The Beginner’s Guide to Non-Fixed VoIP

Non-fixed VoIP is a great way to lower your calling costs, get a phone number without having it attached to a physical location, and easily equip your entire team with virtual phone numbers (all you need is an email address and an internet connection). At a glance, non-fixed VoIP numbers are identical to typical phone numbers.

So, what’s the catch? That level of accessibility makes non-fixed VoIP easy for scammers to take advantage of. With that negative association in mind, your fixed-VoIP numbers may not work as seamlessly as you hoped.

As with all good things, cheap usually doesn’t come without a tradeoff.

However, approaching non-fixed VoIP the right way means your business can have the best of both worlds: a cost-effective VoIP system and numbers your customers, vendors, and clients recognize as safe to answer.

Why Non-Fixed VoIP Is So Important

If you’re on a tight budget or just getting started as a business, money is the single most important factor in setting up the infrastructure you need. Which… is exactly where non-fixed VoIP comes in.

It’s a cheaper communications alternative for businesses that make phone calls at scale but don’t need physical desk phones. It’s also an excellent solution for remote teams that regularly make and receive calls, too since they’re not tied to a specific location—your team can continue to work from anywhere.

A non-fixed VoIP solution may even work for you forever without ever needing to switch to a fixed VoIP system.

In a nutshell, non-fixed VoIP gives you the tools you need to make and receive calls at high volumes without spending all of your profit on overhead costs.

Davlong, a healthcare provider, is an excellent case to look at if you’re still on the fence. As they switched to a remote environment amidst COVID-19, they needed a reliable yet cost-effective way for their team to make and take calls from home. With RingCentral, they were able to keep a pulse on their prospective customers, communicate with each other via group chat, securely share files, and engage in video conferences at a rate that didn’t break their budget.  

Quick Tips to Improve Non-Fixed VoIP Today

The best way to ensure you achieve a high-quality VoIP solution is to pick a top-notch VoIP provider. RingCentral is one of the most versatile and reliable options on the market, with plans starting at just $20 per month.

With RingCentral, you can save as much as 30 percent and still implement a reliable non-fixed VoIP system that doesn’t give you shady-looking numbers. Plus, you’ll get additional features, like an analytics dashboard and dozens of integrations, to help you deliver a seamless customer and internal communications experience company-wide.

When set up well, your team can easily:

• Nurture leads in your sales pipeline
• Increase their call success rate
• Share files, calendars, and tasks team-wide
• Create and participate in video meetings
• Streamline voicemail management for faster call processing
• Connect with or build your own integrations

It’s fair to say this list only scratches the surface with what you can do with RingCentral. It also saves you from the hassle of using a non-fixed VoIP option, which can potentially raise customer suspicion, not to mention limit the speed at which you can get in touch with emergency services if you’d ever need it.

RingCentral even offers a reliable suite of hardware that’s compatible with their software–or the option to configure with your existing hardware, RingCentral.  

Here’s a closer look at RingCentral’s plans:

• Core – $30 monthly per user
• Advanced – $35 monthly per user
• Ultra– $45 monthly per user

If you’re managing a contact center (in which case a non-fixed VoIP option is simply a no-go) RingCentral has four price tiers for your specific needs. But you’ll have to contact sales to speak with one of their experts. 

If you’re ready to go the RingCentral route, get started here. 

Here are a few more ways to improve your non-fixed VoIP:

Research a cost-effective alternative

Whether you’re a big business or you’re just getting started, doing your due diligence and comparing and contrasting competitors for VoIP services is a must. It goes without saying not all of them will provide the same perks, features, quality of support, or even price points. And some will even cater to a specific type of business while others take a more general approach to providing VoIP services.

While a non-fixed VoIP you can use through platforms like Skype or Google can be cost-effective to begin with, these aren’t the solutions you’ll want to stick with if you’re thinking about long-term growth and scaling in the near future. 

Like I mentioned before, the one biggest advantage of using a non-fixed VoIP solution is how cost-effective it can be. But in our eggspert opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons.

This is why we advise researching some cost-effective options that can offer you the calling features you’ll need to run a more efficient workflow.

To help you on that quest, you can look at the guide we put together as we carefully chose the best VoIP options out there so you aren’t stuck with using phone numbers that look fraudulent to the average customer and an unreliable phone line. You can see a complete list of our top picks here. 

Use a personal phone

If you’re still on the fence about using a paid VoIP solution, it’s safe to assume you’re a small enough business that you can get away with using a personal device. 

Using a personal phone number, especially if you’re calling locally, can ensure your number looks genuine and increase the chances of your customers picking up the phone and connecting with you.

Granted, any other communication you’d use a VoIP service for would have to be done through other applications or on your home computer. And you’ll have to incur the costs of making any international calls, which can get pricey after a while. But if your business is still growing, those might be tradeoffs worth making. 

If you’re going the personal device route to make business calls, here are a few things worth considering for an easier time:

• Ensure your voicemail is set up and updated with the appropriate voicemail recording
• Set up call forwarding if possible and when appropriate
• Keep a manual log of what calls were picked up, what calls go to voicemail, and what calls were successful for future reference for both you and your team
• Keep a running list of phone numbers to manage your call frequency

Find a free VoIP alternative that’s more reliable

On your voice-over IP quest, you can also try and find a free non-fixed alternative that’s a bit more reliable and that allows you to personalize your calls as much as possible.

Take Google Voice for instance. It’s a free non-fixed VoIP option that you can use for all your basic needs, whether you’re working remotely or otherwise. When you start, you can choose to either use it for personal (free) or business use (starts at $10 a month).

If you choose to use it in a personal use capacity, it’s compatible with Android, IOS, and for use on a web browser. Once Google assigns you a phone number, you can easily forward calls to any device and you can also:

• Screen calls before answering
• Get protection from spam calls and messages
• Read voicemails transcripts in your inbox and easily search for them

At the free level, that’s great. At the first paid level, it’s not quite as good. Google Voice’s basic paid package is only $10 a month, but also only has basic features. This probably won’t be ideal for you long-term, but at least it’s still inexpensive–and there are more comprehensive packages you can grow into. 

Long Term Strategies for Non-Fixed VoIP

Now, let’s look at what long-term strategies you’ll want to consider when you’re thinking about the non-fixed VoIP route.

Stick with an advanced Google Voice option

As mentioned earlier, if you insist on a non-fixed VoIP option, Google Voice can be a go-to solution, particularly its highest tier at $30 a month. This tier comes with advanced reporting capabilities, call forwarding, free calling to Canada, and a soon-to-be-added Data Regions option. 

While you might not get the all-in-one reliability that a standard VoIP system might give you, it’ll make it easier for you to make effective phone calls and collaborate with your team.

Though any additional features and integrations will have to be used separately, which can mean a less effective workflow and overall sales pipeline. Additional cons include not being able to make emergency calls through it if you’d ever need to.

If you’re a user of Google Workspace you’re probably already familiar with the lack of any real support they offer for any of their workspace tools. In case of troubleshooting and needing to talk to support, you might have to go days before receiving an answer. 

In short, it’s pretty difficult to get in touch with actual support staff on the other end of their services. Users have also claimed problems with duplicate phone numbers in the past. 

Start with an affordable fixed VoIP

Here at Crazy Egg, we’ve already done the work for you if you’re looking for affordable and top-rated VoIP options. Each of them has its own list of pros and cons as well as differentiating features that can help you choose a sound option regardless of what business you run. 

Here’s a quick run-through of our top list, and you can always check each option out in detail right here.

1. Nextiva – Best VoIP phone service for most businesses
2. RingCentral – Most affordable all-in-one solution for fewer than 10 users
3. Ooma Office – Best for businesses without in-house IT
4. Grasshopper – Best mobile app for solopreneurs and small teams
5. Phone.com – Best if you need fewer than 300 minutes/user
6. Freshdesk Contact Center – Best for customer support teams

Budget and plan for future improvements

If you haven’t caught on yet, we’ve given you plenty of reasons, examples, and alternative options to the non-fixed VoIP route. Why? Because the pros don’t quite outweigh the cons, especially in the long term and if you plan on growing your business. 

As stated before, the biggest reason to go with a non-fixed VoIP option now is because of cost. If you don’t have the budget for a paid VoIP option, then yes, your best case scenario is to start off with something like Skype or Google Voice (we prefer the latter over the former). 

If you do go with one of those two options, I highly recommend you also create a long-term game plan for being able to afford a VoIP calling system that can take your business to new heights, scale right along with you, and increase your call success rate sustainably.

Keep in mind that paid fixed VoIP options offer more than just a simple calling solution. They often come equipped with options for integrations with the software you’re already using to manage your business, internal communication tools that make collaboration easier, a cloud-based setup, and dedicated support teams that can help you with troubleshooting any technical issues you might run into without having to incur downtime. The math is clear, the investment can pay off in the long run. 

To illustrate further, 82 percent of businesses reported cost savings when they used cloud-based software. That’s not all, 61 percent of customers have stopped using a brand because of poor customer service.

To top it all off, 76 percent of calls go unanswered if they come from an unidentified or unfamiliar phone number. Bottom line is, a VoIP system you can rely on is crucial for better outcomes. 

Budgeting and planning for future VoIP improvements can look like:

• Creating an Excel sheet with an expense and savings forecast
• Looking at ways to increase revenue over overhead costs
• Looking at possible seed or loan opportunities with low risk

Granted, budgeting for a robust paid VoIP option that’s within reach is going to look different for every business, depending on whether you’re a startup barely getting its foot in the door, a growing team in the double digits, or a one-person business.