We reviewed 20 products in the wide world of office phone systems, and found that Nextiva is our favorite office phone system provider. You get 24/7 customer support that’s actually useful and a reliable platform you can trust. You get so much bang for your buck with Nextiva, but they’re not the only high-quality option out there. We’ve broken all the top options down for you here in this post.
Top Office Phone Systems: Golden Eggs
Among all of the options available, we’ve selected our Golden Eggs, the office phone providers that are your safest bets when getting started with a new phone system.
Nextiva delivers collaboration tools, stability, and an easy-to-learn platform backed by award-winning infrastructure. Get started today by a requesting a demo of the Nextiva platform.
RingCentral caters to your booming call volume and can make scaling your business automatic. Try any RingCentral plan risk-free for 14 days.
Ooma is your worry-free in-office solution that lets you set up your equipment in 20 minutes or less. Get started on Ooma with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Office Phone Systems Review Process
Our research team’s work has taken all of the pain out of comparing options that will benefit your business. That’s because below you’ll find brand reviews split into relatable use cases so you can quickly scan for what you really need and the most relevant products for your situation.
In our review of 20 providers, we condensed these common scenarios for needing an office phone system down to five use cases:
- Traditional office environments
- Virtual offices and remote work
- Call centers
- International calling
- Getting the best on a budget
It’s that simple. That clarity will make your assessment process and purchasing decision much more precise the first time around.
If you want more details about what matters most to these use cases, in terms of common or essential phone system features, you can pop down to our section on what matters most in these reviews.
The Best Office Phone Systems for Traditional Office Environments
Let’s assume you run an engineering firm, a manufacturing company, or some other business that runs on desk phones. The providers below give you a flexible approach to meeting the needs of in-house staff while offering modern VoIP features.
Nextiva

Nextiva is great for beginners and small business owners, simplifying the commonly complicated process of implementing a new phone system. Set up your phones and call flows in minutes.
Speaking of phones to set up, Nextiva offers dozens of device options to choose from, including cordless and conference phones. Or, use your old equipment with easy-to-install adapters and save money by not having to replace everything. Plus, Nextiva will even port your old phone number to their platform, free of charge.
Users can manage all their communications in one dashboard on Nextiva. It doesn’t matter if it’s chat, text, or a phone or video call, your team can both lean on the reliability of Nextiva for their desk phones and tap into the modern UCaaS features on their computers.
Even Conan O’Brien’s IT director, Chris Hayes, raves about the simplicity and customer support you get with Nextiva. And if it’s good enough for Conan’s show, well, it’s almost certainly good enough for you.
For more about Nextiva’s full range of offerings, check out our full company review.
RingCentral

When it comes to traditional office phone options, RingCentral has one of the largest device lists in the category. That’s because they understand no two companies are alike. And when it’s time to scale, your needs might have changed.
Is it hard to set up? Not at all. You get guided implementation from the pros at RingCentral. And after it’s all set up, administration is easy to handle from anywhere. Manage your phone system in your office or from anywhere via the platform’s web portal or mobile app.
Not only do you get the UCaaS features to make and receive calls and hold meetings, you also get handy traditional office features. Use your devices for paging and intercom functions, set up an office directory for external callers and quick routing, and wield call logs and notifications to effectively inform your team members.
Just because you have a traditional office phone system doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the stone age. Get more exclusive details about RingCentral by reading our company review.
Ooma

Small businesses love Ooma because of the attention to detail and advanced features delivered for such an affordable price.
This platform is perfect for owners that already have hardware and just want to attach a great office phone system to it. But you can also purchase new hardware from Ooma for a reasonable cost.
Your office will benefit from high definition audio, virtual fax capability, a virtual receptionist, and local and toll free numbers included in your plan for free. You get 50 useful features on Ooma’s most basic plan, as well as 24/7/365 full-service support. Even if you’re doing business on Christmas, someone will be there to help you.
And Ooma is gentle on beginners and the less tech-savvy. The UX of the platform is kind to admins and users alike, making it easy to set up and use. It’s just another reason Ooma has been around for so long and continues to grow.
Get a closer look at Ooma in our complete company review.
Zoom

When you hear Zoom, you’re likely thinking of video calls. While that’s definitely their most famous offering, they also provide a platform for traditional phone systems.
With it, you’ll get a full-featured office phone system that delivers all the essentials you expect and then some. Get a platform for handling inbound and outbound calls, transfering calls, intercom communication, and much more.
If you’re already using Zoom daily for video meetings and huddles, it’s dead simple to expand it to include office phones. And Zoom allows you to make calls from your computer in different apps like Outlook, Slack, and your web browser, so including the phone system capabilities won’t disrupt how your team already likes to work.
Zoom even takes it to the next level with hardware, providing cameras, touchscreens, and digital signage beyond the desk and conference phones that other providers offer. But setup is easy—when you set up your phone system, each user automatically gets an extension attached to them without you having to do any extra work.
Want to know more details? See our Zoom review here.
Webex

With Webex, you can take your small business and get the quality of enterprise grade calling and communications, setting your dreams of scaling up for success.
This is a great hybrid of necessary in-office features like extension-to-extension dialing and modern UCaaS features for collaboration and team messaging. You’ll also get some features we don’t see everywhere, like merging multiple calls into a conference call with the click of a button.
And, since Webex is owned by Cisco, you can tap into that partnership and gain the fantastic equipment that Cisco used to only offer to larger organizations using its own communications platform.
Find out more about how this platform enables your small business’ growth in our Webex company review.
8×8

If you’re looking for an alternative to Ooma, 8×8 is a great choice. They are similarly inexpensive without sacrificing quality. You get collaborative features like file sharing alongside voice and video calling.
The main difference here is affordability versus the need for hardware. Ooma is a bit better if you need more traditional office equipment for your phone system, but 8×8 is the better choice if you’re more budget-conscious and prefer cloud-based calling from computers and mobile devices.
You can still get hardware, though, if you end up needing it. Desk phones, headsets, and accessories are available to get through 8×8. And, further cementing its quality for those who need to watch their bottom line, you can either purchase hardware or rent it from 8×8 for the period that you need it.
You’ll also get the benefit of quality support, both in the form of an extensive 8×8 knowledge base and self-education database that can help you discover how to do something. And, if you need 1-on-1 attention, you have access to always-available chat or phone help.
Dive deeper with our in-depth company review of 8×8.
The Best Office Phone Systems for Virtual Offices and Remote Work
People are creating businesses and solving big problems from the comfort of their own home, all made possible because of the office phone systems the providers below can empower you with. Whether you need remote workers to collaborate from afar or a way for far-flung reps to connect with customers, these solutions help you create the remote working environment of the future in your own organization.
Nextiva

When it comes to virtual offices and remote work, it’s all about the software. Nextiva gives you desktop applications that let you call from anywhere in the world with reliability. Included in their service are built-in business tools that help with sales, service, automation and more.
Nextiva not only provides you with unlimited domestic calls, plus SMS text, video, and chat, but you also get conference calling so you huddle with the most important people when you need them.
And collaboration comes easy. For example, you can screen share with a specific group that needs more details. Plus, Nextiva goes way beyond call times and usage statistics when you need to know what’s working and what’s not, making it possible to improve your operations with the insights of this platform.
Having a fully remote, hybrid, or on-the-go business operation has never been easier. That’s because everything Nextiva does keeps ease-of-use in mind, so you don’t need to be a wizard with tech to figure everything out.
Dive deeper by reading our company review.
RingCentral

The best part about RingCentral is the ease with which you can scale and fold mobile and remote workers into your business.
And it doesn’t matter how many calls you’re getting. The infrastructure RingCentral provides is built for high-volume call management, regardless of whether your team is working from home within the same state or internationally. Whether your employees prefer taking calls on their PC or Mac or on their mobile devices, they’ll get the same call quality and ability to connect with each other.
If collaboration is key, any plan above RingCentral’s entry-level Essential plan will do the trick. Get unlimited video calls and meetings, team messaging and texting, unlimited faxing, team messaging, file sharing, screen sharing, and more.
Don’t forget to check out our complete company review of RingCentral for more details.
GoTo Connect

If you want traditional office phones for your remote team, GoTo Connect works on over 180 different desk phones. So, you don’t have to pay for the most expensive hardware to supply your far-flung employees or offices with the ability to connect.
The beauty is that GoTo Connect offers similar reliability to options like RingCentral, but is cheaper and gives you much more to work with on the entry-level plan. They are ideal for small businesses, whether they have plans to scale up in time or simply want to connect better with their devoted customer base.
Video and messaging are all integrated into the phone system, all of which can be used via GoTo’s desktop and mobile applications. The apps are updated regularly, so you never have to worry if you’re using outdated software.
Take a look at the GoTo Connect review we’ve written to get into the nitty-gritty of what makes this option work well for small businesses of all stripes.
Grasshopper

Grasshopper is basic in the best possible way. Here, you have a provider that gives you a lightweight virtual phone system built for small, modern operations. You get business phone features that are perfect if you only need one phone number, making it an ideal fit for freelancers and solopreneurs.
Get unlimited business text messaging, the ability to forward your calls directly to your cell phone, and extremely easy-to-use mobile and desktop apps. There’s no hardware or complicated installations. Grasshopper makes bouncing around while still staying connected to your customers and leads automatic.
Simply enough, if you need a way to separate your business communications from personal ones on your mobile device, Grasshopper presents the fastest path to your perfect phone system.
And, we have a great full review of Grasshopper you can read for more details.
Mitel

Flexibility can be what makes a company great. Mitel is the go-to provider for hybrid working environments, meaning you can create an office phone ecosystem that allows your workers to be remote, in-office, or do a little of both. And you can do it with confidence from day one.
Beyond the usual features that are common for collaboration—manifesting in this platform in the form of MiCollab video chat, file sharing, and MiTeam group chat—Mitel provides you with resources to maximize their platform. Search a wealth of blogs, guides, and knowledge base articles to not only wield this platform effectively, but find better ways to manage remote workers or hire talent for remote work.
Already have a PBX system in place? No problem. The MiVoice Border Gateway lets you seamlessly extend its capabilities to your remote and dispersed workers. Whether you’re starting from scratch or modernizing your communications platform, Mitel has the solution.
3CX

Want a completely free office phone system with no strings attached? 3CX gives that to you and so much more, if you have fewer than 10 users.
Seriously, you get a free-forever communication solution that even includes features like a ring group, an auto attendant, live chat, video conferencing, and team messaging. And, if you want to self-host your phone services (as opposed to using 3CX’s cloud environment), you can use it for free for up to 12 users.
Look, you’re not getting some lousy open PBX system here. You’re getting those remote-work-ready features mentioned above, plus mobile and desktop apps, call logging and parking, and up to ten extensions. It almost sounds too good to be true until you actually try it yourself.
1-VoIP

The pay-as-you-go office phone system model is a great way to use business phone features when your company isn’t reliant on constant calling. With decades of experience, 1-VoIP is the experienced company you can trust that lets you only pay for what you need.
You can bring your existing phones over to the 1-VoIP platform, purchase from a dozen options that the company offers, or set it up so your remote workers can tap into the platform from mobile devices. Conference calling and texting are integrated, no matter which devices your team prefers.
Reliability and support is what 1-VoIP does really well. No matter where your team members are located, your business will enjoy 99.999% uptime. And, regardless of the plan you choose, you get over 40 features that come standard.
Read the comprehensive Crazy Egg review of 1-VoIP now to see if this pay-as-you-go system ticks are the right boxes for you.
eVoice

You want an office phone receptionist, but your industry requires a real person who can field complicated or unique needs. eVoice has you covered. That’s because each plan comes with your live receptionist, who can handle the specific rigors and needs of specialized fields like medical, legal, and real estate.
If that’s a selling point to you, then eVoice will rise above the other options for office phone systems. In addition to that unique offering, you get desktop and mobile calling for your remote teams, plus access to virtual local and international numbers, as well.
And just because your employees work from home doesn’t mean you can’t monitor their calls or get call reporting with which to get a full view of your team’s efficacy on calls. You can get started risk-free with eVoice’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Best Office Phone Systems for Call Centers
If you run a call center, you’re going to need excellent call management features. Whether you’re taking a high volume of customer inquiries or you’re a manager of an outbound call center, you’re going to need call analytics, call recording, monitoring, and much more. Let’s get a closer look at your options.
Nextiva

If you want to maximize your inbound and outbound call management capabilities, Nextiva is the perfect choice. This platform makes organizing your inbound calls simple. For example, use its advanced IVR call attendant or set up custom call routing to help get your customers where they need to go quickly.
Integrations are another strong suit here. By syncing together a call center platform with other tools, you can make sure agents have the best possible information at their fingertips before a conversation even starts. Plus, use customizable phone extensions and call queues to make the workflow less punishing on your team.
Nextiva plays very well with essentials like Outlook and the suite of Google products, but you can tap into integrations with CRMs and other key software on some of its higher-octane plans.
That is the one key drawback here. Not only are the clutch integrations only accessible on the upper end plans, but so too are features like call and video conference recording. This is a powerful platform for call centers, but getting the full array of benefits can get a bit pricey.
Find out all there is to know about Nextiva in our complete company review.
RingCentral

When you are flooded with calls, you need a provider that has the infrastructure to manage a massive influx coming all at once. RingCentral is known for doing this smoothly.
What’s great is the level of self-navigation it allows you to offer callers, so their calls don’t get clogged up in the call waiting queue when they could reach out to the correct department with a single button press.
Call recording can be configured based on your needs, whether you want it to happen automatically or on demand. Save as many as 100,000 records per account up to 90 days within the platform, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on coaching opportunities if you get a little busy and can’t get to them right away.
Find out more about RingCentral in the company review we’ve written.
Aircall

If you have a high-volume sales or support team that you’re adding reps to, Aircall has exactly what you need to stay sharp night and day. You get advanced monitoring to easily train new employees while they’re learning the ropes and outbound calling features that improve speed and accuracy of who gets called.
What makes Aircall even more interesting is the 50% discount you get if you’re a non-profit organization. That can make this even more appealing, since you get those excellent tools for helping phone bank volunteers quickly get comfortable placing outbound calls on your organization’s behalf.
Better still, setting up this modern VoIP phone service is a cinch. It doesn’t require any hardware, so setting up your call center takes minutes; just follow the four simple steps.
Dialpad

Call centers that take advantage of AI have an upper hand. And if you want to feel like you have an extra set of hands working the call management controls for your business, Dialpad has your back.
All plans come with some key features that are bolstered by AI: meeting transcriptions, post-call summaries, and live speech coaching. You can get immediate feedback about calls without having to listen first, then give key guidance to agents after the call to improve results next time around.
Plus you can start basic on Dialpad and add the features you need along the way. For example, early on you may not need recommendations for next steps on a live call. But as you grow and hire more new employees, this AI feature can ramp up competency without having someone having to sit and coach every new employee one-on-one.
Read more about Dialpad in our comprehensive company review.
CloudTalk

CloudTalk is a potent platform for call centers, sporting dozens of accessible integrations, support for call recording and transcriptions, plus one of the most customizable call flows we’ve seen.
If you want specific agents to be the only ones to handle high-profile accounts, need marketing calls to only go to one place, or want new customers to get your more personable and nurturing agents, you can. Route and manage calls in the specific way you want, plus automate aspects of your call flow with CloudTalk’s call management tools.
The call flow designer is just the tip of the iceberg here. Your call center can also wield CloudTalk’s power dialer, predictive dialer, automated call back feature, and caller emotion analytics. This is major league stuff that can take your call center to the next level.
Never worry about losing a tenured customer because their call went to an inexperienced rep. Remove bad outcomes with CloudTalk’s powerful routing, management, and analytics.
Avaya

If you run a healthcare-oriented call center, Avaya gives you a plug-and-play platform that keeps you compliant with HIPAA and connected with your team whether they’re in your office or elsewhere.
That gives Avaya the edge in the healthcare industry, but you also get access to Avaya’s experienced agents who can help you create a call center and office phone system that meets all of your needs. Tap into features for telehealth and patient service while also getting the essentials of call management, like answering rules, transferring, logs, and call flip and parking.
One unique aspect of healthcare is how some phone system features normally used for training take on greater utility for telehealth and other industry-specific interactions. For example, many organizations use call barging, whispering, and monitoring to keep tabs on reps’ calls and offer assistance if they need help. But with healthcare, your operation can use these tools for bringing on consultants or ensuring that HIPAA regulations are being followed.
Vonage

If you have a mature tech stack that you need to integrate with your call center environment, Vonage is the clear winner.
Beyond the over 100 tools Vonage can integrate with via its marketplace of apps, you can choose from over 60 made just for call and contact centers. Integrate your Vonage phone system with Microsoft Teams to sync the collaboration and information there with the calling platform. Or, connect it with Livestorm to run webinars and live video events on the solid infrastructure of Vonage.
Vonage also lets you customize your call center plan with no annual contract. So, select all the features you want and use them with no fear. If things don’t live up to your expectations, you can easily adjust your plan or move onto a provider that is a better fit.
See our in-depth review of Vonage for more information.
The Best Office Phone Systems for International Calling
Not all phone systems or their plans are built to handle international communication. Reliability and unlimited international calling are the two major points here, with the option to get localized international or toll-free numbers not far behind. These providers offers a blend of solid infrastructure and features and perks that make international calling as pain-free as calling someone down the street.
RingCentral

With a pay-as-you-go international calling plans, RingCentral helps lower costs for businesses with a global footprint. You get unlimited domestic calling and reasonable rates to dozens upon dozens of countries.
You can also rest assured you’re getting the same 99.999% reliability promise from RingCentral for both calls and video placed internationally. You’re getting the same great infrastructure, combined with a simple-to-managed platform that everyone else using RingCentral gets. Use this platform’s advanced call management features for your international customers, allowing you to control call flow to make sure the right team members are fielding and making calls to other countries.
Plus, you can get new toll-free and localized numbers for both calls and faxing. Either can help you build up trust in and accessibility to your company for any of your customers, anywhere.
The company review goes into much more detail about RingCentral if you’re interested.
Net2Phone

If you want to take the complexity out of calling internationally, pay attention. Net2Phone is one of the few office phone system providers that delivers plans that include international calling in addition to calling to the U.S. and Canada.
These plans include calling to 40 countries outside of the United States and Canada, plus Net2Phone offers virtual phone numbers in more than 50 countries. Their ability to ramp up your global presence can’t be ignored.
And if you have your own equipment, even better. You can save money with that already taken care of and take advantage of Net2Phone’s simple and affordable international calling plans. That way, you’re getting one of the best platforms for international calling without breaking the bank.
8×8

We all want a great deal but don’t want to sacrifice on quality or reliability. 8×8 is a winner in this regard. For as low as $24 per user per month, you get unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, and 14 other countries, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
If you step up to the next higher tier, you get unlimited calling to 48 countries. That higher-priced plan unlocks unlimited calling to Asian countries like China, Japan, and Hong Kong.
That makes 8×8 a fantastic (and affordable option) for organizations that need to expand their calling reach to Europe. And, the $44 per user per month starting price point of the higher plan allows you to access Asian markets without much more pain on your wallet.
8×8 also promises 99.999% uptime, and they back that promise up with a service level agreement. So, if they don’t deliver, they pay you. 8×8 also prides themselves on security, which means doing business all over the world and handling sensitive information can be done with the utmost confidence.
Dive deeper here’s with our in-depth company review.
GoTo Connect

Small business owners love GoTo Connect because of the attention and specificity they receive.
You get a massive amount of features for your office phone configuration. But the kicker for some companies will be the unlimited international calling to 52 countries that comes on the Standard and Premium plans.
That’s a huge number of countries included for free with those plans, giving you the ability to call a lot of far-flung locales without worrying about per-minute rates.
Along with that, you get a phone system that fits into your business workflow, with fully customizable call routing. And GoTo Connect plays nicely with over 180 different types of desk phones, so you can rest assured that this platform can integrate with your current equipment, saving you money on hardware.
See our GoTo Connect review for more.
The Best Office Phone Systems for Affordability
Sometimes, your budget is the biggest consideration when shopping for a solution. That can very well apply to getting a new office phone system, so we’ve picked out a few high-quality options that you can get on the cheap.
Phone.com

Phone.com is the way to go if you want a low-cost solution now that’s flexible enough to scale up when you need it to. This platform works especially well for seasonal businesses, smaller remote work teams, and sporadic call volumes.
Pricing is based on a per user basis, similar to other plans, but where the magic happens is how you can mix and match users. Put a couple team members who need more features on one of the higher-priced plans and have the rest of your staff get the basics on Phone.com’s entry-level plan ($11.99 per user per month).
This gives you the freedom to supply features and administration only to specific users that need them. You can save a ton because you’re not forced to put everyone on higher-costing plans.
The other benefit is the 30-day money back guarantee, which adds a little extra incentive to the offer. And you’re not getting frozen out of essential features; you’ll get voicemail-to-email, video conferencing, plus options for local and international numbers.
See our review of Phone.com for more.
Microsoft Teams

Using Microsoft 365 for your collaboration needs and want to upgrade your plan to include an office phone? Today’s your lucky day. Microsoft Teams lets you get a phone system set up fast for less money than you might think.
This platform has three plans, ranging from just $8 per month to $57 per month. The middle tier, which starts at $15 per month, lets each user on the plan utilize 3,000 monthly minutes for domestic calling. That can do the trick just fine for some smaller operations or ones that don’t lean too heavily on calling.
While this won’t work for call centers, Microsoft Teams delivers plenty of useful communication options. Beyond domestic voice calls, you also get conference calling, video meetings, and messaging.
Check out the full Crazy Egg Microsoft Teams review.
Zoho Voice

Zoho Voice is similar to Microsoft Teams, in the sense that if you are already immersed into the Zoho ecosystem, this is an easy path to adding office phone service. But it also is an affordable alternative to providers like Zoom, even if you’re not using Zoho’s CRM or other products.
It works great for small businesses on a budget because its price point for 10 users is just $100 per month. Just purchase a phone number through Zoho and you’re off making local and international calls.
And if $100 per month is too steep right now, they even offer a free solo plan. While this supports just one user for free, you can add users a la carte for $15 a pop. You just have to pay for the call charges, but you get unlimited calls between users and unlimited incoming calls and 250 free general calling minutes for each user you add to the plan.
What Matters When Reviewing Office Phone Systems
Here’s your opportunity to learn exactly what we found matters most when selecting a new office phone system. In this section we break down a series of key criteria, what they mean, and why they are more important to certain use cases than others.
Inbound and Outbound Call Management
This is the backbone of an office phone system, but there are deeper features in this regard that can make or break a platform for a couple use cases. Monitoring calls, custom call routing, phone call analytics, and virtual attendants are huge benefits for certain kinds of companies. So spending time getting to understand whether a provider does these things well will help you quickly realize if they will deliver the solution you need.
When It Matters Most:
- Traditional office environments – Call routing, in particular, is imperative for making sure the right calls go to the right people, supported by other features like auto attendants, company directories, and intercom and paging support.
- Call centers – When you have medium to large call volumes, either inbound or outbound, you need all the tools to make the customer experience perfect, from custom routing rules to auto dialers and progressive dialers.
Worry-Free Reliability
When we say worry-free reliability we’re talking about everything that factors into call quality. That’s not just the uptime percentage and lack of dropped calls, but also HD audio and the quality of a provider’s infrastructure, as well as their level of support when something isn’t working as it should.
When It Matters Most:
- Traditional office environments – If your office runs on voice communication, you don’t want to fret about quality, and you’re going to want an easy way to solve issues through your provider’s support channels.
- Call centers – Call centers that are all about volume can’t have hiccups in quality or connection, lest they lose trust with customers or miss out on opportunities.
- International calling – Good providers maintain quality at scale, not just in terms of call volume but also in terms that the same quality is maintained no matter where you’re calling or where someone is calling from.
Collaboration Features
A lot of phone system providers also deliver UCaaS solutions, meaning they fold together voice, video, team messaging, faxing, texting, and other features for internal communications. Whether you need to huddle with team members located all around the country or globe, or you want a phone system that lets you communicate both externally and internally on an array of channels, keep your eye on what UCaaS features a prospective provider supplies.
When It Matters Most:
- Traditional office environments – You want it to be easy for your teams to stay connected even without traditional office phones, via in-platform chat, file sharing, and other collaborative features.
- Virtual offices and remote work – This is how far-flung or fully remote teams stay on the same page, supported by a strong phone and UCaaS platform that enables daily meetings, huddles, and teamwork.
- Call centers – Call centers can improve their relationships with customers or prospects by offering other ways to communicate with your agents, such as SMS texting or live chat.
Devices and Apps
Not everybody wants their office phone system to run on dusty old desk phones. Modern workers value the ability to make VoIP calls from their computers and remote workers or team members out in the field will need the ability to use your office phone system platform from their mobile devices. On the other hand, if you do still rely on desk phones, look for providers that can offer you a selection of quality equipment at a reasonable price.
When It Matters Most:
- Traditional office environments – Some providers on the list offer over 180 different hardware options, from modern IP phones and conference phones to traditional ones, headsets, and adapters.
- Virtual offices and remote work – For virtual offices and remote work you want a solid web application or softphone, as well as a mobile app, so that your whole team can tap into the platform you’ve implemented.
- Call centers – Call centers can benefit from flexibility, leaning on traditional multi-line phones for in-office agents while expanding their base of reps through web portal and mobile access to the phone system.
Easy Administration
Implementing a new office phone system used to be a complex and protracted process, involving days or weeks of setup. No longer is that the case. Modern office phone systems are easy to implement and even easier for administrators to manage from anywhere.
When It Matters Most:
- Virtual offices and remote work – While hybrid or remote environments can be tricky to support, most of the top names in office phone systems allow you to manage users, call flow, and more from anywhere via cloud access.
- Traditional office environments – Even if you need to implement new hardware, modern systems don’t require a whole IT department to get phone service up and running, with some platforms taking just an hour or so to set up.
Unlimited Calling
While this can be a key feature for many use cases, there are a couple situations where not having any limits on your call volume is imperative. Some providers charge per-minute no matter what, some give you a pool of monthly minutes that will incur charges if you exceed it, while others offer true unlimited calling, though usually only to specific regions.
When It Matters Most:
- Call centers – If you manage a call center, you can’t have limits on your minutes to worry about and you want a predictable monthly rate that won’t balloon just because you had a busy month.
- International calling – International rates are one of the great separators among office phone systems, but you can find a few providers on our list that offer unlimited calling to a select number of countries outside the U.S. and Canada.
Further Reading
This post provides a lot of information for your purchasing decision, but there’s even more you can learn if you’re interested. Rather than having to painfully look up random articles from different sources, get the best information from one place. Below you’ll find over 30 different related posts conveniently listed for your reading and learning pleasure. Bookmark this page so you can easily find your way back whenever you want.
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