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Small Business VoIP Phone System
Level up your communications — and your small business — with cloud VoIP phone service. Get a business phone system with enhanced features and zero fuss to help your organization communicate more reliably, efficiently, and affordably.
Why VoIP makes sense for small businesses
Reliable, cost-effective communication is essential for small business growth. Most organizations rely on their business phone system to communicate with customers, suppliers, vendors, and other critical partners.
VoIP phone service gives small business owners and employees greater flexibility to serve their customers and effectively grow their business. VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol, which refers to technology that allows users to make calls over the internet, rather than through a traditional business phone system.
Making the switch to a VoIP phone
Switching to a small business VoIP phone provider allows owners to stay agile and enhances employees’ ability to work remotely. VoIP is typically a great option for small businesses because your VoIP system can grow with your business over time. You can continually add or remove phone lines simply and inexpensively.
Key features of cloud VoIP phone systems
Small business VoIP phone services offer a wide range of features useful for smaller organizations. Users can conduct phone calls, video meetings, and conference calls, all through the same platform. Here are a few of the most important business phone features for your small business:
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Voicemail transcription
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Auto attendants
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Virtual phone number
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Call transfer
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SMS messaging
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Call forwarding
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Softphone
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Call delegation
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Call routing
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Listen (Monitor), Whisper, Barge
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Call queues
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Integration with business applications like Salesforce or Slack
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Recording
Powerful features for administrators
Cloud VoIP phone providers like Zoom Phone have intuitive administration features that allow your staff to easily manage multiple business phone lines. A single, powerful admin panel for Zoom Phone lets managers:
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Add and remove users
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Set up and customize auto-receptionists and intelligent call routing
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Purchase and assign phone numbers
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Manage emergency calling settings
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Provision and assign devices, like desk phones, to those who need them
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View call logs
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Monitor call quality and usage
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And much more!
Which is better for your small business: VoIP or landline?
Going beyond the limits of traditional on-premises telephony enables any small business to adapt to shifting customer demands and employee work styles. With VoIP phone service, you can free yourself from the landline and make or receive calls from virtually anywhere. Your small business VoIP provider manages and maintains your company’s cloud-based business phone system so you don’t need a dedicated IT team to provide VoIP service to your employees.
If you’re thinking about switching your small business phone system, here are some of the advantages VoIP might have over a traditional landline.
| VoIP Phone System | Landline |
|---|---|
| HD voice quality | Softphone software lets you make calls from your computer, smartphone, or tablet |
| Softphone software lets you make calls from your computer, smartphone, or tablet | Physical phone hardware required |
| Make and receive calls from anywhere using an internet-connected device | Making and receiving calls are limited to your physical location |
| Upgrade to the latest software automatically | Hardware upgrades are costly and time-consuming |
| Easily set up call forwarding, auto-attendant, and other features | Business features often come at an extra cost |
| Add and remove lines with the click of a button | Extra extensions require additional hardware and implementation time |
| Your VoIP provider manages and maintains your business phone system | Specialized IT technicians needed for maintenance |
Consolidating communications
Most businesses have a variety of paid communications tools. Relatively small subscriptions to business phone systems, video meeting platforms, and internal messaging tools can add up quickly. If your cloud communications provider offers a VoIP phone solution, you can look at consolidating communications onto a single platform.
Unified Communications as a Service can help small businesses cut costs by consolidating communications services into a single platform. Monthly bills are slashed by switching to a single provider while administration time is also notably reduced by switching to one platform, one provider, and one monthly invoice.
Choosing a small business VoIP provider
Security
Look for a VoIP provider that encrypts user communications and data. Specifically, businesses should seek out service providers that offer Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) . Reliability and server uptime go hand-in-hand with security and are equally important for businesses to consider.
Versatility
Not all services offer the same suite of features and device compatibility. Look for a VoIP phone provider that is compatible with a wide range of devices, and that offers global coverage. Seek out features that will help keep your team connected, like video meetings, voicemail transcription, integrations with business software, and seamless call transferring between devices.
Affordability and value
Some cheap VoIP services offer rock-bottom pricing, but each add-on feature costs extra. What starts out as a low monthly price ends up costing much more once you start adding on necessary features. Most small businesses should look for a service that includes most or all of the features they require without needing to add on a dozen plan upgrades.
Reputation
There are many VoIP service providers, but it’s important to find one that you can fully trust. Reliability, customer service, and server stability are all extremely important – and all difficult to measure, without the opinions of real customers. It’s wise to check online review platforms like G2 and TrustRadius to see what other business owners think about the various VoIP providers.
Small business VoIP FAQ
VoIP is typically a great option for small businesses. It’s flexible, affordable, and easy to manage. You can easily grow your VoIP network over time as your small business grows. With Zoom Phone, you can add new phone lines through the administration portal quickly and easily, and the phone number is immediately available for calling via the Zoom desktop client or smartphone app.
The process of switching will depend on the size of the business and the complexity of the current telephone system.
There are two ways to make the switch:
- A hybrid model, also known as Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC), which allows you to keep your existing carrier and slowly migrate to the cloud.
- A direct switch option. Many small businesses can easily complete a migration to VoIP on their own. For larger firms, or anyone who wants a customized transition plan, Zoom Phone Professional Services offers managed porting and VoIP system setup.
Zoom Phone supports phone number porting, so you can transfer over any existing numbers that you are currently using. You can also get a new business phone number through Zoom Phone if you choose.
No. VoIP services can be used digitally through a software-based softphone, an application on a computer or mobile device. Many businesses choose to use basic USB or Bluetooth headsets combined with softphones to enable hands-free calling in the office.
Advanced routing features even allow for calls to go to office phones during the day and cell phones after hours. Employees working from home can easily answer calls on home computers while vacationers can delegate calls to coworkers.
You can use a VoIP phone number on a traditional desktop office phone if you prefer. You can use your existing phone system hardware as long as it’s compatible with VoIP technology, or Zoom Phone Hardware as a Service lets you obtain the latest hardware on a subscription basis, with very low upfront costs.
The setup costs of moving to a small business VoIP system are much lower than setting up a traditional landline system. Legacy on-premises solutions require extensive infrastructure and equipment, which are costly to install and maintain. Business VoIP phone service requires virtually no infrastructure, other than an existing internet connection. You don’t even need to purchase desk phones because you can use any device, such as a smartphone or computer, to make calls.