Small Business Phone Service
Choosing the right small business phone service is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Vonage can help you unlock the full potential of your business with cutting-edge communication solutions. Get in touch with a Vonage expert today to find out how!
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Phone Service Features to Help Boost Small Business Productivity and More
Not all phone services for small businesses are alike. Your employees deserve the best, and so do your customers. Choose Vonage Business Communications for a unified communications solution that will help your teams boost productivity and keep your customers coming back for more.
Virtual Receptionist
With the Virtual Receptionist feature, you have full control over call routing and the messaging you want to present to customers. It gives callers a different menu of options depending on whether they’re contacting you during or outside of working hours.
Vonage Meetings
Enjoy top-quality video conferencing that lets you connect with colleagues and customers across the globe using a desktop or mobile app. It’s also compatible with both Google and Outlook Calendar to ensure all your team members make that crucial meeting every time.
Never Miss a Call
Enable Never Miss a Call features and relax in the knowledge that you’ll never be out of contact. It’s as easy as logging into your User Portal to switch on features like Call Forwarding, Simultaneous Ring, Follow Me, Voicemail, and Do Not Disturb.
Business Inbox
Resolve customer queries faster with Business Inbox. Customers can contact you by sending an SMS to your main company number or by sending messages to your Facebook page that you’ll see in your inbox. You can change the settings to add and delete users at any time, so you remain in the driver’s seat.
Call Recording
Automatically record all incoming and outgoing calls with Call Recording or manage settings in the VBC Admin Portal to record only the calls you select — it’s entirely up to you. All recordings are password-protected and archived, so you can rest assured privacy is well taken care of.
International Company Number
Project a professional image and simplify customer interactions with a single International Company Number. Your overseas customers will be able to contact you easily and without paying extra for international charges. This feature is linked with the Virtual Receptionist, so your callers will always be routed to the right place no matter where they’re calling from.
Local Phone Numbers
You can also choose to have local numbers in each market, making your localization strategies even more effective. Simply choose the area code you need and get yourself set up to take advantage of region-specific marketing campaigns. There’s no limit to how many codes you can access, so you can always add more.
Built-In Call Center Features
Take advantage of full inbound and outbound customer support functionality with built-in call center features. Your phone, SMS, and video capability is all present in one app, which can also boast call center features like call queuing, call groups, call monitoring, and more.
Single Sign-On
There’s no need to change your security and authentication protocols with Vonage Business Communications. Users can sign in with their existing company credentials across any connected device, while you maintain centralized password and policy management in your own corporate directory.
VBC App Center
Unleash the power of integrations with leading business productivity apps and CRMs. Your VBC Desktop app works hand-in-hand with popular providers like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce to optimize your day-to-day operations. With over 50 integrations to choose from, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Multiple Ways to Connect
Get the best business desk phones available from top-name manufacturers, including Panasonic, Poly, and Yealink, or use the VoIP-compatible phones you already have. Plus, you can even log in using the Vonage desktop or mobile app. All you need is an internet-ready device and you’re good to go.
Mobile App
Achieve the ultimate level of flexible working with the VBC Mobile App. Make or receive business calls, attend video meetings, and send SMS or instant messages from your main business number using an iOS or Android device. It couldn’t be easier to remain connected when you’re on the go.
Types of Small Business Phone Services to Choose From
When you’re looking for a small business phone service provider, it’s vital to understand the differences between the various types of systems:
Key System Unit (KSU) System
This type of arrangement is little more than a standard home phone system. It’s fairly straightforward to use and it’s certainly intuitive, since the experience of using one is quite similar to traditional domestic landline telephony.
The KSU itself is a central switching device that manually selects the required phone line. However, it can only handle up to around 40 phone lines at once. It also doesn’t include any additional features that can enhance productivity and experience. A KSU system, in other words, is pretty much only useful for placing and receiving calls.
Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
Next comes PBX. This is a more sophisticated system because it allows for automated routing, thanks to its programmable switching devices. It’s a much better small business telephone service option because it’s more scalable than a basic KSU setup. This means it can work well for companies that are planning to grow over time.
Two helpful distinctions you should know about are on-premises vs. hosted PBX. This refers to the ways that PBX system switching devices are managed. On-premises means the switching device is physically located on company premises. With hosted PBX, the switching device is managed off-site by a third-party provider.
VoIP-Based Phone System
A VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system is based on entirely different technology than KSU or PBX.
With VoIP systems, users place calls over an internet connection. So all that’s required is to install dedicated software on any internet-enabled device. It’s great for international communications, since it’s generally no more expensive to call someone who’s 10,000 miles away than someone on the next street.
One of the big advantages of this kind of system is its scalability. It’s very simple to add new users as a company expands, and is just as easy to scale back down if needed.
Unified Communications Solution
Unified communications is a truly innovative solution. This also uses VoIP technology, but it does much more than simply handle or manage calls.
As small business phone services go, this one makes the most of cutting-edge technology to combine all communication needs in one place. That means phone, video, messaging, file sharing, and even integrations with other applications like CRMs are all unified on one platform.
Unified communications enables a truly omnichannel environment that unlocks all the potential of the internet to benefit small businesses in a variety of ways.
Security and compliance
Secure communications that meet your industry’s regulatory requirements. See VBC Security & Reliability
The 99.999% claim is based on Vonage's average up-time and/or availability.
How Unified Communications Help Small Businesses
A unified communications solution isn’t just a small business internet phone service. When you switch to a UC platform, you’ll likely notice some important advantages right away:
Productivity Boost
Teams work better together when everyone is communicating on a unified platform. It means less time wasted waiting for responses before continuing with a task. Being able to use the same applications across multiple devices also encourages more efficient collaboration and helps your employees achieve their goals faster.
Reduced Costs
The cost of small business phone systems can mount up, particularly when you deploy multiple solutions for different purposes — so you end up paying separately for phone, video conferencing services, and more. With unified communications, all of your communications needs are taken care of on a single platform, so there’s only one service to pay for.
Connecting Remote Employees
In modern business settings, it’s fairly common to have a hybrid workforce. Traditional small business telephone services often struggle to meet the needs of organizations that include hybrid teams, whereas UC’s strength is its flexibility. Your personnel can use the same platform on a mobile device as on their desk computer, so they can do their jobs equally well wherever they are.
Simplified IT Management
Working within a common environment, your IT team has more control over all your network resources and can therefore respond faster to service requests. Overall, there are typically fewer technical glitches when you use a communications solution that is designed to work in a unified way.
Improved Customer Service
It’s not just your employees who’ll notice the difference when you adopt a UC solution — your customers will, too. Because your customer service agents have access to all the resources they need while on a call, they’ll be able to give answers to queries and solve problems much more quickly. It’s also easier for them to switch between communications channels like video and webchat to suit customer preferences.
Excellent Security
One of the most valuable aspects of unified communications is security. What’s more, implementing a common security policy across all your operations becomes much more straightforward — particularly because your IT security team won’t have to worry about employees downloading their own choice of software ad hoc.
Considerations When Choosing a Small Business Phone Service Provider
The best small business phone service is the one that’s right for you. It’s crucial to take all your organization’s needs into consideration before making your final decision. Here’s what to look for in a small business phone system:
Must-Have Features
When assessing phone services for a small business, start with the fundamentals. What functionality do you actually need? Make a list of the features that are absolutely essential and work from there. Think about tomorrow’s needs as well as today’s.
For instance, if you’re looking to expand your company into new markets, you might benefit from having a single international business number for customers to contact you on.
Cost/Value for Money
Buy cheap, buy twice, as they say. And it’s true — not all telephone services for small businesses provide equally good value.
When it comes to the bottom line, you need to make sure you’re getting an excellent return on your investment. Carry out careful research into the different pricing structures available and be certain you understand exactly what you’re getting for the money.
Level of Support
A phone service for small business is a critical application that has to perform reliably. No company can afford extensive downtime. That means that if something goes wrong, you need to know there’s support there to fix the problem fast. Your vendor should be able to tell you in detail what kind of support they offer and how you can access it.
Security and Compliance
Your data is valuable. That means it’s crucial to choose a platform that includes cutting-edge security features designed to keep it safe.
Look for high-level encryption and authentication protocols, and don’t settle for second best. Depending on the area of business you operate in, you’re also likely to have specific compliance and regulatory requirements. Any phone system you choose needs to be up to the task.
Ease of Implementation and Set Up
Ideally, you want a phone system that’s intuitive to operate so you can hit the ground running. Set-up should be straightforward to implement and easy to adapt to your specific needs.
The best phone systems are designed with the user in mind, so you should be able to find a platform that’s simple to integrate smoothly into your operations.
Ease of Use
Some phone systems might need employees to undergo a small amount of training to get the most out of them. But no system should be so complicated to operate that this takes a long time.
Ease of use is paramount. After all, this is a system that your teams will be using every day, so it’s vital that everyone can pick it up quickly and use it to its best advantage.
Scalability
You can’t know exactly what your communications needs will look like in the future, but you can prepare in advance.
Be sure to choose an option that you can easily scale up as your business grows. You need a solution that adapts flexibly with your organization to help you get ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
Some of our valued clients
Futureproof Your Organization With the Right Small Business Phone Service
The right small business phone service can help your business optimize operations to achieve its goals. At Vonage, we have years of experience in assisting small businesses just like yours to find the perfect communications solution.
Nobody knows what the future will bring. But with a cutting-edge communications setup in place, you’ll be perfectly positioned to take advantage of all the opportunities the rapidly changing world of business has to offer.
Reach out to a Vonage expert today to learn more about your small business phone service options.
FAQs About Small Business Phone Services
Thanks to the use of VoIP technology, small business phone services can be extremely cost-effective. They’re generally charged monthly on a per-user basis. The exact cost generally varies depending on the number of users you need and whether you want any premium features or to invest in add-ons.
A VoIP phone system is simply a platform for placing and receiving calls over the internet using VoIP technology.
A unified communications solution, on the other hand, has a much broader focus and generally includes many more features. Typically, it will offer support for video, webchat, and SMS messaging, as well as integrations with other business applications like CRMs. In short, it’s a holistic communications solution that unites all your communication channels.
Getting started is easy! Get in touch using our contact form, and we’ll schedule a conversation. Based on your needs and interests, we’ll get an expert to call you to discuss your small business phone service needs. We aim to get back to you within 24 hours or on the next business day.
The Vonage Business Support Center is your hub for finding all the answers to your questions. This is where you can manage everything, from changing passwords to troubleshooting technical issues. We’re always just a phone call away if you need more advanced support, so you’ll never be on your own.
