Business VoIP - Compare 2015's Best Solutions

Depending on the amount of lines/extensions needed, your monthly fees can start as low as $20 per line from an award-winning company like RingCentral. Knowing exactly what you need will make the transition fast, easy, and cost-effective.

Whether a small business VoIP provider or large enterprise, every company has a different list of services, feature sets, and prices. Depending on the size of your business, you must take in to account features needed, and the amount of unanticipated usage.

• Step 1 - check your internet connection/bandwidth to make sure you have sufficient Internet speed (your provider can you help determine this).
• Step 2 - with your budget and service needs in mind, narrow down particular provider offerings to see who can offer you the best service package for your budget.
• Step 3 - decide which equipment is best for your company's current and foreseeable needs. You may purchase a phone from $50 up to $500 with all the bells and whistles.
• Finally - compare companies, available features, and their reliability by reading consumer reviews.

Additionally, here are some questions to ask a potential provider:
- What are the startup & recurring costs?
- Is there a money back guarantee?
- Can you port phone numbers? Costs involved?
- Is there a contract? Are there cancelation fees? Know what the cancelation process is like.
- Are there any hidden fees?
- Which features are included, and which features cost extra?
- Is there international calling?
- What kind of support is available?

Voice over IP communications allow you to get work done more efficiently by managing the most important resource you have: your own time and attention.

Work When & Where You Want  - One common feature is called “find me/follow me.” Instead of having separate numbers for your office, cell phone, and home office, you have one “virtual extension.” You can program the virtual number to ring all of your phones simultaneously, or in order, and how to handle a missed call. You decide if a call should go to voicemail, or to another extension. The virtual extension also works on outgoing calls. When you make a call using your VoIP service, the receiving caller ID will show your number, regardless of which device you are calling from.

Flexible Messaging Options - There are a number of options available that make retrieving and maintaining your messages very simple. With Voicemail Transcription, you can read the message in your inbox, or receive it as a text instead of listening to it. Let’s say a client calls you about a fax he needs, and leaves a fax number on the message. With a few clicks you can virtually send the fax as a PDF to that number.

Telecommute Easier - There are times when you don’t need a big meeting; you just want to call your colleague.  A “hosted PBX” is a cloud based communications network, not just for one office, but across the entire company. With a hosted PBX system, every worker has an extension, and whether you want to reach Des Moines or Dubai, just dial up that extension and you’re connected. 

Multiple Numbers on Demand - Building a multifaceted business with any kind of localized number or vanity number. A VoIP phone service is only as strong as it is dynamic, with multiple numbers, all having specific assignments to fulfill. Internet phone providers will usually offer these additional number for free, or a very small monthly fee - it all differs depending on the company. Explore options to find out if a provider supplies key components beyond a local number such as toll-free numbers, virtual faxing, virtual extensions, and in specific cases, whether porting over the number your customers are familiar with will be possible. Other aspects to take a look at are unlimited calling features, directory assistance, and the capabilities/limitations of your E911 service. Any way you slice it, an educated business is an empowered business - know what is available and take advantage of it.

The limitless features of business VoIP systems allow your company to digitize, customize, and optimize your communication experience and ultimately transform your entire organization. Which business VoIP provider is right for you?