This article was originally published on our blog in early 2021. The transition to the cloud has only increased as we enter into 2022. If your organization has not made the decision as to which cloud provider is the best for you, then this will be a great resource. In addition to the information provided in the original article, below we’ve added a comparison chart showing the differences in features and costs between four major providers of cloud phone solutions in 2022.
| 8×8 | Nextiva | RingCentral | Zoom Phone |
| Target Audience
Organizations of all sizes. |
Target Audience
Small – Medium sized organizations. |
Target Audience
Organizations of all sizes. |
Target Audience
Organizations of all sizes. |
| Features
Unlimited Calling, SMS & Fax
Multi-Level Auto Attendant
Call Recordings
Visual Voicemail
Music on Hold
Local Number Porting & Direct Dial Number
Overhead Paging
Caller ID, Blocking, & Do Not Disturb
Call Forwarding & Transfer
Call Waiting & Parking
3-Way Calling
Ring Group
Call Monitoring
Call Queues
Role-Based Access Controls
Multi-Site Support
User Provisioning
Cost Center
Emergency Services
Directory Assistance
Presence
Analytics
|
Features
Nextiva App
Unlimited Calling in North America
Unlimited Business Text Messaging
Unlimited Online Faxing
Unlimited Web Conferencing
Team Chat
Keep Your Existing Number with Number Porting
Free Local Phone Number
Free Toll-Free Number
Extension Dialing
Number Change Auto Attendant Advanced Call Management
Advanced Call Routing
Call Analytics
Do Not Disturb Mode
Voicemail Voicemail Greetings Voicemail Forwarding
Voicemail to Email
Voicemail to Text
VoIP Caller ID
Call Screening Call Recording & Rating
Call Park
Call Forwarding
Three-Way Calling
Conference Bridge
Call Queuing
Call Presence
Call Pulling
Call Transfer
Call Notify
Anonymous Call Rejection
Push to Talk
Priority Alerts
Custom Ringback
Custom Music on Hold
VoIP Switchboard
Hosted PBX Phone System
SIP Trunking
VoIP Desk Phones
Nextiva Softphone Conversational AI
|
Features
Business phone or toll-free numbers
Unlimited calls within the US/Canada**
Business SMS Voicemail-to-text
Team messaging Document sharing
No limit on number of users
Business phone numbers in over 100 countries
Unlimited internet fax
Unlimited audio conferencing Video meetings with up to 100 participants
Up to 24-hour meeting duration
Quality-of-service reports
Popular integrations including Office 365, Google Workspace, Slack, and more
24/7 support
Automatic call recording
Single Sign-on
Multi-site admin and management
Up to 8-digit extensions with site codes
Hot desking
Advanced call handling including whisper, barge, and more
Video meetings with up to 200 participants
Real-time analytics
Popular CRM integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, and more
Industry-specific integrations with Canvas, Smarsh, and more
Developer platform and custom integrations
Device status reports
Device status alerts
Unlimited storage***
|
Features
Hosted PBX Hosted telephony infrastructure obviated the need for local PBX hardware Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR) IVR is a phone menu allowing callers to interact with the system through voice and keypad User templates Create and apply batch configurations to multiple users at once Call reports Historical call analysis and trending metrics
Directory of employee names Voice directory of all employees for self-service dialing Call Management Features Customized phone system settings Answering rules Ability to enter rules to route calls to main number or other extensions in case of absence Call recording Automatic recording of inbound and outbound calls Call park Ability to hold calls in virtual location and subsequently access from any phone in system Call screening Ability to block numbers or send calls directly to voicemail Message alerts Receive SMS and email message notifications for voice and fax messages VoIP system collaboration Features Team collaboration via cloud phone system Instant messaging Users are able to communicate via chat, either one-on-one or in a group message, through an instant messaging or chat tool. Mobile apps Features VOiP apps for mobile devices Mobile app
|
| Cost per User Start at
$15 – $44 per User per Month |
Cost per User Start at
$18.95 – $57.95 per User per month |
Cost per User
$19.99 – $49.99 per User per Month |
Cost per User Start at
$120 – 240 per User per Year |
Simply put, a cloud phone system is a major component of a unified communication solution that delivers all its services via your internet connection. These systems offer call routing, automated greetings, voicemail, conference calling, call recording, and many other features you are familiar with on your current phone system. Cloud phone systems piggyback on your data network and typically do not require equipment to be installed onsite, other than the physical phones.
- What type of phone service is the best solution for my organization?
Choosing the right solution should start with your organization’s current situation. What are your needs, wants, and capabilities? These answers will be unique to you and will be crucial in determining the right choice when it comes to your communications provider.
- What impact will a cloud phone system have on my organization’s internet speed?
Due to the nature of how a cloud phone system works, its use of bandwidth should be a consideration when determining your phone solution. A proper UCC engineer will understand the different factors within each phone solution and can assess your system’s strength and provide a suggested solution based on those factors.
- How scalable is this solution for my organization?
Scalability is a major pro for a cloud option but it still deserves its place in the conversation. Assessing where you are now and where you foresee your business will grow will help in choosing the right phone solution that meets your current needs and the needs you’ll have in the future.
- What hardware do we need?
I don’t use a physical office phone and instead prefer to take most of my office calls utilizing my smartphone. This is a personal preference though, as many still prefer a physical office telephone. It’s important to consider this aspect as well as it will affect the overall cost of your organization’s solution.
- Should I sign a contract?
We’re no longer living in the days of being stuck in a massive and expensive contract with telephone providers. Cloud phone systems provide major flexibility and versatility but that doesn’t always mean that there is no service contract or agreement. Rather than just pursuing no contract, many would benefit from ensuring that any service contract they do enter into works for their business and provides the flexibility necessary to meet the rapid changes that many organizations will typically experience.
The great news in all of this is that you’re not alone. Vicom has the engineers and the experience to navigate through the many solutions and provide you with the right options and solutions. If you’re ready to speak to someone about a cloud phone system for your organization, please fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch!
Let’s Get In Touch
ABOUT VICOM
Audio Visual Virginia Beach | VIcom is well experienced in teleconferencing solutions. Moreover, VIcom assists many organizations in simplifying and enhancing their ability to teleconferencing efficiently.
We are also Virginias’ premier technology solutions integrator for Teleconferencing, Zoom, Audio Visual, Unified Communications, Security Applications, Cloud & IT, Church AV Systems, and Educations AV Solutions. Moreover, we are proud to serve clients throughout the mid-Atlantic region of Virginia. For example, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk, VA. Also providing service to customers in Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Tabb, Grafton, and Seaford VA.
Furthermore, we have an office in Richmond, VA, better serving clients in the Northern Virginia region, including Richmond, Powhatan, Colonial Heights, Chester, Petersburg, Chesterfield County Midlothian VA.
For more information, call: (757) 490-7777. Please be sure to follow VIcom on Linked In.
Also, see the following articles.
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