.95/month/user or Ooma Office Pro offered at $24.95/month/user.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Net2phone
What it does:
With excellent reporting and analytics features, Net2phone is a suitable VoIP business phone solution for small businesses looking for a user-friendly interface that offers intuitive features. Furthermore, being a cloud-based software, Net2phone’s mission is to empower companies to communicate intelligently through more intelligent conversations.
Keep your business running efficiently and trust Net2phone to help your team with all things communication, granting you more time to focus on growing your business.
Best for:
Net2phone is excellent for small businesses, fortune 500 businesses, and all those in between. Great for a team who may not have much experience with the business phone software.
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly user interface
- Advanced reporting
- International calling to over 40 countries
Cons:
- Unreliable live chat feature
- No information about security features
- Salesforce app has no reviews. Integration is very basic.
Pricing:
Net2phone breaks down their pricing by how many seats and what features you wish to include; prices ranging from $18.99 to $32.99. We highly recommend looking at their website for a deeper understanding of what they have to offer.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Intermedia
What it does:
Intermedia provides businesses with everything they need to enhance productivity and continue growth. With video, phone, and chat, keep your teams connected on the go or while working remotely, and with features including great integrations and auto attendants, relating to customers is easy.
Intermedia prides itself on being easy; easy to use, easy to manage, and easy to set up, giving your team a stress-free, all-in-one cloud phone solution that empowers motivation and drives success throughout your business.
Best for:
Great work teams working remotely apart from smaller businesses; Intermedia created its software to improve the lives of those who work from home and require a simple communication solution.
Pros:
- Easy to use with a user-friendly interface
- Cloud-based
- Live chat customer service
Cons:
- Limited features in mobile app
- Limited call monitoring features
- Salesforce app has no reviews. Integration is very basic.
Pricing:
Intermedia offers two pricing plans; unite pro for $27.99, and unite enterprise for $32.99. We recommend looking at these plans on their website to understand the complete list of features included with both.
Discover all pricing options → here.
Conclusion
Overall, as you can see, there are plenty of excellent business phone services and systems out there for small businesses, but there is only one that is worth your time when it comes to integrating with Salesforce.
Fastcall is the answer for small businesses looking for a business phone system solution that have already invested in Salesforce for their CRM platform.
Waste no more time debating what business phone system is best for your small business; start saving time and money with Fastcall.
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