Best Business Phone Systems Of 2024

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Why We Picked 8x8

8x8 is a business phone system that has received positive reviews from users in the past year. Many users praise its ease of use, reliability, and feature-richness. They also appreciate its ability to integrate with other business applications, such as CRM and ERP systems. 8x8 compares favorably to similar products in terms of its scalability, flexibility, and customer support. Its strengths include its cloud-based architecture, which makes it easy to deploy and manage, and its wide range of features, which can be customized to meet the needs of any business. However, some users have reported that 8x8 can be expensive, and that its customer support can be slow to respond at times. Overall, 8x8 is a well-rounded business phone system that is suitable for businesses of all sizes. It is particularly well-suited for businesses that need a scalable, flexible, and feature-rich solution.

8x8's differentiating factors include its focus on cloud-based solutions, its commitment to customer service, and its ability to integrate with other business applications. These factors are important because they allow businesses to take advantage of the latest technology, get the support they need, and streamline their operations. 8x8 is most suited for businesses that need a reliable, scalable, and feature-rich business phone system. It is also a good choice for businesses that want to integrate their phone system with other business applications.

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Pros & Cons

Seamless Integration: 8x8 seamlessly integrates with popular business applications like Salesforce and Microsoft Teams, streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity.
Advanced Call Management: Advanced call routing, call forwarding, and voicemail features provide businesses with robust call management capabilities, ensuring efficient handling of customer interactions.
Remote Work Flexibility: 8x8's cloud-based platform enables employees to work remotely with ease, accessing all essential phone system features from anywhere with an internet connection.
Cost-Effective Solution: 8x8 offers flexible pricing plans tailored to businesses of all sizes, providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional phone systems.
Scalability and Reliability: 8x8's scalable platform can accommodate businesses of any size, ensuring reliable and uninterrupted communication services.
Enhanced Collaboration: 8x8's collaboration tools, such as video conferencing and instant messaging, foster seamless team communication and improve productivity.
Exceptional Customer Support: 8x8 provides dedicated customer support, ensuring prompt resolution of any technical issues or inquiries.
User-Friendly Interface: 8x8's intuitive user interface makes it easy for employees to navigate and utilize the system's features, minimizing training time and maximizing efficiency.

Limited Customization: Users have reported difficulty in tailoring the system to their specific business needs, leading to a lack of flexibility.
Complex User Interface: The interface has been described as cluttered and unintuitive, making it challenging for users to navigate and manage the system efficiently.
Frequent Outages: Users have experienced unexpected system outages, resulting in disruptions to business operations and communication.
Poor Customer Support: Users have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality and responsiveness of customer support, making it difficult to resolve issues promptly.
High Costs: The cost of the system, including subscription fees and additional charges, has been a concern for some users.
Limited Integrations: The system's limited integration capabilities with other business applications have hindered its usefulness for users who rely on a connected ecosystem.
Security Concerns: Users have raised concerns about the security measures implemented in the system, particularly regarding data privacy and protection.
Lack of Advanced Features: The system may lack certain advanced features that are essential for businesses with complex communication needs, such as call recording, analytics, and advanced call routing.

Key Features

All-in-One Communications: Connect employees and customers on a single app that offers all modes of communication including voice, video, chat and more. Reach customers located in over 120 countries with guaranteed uptime and voice quality. Full encryption with a large number of certifications ensures data remains secure.
Business Phone: Manage voice services utilizing Cloud PBX technologies.

Call Handling: Take control of calling productivity and privacy with caller ID, call blocking and do not disturb mode. Forward and transfer calls and create a virtual holding area for calls with Call Waiting and Call Parking. Three-way calling allows for three-party collaboration without any additional equipment or time restrictions.
Customer Experience: Use auto-attendant voice services to route calls, provide self-service options and choose music to play while callers are on hold. Call queues route customers to the appropriate resources.
Call Management: Balance employee workloads by evenly distributing calls. Monitor calls to ensure customer satisfaction and manage quality control. Assign employee roles and provide access to effective training resources.
Emergency Services: Remain in compliance with federal emergency dialing requirements and ensure emergency notifications are up-to-date.
Cost Center: Set up to five levels of hierarchy with site-based cost centers. Customize the structure of cost centers, payment methods and billing contacts.

Video Conferencing: Reach up to 100 participants in a single HD video conference call.

Backgrounds: Participants can blur the background of video calls or choose from a variety of backgrounds to create a personalized and professional setting.
Mobile Browser: From mobile devices, join video calls with the same quality as on desktops.
Host Controls: Lock meetings, create participant permissions and lobbies, and delegate hosts.
End-to-End Encryption: Only allow participants with a shared key to join the meeting.
Invite: Send invitations to a meeting from messages or allow participants to dial-in from more than 50 countries, from any of the included 11 toll-free numbers.
Record: Record meetings and calls to save to the cloud to reference at a later time or send to participants that did not attend.
Calendar: Schedule and send meeting invites directly from calendars using Google plug-ins and Microsoft add-ins.
Stream and Share: Live-stream a conference call on YouTube with an unlimited number of viewers allowed. Share Youtube videos and audio from a computer or browser tab in a meeting.
Analytics: View insights into meeting usage and adoption.
Languages: Available in 46 languages.

Team Chat: Instantly connect with anyone in the company’s global directory via one-on-one chat or with an entire team using team messaging capabilities. Securely share files with one or multiple members and create group chat rooms that are private, invite-only or public.
Contact Center: Connect with agents, employees and customers through the cloud contact center, with built-in omnichannel routing that provides digital and voice channel support, efficient routing and self-serve capabilities.
- Automatic Call Distribution (ACD): Provide customers with precise caller-to-agent matching by routing to the agent most adept to handling the customer issue at hand, who receives full access to the customer’s history to better assist them.
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Provide self-serve call responses using conversational AI technology. Analyze customer journeys by capturing insights via built-in analytical tools.
- Digital Channels: View all digital channels from one single interface, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
- Predictive Dialer: Define dialing strategies, create campaigns, actively manage agent answering processes and more.
- Quality Management: Analyze customer interactions to assess areas in which agents need additional training. Create forms, view scores and track each agent’s progress.
- Customer Surveys: Give customers the opportunity to provide feedback, giving insight into what agents can improve on for future customer interactions.
- Call and Screen Recording: Access recordings using a simple interface protected by authorized supervisor search, playback, archive retrieval and more. Monitor multiple agents at the same time in a single window.
- Payment Processing: Allow customers to securely send payments by directing calls to a specific payment interface. Customers have the ability to enter payment info directly into the phone system. IVR structure eliminates the need for live agent interaction with customers during the payment process.
APIs: Reach customers with industry-standard APIs that allow for extended functionality through SMS, chat apps, callstats and more.
SIP Trunking: Access better call quality using tier 1 carriers to give PSTN service replacements such as emergency services and shortcodes, provided in over 40 countries, and toll-free and local numbers available in over 90 countries.
Third Party App Integrations: Add popular applications such as Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Google Workspace and more.

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RingCentral

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Why We Picked RingCentral

RingCentral provides cloud communications and contact center services to enterprises. Around 92% of the users who review accessibility praise the software for seamless call switching between devices, including personal mobile phones, though some say access can be tricky in areas with low internet speeds. Of the users who discuss its features, 70% appreciate the convenience of calls, messaging and video conferencing being available in one app.

The platform definitely has an edge over other service providers in that there is no time limit restriction on meetings. The interface is easy to navigate, say 69% of the users who discuss its user-friendliness, though a few users say it’s dated and could do with a more modern look. Approximately 60% of the users who mention support say they’re helpful, though some users find them unresponsive and difficult to reach.

On the flip side, around 83% of the users who review the solution’s performance say it’s clunky and audio and video quality suffers on low internet bandwidth.

To sum up, RingCentral is a cross-device communications provider that streamlines call management, video conferences and business meetings on one platform for small, mid-size and large organizations.

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Pros & Cons

Seamless Integration: RingCentral seamlessly integrates with popular business tools like Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and Google Workspace, streamlining communication and collaboration.
Advanced Call Management: Features like call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and call recording enhance call handling and improve customer service.
Remote Work Flexibility: RingCentral's cloud-based platform allows employees to work from anywhere, with access to all communication channels and features.
Cost Savings: RingCentral's subscription-based pricing model eliminates the need for expensive hardware and maintenance costs, reducing overall telephony expenses.
Scalability and Reliability: RingCentral's scalable architecture ensures reliable communication even during peak usage, supporting businesses of all sizes.

Limited Customization: RingCentral offers a limited range of customization options, making it difficult for businesses to tailor the system to their specific needs.
Integration Challenges: Integrating RingCentral with other business applications can be complex and time-consuming, leading to compatibility issues and data silos.
Call Quality Issues: Users have reported occasional call quality issues, including dropped calls, audio delays, and poor sound quality, which can hinder effective communication.
Pricing Concerns: RingCentral's pricing structure can be complex and may not be suitable for all businesses, especially those with a large number of users or specific feature requirements.
Limited Reporting Capabilities: RingCentral's reporting features are limited, making it challenging for businesses to track and analyze call data for performance optimization and decision-making.

Key Features

API-based Architecture: Send SMS, long messages and multimedia files with delivery/read status notifications with SMS APIs. Access call recordings, call logs, voicemail recordings and transcriptions with the communications data APIs. Send and receive faxes in multiple file formats with forwarding, queuing and fax-to-email support.
Software Development Kits (SDKs): Interface with system APIs through SDK libraries in the programming language of choice. These include .NET, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby gem, iOS Swift client and WebRTC.
Security: Secures all endpoints with Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP) encryption. Provides multiple authentication levels, firewalls, vulnerability scans and fraud mitigation through access control and usage throttling.
Address Book: Get the complete set of all team member extension numbers on the RingCentral Office directory through its APIs. Filter address book entries to find relevant call agent extensions for quicker customer-facing turnarounds.
Events and Notifications: Subscribe to a comprehensive set of events that include SMS, voicemail and call received, call started, ended or missed, and change in availability status.

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MiCloud Connect

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Why We Picked MiCloud Connect

MiCloud Connect is a business phone software that has received positive user reviews over the last year. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy to set up and use. They also praise its call quality, which is clear and reliable. Additionally, MiCloud Connect offers a wide range of features, including call forwarding, voicemail, and video conferencing, which makes it a versatile solution for businesses of all sizes.

Compared to similar products, MiCloud Connect stands out for its ease of use and reliability. Users find it to be more intuitive than other software, and they appreciate that it rarely experiences any downtime. Additionally, MiCloud Connect offers a number of features that are not available in other products, such as the ability to integrate with Microsoft Teams and Salesforce. These differentiating factors make MiCloud Connect a valuable option for businesses that are looking for a comprehensive and easy-to-use business phone solution.

Overall, MiCloud Connect is a well-rounded business phone software that is suitable for businesses of all sizes. Its user-friendly interface, reliable call quality, and wide range of features make it a valuable option for businesses that are looking for a comprehensive and easy-to-use solution.

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Pros & Cons

Seamless Integration: Effortlessly connect with other MiCloud services, such as MiTeam Meetings and MiCollab, for a unified communications experience.
Enhanced Collaboration: Foster teamwork with features like instant messaging, file sharing, and video conferencing, all within a single platform.
Scalability and Flexibility: Easily adjust your phone system to meet changing business needs, adding or removing users as required.
Cost Savings: Reduce expenses with a cloud-based solution that eliminates the need for on-premises hardware and maintenance.
Improved Customer Service: Provide exceptional customer experiences with features like call routing, call queues, and voicemail-to-email.

Limited Customization: MiCloud Connect offers limited customization options, making it difficult for businesses to tailor the system to their specific needs.
Integration Challenges: Integrating MiCloud Connect with other business applications can be complex and time-consuming, leading to disruptions in workflow.
Scalability Concerns: As businesses grow, MiCloud Connect may struggle to scale effectively, potentially hindering communication and collaboration.
Costly Add-Ons: Essential features, such as call recording and advanced analytics, require additional paid add-ons, increasing the overall cost of the solution.
Reliability Issues: Some users have reported occasional reliability issues, including dropped calls and service outages, which can impact business operations.

Key Features

Apps: Access the mobile apps on computers, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
Conferencing: Access video and audio sharing options with screen-sharing and agenda tracker functionalities.
Participant Management: Make participant-related changes as per requirements including, adding attendees, putting them on mute and more.
Access Contacts: View contacts easily and group them. Sift the important or favorite contacts by adding a star to them.
Call Handling: Enable call routing based on availability.
Voicemail: Access voicemails with one click or enable transcriptions to be sent to the email address.
Call Transfer: Transfer calls to users with consultative, blind and whisper abilities. Send calls to an intercom or mailbox.
Call Management: Put calls on hold, park or unpark calls or pick them up by extension.
Phone Routing: Route calls successfully to the softphone, desk phone, mobile app or mobile number.
Phone Management: Manage device settings, such as wallpaper, voicemail, ringtone and more.

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Nextiva

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Why We Picked Nextiva

Nextiva is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses communicate better with their clients. It offers SMS, chat, voice, video and surveys. The platform allows companies to provide improved customer service experiences. Users unanimously appreciate its usability. The customer support team is forthcoming and helpful according to most. Internet dependability is a major drawback witnessed by users. A huge chunk of users also complain about wait times. In short, organizations of any size looking for software that provides excellent phone services and affordable prices can give this a try.

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Pros & Cons

Customer Support: Extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable customer representatives, according to 91% of users.
Cost: According to 90% of users who reviewed this pro, the software is affordable considering the services it offers.
Usability: 100% of users who mentioned the functionality said it’s easy to use.

Mobile App: Encounters technical glitches, according to 100% of users who reviewed the mobile app in particular.
Wait Times: According to 67% of users who reviewed this aspect, hold times are longer than usual.
Internet Dependability: 100% of users who mentioned this said the software heavily relies on high-speed internet connection.

Key Features

Mobile App: Connect with customers on the go. Stay in touch with customers, partners, employees and others, regardless of geographical locations.
Web Conferencing: Enhance meetings by using unique and advanced tools. Access unlimited web conferencing to increase productivity and give prompt answers to customers.
Team Chat: Send secure messages over a shared platform. Enable instant messaging, screen sharing, message history, video calls and more. Access it via iOS, Windows, macOS and Android platforms and allow up to 30 participants.
Number Porting: Take your existing phone number and transfer it from the current carrier. Keep the existing number to ensure customers can connect without any hassle.
Extension Dialing Number Change: Control and customize the extension numbering scheme for each location. Enable extensions from two to five digits. Decrease hold time for customers by allowing them to contact employees directly.
Auto Attendant: Ensure customers don’t waste time. Play an instant automated greeting for customers to choose and connect with the correct department or individual.
Advanced Call Routing: Determine the number of calls handled. Use a welcome message that lists extensions to ensure they speak with the appropriate individual.
Call Analytics: Analyze historical data, ensuring informed and objective business decisions. Make predictions regarding future business opportunities and genuine connections with customers.
Call Screening: Quickly identify spam and don’t waste time answering unwanted calls. Filter incoming calls by matching them to predetermined criteria. Use anonymous call rejection, private call rejection or number blocking to avoid spam callers.
Call Recording and Rating: Access recordings directly from the reports. Listen, rate and share call recordings with team members. Create reports that organize and analyze company calls.
Call Park: Place the call on hold or park it to continue conversing with a customer on a different telephone rather than disconnecting the call.
Conference Bridge: Add a group of people to add to the phone call to facilitate collaboration. Listen to instructions and express options.
Three-Way Calling: Increase productivity by taking two separate calls and turning them into one. Increase collaboration and efficiency, resulting in faster customer service.
Conversational AI: Allow callers to describe the reason for calling in a preferred language rather than listening to a menu.
SIP Trunking: Establish, modify and terminate multimedia sessions. Control voice, video and messaging applications required to converse with customers.
Priority Alert: Make the phone ring differently based on particular contact and call information. Enable each priority alert to have a list of up to 12 numbers, a specific schedule and a holiday.
Enhanced Voicemail Options: Add a personal touch to the customer service experience with a voicemail greeting. Send voicemails to another extension’s mailbox, enabling easy sharing of the voicemail with team members. Receive voicemail directly through email and access them whenever required. Read them in a text format instead of listening to the audio repeatedly by receiving it directly on the mobile phone.
Live Chat: Offer customers the live chat option to connect with real human beings instead of bots. Enable instant responses to customer queries, reducing the time spent waiting endlessly for appropriate answers during chats.
Unlimited Chat History: View customer conversations starting from their onboarding date. Ensure customers do not waste time by repeating information and become a part of their support team.
Internal Chat: Allow employees to chat with one another using the same internal messaging tool. Communicate and collaborate with multiple team members without any hassle.
Internal Wiki: Use help desk software to provide employees with the required information to respond promptly to customer queries. Enable employees to assist an increased number of customers while saving time and maintaining consistency.
Faster Customer Assistance: Convert the chat into a case for a more extensive conversation. Activate chat/voice/email options in one place, allowing for better customer assistance.

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Vonage

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Why We Picked Vonage

Vonage is a popular business phone software that has received mixed reviews from users in the past year. Some users praise its ease of use, reliability, and feature-richness, while others criticize its occasional technical glitches and limited customization options. Compared to similar products like RingCentral and 8x8, Vonage is generally considered to be a solid choice for small businesses due to its affordable pricing and user-friendly interface. However, larger businesses may prefer the more advanced features and customization options offered by RingCentral or 8x8.

One of Vonage's key strengths is its intuitive user interface, which makes it easy for even non-technical users to set up and use the software. Vonage also offers a wide range of features, including call forwarding, voicemail, video conferencing, and call analytics, which can be valuable for businesses of all sizes. Additionally, Vonage's reliability is generally good, with users reporting few outages or technical issues.

However, Vonage does have some weaknesses. Some users have reported occasional technical glitches, such as dropped calls or delayed voicemails. Additionally, Vonage's customization options are somewhat limited, which may not be suitable for businesses with complex or specific needs. Finally, Vonage's pricing can be higher than some competitors, especially for larger businesses with multiple users.

Overall, Vonage is a solid choice for small businesses looking for a user-friendly and reliable business phone software. However, larger businesses may prefer the more advanced features and customization options offered by RingCentral or 8x8.

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Pros & Cons

Seamless Integration: Vonage effortlessly integrates with popular business tools like Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace, streamlining communication and boosting productivity.
Advanced Call Management: Manage incoming and outgoing calls efficiently with features like call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and customizable call routing, ensuring that every call is handled professionally.
Cost-Effective Solution: Vonage offers flexible pricing plans tailored to businesses of all sizes, providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional phone systems while delivering enterprise-grade features.
Reliable and Secure: Vonage's cloud-based platform ensures reliable call quality and robust security measures, protecting sensitive business communications and maintaining compliance.
Scalability and Flexibility: Vonage's scalable architecture allows businesses to easily adjust their phone system as their needs evolve, accommodating growth and changes in business operations.

Limited Customization: Vonage offers a limited range of customization options, making it difficult for businesses to tailor the system to their specific needs.
Unreliable Call Quality: Users have reported frequent call drops, delays, and poor audio quality, which can disrupt business operations.
Complex User Interface: The Vonage user interface is often criticized for being cluttered and difficult to navigate, leading to frustration and wasted time.
Hidden Fees: Vonage has been known to charge additional fees for features that are considered standard in other business phone systems, such as call forwarding and voicemail.
Poor Customer Support: Users have complained about long wait times, unhelpful responses, and a lack of technical expertise from Vonage's customer support team.

Key Features

Gamification: Reward employees for achieving a goal. Create engaging activities using game elements, encourage the team, discourage negative behavior and promote altruism. Combine the contact center solution with gamification and the analytics of Salesforce to push the team. Maintain engagement through various tools and meet SLAs. Improve business efficiency, incentivize agents to fully leverage the CRM and transform business operations in the long run.
Conversation Analyzer: Integrate with the CRM or BI tool to facilitate quality management, compliance, coaching and more, boosting the overall customer experience. Display data in the CRM dashboards to promote the visual segment. Spotlight trends with voice call analysis, instantly identify insights and assess the team’s knowledge. Transcribe, tag and analyze customer conversations. Pair call recordings with transcripts for a better understanding of conversations.
Real-Time Dashboards: Monitor team and individual performances using custom-built dashboards. Log channel activity into Salesforce to obtain instant reviews and access comprehensive metrics within the Salesforce reporting solution. Get insights about the team’s activities and actions and access real-time and historical data.
Data Storage: Integrate the contact center solution with Salesforce as the primary data silo to access metrics, call recording links, speech analytics and more. Pair call recordings with transcripts and metrics and allow agents to gather a better understanding based on findings. Judge conversations against the KPIs and tightly secure data and backup material.
Analytics: Refer to the easy-to-use dashboards for quick insights. Visually organize and analyze client conversations using Einstein Analytics.
Email Management: Use omnichannel integration to boost the efficiency of teams skilled in both voice and digital. Considerably reduce complex administrative practices through a set of routing rules. Enable customers to enjoy a rich, integrated and consistent experience across channels of their choice.
LiveAgent Chat: Strengthen customer focus and facilitate personal customer attention. Allow agents to prepare in advance, save time and deliver an accurate response by employing a screen pop of any Salesforce object before accepting the chat. Route the bot conversation to the best agent available. Customize fields, ensure that chats get routed to the best-suited agents and quickly add the website chat button option.
Omni-Channel: Deliver a consistent customer experience across all Salesforce digital channels and unify all channels. Manage KPIs and uniformly empower both digital and voice agents. Access support for LiveAgent, webchat, live messages, SMS, video chat and others. Attain a quick updated view of customer engagements and access data to initiate personal responses. Share vital customer insights across channels and allow customers to enjoy self-service options and automated answers to questions asked.
Visual Engagement: Graduate to video and screen share from any channel. Access it on a laptop or mobile device and reduce AHT (Average Handling Time) for inbound interactions over any channel. Establish trust, leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction.
Webchat: Equip agents with the required tools. Allow agents to access comprehensive customer information while dealing with a request. Save time and enhance efficiency. Enable customers to interact with agents irrespective of the channel, device and channel provider used. Add the webchat code block to the website hassle-free.
Dialer Capabilities: Eliminate manual dialing and reduce the chances of misdialing. Use caller ID to present a local number, increase pick-up rates and make connections with potential clients. Automatically log all activities and call recordings. Make automatic decisions about call recordings. Allow reps to automatically leave a voicemail and get on another call without wasting time.
Global Voice Assurance: Move calls between regions and achieve balance in demand. Enable local voice traffic to reduce call charges. Use a local node for nearby calls irrespective of the location of agents or customers. Maintain call quality by tapping into local infrastructure. Use a single plan to distribute calls globally, saving time and delivering operational insights. Achieve the flexibility of switching between providers instantly.
AI Virtual Assistant: Put an end to robotic, non-connected conversations and access enhanced self-serve requests, better understanding and prompt actions.
Intelligent IVR: Remain better prepared to tackle customer needs. Process agentless card payments using the PCI-DSS solution and communicate directly with the payment gateway, reducing customer effort and maintaining data protection. Personalize IVR options and messages. Handle simple requests without agents and keep agents for dealing with more complicated queries.
Screen Recording: Integrate a CRM and capture multiple screens. Enjoy synchronized audio and video features. Identify and resolve agent productivity issues. Facilitate sharing agent behavior with the appropriate teams.
Call Recording: Ensure call recording even after transferring a call to a third party. Enable outbound call recordings and effortlessly access recordings when required. Save high costs by encrypting recordings through AES256. Safeguard recordings by storing them in the Vonage cloud.

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3CX

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Why We Picked 3CX

3CX, a business phone software, has received positive user reviews over the past year. Users praise its ease of use, feature-richness, and cost-effectiveness. Compared to similar products, 3CX stands out for its intuitive interface, which makes it easy for users to set up and manage their phone systems. Additionally, 3CX offers a wide range of features, including call recording, voicemail, and video conferencing, which are essential for businesses of all sizes.

One of the key differentiating factors of 3CX is its open-source nature. This allows businesses to customize the software to meet their specific needs. For example, businesses can integrate 3CX with their CRM or ERP systems to streamline their workflows. Another important factor is 3CX's affordability. Compared to proprietary solutions, 3CX offers a more cost-effective option without compromising on features or quality.

Overall, 3CX is a well-rounded business phone software that is suitable for businesses of all sizes. Its ease of use, feature-richness, and affordability make it a great choice for businesses looking to improve their communications.

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Pros & Cons

Cost-Effective: 3CX offers a significant cost savings compared to traditional phone systems, eliminating the need for expensive hardware and maintenance contracts.
Feature-Rich: 3CX provides a comprehensive suite of features, including call forwarding, voicemail, video conferencing, and CRM integration, meeting the diverse needs of businesses.
Scalability: 3CX can easily scale to accommodate growing businesses, allowing for seamless expansion without the need for costly upgrades or additional hardware.

Limited Call Handling: 3CX can struggle to handle high call volumes, leading to dropped calls and long wait times, which can be detrimental for businesses that rely heavily on phone communication.
Integration Challenges: Integrating 3CX with other business applications, such as CRM systems, can be complex and time-consuming, hindering productivity and workflow efficiency.
Limited Customization: 3CX offers limited customization options, making it difficult for businesses to tailor the system to their specific needs and branding, which can impact user adoption and satisfaction.

Key Features

Hosted PBX: Keep better control over everything. Manage updates and get maximum flexibility. Move virtual PBX to a private cloud when required. Access integrated video conferencing solutions, apps for mobile phone devices, website live chat and much more. Automatically configure firewall rules. Launch the software in a few minutes using PBX Express. Get unlimited extensions. Manage extensions for remote workers seamlessly.
Phone System: Use the open-platform system with an option to migrate to the cloud. Deploy it on an existing server and reduce costs. Allow employees to have an excellent remote-working experience and increase overall productivity. Access flexible inbound calls, outbound calls, DIDs and ring groups.
Mobile Apps: Access secured communication for the entire team. Don’t restrict communication to building premises. Work on the go using the available extensions. Ensure customer satisfaction even while working remotely. Check the team’s availability easily. Eliminate learning curves and commence working quickly. Facilitate cost-effective phone calls between employees and colleagues. Transfer clients quickly to the appropriate department. Use the app and desk phone simultaneously.
CRM Integration: Keep the entire customer record handy to help the clients more efficiently and create a good impression in front of them. Create new customer records. Make calls in one click. Route calls seamlessly based on customer numbers or customer questions. Initiate and journal a call simultaneously.
Video Conferencing: Access easy-to-use and free enterprise-level video conferencing. Invite participants in a single click. Join meetings directly from the web browser without downloading any app. Share documents, present using a whiteboard, control remote screens and more. Add up to 250 participants. Schedule meetings within seconds.
Webphone: Handle all calls, check availability of team members and initiate video calls using one location. Make and receive calls straight from the web browser. Log in from anywhere using the required credentials and make a call with one click. Access voicemail, initiate video calls and get call notifications.
Call Center: Eliminate complex tasks and allow your agents to get more time to focus on vital work. Use the callback option and ensure no customer calls get missed. Record calls for reference purposes and access them whenever required. Centrally monitor ticket responses.
Live Chat: Integrate live chat with the phone system and allow website visitors to initiate real-time chats with the agents. Initiate a video call or live call without even dialing numbers. Manage all the communication on a single platform. Customize chat greetings keeping business hours and holidays in mind.
Microsoft 365: Connect with Microsoft 365 easily and streamline the workflow. Initiate calls directly from the interface. Automate phone contacts syncing. Use SSO authentication login using one click. Catch any important messages or calls. Create new extensions automatically.
Facebook Messages: Connect easily with customers. Eliminate the need to give all agents access to the Facebook page. Allow agents to respond to customers and resolve queries quickly. Track and archive Facebook messages successfully. Enable live chat messaging.
Business Texts: Use a designated business contact number to send and receive messages. Ensure no messages are unanswered, thus increasing customer satisfaction. Improve response rates.

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Dialpad

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Why We Picked Dialpad

Dialpad consistently receives positive user reviews, with many praising its ease of use, feature-richness, and reliability. Users find it intuitive to set up and manage, with a user-friendly interface and comprehensive documentation. Dialpad's robust feature set, including video conferencing, call recording, and CRM integration, meets the needs of businesses of all sizes. Its reliability is also a key strength, with users reporting minimal downtime and excellent call quality.

Compared to similar products, Dialpad stands out for its cloud-based architecture, which provides flexibility and scalability. Users appreciate the ability to access Dialpad from any device, allowing for remote work and collaboration. Dialpad's AI-powered features, such as call transcription and sentiment analysis, also differentiate it from competitors, providing valuable insights and improving customer interactions.

Dialpad is best suited for businesses looking for a comprehensive and easy-to-use business phone system. Its cloud-based architecture, feature-richness, and reliability make it an excellent choice for companies of all sizes, particularly those with remote or distributed teams. Dialpad's AI-powered features provide an added advantage for businesses seeking to enhance customer interactions and gain valuable insights.

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Pros & Cons

Seamless Integration: Dialpad effortlessly integrates with popular business tools like Google Workspace and Salesforce, streamlining communication and enhancing productivity.
Advanced Call Management: Its robust call management features, such as call forwarding, call recording, and voicemail transcription, empower businesses to handle calls efficiently and professionally.
Collaboration Hub: Dialpad serves as a central hub for team collaboration, enabling users to share files, send messages, and hold video conferences, fostering seamless communication and teamwork.
AI-Powered Insights: Dialpad's AI capabilities provide valuable insights into call performance, customer behavior, and agent productivity, helping businesses optimize their communication strategies.
Cost-Effective Solution: Dialpad's flexible pricing plans and cloud-based infrastructure make it an affordable and scalable solution for businesses of all sizes.

Limited Integrations: Dialpad's integration options are limited compared to other business phone systems, making it difficult to connect with essential business tools.
Inconsistent Call Quality: Users have reported experiencing inconsistent call quality, including dropped calls and audio issues, which can disrupt business communications.
Complex User Interface: The Dialpad user interface can be complex and challenging to navigate, especially for users with limited technical expertise.
Limited Customization Options: Dialpad offers limited customization options, making it difficult to tailor the system to specific business needs.
Pricing Concerns: Some users have expressed concerns about Dialpad's pricing structure, finding it to be expensive compared to similar business phone systems.

Key Features

Contact Center: Give employees valuable feedback using real-time screen recording to view an agent’s entire screen and evaluate workflows. Record customer-agent conversations and store them in a CRM database for later review. Access caller history and interact with customers on multiple platforms via omnichannel support. Provide a customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey for customers to leave reviews.
Calling: Make calls on laptops, tablets, smartphones, or desk phones utilizing cloud calling and AI technology.

VoIP: Provide high definition clarity conversations utilizing WebRTC and Opus codec technologies, ensuring 100% uptime SLA.
User Set Up: Add new employees, assign roles and phone numbers to members, give permissions and more from one central location. Automatically sync employee’s Microsoft 365 and Google G Suite accounts, allowing document sharing, calendar correspondence and messaging.
Voice Intelligence (Vi): Record, transcribe and capture essential action items during phone calls with built-in natural language processing (NLP) and voice recognition technology. Record who said what and when during a call with a back-and-forth, text format transcription. Search through recorded phone conversations for keywords and receive post-call summaries to keep track of important information exchanged during a call.
Mobility: Work from anywhere and anytime on the business phone mobile app. Send messages, check voicemail and make, receive, transfer and record calls and more
Call Distributor: Set up interactive voice response (IVR) to establish an automated call center tailor-made to assist customer’s specific needs. Create routing rules to send customer calls to appropriate departments automatically, giving callers the option to leave a voice message or receive a callback. Receive call analytics that shows available representatives, call duration and speed to answer.
Call Handling: Transfer incoming calls to other members, forward to external numbers, add a third party and more. Switch calls between devices such as a laptop and smartphone.

Messaging: Communicate with team members with SMS, MMS, Group SMS and more. Connect with customers, clients and vendors externally on any device. Switch ID to another department to conceal personal numbers. Communicate with peers with internal messaging, allowing for group messing with internal and external members. Show if a member is available, busy or away with presence and status functions.
Web Conferencing: Conduct high-quality, secure video and audio conferencing calls with more than 50 international access numbers.

Conference Call App: Join a conference call from any iOS or Android device.
Controls: View current speakers, conference information and lists of participants. Change screen layouts from the grid view to the video view and switch between screen view and participant view during screen sharing. Mute all participants and lock conference calls with organizer controls.
Group Chat: Ask a question, make a comment and communicate with meeting participants.
Screen Sharing: Share a window, entire screen, document, tab within a window and more with meeting participants.
Conference Call Dial-Out: Automatically dial-out to invited members before a conference call begins or send an invite during an active call.

Security: Enforce data protection with 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standards on the Google Cloud Platform. Layered encryption keeps calls, messages and payments secure. Flag and reroute system failovers with built-in automatic backups, ensuring no data loss occurs.
Sales Support: Provide agents with real-time, in-call support with Live Coach. Check on calls with live sentiment analysis, listen in on calls and join calls when additional help is needed. Give agents helpful advice when specific keywords or phrases are used on calls.

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Fuze

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Why We Picked Fuze

Fuze has received positive user reviews over the past year, with many praising its ease of use, comprehensive features, and reliable performance. Users have also noted its competitive pricing compared to similar products, making it an attractive option for businesses of all sizes.

One of Fuze's key strengths is its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for employees to adopt and use. The software's intuitive design and clear navigation allow users to quickly access the features they need, improving productivity and efficiency. Additionally, Fuze's comprehensive feature set, including video conferencing, instant messaging, file sharing, and call recording, provides businesses with a robust communication and collaboration solution.

Fuze's reliability is another important factor contributing to its positive user reviews. Users have reported experiencing minimal downtime and technical issues, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration. This reliability is crucial for businesses that rely on their phone systems for critical operations.

Overall, Fuze is a highly recommended business phone software that offers a combination of ease of use, comprehensive features, competitive pricing, and reliable performance. It is well-suited for businesses of all sizes looking for a robust and user-friendly communication and collaboration solution.

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Pros & Cons

Seamless Integration: Fuze seamlessly integrates with popular business tools like Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and Google Workspace, streamlining communication and collaboration.
Advanced Call Management: Advanced call routing, call recording, and voicemail transcription features enhance call handling efficiency and provide valuable insights.
Reliable and Scalable: Fuze's cloud-based infrastructure ensures reliable and scalable communication services, accommodating businesses of all sizes.
Cost-Effective: Fuze offers flexible pricing plans that cater to different business needs, providing cost-effective communication solutions.
User-Friendly Interface: Fuze's intuitive and user-friendly interface makes it easy for employees to adopt and use the platform, enhancing productivity.

Limited Integrations: Fuze lacks native integrations with popular business tools, making it difficult to seamlessly connect with other applications.
Inconsistent Call Quality: Users have reported experiencing frequent call drops, audio delays, and poor sound quality, affecting communication reliability.
Complex User Interface: The Fuze interface can be overwhelming for some users, with a steep learning curve and a lack of intuitive navigation.
Limited Customization Options: Fuze offers limited customization options, making it challenging to tailor the platform to specific business needs and preferences.
Pricey for Small Businesses: Fuze's pricing plans can be expensive for small businesses, especially those with limited budgets.

Key Features

Next-Gen Calling: Start a video call immediately, despite location. Upgrade a 1:1 voice call into a video call in an instant. Communicate quickly with team members and enhance collaboration. Improve cross-functional engagement. Attain flexibility by eliminating the limitations attached to a traditional phone system.
Global Voice: Experience high-quality calls. Get unmetered calls to over 110 countries with over 50 carrier relationships. Attain multiple integration support and hybrid approaches.
Devices: Use desk phones designed with exceptional voice quality and easy-to-use control buttons. Choose from options such as noise control, HD audio and HD video commands. Use Telepresence Connect to enable interoperability between different devices and eliminate the need to log in to access the hardware.
Audio and Video Conferencing: Allow up to 1,000 participants in meetings on OSX, Android, Windows and the web. Schedule, host and join hostless meetings. Begin ad hoc meetings from the integrated team messaging or from Slack or Microsoft Teams. Check camera, microphone and speaker defaults in the settings option and preview them, ensuring that meetings start off on the right foot.
Rooms: Create a top-notch collaboration space for a reasonable price. Receive and make calls easily from a DID-enabled Room. Experience consistency across different devices and meeting spaces. Reuse USB equipment. Incorporate any H.323 or SIP endpoint in the meeting.
Collaboration Tools: Use whiteboarding features to enhance team collaboration. Integrate to Dropbox and Box to share information smoothly during meetings. Upload content directly from where it is stored. Manage the agenda through meeting notes, keeping a tab of important comments and more.
Meeting Types: Take advantage of different meeting types, including team meetings, sales presentations and company town halls. Choose a meeting type depending on the type of interaction and the audience. Schedule invite attendees, webinars and more for large meetings with up to 1000 participants. Access all meeting settings like screen share and meeting controls as a presenter or host, while the other participants are on mute and cannot unmute until the presenter/host unmutes them.
Agent Access: Use a single communication application for all needs. Receive calls from the inbound queue, message team members or join a team meeting. Attain flexibility to answer calls anywhere. View queue statistics and enable easy sign-in or sign-out.
Supervisors and Managers: Manage call flows, IVRs and agent status. Communicate effectively with people inside and outside the contact center. Get an overview of metrics, monitor calls, manage agent status and more. Allow callers to connect to the right agent hassle-free.
CRM and Help Desk Integrations: Create valuable integrations that give the agents relevant information about callers. Once calls are completed, automatically sync call information to accounts or cases. Build integrations or work with the professional services team to customize workflows.
Data Analytics: Attain a detailed look into queues managed by supervisors. Access real-time data, agent statistics and caller information. Perform detailed research and trend analysis.
Team Messaging: Eliminate the hassle of switching between applications and devices to reach a colleague. Connect group members quickly using the messaging platform that supports 1:1 chats and group chats. Send images, documents and links to team members. Switch from a group chat to a group call effortlessly. Keep in touch with colleagues via SMS/MMS chats. Search the history of messages in particular conversations or documents.
Integrations: Edit meeting settings directly from the Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar. Connect with colleagues, third-party individuals and clients without leaving the email application. Schedule and make meeting calls from Gmail or Outlook. Integrate with Office 365 contacts and Google contacts to manage and sync contacts.

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GoToConnect

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Why We Picked GoToConnect

Over the past year, user reviews for GoToConnect have highlighted its strengths in providing a unified communication experience. The platform's integration of phone, video conferencing, and messaging capabilities has been praised for its ability to streamline workflows and enhance team collaboration. Users have particularly appreciated the user-friendly interface and intuitive design, making it easy for both tech-savvy and less experienced individuals to navigate the system effectively. The mobile app has also received positive feedback for its seamless functionality, allowing users to stay connected and productive while on the go.

However, some users have expressed concerns regarding occasional call quality issues and dropped calls, particularly in areas with weaker internet connectivity. Additionally, while the platform offers a range of features, some users have found the pricing structure to be relatively expensive compared to competitors like RingCentral and Zoom, especially for smaller businesses with limited budgets.

Despite these drawbacks, GoToConnect's emphasis on customer support has been a differentiating factor. Users have consistently commended the responsiveness and helpfulness of the support team in resolving technical issues and providing guidance. This focus on customer satisfaction has fostered a sense of trust and reliability among users.

Overall, GoToConnect appears to be most suitable for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a comprehensive and user-friendly unified communications solution. Its integrated features and emphasis on customer support make it a valuable tool for enhancing team collaboration and streamlining communication processes. However, businesses with limited budgets or those operating in areas with unreliable internet connectivity may want to consider alternative options that better align with their specific needs and constraints.

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Pros & Cons

Unified Communications: GoToConnect seamlessly integrates phone, video conferencing, and messaging, allowing users to switch between communication methods effortlessly. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses with remote or hybrid teams, as it keeps everyone connected regardless of location.
Scalability: The platform's flexibility allows businesses to easily add or remove users and features as their needs evolve. This scalability eliminates the need for significant infrastructure investments and ensures the phone system can adapt to changing business requirements.
Cost-Effectiveness: GoToConnect often proves to be a more affordable option compared to traditional phone systems, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. The cloud-based nature of the platform eliminates the need for expensive hardware and maintenance costs, resulting in significant savings.
Mobile App: The GoToConnect mobile app empowers users to stay connected and productive while on the go. The app replicates the functionality of the desktop version, enabling users to make and receive calls, send messages, and participate in video conferences from their smartphones or tablets.

Call Quality Issues: Users frequently report problems like dropped calls, choppy audio, and static interference, hindering smooth and professional communication with clients and colleagues.
Mobile App Concerns: The mobile app often receives criticism for its clunky interface and limited functionality compared to the desktop version, impacting users who rely on their smartphones for business communication.
Admin Portal Challenges: Navigating the admin portal can be complex and unintuitive for users, making it difficult to efficiently manage settings, add users, and access essential features.
Customer Support Experiences: Some users express frustration with long wait times and unhelpful responses from customer support, leading to unresolved technical issues and a sense of dissatisfaction.

Key Features

Voice Calls: Connect on any web browser, laptop, desk phone or through iOS and Android apps. Maintain high-quality audio and video compatible with over 180 desk phone models. Send messages, videos, documents and more via chat.
Conferencing: Meet with up to 250 participants with support for 25 webcams and join scheduled meetings directly from a call or chat. Send invites to individuals in contact lists, create one-time meetings or set recurring times.
Admin Tools: Create call flows utilizing a drag-and-drop interface that displays where calls will be routed. Personalize phone greetings and inform customers of business hours with call-routing schedules. Analyze employee’s performance and communications with reports and dashboards.
Meeting: Host virtual meetings securely with encrypted sessions, meeting locks, single sign-on and more. HD video and built-in audio with VoIP and toll give the ability to meet from anywhere, anytime without downloads. Personalize meetings with screen and keyboard sharing, drawing tools, in-meeting chat and more.
Room Display: Display meetings in any room size, join meetings on third-party software without downloading external apps and sync Microsoft and Google to join directly from calendars. Use whiteboard mode to automatically adjust the projection screen to the size of the background.

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Ooma Office

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Why We Picked Ooma Office

Ooma Office is a business phone system that has received positive user reviews over the past year. Users appreciate its ease of use, affordability, and feature-richness. One user commented, "Ooma Office is incredibly user-friendly. I was able to set it up and start using it within minutes." Another user praised its affordability, saying, "Ooma Office is a great value for the price. It offers all the features I need at a fraction of the cost of other business phone systems."

In comparison to similar products, Ooma Office stands out for its differentiating factors. One of its key strengths is its cloud-based architecture, which eliminates the need for expensive hardware and maintenance. Additionally, Ooma Office offers a wide range of features, including call forwarding, voicemail, and video conferencing, which are not always available in competing products. These features are important for businesses of all sizes, as they can help improve communication and collaboration.

Overall, Ooma Office is a well-rounded business phone system that is suitable for businesses of all sizes. Its ease of use, affordability, and feature-richness make it a great choice for businesses looking for a reliable and cost-effective communication solution.

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Pros & Cons

Cost-Effective: Ooma Office offers a cost-effective solution for businesses looking to reduce their phone expenses. With its low monthly subscription fee and no long-term contracts, businesses can save money compared to traditional phone systems.
Easy to Use: Ooma Office is designed to be user-friendly, with an intuitive interface and simple setup process. Businesses can easily manage their phone system without the need for extensive technical knowledge.
Reliable: Ooma Office utilizes a cloud-based platform, ensuring reliable call quality and uptime. Businesses can count on their phone system to function smoothly, even during power outages or internet disruptions.
Feature-Rich: Ooma Office offers a comprehensive suite of features, including call forwarding, voicemail, auto-attendant, and video conferencing. Businesses can customize their phone system to meet their specific needs.
Scalable: Ooma Office is scalable to accommodate businesses of all sizes. Businesses can easily add or remove users as needed, ensuring that their phone system grows with their company.

Limited Customization: Ooma Office offers limited customization options for call routing, voicemail, and other features, which can be restrictive for businesses with specific requirements.
Call Quality Issues: Some users have reported experiencing call quality issues, such as dropped calls, audio delays, and background noise, which can hinder effective communication.
Limited Integration Options: Ooma Office has limited integration options with third-party software, such as CRM systems and productivity tools, which can make it challenging to streamline workflows.
Insufficient Support: Users have expressed concerns about the quality and responsiveness of Ooma Office's customer support, which can be frustrating when technical issues arise.
Pricing Concerns: While Ooma Office offers a low upfront cost, some users have found that the ongoing monthly fees can add up over time, especially for businesses with multiple users or advanced features.

Key Features

Desktop App: Access the company directory and shared speed dial with ease. Use the click-to-call functionality to start an audio conference. Quickly return missed calls and save time by listening to voicemails or reading the transcripts. Configure preferences for the profile, ringtones, voicemail, call handling and caller ID hassle-free.
Mobile App: Make use of extension dialing to reach a coworker. Set up a message group to communicate quickly with multiple members. Distinguish between personal and business calls and efficiently transfer calls to another extension or a coworker’s voicemail. Facilitate easy setup. Add another number or use the existing one and decide whether to use Wi-Fi or the data network during a call. Enjoy the extensive features and excellent backup protocol that saves information in case of internet failure.
Video Conferencing: Join the video conference by browser or downloading the app. Allow two or more individuals to share screens simultaneously. Facilitate better collaboration, note sharing and faster communication between members. Invite up to 25 participants, access the dashboard for a lowdown of all information and create, edit, add, delete or view meetings.
Virtual Receptionist: Create custom messages for the callers and provide basic business-related information. Route calls to extensions, dial by name and create modes for business hours and after hours. Get in touch with the necessary person or department, saving time and presenting a more professional look.
Enhanced Call Blocking: Cut down on time spent attending to robocalls and automatically screen any incoming message against a dynamic database, instantly blocking the unwanted ones. Send a call from unknown or private numbers directly to voicemail or automatically ban them. Add up to 1000 numbers of unwanted, persistent callers to the block list.
Multi-Device Ring: Allow multiple devices to ring simultaneously on receiving a call. Enable one of each type of device assigned to an account, including analog phones, IP phones, a standard mobile phone and incoming messages from the mobile app.
Call Recording: Review the calls of sales staff for training purposes. Choose between persistent call recording or on-demand recording as per requirement. Add the hold music feature and enable easy access, storage, download and usage of call records.
Ring Group: Ensure no calls go unanswered. Assign users, the devices they use or associated devices to a Ring Group. Choose between all the devices ringing simultaneously or sequentially till someone answers the call.
Voice Transcription: Automatically forward any voice message to a user’s email along with an audio message attachment. Access it from most browsers and email formats.
Fax Online: Send and receive a fax anywhere, without possessing a fax machine. Assign a different number to the virtual fax and link it to the extension.

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Buyer's Guide

Business Phone Systems Are All About Better Business Communication

By Ashita Ahuja, Technical Content Writer at SelectHub

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No company wants to miss out on business opportunities or valuable clients due to poor communication. Regardless of what industry you’re in, communication is the backbone of any successful business. The right business phone system can streamline and support these essential connections, helping you succeed.

By tracking and handling all inbound and outbound contact, business phone systems ensure you never miss an important call or message from a partner or customer. In addition to the functionality of traditional telephony, these systems have other advanced features to support your operations, like automated transcription, extensive call records and unbeatable call quality.

If you’re looking for a better way to communicate, you’ve come to the right place. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll go over the benefits and features of business phone systems, industry trends to look out for and tips for how to pick the best system for your business.

Executive Summary

Business phone systems help companies to streamline the overall communication workflow.
Some key features include call recording, ring groups, voicemail and instant messaging.
Key trends in the business phone systems industry include UCaaS, 5G adoption and AI.
Make sure you ask the vendor any questions you might have about the system before committing to a purchase.

What This Guide Covers:

What Are Business Phone Systems?
Deployment Methods
Benefits
Implementation Goals
Basic Features & Functionality
Advanced Features to Consider
Current & Upcoming Trends
Software Comparison Strategy
Cost & Pricing Considerations
Questions To Ask Yourself
Questions To Ask Vendors
Next Steps
Product Comparisons
Additional Resources

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What Are Business Phone Systems?

A business phone system is a communication solution designed for business environments. In contrast to residential telephony, business phone systems include multiple interconnected telephones, often with multiple lines themselves, that can manage high call volumes.

Building on the capabilities of traditional telephony, modern-day business phone systems allow you to communicate using video, text and other mediums in addition to calls. Cloud technology makes these systems even more accessible to businesses, requiring little more than a stable internet connection to set up and use. This has become especially popular in the age of remote and global workplaces.

Types of Business Phone Systems

There are three basic types of business phone systems: KSU, PBX and VoIP. These systems differ from one another in terms of features, and each of them has a hosted and non-hosted version.

Key System Units

KSU systems can only accommodate a limited number of phone lines; hence, it’s used by companies with a maximum of 40 employees. Similar in many ways to a home telephone system, KSU has all the basic features and is easy to use. However, it lacks portability and flexibility.

If you plan to scale your business, it’s better to opt for PBX or VoIP phone systems. There’s also another variation to this system called KSU-less. While KSU-less is more portable and flexible, it isn’t sold commercially and only allows up to 10 phone operators.

Private Branch Exchange

PBX systems operate with programmable switching devices that allow automatic call routing. It’s more advanced than KSU, handling a higher volume of calls and operators, and can even run without electricity in the event of an outage.

Though it’s usually an in-house phone system, companies can also opt for mobile PBX systems that allow employees to use mobile phones as additional extensions.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

VoIP systems are the most advanced modern telephony technology, the fastest-growing type of phone system in the U.S. They make and receive calls using the internet, enabling employees to communicate with clients or colleagues all over the world. This is especially advantageous for companies that operate in multiple locations and cater to a global customer base.

Cloud-based technologies

In addition to the three main types outlined above, some modern business phone systems fall into an emerging software category. Though VoIP is the gold-standard for digital telecommunications, cloud-based technologies, like virtual phone systems, make far-reaching, affordable contact solutions accessible to almost any organization.

While they aren’t always as advanced as full-fledged VoIP systems, cloud-based and virtual phone systems use the same basic mechanism to make and receive calls — they work over the internet, with some even using VoIP. What they lack in sophistication, they make up for in accessibility, as many virtual phone systems are extremely low-cost, even free to use.

Deployment Methods

There are two typical deployment methods for business phone systems — on-premise and cloud-based.

On-premise systems are systems you have in-house, in your building or office. Companies purchase their own equipment and usually need to employ a dedicated IT staff to oversee system maintenance and updates.

Cloud-based systems, on the other hand, don’t need in-house infrastructure to work. Calls are handled over the internet, so the only equipment you need are the endpoint devices, like desk phones or computers, to make and receive calls. The vendor is usually responsible for maintenance and updates.

The setup you choose depends on what suits your needs best. If you’re looking for a dependable, flexible, user-friendly system to help a mostly remote staff communicate, you should probably opt for a cloud-based system. If your team works in a dedicated office space and you want more control over your system, you might prefer an on-premise option.

Primary Benefits

The right business phone system can benefit your business in many ways. Let’s go over some of the main benefits.

Business Phone Systems Benefits

Lower Costs

Eliminate the costs involved with expensive hardware, complex instruments, wires and long-distance carriers. You can access and enjoy advanced features that are far more affordable and capable than traditional phone systems.

Better Security

Using a private phone may put your private data at risk. Employees using their own devices could compromise the security of your clients’ information and your own proprietary data.

A cloud business phone system ensures that your personal contact information is secure and confidential, with built-in security features to prevent data leakage and exposure.

Scalability

Add extra phone lines, extensions and more advanced features as and when you need them. Quickly install new phones to keep up with growing staff and minimize workflow disruption. A cloud phone system has the added benefit of reduced communication downtime due to timely updates and maintenance.

Better Communication

Manage your calls from pin to plane, including where and when you receive them. Interact with clients flexibly using multiple channels and networks and easily share documents and information even while you’re on the go.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top Business Phone Systems

Implementation Goals

Goal 1 Decrease Pressure On Employees	Use call routing, voicemail and call queues. Employees save time without undergoing advanced training since most business phone vendors provide sufficient technical guidance and support. Your staff members can concentrate on other work while features like auto attendant help them handle and manage calls.
Goal 2 Improve Internal And External Communication	Set up direct phone lines for employees in different departments, facilitating better internal communication. Customers get quicker responses due to increased employee availability and multiple communication channels.
Goal 3 Ensure Business Continuity	Remain available 24/7 for clients, especially for businesses in multiple time zones. Improve accessibility and use call routing, call transferring and auto attendant to ensure customers and partners receive help promptly.
Goal 4 Better Reporting Capabilities	Track calls and use analysis tools to strategically adjust practices. Record information such as customer concerns, call times, the percentage of abandoned calls and other crucial metrics. Make staff changes, discover problem areas and devise ways to enhance customer satisfaction.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top Business Phone Systems

Basic Features & Functionality

Call Recording	Record calls and save them in the cloud. Allow employees to use important conversations for training purposes. Keep records for quality assurance and legal needs.
Ring Groups	Ring groups allow you to combine phone extensions, so the assigned devices ring together when there is an incoming call. It’s a way to improve call routing and distribution across departments in an organization.
Call Forwarding	Allow employees to automatically divert callers to a new number or another number. It also allows employees to retain their old numbers, causing less confusion among clients or colleagues.
Hold Music	Fill the silence with music or recorded audio whenever a caller is put on hold to make callers wait longer. You can add work hours, events, promotions, and more in the recording to keep callers entertained and informed. This helps increase retention rates and can influence the caller's attitude to some extent.
Voicemail	It's not always possible to pick up a call. Voicemail allows callers to leave a message so employees can get back to them. Employees can also access voicemail messages to identify customer concerns or for training purposes. Most systems transcribe these audio messages and send them to your email, allowing you to read and respond to them quickly.
Caller ID	Customers may not accept calls if they don't recognize the number. Caller ID helps ensure the people you call see your company’s name so they’re more inclined to pick up. According to a report by Hiya, 32% of respondents said that adding ID to calls made them more likely to answer them.
Conference Calls	Conduct video or voice meetings with multiple employees across different locations, facilitating better collaboration and communication.
Instant Messaging	Respond instantly to customer queries with an integrated messaging platform, reducing wait times. Send SMS messages without the need for a cellular network.
Call Routing	Place callers in a queue based on predefined criteria and route them to a specific team or individual. Some of the key criteria include agent availability, language preferences, call volume and agent expertise.
Auto Attendant	A friendly AI greets callers, asks them which department they’re seeking and connects them. This feature routes and organizes incoming calls, saving time spent on manual call distribution.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top Business Phone Systems

Advanced Features & Functionality

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)	Unified communications as a service integrates and unifies various communication methods and devices, supporting phone calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, emails, SMS, fax, voicemail and more.
Real-time Analytics	View calls as they happen and manage call flow, boost sales and get more information on leads. Divert calls to available employees, reducing the time spent by callers waiting in the queue.

Current & Upcoming Trends

The business phone systems industry is constantly evolving. Here’s an overview of the latest trends and changes to watch.

Business Phone Systems Trends

Hosted VoIP

An increasing number of companies are moving towards hosted VoIP services as they’re more affordable and require less maintenance. SMBs and large companies alike are looking at adopting VoIP services to scale their infrastructure and meet increasing demands.

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)

UCaaS adoption is on the rise, allowing businesses to set up large, multi-channel communication infrastructure at a more affordable price point than traditional models. Hybrid and remote workplaces have only increased its popularity because of how well it supports distributed workforces.

5G Adoption

The 5G adoption increases communication speeds and improves response rates. Its superior bandwidth and reliable connectivity make it an essential upgrade for any business that wants to stay competitive.

AI

An increasing number of businesses are leveraging AI for personalization and customer service purposes, with 52% of companies accelerating adoption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AI not only helps intelligently route and organize calls for optimal service, but also gives companies unprecedented insight into their customers’ preferences and needs with data analytics.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top Business Phone Systems

Software Comparison Strategy

With so many business phone systems on the market, it can be difficult to decide which solution is actually best for your organization.

Start by considering what your business needs. Ask yourself some basic questions. Where does your current communication fall short? What do you hope the software will address?

Once you’ve compiled a few potential options, don’t forget to research your vendors. You can check online reviews, read industry guides and ask colleagues for their recommendations. Some vendors may even offer a free trial of their product, so you can see how the system functions in your business before you commit.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

Investing in a new communication system is a significant step for any company. Many factors can affect the total cost. A standard analog phone system is a cheaper option than a hosted PBX or VoIP service, but the difference in functionality is massive.

Make sure to consider all potential costs, including hardware, installation, platform charges, SIP Trunking/ISDN charges, probable subscription charges and other expenses.

You can always start with a more affordable package or basic version before updating to a more advanced system. Sometimes, a basic program is all you need to meet your communication needs. Just because something is more expensive doesn’t mean it’s more suitable for your business. You don’t want to pay for advanced features you won’t use.

Other factors that might affect cost include:

Number of phones
Business size
Features
Customer service and support
Upgrades

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top Business Phone Systems

Questions To Ask Yourself

Use these questions as a starting point for internal conversations:

What challenges is my business currently facing, and how can business phone systems help solve them?
What type of package or subscription will be best for my organization?
What is my budget?
What features of this software will be most helpful to me?
How will this software enhance my business operations and increase efficiency, productivity and sales?

Business Phone Systems Questions to Ask

Questions To Ask Vendors

Use these questions as a starting point for conversations with vendors about the vendor and the software:

About the Software

Which platforms does the software support?
Will the software be beneficial for all the teams in my organization?
Does it run smoothly, and is the interface easy to understand?
What are the different subscription plans or packages to subscribe to?
Do less expensive programs offered have certain limitations? If yes, what are they?

About the Vendor

How many years of experience do you have in this industry?
How many companies have successfully employed this software?
What support and training do you provide?
What company sizes do you typically work with?
How long does onboarding take?

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top Business Phone Systems

Next Steps

The right business phone system can improve communication, team collaboration, build a professional image for your company and enhance your mobility. While selecting the right product isn’t always an easy task, we hope this guide has given you a solid starting point for your search.

If you need more help, check out our comparison report to see how top industry leaders stack up. Good luck!

Product Comparisons

Additional Resources

Business Phone System Features Checklist

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

By Ashita Ahuja

Technical Content Writer

Ashita works as a Technical Writer at SelectHub specializing in VOIP, Business Phones, LMS, CMS and more. She is also a published author. When not writing articles, she enjoys watching rom-coms, listening to music and cooking. She loves collecting stationery, cannot still get the hang of riding a bicycle and suffers from acrophobia.

Technical Research By Sagardeep Roy

Senior Analyst

Sagardeep is a Senior Research Analyst at SelectHub, specializing in diverse technical categories. His expertise spans Business Intelligence, Analytics, Big Data, ETL, Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, with additional proficiency in EHR and Medical Billing. Holding a Master of Technology in Data Science from Amity University, Noida, and a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from West Bengal University of Technology, his experience across technology, healthcare, and market research extends back to 2016. As a certified Data Science and Business Analytics professional, he approaches complex projects with a results-oriented mindset, prioritizing individual excellence and collaborative success.

Technical Review By Manan Roy

Principal Analyst

Manan is a native of Tezpur, Assam (India), who currently lives in Kolkata, West Bengal (India). At SelectHub, he works on categories like CRM, HR, PPM, BI, and EHR. He has a Bachelor of Technology in CSE from The Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Master of Technology from The Institute of Engineering and Management IT, and an MBA in Finance from St. Xavier's College. He's published two research papers, one in a conference and the other in a journal, during his Master of Technology.

Edited By Dianna Dragonetti

Content Editor

As an editor, Dianna Dragonetti leads a team of five writers in writing about a variety of software, with an emphasis on how these tools empower businesses. Categories include accounting, learning management systems, content management systems, supply chain management, and electronic data interchange.