The Ultimate VoIP Feature and Cost

Comparison Guide

The Ultimate VoIP Feature and Cost Comparison Guide

Switching from your traditional

landline phone service might seem

like a daunting task, especially

when you’re managing a small

business. With so many advances

in voice communication, what is

the right choice for your business?

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP)

is the most affordable phone

service currently available for

enterprises of all sizes. A fancy

way of saying phone service

hosted over the internet, VoIP

is becoming the standard for

advanced business communication. So how do you find the cheapest VoIP service plan? Follow

these four tips and you’ll be set to choose an affordable option to those outdated landlines.

ANALYZE YOUR BUSINESS’S VOICE COMMUNICATION NEEDS.

The most important step in finding the cheapest VoIP business phone service is analyzing your small

business’s unique calling habits. For instance, if you only need 100 minutes per month, it would be

cheaper to get a pay-as-you-go VoIP service versus an unlimited minutes plan. Along the same lines,

does your small business need to call internationally? If so, makes sure your VoIP provider has cheap

international calling rates. If you can pay a large amount upfront, a long-term contract could save you

some money each month as compared to a month-to-month contract. It’s also important to consider

equipment: do you need a state-of-the-art desk phone system, or are you comfortable hosting calls

through a computer? With VoIP it’s easier than ever to have a mobile workforce, so look for service

providers that maintain a smartphone app or web portal.

ENSURE RELEVANT FEATURES ARE INCLUDED ON YOUR PLAN.

After analyzing your business’s voice communication needs, look through the feature list of each VoIP

provider’s plans. You should know by now which features are must-haves for your small business.

We suggest your plan include: a virtual PBX system, mobile application, conference calling, auto-

attendant, and 24/7 customer support service. With a customized plan, you can ensure all of your

must-haves are included without any unnecessary expenses. Contact your prospective VoIP provider

to see what personalization can be made to fit your needs and budget. Don’t fall for “feature bundles”

— these usually include irrelevant features and don’t allow for growth as your business blossoms.

REQUEST A CUSTOMIZED QUOTE AND NETWORK AUDIT TO ENSURE EFFICIENCY.

For the flexibility your small business needs to survive, look for service providers that offer a

customized quote. This way, you know you are getting the best bang for your buck. Another great

service provision is an on-site network audit. Since VoIP uses your internet connection, you’ll want

to ensure your current level of service can handle the extra use. This is where finding a local VoIP

provider could save your small business in the long-run. On the same note, installing any necessary

equipment, like phones or additional internet connections, should be free. If you decide to DIY, make

sure you purchase phones that offer plug-and-play so you don’t spend precious time just setting up

your new phones.

RESEARCH ONLINE REVIEWS TO SEE WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY.

Lastly, do your research! There are many

resources available online that breakdown

price and features of each VoIP provider, so

you can make an informed decision. Below

are the VoIP business phone system reviews

we have created.

BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS

Small Business Solution — 2-40 Users

—$35/month/user + equipment fee on three-year contract

Bright House Networks provides internet, television, and phone services to homes and businesses

in Central Florida, Bakersfield, CA, Birmingham, AL, Indianapolis, IN, and Detroit, MI. For small

businesses, they provide a Hosted Voice phone solution that starts at $35 per month for each user.

Their website claims this plan is “designed for the executive/power user who works in the office but

also has the need to be mobile, and occasionally works out of the office.” Unfortunately, they require a

three year contract and can only support 5-40 users. They also charge for add-on features and make

you pay for the equipment each month. This can easily force your bill up to $60 a month per user.

And, if you are a new customer, you should be prepared to wait 10 to 15 days for installation. Below

are their basic features that come with each Hosted Voice service:

• Ability to make/receive calls from a mobile device using a business calling line ID

• Call transfer to/from a mobile device

• Selective Call Handling/Preferences

• Text message alerts for call activity

• Music on Hold

• Direct Inward Dial Number or Extension

NEXTIVA

Office Pro — 1-4 Users

—$32.95/month/user on annual contract

Founded in 2006, Nextiva is a cloud-based

VoIP communications company that offers

office telephony services to small and mid-

sized businesses. Their three plans include

Office Pro, Office Pro Plus, and Office

Enterprise, all of which can handle 1-100

users. While they do offer discounts, to get

them requires an annual contract and many users. So unless your small business has over 100 users

and the need to sign a long-term contract, you will pay their premium prices. The three levels of plans

also limits the flexibility needed as a small business owner with unique communication needs. What if

you want an attendant console but not the call recording? You have to sign up and pay for the Office

Enterprise plan. Below are the features that come standard with the cheapest plan:

• Cloud PBX

• Free Number Porting

• Unlimited Calling

• Free Local Number

• Free Toll Free Number

• Voicemail to Email

• Unlimited Virtual Faxing

• Shared Call Appearance

• HD Music on Hold

NEXOGY

Founded in 1999, nexogy provides business communication services through voice, video, and

data technologies. Headquartered in Miami, FL, they cater to businesses of all size in the South and

Central Florida region with more than 50 employees. Along with VoIP service, they’ve also expanded

to offer business internet service to Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade, FL.

Pros:

• Basic VoIP service starts at $29.95 per month per user

• Integrated call center platform

• 30-day money back guarantee

• Part of the NAP (Network Access Point) of the Americas

• Full spectrum of voice, video and data services

Cons:

• Service provided only in South and Central Florida

• Limited business phone options

• Set-up fee depending on length of contract

• Mobile Office Feature (smartphone app) is $2.99 more per month per user

Customer Feedback:

Sitejabber reports at 77% satisfaction rate among nexogy users. Among the one-star reviews,

customers complain about being locked into a long-term contract. Like mentioned above, if you want

to have a monthly contract, you must pay a $49.99 set-up fee. Otherwise, you have to sign a two-year

contract. Most complaints also revolved around the customer service experience. From long hold

times to unintelligible accents, customers feel the communication and problem resolution process

could be better.

RINGCENTRAL

Office Standard — 2-19 users

—$24.99/month/user on annual contract

With more than 300,000 customers, RingCentral is an established VoIP provider that was founded in

2003. They deliver cloud business communications solutions in four different countries. An interesting

feature that RingCentral offers is their online meetings and video conferencing for up to 4 users on

the Office Standard plan. If you have more than four employees, you’ll have to go up to the Office

Premium plan which starts at $34.99 per month. Additional features include:

• Mobile app

• Unlimited calling

• Call log reports

• Call management

• Us-based support and implementation

• 1,000 toll-free minutes

• Internet fax

VONAGE

Vonage Business VoIP — 1-4 users

—$39.99/month/user

One of the largest VoIP providers, Vonage offers a build-your-own plan starting at $39.99 per month/

user. Your base plan comes with more than forty business-critical features and the ability to add on

premium features at a separate cost per month. Obviously this can be a bit pricey if you are looking

at multiple premium features for each employee. This would be good news to small businesses who

don’t need the premium features, but with such a high starting point, there are cheaper alternatives.

Also, because Vonage isn’t a local VoIP provider, it’s up to you to install equipment and configure your

internet connection. Here are some of the standard features:

• Cloud PBX

• Dynamic Caller ID

• Music On Hold

• Admin and User Portals

• Call Waiting

• Click-to-Dial

• Voicemail to Email

• Call Conference

VOXTELL

Small to Mid-Sized Business — 1-4 Users

—$29.95/month/user on monthly contract

VOXtell delivers a robust cloud-hosted business VoIP phone system, enabling small to mid-sized

business to do more and better serve customers. We provide service according to six principles:

simple, affordable, mobile, unlimited, complete, and reliable. Our phone solutions are tailor-made for

six specific industries: insurance, technology, real estate, education & nonprofit, manufacturing, and

professional. Additionally, our plans come preloaded with all our premium features that enable your

business to hit the ground running and grow as you want—all at no extra cost. Below are some of the

features and benefits to working with VOXtell:

• Unlimited monthly calls

• Keep your phone number

• Mobile app

• Full feature business PBX

• Risk-free 30 day trial

• Conferencing, intercom, and paging

• Auto-receptionist and dial-by-name directory

• Shared lines

• Call Park, queues, and forwarding

• 24/7 Customer Support

• No setup or activation fees

• Supports all major phones

FEATURES

Free On-Site Network Audit X X X X X

Free Next-Day Installation X X X X X

Contact Center Platform X

Free Mobile App X X XAll Features

Included X X X

Supports All Phones X X X

Risk-Free 30 Day Trial X X X

Contract Monthly Annual Monthly Annual 3 Years Monthly

Monthly Charge $29.95 $24.99 $29.99 $32.95 $35.00 $39.99

7901 Kingspointe Parkway, Suite 20 | Orlando, FL 32819

P: 1.844.869.8355 | O: 407.288.8142

info@VOXtell.com | VOXtell.com

ABOUT VOXTELL

VOXtell delivers a robust cloud-hosted business VoIP phone system, enabling small

to mid-sized business to do more and better serve customers. Our service can be

described in six words: simple, affordable, mobile, unlimited, complete, and reliable.

WE’RE DEDICATED TO HELPING YOU GROW

Our cloud-based business phone solutions give you the freedom to work anywhere

and provide your company the tools it needs to succeed. Being able to manage

and control your accounts online, as well as call recording features for training and

compliance are just some of the options available to you through VOXtell.

WE’RE REAL PEOPLE

Unlike some business VoIP service providers, our company is based completely within

the United States. We are equipped with a knowledgeable and helpful staff on-site to

assist you with your complete VOXtell experience.

WE’RE TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN

The technology we use at VOXtell was built from the ground up, allowing us to quickly

fix any issue, create new features, customize the system to your needs and do so

much more for our customers that other VoIP services simple can’t.