No matter how many channels of communication are available in 2023, voice and video calls still remain fundamental to business communication. Both within your team and with customers.
In fact, recent statistics published by Salesforce show that 59% of customers say their preferred communication channel is the phone. That’s 5% more than the 54% who said so only three years ago.
The bottom line? Having a solid business phone service remains crucial in 2023.
Plus, the best business phone services now go far beyond simple voice calls. They offer unified communications, centralizing channels like video calls, live chat, instant messaging, email, file sharing, and fax. Increasingly, they also offer handy AI-based features like automatic call transcripts and meeting summaries.
But with the deluge of different providers out there, which is the best business phone service in 2023? We’ve rounded up the top contenders and compared them thoroughly – their pricing, features, and reviews. Here are the results.
Nextiva
On top of our list is Nextiva, a leading business phone service provider based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Nextiva’s offer is budget-friendly, scalable, and comes with award-winning 24/7 customer service. It includes unlimited free domestic calls, text messaging, virtual fax, free number porting, and toll-free numbers.
Some of the nifty features Nextiva offers are voicemail-to-email, a sophisticated interactive voice response (IVR) system, and in-depth call analytics. Going further, Nextiva also offers powerful business tools like a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, as well as functionalities for live chat and online surveys.
Pricing starts at $18.95 per user and month.
Ooma
In second place, Ooma is a reliable phone service for businesses of all sizes. It’s eminently scalable and adjustable to your business’ unique needs.
Pricing starts at $19.95 per user and month. This includes a toll-free number and basic business phone functionalities like a virtual receptionist, extension dialing, and call logs.
Advanced plans, such as Ooma Office Pro ($24.95 per user and month), come with features like video conferencing, call recording, and voicemail transcription. If you want to integrate Ooma with other business apps, such as Salesforce, or need features like call queuing and meeting recording, you need to opt for the Pro Plus plan ($29.95 per month).
Vonage
Another strong contender among the best business phone services in 2023 is Vonage. This provider is particularly tailored to the needs of remote teams.
Pricing is based on whether you opt for Vonage’s Mobile, Premium, or Advanced plan, and how many lines you need. On the Mobile plan, for instance, you pay $19.99 per line for up to four of them, but only $14.99 per line if you contract for 20+ lines.
In terms of features, all plans come with voice and video calls. Vonage also connects to major messaging channels like Facebook Messenger, iMessage, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook. Plus, at the higher-tier plans it also offers integrations with platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workplace, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, and Zoho.
Dialpad
In fourth place on our list of the best business telephony providers is Dialpad. The company stands out with a vast and varied implementation of AI to level up your business phone experience.
Dialpad offers a robust basic plan starting at $15 per month and line. However, its full potential unfolds at higher tiers. AI-based tools for natural language processing power handy functionalities like automatic call summaries, transcripts, and automatic scorecards for customer conversations.
Going further, Dialpad also harnesses AI-enhanced analytics to give you in-depth insights into the performance of individual agents as well as collective interactions with customers. Based on this intelligence, you can fine-tune your workflows and improve the overall customer communication experience.
RingCentral
Finally, there is RingCentral, one of the longest-lived cloud-based business phone services out there. It launched back in 1999 and has since expanded and added a wide range of features that has kept it in our top five.
RingCentral’s major selling point is its wide range of integrations. You can connect it natively with over 2,000 other business platforms, from HubSpot and Slack to Mailchimp and Salesforce. Considering the large amounts of information often locked in data silos, this is a crucial advantage.
In general, RingCentral’s service comes with all the basics and quite a few perks – voice and video calling, team messaging, and fax, as well as auto-attendants, visual voicemail, and advanced analytics.
Pricing starts at $20 per user and month.
Conclusion
Finding the right business phone service for your needs takes some time and research. Using the list above as a basis, you can determine the priorities for your own business – whether you’re looking for advanced AI insights, the maximum number of integrations, or a solid all-round package. Consider pricing, scalability, and the range of communication channels and additional functionalities available at different tiers. That way, you’ll be able to pinpoint the best business phone service for your unique needs.
