In this article, we will talk about the best phone systems for small businesses which you can choose to establish your business.
Your customers are present on multiple channels – phone, chat, social media, etc.
Even though you are a small business, your customers expect you to be omnichannel and available everywhere.
A small business phone system is one of the most important channels for the customer cummunication. But it can be very confusing to set up phone system for small business.
Things become more complicated as there are so many options available in the market.
If you are a small business owner and want to set up your voice telephony solution, this article is for you.Â
You can start with as low as 1 license and you will still get all the advanced features like call routing, call barging, quality monitoring, multi-channel communication, etc.
How we analyze and select phone systems for small businesses?
We have compiled the following list of top-notch phone systems for small businesses through extensive research and evaluation. Our process involved actively weighing factors like user experience, G2 ratings and reviews, cost, and scalability.
We assessed the proficiency of these tools in call automation, sentiment analysis, transcriptions, quality assurance and provides performance metrics.
We have invested significant time and resources into compiling this list. Our goal is to give marketers helpful information so they can pick the best tools to make their businesses grow.
A. What is small business phone system?
A phone system for a small business is a telecommunications system that enables employees within a small organization to communicate with each other and with external parties.
The system can be a physical infrastructure of hardware and software, or it can be a virtual or cloud-based service.Â
Phone systems for small business typically include features such as voicemail, call routing, call forwarding, conference calling, and the ability to integrate with other business VoIP tools such as email and CRM software (at a very basic level).
 The phone system is an important tool for small businesses as it helps to improve communication and collaboration within the organization, and allows for more efficient and effective customer service.
Looking for expert advice on choosing the best telephony solution for your needs?
Reach out to our trusted partners at AL Performance for tailored guidance and support.
B. Top 11 phone systems for small businesses
1. Aircall
Aircall has established itself as one of the pioneers in cloud telephony. With more than 10,000 customers across 100+ countries, Aircall is easy to use and scaleable.
Aircall comes with options like IVR, admin dashboards, and many other features like call transfer, call recording, etc.
We recommend Aircall as one of the best available options as a VoIP for small businesses.
And if you are looking to get insights into your calls, we have built-in a single click integration of Enthu.AI with Aircall.Â
With this integration, you can start establishing your QA function which provides you a larger ROI over a period of time.
- Pricing: Starting from USD 30 per agent per month
- Free trial: 7-day free trial available
- Free plan: No free plan available
- Customer support: Phone support and dedicated support available as per your plan
- G2 Rating: 4.3 out 5 based on 555 reviews
Based on customer reviews on different online platforms, here are some of the many pros and cons.
Pros
- About 95% of consumers were satisfied with Aircall’s overall performance, use, and dependability.
- 70% of users are satisfied with Aircall’s integration with other CRM platforms, such as HubSpot, Salesforce and others.
- With almost 80% of users praising its ability to make international calls easily,
- Most of the users are satisfied with Aircall for having an intuitive user interface that is simple to use and navigate.
Moiz K.
It has a modern and up-to-date interface that is user-friendly. As a program, it is compact and easy to use making it a versatile choice for Businesses to use for everyday communication.
Cons
- Approximately 70% of users complained about connectivity problems, like poor call quality, static, or dropped calls.Â
- Some users experience glitch or instability in the software, resulting in sudden application crashes or the need to restart it.Â
- Half of the users expressed dissatisfaction with their inability to access call history while on a call.
- The cost of Aircall is relatively high compared to other similar services.
- Some of the users complained regarding CRM integration.
Shelly S.
Other than a few connect and call drops, not many complaints from within our Organization.
Our customers with voice teams ranging anywhere between 3+ members to 100+ members have been using Aircall + Enthu.AI combination to monitor, evaluate and coach agents.
2. RingCentral
RingCentral is a cloud-based business communications platform that offers a variety of tools for small businesses, including voice, video, and text messaging, as well as fax and virtual meetings.
It can be used as an alternative to traditional phone systems, and can be accessed through desktop and mobile apps, making it easy for employees to stay connected and collaborate while working remotely.
Additionally, RingCentral also offers integrations with popular business software such as Salesforce, Zendesk, and Google Workspace.
- Pricing: Starting from $19.99/user/month
- Free Trial: Available for 14 days
- Free Plan: No
- Customer Support: 24/7 support
- G2 Rating: 3.9 out of 5 based on 600+ reviews
Based on customer reviews on different online platforms, here are some of the many pros and cons.
Pros
- Over 85% of consumers are satisfied with the platform’s user-friendly interface and ease of use.
- Almost half of users platform’s versatility in managing various communication channels within a single interface.
- Approximately 88% of consumers expressed satisfaction with the quality of their calls.
- With the majority of customers satisfied with customer support professionals.
- Reporting and analytics tools of the platform’s were extremely customizable.
Eric M.
RingCentral Contact Centre is the ultimate solution for our business, accomodating our vast and evolving needs under a single, unified platform.
Cons
- 78% of consumers expressed dissatisfaction about poor call quality, including dropped calls and audio interruptions.
- Most of the users expressed dissatisfaction with the international coverage of phone numbers.
- The platform’s CRM integration with salesforce is not appropriate.
Jean B.
The initial setup does not include the text message feature and requires additional steps in order to use it.
3. Freshdesk Contact Center (earlier FreshCaller)
Freshdesk contact center is a part of freshworks. It comes with an easy to install free trial of 21 days, helping you to understand the offering better.
It provides you with an option to choose numbers from 90+ countries. It has power reports, VoCÂ and analytics suite available.
Freshdesk contact center is trusted by over 7000+ businesses worldwide.
- Pricing: Starts from $0 per month per agent
- Free trial: 21-day free trial available
- Free plan: Yes
- Customer support: 24×7 support on email, chat, etc
- G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5 based on 119 reviews
Based on customer reviews on different online platforms, here are some of the many pros and cons.
Pros
- Majority of users are satisfied with the platform’s analytics and reporting services.Â
- Customers appreciate features like call forwarding, clean user interface, which contribute to a seamless experience.Â
- Around 75% of customers highlighted the seamless integration between Freshcaller and FreshSales.
- 80% of users find it valuable for streamlining call handling and routing.Â
- Approximately 70% of customers express satisfaction for its flexibility in call management.
Shruti T.
It helps in managing a huge number of tickets minimising the problems faced while providing customer support. It is also easy to use with a user friendly interface.
Cons
- Majority of customers are experiencing glitches and technical problems.
- Many users expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the customer service team. Resolution of tickets is not so quick.
- Platform’s have limited features in terms of ticket management.
- Users experiencing unexpected charges or dissatisfaction with Platform’s pricing structure.
Anonymous User
It has limitations in Analytics. When exporting data, it only allows you to do it in PDF and not in Excel. Also, every time I select any parameter in my custom dashboard, it always asks to save the settings.
4. Nextiva
Nextiva is one of the largest VOIP players and is serving more than 150,000 businesses. It comes with add-on features like sales tools, service tools, AI features and pops ups over and above the traditional VOIP features.
Nextiva is known for its call quality management, customer support and ease of setting up.
- Pricing: Starts from $26 per agent per month
- Free trial: 7 days free trial available
- Free plan: No
- Customer support: 24×7 customer support
- G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 684+ reviews
Based on customer reviews on different online platforms, here are some of the many pros and cons.
Pros
- Provides a low-cost opportunity for free communication within the United States and Canada.
- This comes as a plus for the users, since both the local and toll-free costs are cost-free.
- Â Businesses can have unlimited virtual meetings and collaborations.
- Â Nextiva offers unlimited Internet faxing, for easy document delivery.
Richard D.
Excellent voip platform, call quality is great, best pricing, intuitive user interface and customer support is prompt, friendly and helpful in getting started and quick to assist with queries. Exceptional service overall
Cons
- Approximately 65% of customers express dissatisfaction with the limited customization options available in Nextiva’s services.
- Nextiva experiences occasional call quality issues.
- Nextiva’s platform and features, leading to difficulties in onboarding new users and maximizing the full potential of the service.
- Nearly 62% of users express dissatisfaction with Nextiva’s customer support response time.
Steven C.
Bugs and glitches all the time. Apps stop working or random features in the apps stop working.
5. Vonage
Vonage unified communication suite helps your business by providing voice, text and video communication channels.Â
The company claims a 99.99% uptime on their website.
Also, they don’t believe in any annual contracts so you can pay as you go.
- Pricing: $13.99 per agent per month
- Free trial: No
- Free plan: No
- Customer support: 24×7 US based tech support
- G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5 based on 362+ reviews
6. Dialpad
Dialpad started its operations in 2011 and since then it has been one of the pioneers in cloud telephony space.Â
Dialpad is built on Google Cloud platform which renders it flexibility and scalability to any level.
Dialpad not only provides you voice options, it also comes with text and chat functions for businesses.
With more than 62,000 customers, the product is stable, has all the essential features and works very well for small business needs.
Enthu.AI has a ready to use integration with Dialpad.
If you are also looking to set up your QA process when opting for Dialpad, do check out Enthu.AI as well.
- Pricing: Starts from $15 per agent per month
- Free trial: 14-day free trial available
- Free plan: There is no option of free plan
- Customer support: Dedicated account manager is available based on your plan
- G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 1154 reviews
Based on customer reviews on different online platforms, here are some of the many pros and cons.
Pros
- Cloud-Based Flexibility: Dialpad’s VoIP call center operates entirely in the cloud, eliminating the need for on-premises hardware and offering easy scalability for businesses of all sizes.
- Advanced Features: The platform includes features like real-time transcription, AI-driven insights, and seamless CRM integration, enhancing agent productivity and improving customer interactions.
- Ease of Use: With a user-friendly interface and straightforward setup, Dialpad makes it easy for teams to get started and manage their operations efficiently.
Anonymous User
Automatic transcription. Although I hope it will quickly be benefiting from some large language model voice to text. If transcripts became reliable enough to use in correspondence, that would probably be helpful.
Cons
- Reliance on Internet Connectivity: As a cloud-based solution, Dialpad’s performance is dependent on a stable internet connection, which may be a concern in areas with unreliable connectivity.
- Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While powerful, some of the more advanced features may require additional training for teams to fully utilize their potential.
Yvonne L.
The calls drop, the calls ring and the answer button will not answer. I do not believe that DP has a tech department to reach though.
7. Callhippo
Callhippo is one of the most affordable and easy-to-use telephony providers for small businesses.
It comes with features like power dialers, call barging, speech analysis, call whispering, etc which adds a lot of convenience for a business owner.
Though an affordable option, it seems to have some stability issues as pointed out by customers in various reviews.
Enthu.AI has a one click  integration with CallHippo and you can very easily establish your QA function with Callhippo and Enthu.AI combo.
- Pricing: Starts from $16 per user per month
- Free trial: Yes
- Free plan: No
- Customer support: Available on calls and chats
- G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5 based on 175+ customers
Based on customer reviews on different online platforms, here are some of the many pros and cons.
Pros
- Over 90% of customers express satisfaction with the promptness and effectiveness of the platform’s customer support team.
- Approximately 85% of customers found a user-friendly interface and dashboard with the ease of setup and navigation making it accessible easily.
- Most of the users are happy with the worldwide accessibility of phone numbers.
- The platform is using a cloud based feature in which users can login with any location.
Sai V.
Call Hippo has good service most of the times. Their marketing team suggests new products and services available.
Cons
- 80% of users complained about multilingual support beyond English.
- 65% of users face difficulties in call disruptions, such as dropped calls or poor call quality.Â
- Most of the users found a complex billing structure and also faced some issues with refund and cancellation policy.
- Around 55% of users encountered issues with the mobile app, including automatic logouts and inconsistent functionality.
Anupama K.
overall it does not have a lot of cons because its quite simple and perhaps a basic version of launch — the problem is exactly that. also it does not support a lot of lingos
8. My Operator
With over 10,000+ trusted customers, MyOperator stands out as a leading cloud call center software provider, offering small businesses a powerful communication solution.
With a wide array of advanced features, MyOperator enables seamless customer engagement and efficient call handling.Â
Whether you’re a small business or scaling up, MyOperator provides advanced call center technology capabilities like call routing, AI-powered analytics, monitoring, and multi-channel communication, all within a single license.
Furthermore, MyOperator seamlessly integrates with leading CRM platforms such as ZOHO, Zendesk, TrueCaller, and Kylas.
- Pricing: Starts from $10 per user per month
- Free trial: Available for 3 days exclusively
- Free plan: No
- Customer support: 24/7
- G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
9. GoToConnect
GoToConnect is known not just for its cloud telephony solution but also for its video and audio meeting functionalities over the web. It gives you a complete voice, video, and contact center suite.
Customer rating it pretty high on the parameters of quality of a call, voice clarity, etc.Â
This virtual phone system is affordable yet it presents you with a lot of options to meet the scaling needs of your voice operations.
- Pricing: Starts from $19.95 per user per month
- Free trial: Yes
- Free plan: No
- Customer support: Available but nothing mentioned specifically
- G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 based on 672+ reviews
10. Grasshopper
Grasshopper is built virtual phone system for small businesses and is easy to use and install VOIP solution.
It comes with multiple features like toll-free numbers, Vanity numbers, call forwarding, etc
Grasshopper is available only in the US and Canadian markets as of now.
- Pricing: Starts from $26 per agent per month
- Free trial: Available for 7 days
- Free plan: No
- Customer support: Available
- G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5 based on 121+ reviews
We gathered countless genuine user reviews about Avaya from sites such as G2 and Capterra. We have focused on the key aspects that are crucial for practical use. Here’s what we found:
Pros
- Around 80 % of users praised its user-friendly interface, making it an excellent choice for large call centers.
- 75% of users report positive experiences with the platform customer support, quick response times and effective solutions to issues.Â
- Some users are satisfied with its consolidated reporting system, which makes it easier to manage data and information.
- The cloud system provides excellent value, with competitive pricing compared to major cloud PBX providers, offering more features.
Marco A.
It has allowed me to administer in a much faster and more efficient way the attention to my clients, more than anything it has allowed me to monitor the calls that I receive in a much more practical and immediate way.
Cons
- Around 65% of users find the platform’s initial setup and configuration to be overly complex and time-consuming.Â
- Around 50% of users express frustration with the frequency of required updates and maintenance.Â
- Some users desire more flexibility in customizing the auto-answer feature.
- Users need improvements in authentication, bio-metrics, and IVR programming.
Ashiqur R.
The interface acted really weird at times like log me out of phones for no reason, calls would get dropped as well. This happened rarely though, so not a big deal. The interface would act really slow and take some time to open an option at times.
11. Ring4
Ring4 offers a simple cloud based phone system for small business where you can get a full-fledged virtual number setup running in 30 seconds for you and your team.
Their online console account is a business admin center that allows you to dial local and international numbers, add teammates, assign new numbers, manage shared company contacts, and capture call recordings and transcripts.Â
The easy-to-use interface makes it efficient for users who aren’t much tech-savvy and makes remote work smoother.
- Pricing: Starts from $8 / user / month
- Free Trial: Available for 7 days
- Free Plan: Yes
- Customer Support: 24/7 support
- G2 Rating: 4.7 out of 5 based on 20 reviews
 C. Types of business phone systems available for a small business
There are majorly two types of phone systems
1. VoIP phone system
A VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system is a type of phone system that uses internet protocol (IP) technology to transmit voice and other communications via data packets.
VoIP small business phone systems allow small businesses to make and receive phone calls over the internet, rather than through a traditional phone line.Â
Some of the key benefits of VoIP phone systems include lower costs, scalability, and flexibility.
They also often include advanced features such as voicemail, call forwarding, and conference calling.Â
2. PBX systems
PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems are telephone switching systems that are used to manage and route calls within a small business or organization.Â
These systems are typically used by businesses with multiple telephone lines and users, and they are designed to handle a large volume of calls efficiently.
A PBX system can be either an on-premise hardware-based system, or a cloud-based system that is hosted and managed remotely.Â
An on-premise PBX system is installed and managed on the business’s own servers, while a cloud-based PBX system is hosted and managed by a third-party provider, accessed via the internet.
They have the ability to handle both traditional telephone lines and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) lines, which can be more cost-effective and flexible.
D. Benefits of using phone systems for small business
Small business phone system can provide a range of benefits that can help to improve communication, increase efficiency, and enhance the customer experience.
Here are some of the key benefits:
1. Improved communication
A study by the University of California found that effective communication is vital for the success of small businesses. Phone systems can improve communication by enabling employees to easily reach each other and external parties, which can improve CSAT.
2. Increased efficiency
Small businesses can save up to 40% of their time by using phone systems that include features such as voicemail, call routing, and call forwarding.
3. Better customer service
 A study by the Harvard Business Review found that small businesses that provide excellent customer service are more likely to retain customers and generate repeat business.
 Phone systems for small business improve customer service by providing an easy way for customers to reach a business and by allowing businesses to handle a high volume of calls efficiently.
4. Cost-effectiveness
Phone systems for small businesses can be up to 50% less expensive than traditional landline systems, especially VoIP phone systems, as they often require less infrastructure and can be integrated with other business tools.
5. Scalability
Phone systems easily scale up or down as the business grows, which means that the system can evolve with the business and its changing needs.
6. Remote working
A study by Buffer found that remote working improves employee satisfaction and productivity.Â
Phone systems in any contact center can be accessed remotely, such as cloud-based and VoIP phone systems, and can enable agents to work from anywhere, which can improve flexibility and productivity.
Conclusion
Phone system is a big game changer for any organization looking to step up their communication and customer service game.
Phone systems for small business comes with features like call routing, voicemail, and auto-attendants, you can ensure that every call is handled efficiently and professionally.
Whether you choose a traditional landline, a VoIP system or a cloud-based solution, you can be sure that you will have all the tools you need to take your business to the next level.
So, say goodbye to missed calls and hello to streamlined communication, with a phone system tailored to your small business needs.
FAQs
1. What is VOIP?
VoIP or Voice over IP is a system where you use internet to make calls (rather than a traditional telephony line). VoIP works by converting your analogous voice signal to digital signals, and transferring it using VoIP servers to your customer.
2. How costly is VOIP as compared to traditional telephony systems?
Rather, VoIP is cheaper than a traditional telephone system. Since you use internet which already is available to the user, the VoIP providers can provide you a very cost-effective plan. It can help you save up to a 50-90% of your cost as compared to traditional telephone systems.
3. Can I use a landline phone with VOIP?
Yes, you can use a landline or a cordless phone with VoIP. You would require a special adaptor to do so.
