Best phone systems for your small business in 2018

The importance of a phone system is indisputable, regardless of the size or type of business you are running. It is not only indispensable for you and your customers, but it also conveys professionalism.

Just like everything else these days, phone systems are also evolving and more and more companies choose to go with Internet-based providers, because they are easier to set up, use and maintain and are more affordable.

Here are some of the best phone systems you can choose for your small business this year:

8X8. 8X8 is a VoIP (voice over internet protocol) provider that includes all the must-have features for a business even in their basic plan. Their plans start from $25/month/user. 8X8 is US based and their most affordable plan includes unlimited calls and faxes, instant messages, monthly media storage and more. The system is very easy to install and use, all you need to have is Internet access and IP phones. Their customer support is really reliable.

Grasshopper. It is a great option for companies that have remote employees. The phone system is connected to employees’ mobile or landline phones. Plans start from $29/month for one number with 3 extensions. Among the most notable features they include we can mention call forwarding, call screening, custom greetings, inbound faxes. The company is US based.

Ooma Review Ooma provides systems that work with both IP and analog phones. The system is easy to set up, in just a matter of minutes. It comes with useful features such as ring groups which allows you to direct calls to a specific department in your company (sales, customer support, etc.), a mobile app that is compatible with iOS and Android devices, virtual receptionist, which uses text-to-speech, conference calling with up to 10 participants, virtual extensions, which is a useful feature for businesses with employees on the go, because calls can be forwarded to the mobile phone or home phone of the employee.

Vonage. This provider has more than 10 years of experience in the field, being among the first VoIP providers on the market. It comes with mobile and desktop apps so that you can stay connected from anywhere, it provides high-quality communications and includes dozens of useful features: call blocking, call conference (and video conference), call waiting, file sharing, music on hold, virtual receptionist, virtual mailbox and more. Also, one of the best things about Vonage is its impressive customer support. You can reach the customer support staff via chat, Monday – Friday, from 9 am to 6 pm and via their toll free number, from 8 am to midnight and Saturday and Sunday, from 9 am to 9 pm. For more serious problems there is also emergency on-call service which is available outside business hours.

Ring Central. It is another reliable VoIP system that offers mobile and desktop apps, it’s user-friendly and includes a ton of features: voicemail to email, video/audio conferencing, auto attendants, unlimited calling even with their standard plan, unlimited business SMS and more. Also, one of the biggest strengths of Ring Central is its impressive uptime of 99.999%. And in case of an outage in your area, Ring Central with transfer you to a perfectly functional data center.

Update 2020: Although this list was compiled several years ago we have added an additional  AXvoice revew to the ever growing list of products. Not to be outdone by the companies listed above AX Voice has really started to pick up momentum and become a leader in this space.