Remember landlines? Yes, those ancient things are still around. Though mobile phones are the norm, landlines or Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) are still used for personal and business communication.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at POTS lines. We’ll go over the history of the traditional landline, how it works, and why its popularity is dwindling. 

We’ll also touch on the most common POTS alternative and help you decide whether to move to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

What Is a POTS Line?

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) is an analog-based phone line implemented over twisted-pair copper wires. Its service is provided directly by the local telephone company.

Its technology dates back to the late 1800s. POTS lines use a low-energy power source to carry the sound and signal for the ringer. This powers classic telephones that don’t need batteries or charging.

At its peak in the 90s, POTS had hundreds of millions of subscribers in the United States. Most millennials grew up with a POTS line at home.

POTS is sometimes called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). While they are similar, the difference is that POTS refers to the technology around the phone service, and PSTN refers to the public calling network. 

Though POTS lines still exist, modern methods are replacing them. The most popular is the VoIP phone system, as it is cost-effective.

📚 Further Reading: What is the PSTN & How Does It Work?

How Do POTS Lines Work?

The Plain Old Telephone Service setup has remained virtually the same for decades. POTS has seen many upgrades to phone handsets, but the copper wire connection stayed put.

POTS works by creating a dedicated circuit between two telephones during a call. In the past, an operator had to connect the two telephones for the call manually. But switching is now automated, and today, the system is almost entirely digital.

Here are the different steps to make a call work over a POTS line:

📞 Analog signaling

Voice, as we speak it, cannot be transmitted by itself. The handset’s microphone converts sound waves from the caller’s voice into analog electrical signals. The signals flow through the copper wire network and reach the receiver’s phone.

The building’s separate telephone lines combine into a network interface box where the phone lines converge into one line of service from the phone company. 

☎️ Transmission

After creating analog signals, they are transmitted from the caller’s telephone to the receiver’s phone over copper lines.

In the early days of telephony, this required actually running wires between them. This meant the longer the distance, the more expensive the phone call. No wonder long-distance calls in the past cost a fortune.

To cut costs, switches were placed at centralized points in the network. These central offices are known as telephone exchanges. They connected multiple POTS lines and determined the most efficient path for the call to reach its destination.

Switches act as communication nodes between any two points in the network. To connect one phone to another, calls are routed through one or more local, regional, national, or international switches.

🎛 Dedicated call circuits

When the caller dials the phone number to initiate a call, the receiver’s phone rings. Once answered, a direct, exclusive connection (a dedicated circuit) is established between the phones.

This dedicated circuit is as reliable as circuit technologies come. The only limitation is that the line has to be reserved for one call and one call only. This is known as circuit switching. It allows both parties to converse without interference from other calls.

🗣 Signal decoding and voice reconstruction

At this stage, analog signals are decoded to reconstruct the original sound waves at the receiver’s end. This means the caller’s voice, as spoken, is heard through the telephone speakers as audible sound.

This step completes the communication loop. The receiver hears the caller’s voice as if they were speaking in person.

One of the two communicating parties must hang up the phone to end the call. The dedicated circuit created during the call is disconnected. This returns the telephone line to standby, ready for another call.

What Is a POTS Line Used for?

POTS lines aren’t entirely outdated yet. They’re used for consistent, secure, and straightforward communication. Let’s look at a few common use cases:

• Fax transmission and reception — Fax machines used to be quite common some two decades back. Fax (short for facsimile) technology can transmit scanned documents from one machine to another via POTS lines.
• Credit card processing systems — The connectivity that POTS offers is great for processing credit card authorizations. Traditional credit card processing services sit atop POTS lines in areas with limited internet access.
• Security and alarm systems — POTS is a consistent technology for older security and alarm systems because of its dependability. It provides a dedicated line for these systems to talk to monitoring centers or emergency services. These analog phone systems typically work even during a power outage.
• Elevator communication systems — Internet connection is often limited inside elevators. POTS has no such problems. It is perfect for elevator communication systems because of its wired connectivity. It provides a direct line from the elevator to emergency responders with a solid connection in case something goes wrong.
• Digital subscriber lines (DSL) — DSL, an acronym for Digital Subscriber Line, is a high-speed connection delivered via a POTS line. It requires additional investment in the telephone company to provide high-bandwidth connectivity. DSL also requires that users purchase a special modem and noise filters to separate traditional voice and data signals. 

There’s a more modern answer to all of these use cases. For instance, online faxing has become a better alternative to analog faxes. And alarm systems have cellular service now.

Pros and Cons of POTS

The POTS technology has stood the test of time. However, its advantages are offset by the disadvantages. Let’s see how they stack up.

✅ Advantages of POTS lines

• No dependency on power or the internet
• Compatibility with legacy equipment and infrastructure
• Ease of use
• Stability

POTS is user-friendly. Most people already know how to make a phone call! POTS is a dependable, secure, and easy-to-use communication channel, especially during emergencies.

Unlike digital communication methods, it doesn’t rely on an active internet connection. It even works without a hitch during a power outage. Moreover, people can continue using their familiar traditional landline phone to make POTS calls, reducing the need for expensive, complicated upgrades.

Though these advantages make a strong case for people to continue using POTS, it has certain limitations. Let’s take a look at the disadvantages of the technology.

❌ Disadvantages of POTS lines

• Limited features
• Higher costs
• Maintenance-heavy telephone systems and copper lines
• Lower voice quality
• Inflexible technology

One of the significant drawbacks of POTS as a business phone is its lack of features. Traditional phones rarely have caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting, or voicemail options. Video conferencing is out of the question.

There’s also considerable maintenance that comes with POTS lines. These telephone lines aren’t as ubiquitous as the network cables for computer network connections. This also adds to the costs, including installing each phone jack wherever you want to use a phone. 

Analog-based lines often have poor call quality. They are prone to inclement weather and wire cuts, which can take hours (or days) to resolve.

Compared to cloud communications, the overall experience on analog phones is relatively poor.

Lastly, the technological obsolescence of POTS is a major issue. In fact, the UK is phasing out POTS by 2025 as the end-of-life technology is no longer viable for service providers. It’s being replaced with fiber optics. 

All this is making people consider alternatives for POTS. The most popular contender is VoIP.

POTS vs. VoIP

Landline usage has declined every year since 2004. People have since turned to mobile phones and VoIP for personal and business use. But what is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) lets you make and receive phone calls over the Internet. VoIP connects calls using any internet connection. In addition to voice calls, VoIP allows you to make video calls, share multimedia, and send instant messages.

VoIP offers unparalleled flexibility, too. You can use VoIP on your mobile phone, desk phone, or computer, which makes VoIP an attractive option for businesses. You also no longer have to be near your fixed POTS line at all times to avoid missing phone calls!

Over time, the cost of broadband connections has fallen significantly. This means businesses can save — up to 60% — when using VoIP phones.

Business VoIP adoption is also on the rise to account for work-from-home employees. More and more remote organizations are ditching their POTS service and analog lines for VoIP service.

Even on the personal front, people are increasingly choosing apps like WhatsApp, Viber, or FaceTime to talk to loved ones. They all use VoIP technology.

VoIP is undoubtedly the future of telecommunications. It is rapidly taking over market share from POTS. But if you have a POTS line, don’t write it off just yet. You might still be able to get some use out of it.

⚡️ Case Study: Tricoci Salons Upgraded Its On-Prem Phone System to the Cloud

​​Should You Still Use a POTS Line?

The short answer is yes. But, conditions apply. If you already have a POTS connection and telephone at home, keep it.

This telecom technology is helpful for emergencies or those who find mobile phones hard to use. POTS is still a good option for personal use or small businesses.

However, VoIP might be a far better value if you are part of a large business or want to video call loved ones cost-effectively. Its features and flexibility make it a must-have for personal and business communication.

Eventually, businesses will move to internet-based phone services as POTS is increasingly becoming outdated. If you want to stay ahead, consider switching to VoIP.

The Best POTS Alternative: Nextiva

While there are many POTS alternatives in the market, choosing one that is feature-rich, reliable, cost-effective, and scalable is paramount. That’s why over 150,000 businesses trust Nextiva.

Nextiva is the leading business phone service provider, offering advanced features and 99.999% uptime. Teams work faster and smarter using Nextiva for phone service, video conferencing, and text messaging software.

VoIP features our customers love:

• Unlimited nationwide calling
• Business text messaging
• Unlimited online faxing
• Video conferencing
• Smart call routing
• Voicemail transcription
• Customizable Caller ID
• On-demand call recording
• Business call forwarding
• Mobile and desktop softphones

Communication, collaboration, connectivity — VoIP can bring a marked improvement in all aspects. All this is for a lower cost as compared to POTS. So, what’s stopping you from moving to VoIP?

😎 Case Study: Simmons Bank Simplified Business Communications with Nextiva

FAQs

You know when you call a business and there’s a wait? Sometimes, you get a message to say how long the hold time is. Sometimes, you hear music to soothe your frustration.

That’s a call queue.

Next time you’ve got your phone on speaker waiting for a customer service rep to take your call, you’ll know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.

And, if you’re a business owner, you’ll know everything you need to create your own!

What Is a Call Queue?

Think of a call queue as a waiting room for people who call a business phone number — a virtual waiting line, if you will. Several callers can be on hold at any time, trying to get through to a department or individual.

When setting up a call queue, businesses may opt to use features such as automated greetings, estimated wait times, and music or pre-recorded messages for customers on hold, but we’ll get into that later.

Contact centers or customer service operations use call queues to help the flow of incoming calls and manage high call volumes. 

The end result? Calls are answered in an efficient and orderly manner, reducing caller frustration and optimizing the use of agents’ time. 

How a Call Queue Works in 4 Stages

Stage 1: Call arrival

When a customer calls, your business phone system automatically places them in a queue if an agent isn’t immediately available. Or you may choose to direct calls to a queue to play a message or present a menu instead of immediately trying for an agent. 

This allows you to play important messages to inform customers of opening times, high call volume, or mass outages.

Stage 2: Call queue management

Your call queuing system organizes calls based on predetermined rules, such as arrival time or customer priority. You can configure these as you wish and change them at any time.

For example, if a customer is flagged as VIP because they spend a certain amount of money per month, they can skip the queue by calling a dedicated or toll-free number.

Regular customers won’t know this is happening in the background. Instead, they’ll hold until an agent becomes available.

Stage 3: Hold time

Callers remain on hold until an agent is available. During this wait time, they might hear music or on-hold messages.

A good example of an on-hold message is one that lets callers know how long the expected wait time is. Using pre-configured call center metrics, you can feed real-time information into your call queue.

Another example is hold music to ease the frustration of waiting for an agent — it’s best practice to choose relaxing music, but for some brands, such as Kerrang, a rock music magazine, it’s best to stick with what your customers like.

You could provide a menu of options for your customers to choose from. Virgin Media, a UK telecom provider, presents callers with a list of six music genres to select from. It’s a good way to kill time and make the wait for an agent seem shorter.

Stage 4: Agent allocation

When an agent for a specific department or query becomes free, your call center software routes the call to them. 

Call routing may be based on pre-configured agent skills, the nature of the call, or any other criteria you choose to program into the system.

Types of Call Queues

Call queuing is customizable. You can choose from four main types of call queues.

1. Linear call queue

This type of call queue operates on a first-come, first-served basis. The first caller in line is the first to be connected to an available agent.

It’s as simple as that. Some businesses think this is the fairest way to treat customers. Everybody expects the same experience and gets treated as equals.

Advantages: It is easy to understand and manage. Little configuration is needed after the initial setup. You can hand over a call queue to a new IT or call center manager, and they know exactly what’s in place.

Ideal for: Businesses with a straightforward customer service model where there aren’t many complex inquiries from customers. Organizations without a VIP customer model in place.

2. Circular call queue

Circular call queues help agents who have just taken a call by giving them time to complete their wrap-up procedures and make high-quality notes.

In a circular call queue, once an agent completes a call, they move to the bottom of the call distribution list. If a call reaches the end of the list without getting answered, it circles back to the start. The cycle repeats every call.

Advantages: It ensures a balanced workload among agents, as every agent gets a turn to answer a call. Agents witness this call queue in action and understand they’re being treated fairly.

Ideal for: Teams in which all agents have similar skill levels and can handle the same types of calls. Teams in which some agents complain that they get more calls than other agents: you can create equilibrium by distributing calls more evenly.

3. Priority-based call queue

As the name suggests, certain calls are given priority based on predefined criteria. 

These criteria could include customer status, such as:

• VIP customer
• Gold customer
• Friend of the CEO
• Long-term customer
• Customer nearing renewal

Or the nature of the call, such as:

• Special marketing campaign
• High-value sales inquiries
• Emergency services
• Fraud department inquiries
• Lost credit card reports

Advantages: This queue allows businesses to provide white glove service to key customers or urgent queries. You can use this as a selling point to businesses that demand fast customer support.

Ideal for: Businesses with diverse customer needs in which some customers need or expect quicker service. Customer service teams that handle sensitive cases in which some types of calls need immediate attention and must skip the standard call queue.

4. Skills-based routing

By assigning skills in your call center back end, you can route incoming phone calls to agents based on their specific skill sets or knowledge areas. So when Julie calls Apple to troubleshoot her iPad, she doesn’t get connected to the iPhone team. Instead, she gets routed through to the agent best suited to handle her query.

Skills can include:

• Multilingual support
• Technical knowledge
• Familiarity with certain products or services
• Omnichannel capabilities, such as social media, email, or web chat

Advantages: It improves the chances of first call resolution (FCR), as customers are connected with the most qualified agent to handle their specific query. Agents handle queries within their skill sets and are less likely to provide wrong answers or feel they’re lacking in knowledge.

Ideal for: Complex customer service environments, such as tech support, where queries need specialized knowledge, or in multilingual call centers. Omnichannel contact centers where agents are trained in several contact channels.

Best Practices When Setting Up Call Queues

When setting up your first (or any) call queue, take note of these best practices to ensure your customers and agents get the best experience. 

❌ Don’t trap your callers

It should go without saying, but how many times have you called a business and felt stuck in its phone tree?

You choose option 2, then option 4, wait for a while, then end up back at the beginning. 

When designing your call queues, include options for self-service or alternative contact methods. As the bare minimum, give the caller an escape route. By adding an option to “Press 9 to speak to an agent,” you have a clear option with an obvious outcome.

You can even choose to have an option dedicated to voicemail. When customers don’t have time to spare, give them the option to provide you with some context and ask for a callback.

Don’t skip the basics, such as after-hours call routing.

Don’t wait for a customer to navigate through a multi-step call flow just for them to hear, “Thanks for calling the support department. We’re open Monday through Friday between 8 am and 6 pm Central Time. Goodbye!”

That is a poor user experience and could be avoided with an after-hours call flow. 

To avoid this scenario altogether, spend a good chunk of time upfront making sure your calls don’t just queue but flow.

You May Also Like: What Is a Call Flow? Simple Strategies for Managing Inbound Calls

✅ Provide regular updates

When waiting in a call queue, the last thing a caller wants is the unknown. 

They’re sitting waiting…

And waiting…

Until sometimes, eventually, they hang up.

Instead, update callers on their position in the queue or offer to call them back when it’s their turn. 

The position in the queue shows that call handling is happening, and your customers are more likely to hold on until their position. 

The alternative — a callback — keeps their position in the queue and triggers an outbound call when their turn comes around. Customers love this option as they can carry on with their day, safe in the knowledge you’re calling them back soon.

🕐 Manage your overflow

When you experience high call volumes, planned or otherwise, it pays to have a backup.

You can use interactive voice response (IVR) systems to introduce self-service for frequently asked questions. This might be the point at which you redirect calls to an online FAQ knowledge base. Instead of queuing, they can access common questions there.

The alternative, and often more expensive, solution is to hire temporary staff or use an outsourcing company during peak periods. For example, the Christmas period in the retail sector is full of extra calls checking on delivery statuses and processing refunds for duplicate gifts.  

A helping hand, be it via an IVR or extra agents, goes a long way to keep your customers and agents happy.

🌀 Implement feedback loops

To discover whether your call queues are working, start using surveys to gather customer insights. You can do this on a post-call basis or on a regular monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.

Post-call surveys often get the highest response rates as the caller is there in the moment. Surveys such as the net promoter score (NPS) survey question:

✅ How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?

Respondents can score from 0 to 10. 

0 means “not at all likely,” and 10 means “extremely likely.”

Taking the results from this question, you total the number of responses, apply the NPS formula, and arrive at a final score.

For queue-specific information, you may favor a longer survey with questions relating to hold times, FCR, or customer experience.

Using online customer survey software, you can create all types of surveys to send to your customers. When you have enough responses, use these to understand how well your queues are performing and where you need to make changes.

📋 Conduct ongoing training

To ensure your call queues and agents are working in tandem, conduct regular training sessions for agents to handle various types of calls effectively. This way, you can assign more calls to experienced agents and start to cross-skill so customer wait times for complex queries decrease.

As the number of agents per queue increases, the wait times decrease. Make sure, however, that these new agents are skilled in the right areas so you don’t see a dip in FCR or customer satisfaction.

📩 Integrate your customer data

If you use a customer relationship management system, explore integrating it with your call center. 

By creating a two-way data exchange, you can empower agents with information about customers, including recent orders and ongoing support tickets. 

Once integrated, computer telephony integration features, such as screen pop and advanced call management, become available to agents, making customer transactions more efficient.

📈 Monitor, analyze, and experiment

When reviewing call center best practices, one issue that comes up time and again is continuously monitoring key performance indicators and call center analytics, such as average wait time, call abandonment rate, and customer satisfaction scores. 

If you keep your eye on these and make adjustments when they fall below your success metrics, you’re implementing continuous improvement. If something’s not working, trying a new process, call queue, or style of agent training may pay dividends for your overall customer process.

Essential Call Queuing Features To Look For

While call queues have many components, especially behind the scenes, this section covers seven that you should be aware of.

1. Automatic call distribution (ACD)

ACD routes incoming calls to the appropriate agent based on pre-set criteria. It’s considered best practice and a vital part of most call center strategies.

You can distribute calls based on caller ID, business hours, support level, and IVR selections. As a result, inbound calls reach the right agent or department quickly and without the caller having to dial a different number.

There are five different ACD methods to choose from:

• Fixed order: you pre-configure this hierarchical order.
• Talk-time based: the agent with the least amount of time on the phone gets the first call.
• Uniform: the agent who has been available for the longest time gets the first call.
• Round robin: the next available agent within a fixed queue gets the first call (i.e., agent one gets the first call, agent two gets the second call, and so on).
• Simultaneous: all agents’ phones ring at the same time, reducing the average time to answer.

2. Queue announcements

You can add messages during hold times to provide callers with information, such as estimated wait time or queue position, or the option to leave a message or request a callback.

Rather than waiting in silence (or to music of your choosing), a queue announcement reassures callers they’re not stuck in a queue that’s not moving

3. Hold music/messages

A basic hold message keeps customers engaged during their wait with music or informative messages about services, promotions, or trivia.

You can play hold messages in between music, using the fade in/out moments to change the listening experience.

During peak periods, you can get creative and host quizzes or play games. You might also like to use queue announcements to promote special offers or your latest marketing campaign.

4. Real-time queue monitoring

When callers waiting, real-time queue monitoring allows supervisors to keep an eye on wait times and agent availability. 

When enabled, supervisors can make adjustments on the fly, such as moving inactive team members into different queues or playing custom hold messages to inform of extended delays.

5. Post-call surveys

A post-call survey collects immediate customer feedback as soon as a call finishes, providing all sorts of insights for call center supervisors and the agents they manage.

At the beginning of a call, you may choose to play a message asking customers to opt-in to the survey at the end of the call. 

When the transaction between the caller and agent ends, the survey kicks in automatically. Customers can respond by pressing the relevant numeric option on their keypad.

6. IVR 

Before a caller makes it to an agent, you can use an IVR system to direct them to self-service options. When a customer selects one of these options, you decrease the burden on live agents and provide customers with faster responses to their queries.

If there’s no appropriate self-service option, your IVR becomes the call routing platform, ensuring callers are routed to the best-suited agent or department based on the option they selected.

7. Queue whisper

Just before an agent is connected to a new inbound call, you can enable a brief message that informs your agent of the type of call they’re expecting.

Messages play based on the phone number dialed or the option chosen on your IVR or auto attendant.

This feature, coupled with a screen pop, empowers agents with information about both who and what to expect before the call starts.

Manage Call Queues Efficiently With Nextiva

If you’re serious about looking after your customers, call queues are vital.

When you have a high number of calls, value customer time, or get lots of complaints about long hold times, call queues are likely the remedy.

You can start managing inbound calls better using features such as:

• Automatic call distribution
• Queue announcements
• Hold music/messages
• Real-time queue monitoring
• IVR
• Post-call surveys
• Queue whisper

If call queuing is a priority for your business, take a look at Nextiva’s call center suite, which is packed with features that complement call queuing.

It’s suitable for contact centers just getting started, with an easy-to-use interface and a comprehensive repository of self-service support documents. But it also helps support larger businesses, boasting 99.999% uptime and a 5.0 rating on Down Detector.

Need the insights and technology to perfect your business’ call queue? 

Look no further than Nextiva.

Small businesses must take every opportunity to stand out from the competition. Vanity phone numbers, those catchy numbers that often spell out a word or phrase related to a brand, are a powerful tool worth considering.

They can enhance your brand recognition, strengthen your marketing campaigns, and make it easier for existing and potential customers to contact your business. They’re also highly likely to drive conversions and are easy to set up.

Let’s explore how to secure the best vanity number for your brand and uncover a few tips for choosing a provider that meets your business needs.

What Is a Vanity Phone Number?

A vanity phone number is an easy-to-remember custom phone number typically associated with a specific word, phrase, or numeric pattern related to a business or brand. It’s an impactful tool for enhancing brand recall and brand identity, strengthening marketing campaigns, and improving the customer experience.

Generally, vanity phone numbers can be up to 10 characters, including numbers and letters. Famous examples of vanity phone numbers include 1-800-FLOWERS and 1-800-CONTACTS.

So, how do they work? Just like any other business phone number! When a customer dials the telephone number, it gets routed to your business’s regular phone line, such as a landline or VoIP. The only difference is that the number is more memorable and relevant to your brand.

Toll-free vanity phone numbers vs. local phone numbers

Vanity phone numbers can either start with a local area code or a toll-free prefix (1-800, 1-888, 1-844, etc.).

Toll-free phone numbers are free and convenient for nationwide and local phone calls from customers. They often work for business calls across the US and Canada. The business pays a per-minute fee for incoming calls.

Local business numbers provide a trustworthy route for customers based in a particular area code. They also help customers identify incoming calls from legitimate local businesses.

Here’s an example of a local vanity number: 1-904-ADOPT-A-CAT.

Why Do Brands Use Vanity Numbers?

Vanity phone numbers can be used in various ways to benefit your business:

• Print marketing: Include your vanity number on your business cards, brochures, vehicles, and marketing materials for easy access.
• Outdoor advertising: Use your vanity number on billboards, bus benches, and other outdoor advertising to drive traffic to your business.
• Online marketing: Share your vanity number across your website, social media platforms, and digital ads to make it easy for followers and potential customers to contact you.

Brands use a vanity phone number for these tasks rather than a random string of digits for the following reasons:

It’s easier to memorize

Vanity numbers are more recognizable, easier to remember, and quicker to share than standard numbers. Memorable numbers stay in people’s minds, making them more likely to recall and choose your brand over your competitors’ brands.

According to one study, 72% of consumers remembered a vanity phone number correctly after watching a 30-second ad, but only 5% correctly remembered a standard phone number after watching the same ad.

That may be why 58% of customers prefer vanity numbers — it helps them remember contact info without much effort.

It improves brand recognition

A catchy, relevant phrase or word aligned with your company, products, or services immediately catches people’s attention and tells them what your brand is about. For example, you know exactly what service 1-800-FLOWERS provides.

This brand messaging reinforces your brand identity, increases brand awareness, and helps distinguish your business from your competitors. It also strengthens your marketing outreach.

While local vanity numbers resonate with customers in your hometown, toll-free vanity numbers amplify your brand recognition nationwide.

It shows professionality

A clever vanity phone number projects a professional, trustworthy, and well-established business image. It can legitimize your brand and position it as an authority and expert in the field. 

Customers will appreciate that your company put the thought, time, and energy into making a phone number that’s easy and convenient for them.

It’s convenient for callers

Unlike a random string of digits, an easy-to-remember vanity number simplifies the process of customers contacting your business, making it more convenient for them to do so.

Research shows that consumers are three to four times more willing to contact a company with a vanity number. When more customers ring your line, you gain more opportunities to convert leads into customers.

It makes tracking marketing ROI easier

You can easily track vanity numbers, providing insights into the effectiveness of different inbound marketing campaigns and the level of customer engagement. Online advertising stats show that ads with vanity numbers outperform those with generic numbers by 33%.

It’s flexible and portable

Like virtual phone numbers, vanity numbers are not tied to a fixed location or landline. They can be transferred between service providers. 

Note: Nextiva doesn’t provide vanity numbers. However, you can obtain a vanity number from one of the top providers and then seamlessly port it over to Nextiva. This empowers your brand to combine the benefits of vanity numbers with Nextiva, voted the best business phone system by U.S. News four years in a row.

It integrates well with VoIP

Vanity numbers are compatible with VoIP service providers, allowing your business to take advantage of advanced features such as call analytics, auto attendant, call recording, call forwarding, and call routing.

How To Come Up With a Memorable Vanity Number

Now it’s time to flex your creative muscles! Follow these best practices for choosing a vanity phone number for your business.

Play with easy patterns and rhymes

Catchy vanity numbers often include memorable patterns or number repetition. An “easy dial” number has a pattern of repeating digits, such as 1-888-888-8888. So try to leverage repetition to make your number simple to recall and dial. 

Rhythmic or rhyming patterns are even better. Incorporating one of these can be akin to a jingle that gets stuck in your head. Think 1-877-CALL-KEN or 1-833-SAVE-BEES.

Create a narrative connection

Some of the most effective vanity numbers spell out words or phrases directly associated with a brand’s service or product. These create a narrative or image that’s easier for the human brain to store and recall than random numbers. 

For example, a taxi service using 1-800-CAB-RIDE creates a mental image of the service provided.

To find word associations for your business, consider the following:

• Be specific: Brainstorm as many words/phrases that clearly describe what your business does. Choose words that are easy to read when glanced at and even easier to spell when heard aloud. Don’t go for words with spelling variations (for example, read and red).
• Avoid cliches and trendy phrases: Stick to classic or evergreen words/phrases rather than using new slang that will soon become outdated.
• Perform market research: You don’t want your number to look similar to your competitors’ numbers.

Ensure marketing consistency

Businesses use their vanity numbers across all marketing materials, creating a consistent point of contact. This repeated exposure in ads, on websites, and in physical marketing assets reinforces memory.

So, take a cue from your marketing materials to find a phrase that strongly correlates with your brand and your campaigns to motivate consumers to take action.

Choose a number that reflects your brand messaging and personality. For example, a spa may use something like 1-888-PAMPER-ME.

Choosing Your Vanity Phone Number Provider

It’s never been easier for small business owners to get a customized phone number from a reputable vanity phone number provider. Follow this game plan to secure yours:

Check the availability of the desired numbers

Most provider websites have an extensive database of available phone numbers. Enter your area code and prefix to see if your first choice is available. If not, you may receive a list of similar suggestions for new phone numbers. 

It’s a good idea to have a list of words, phrases, and numbers as backup choices in case you’re not thrilled with the suggestions.

Compare pricing and fees

Compare the pricing structures of your top providers, including initial setup fees, monthly charges, add-on options, and any additional costs for premium features or services.

Consider a provider that offers flexible plans to suit your business’s current and future scaling needs without going over budget.

Confirm if there are any port-out or cancellation fees — consider that as part of the cost of a vanity number, too. 

Verify number portability

Porting is the ability to move your vanity number to your new or existing business phone service. Verify that your provider allows you to keep your number even if you decide to switch services in the future. Bonus points if they help you seamlessly port the number out.

Related Article

What Is VoIP Number Porting? How Does It Work?

Look for additional features 

Evaluate the range of additional call-handling features offered, such as call forwarding, voicemail transcription, call tracking, caller ID, SMS capabilities, custom greetings, and integrations with other business apps.

Prioritize reliability, ease of setup, and customer support

Check review sites to find providers with a proven track record of reliable service and call management. If your phone number routinely goes down, that means not only lost business but also lost customer trust.

Your provider should also offer a simple and quick setup process. Check the estimated time it will take to get your number up and running.

And always choose a provider with responsible, knowledgeable customer support. Often overlooked when things are going well, the right customer support makes a huge difference when there’s a problem and your team members need help ASAP.

The Top 3 Vanity Phone Number Providers

Nextiva doesn’t offer vanity phone numbers. However, you can seamlessly port your vanity number from a provider. Nextiva includes free porting of any phone numbers you’re authorized to use.

Here are a few places to get a coveted vanity phone number for your business. 

1. NumberBarn

NumberBarn is a leading provider of vanity phone numbers, offering a vast inventory of easy-to-remember and memorable phone numbers for businesses of all sizes. They specialize in helping companies find the perfect vanity phone number to match their brand, target audience, and marketing goals.

Here’s a rundown of their most popular plans:

• Porting out starts at $2 per number. You can search and choose from their database of over 46 million numbers, then activate it, with 30 days to port out. Call logs, call blocking, a mobile app, number security, and a customizable 30-second message are included.
• Forward: New numbers start at $5 with a $5 port-in fee. For $6/month per number, you’ll get 300 minutes per month ($0.03/min for additional minutes), call forwarding, voicemail, auto attendant, text messaging, caller ID, outbound calling, and more.
• Unlimited includes everything in the Forward plan plus unlimited minutes for $19 per month per number.

NumberBarn offers email/chat support. Their no contract, no commitment, month-to-month plans make it easy to scale or cancel at any time.

2. 800.com

800.com is a leading provider of toll-free and local vanity phone numbers. Their built-in call tracking tool helps businesses improve customer engagement and achieve their inbound marketing objectives. 

You can search their online database to see if your perfect pattern of numbers/keywords is available. Then, you can select one of three plans:

• Personal starts at $29/month and includes 1,000 minutes and one toll-free number. 
• Unlimited starts at $75 per month and includes unlimited minutes and one toll-free number.
• Pro starts at $149 a month and includes 5,000 minutes and five toll-free numbers.

There’s a one-time $35 activation fee for toll-free vanity numbers, and it will take approximately three to five days for them to be activated. 800.com charges a one-time port-out fee of $100, and the process can take up to six weeks to complete.

3. eVoice

eVoice is another leading provider of vanity phone numbers, offering a wide selection of memorable phone numbers for businesses of all sizes. However, its process has more hoops to jump through than NumberBarn or 800.com.

First, you’ll need to request a vanity number by submitting a short form or calling the customer service team.

The customer service team will contact you by phone to confirm whether your number is available. If you give them the green light, they will add your vanity number to your eVoice account, and you’ll receive a temporary number until your vanity number is fully activated (after 72 hours).

eVoice doesn’t allow you to port your vanity number to your existing business phone service provider, so you’ll need to sign up for their virtual phone system, which starts at $14/month per user.

Become a Memorable Brand With a Vanity Phone Number

Vanity phone numbers are an impressive tool for small businesses striving to enhance their brand presence, improve customer engagement, and track marketing ROI.

Once you brainstorm and select a memorable number, you can harness the power of vanity numbers across print, digital, and outdoor advertising avenues.

Follow our tips for partnering with a reputable provider and ensure that you can port your new number to your existing business communications platform.

Remember, you can seamlessly port your vanity number to Nextiva to leverage the best business phone system for your brand’s soon-to-be-skyrocketing growth.

Now it’s time to ignite your creative spark and craft a few witty, catchy, on-brand vanity numbers to grab your customers’ attention and keep your phone ringing with new business!

Scaling a call center operation is a big responsibility.

It requires you to adopt technology that can balance several critical aspects, including call quality, costs, scalability, and flexibility.

A call center private branch exchange (PBX) solution helps you maximize agent efficiency and control costs. A PBX is a private telephone network within a company; it connects internal telephones to the public telephone network.

A PBX comes in several types. Traditional ones are costly to maintain, and adding more lines greatly increases expenses. Moreover, when tech-enabling call center operations, you have to think of addressing the real-world demands of hybrid and remote call center teams.

A cloud PBX serves such demands. Read on to learn more about different PBX solutions.

Types of PBX Systems in Call Centers

As a call center manager, you could equip your team with an efficient phone system to better manage phone calls. However, having various options can make it challenging to choose the right one.

Explore the following PBX types to understand the benefits and limitations.

Traditional PBX

Traditional PBX systems allow users to make and transfer phone calls in a single building or office. These systems also handle external phone lines for inbound and outbound calls.

Legacy PBX technology was around before the Internet’s emergence. It used copper wires to connect Plain Old Telephone Service  (POTS).

Before cloud-based PBXs, companies used central exchange (Centrex) lines where local service providers billed them for internal communications. Centrex is like a central telephone exchange: It aggregates multiple telephone lines into a unified communication group.

PBX systems made internal communications free. However, they came with a need for significant investment in on-premises installation and maintenance.

As the infrastructure investment became considerable, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers later removed expensive hardware requirements, making phone service more cost-effective.

Internet Protocol (IP) PBX

Unlike traditional PBX, an IP PBX can switch, forward, or route calls between VoIP networks and PSTN lines. It uses an IP to deliver voice communication and integrates the Internet service and VoIP.

With an IP PBX, you can make and receive inbound and outbound calls over the Internet while managing analog phones in the office.

An IP PBX uses session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking to offer multiple voice channels. In an IP PBX, the internal phone extensions work the same way as a PBX.

A VoIP service provider offers credentials for SIP trunking connectivity externally. When authenticated, incoming calls reach your PBX.

IP PBX is a minimal change from analog PBX but offers cloud reliability and low communication costs. However, it comes with some challenges.

Your system administrator needs to be technically competent with the Linux operating system to configure an IP PBX. Moreover, most on-site PBX systems don’t cater to remote work, which is a pressing need for modern workspaces. A cloud PBX solution can better serve the needs of remote teams.

Hosted PBX

A hosted PBX sits off-site, and a third-party provider maintains it. You would find professionals referring to hosted PBX as a cloud PBX or virtual PBX.

It eliminates the need for on-site hardware installation, saving businesses money. Additionally, you can access all business phone numbers on the cloud from anywhere, which is the prime motivator for choosing a hosted PBX in a call center.

A hosted PBX is easy to set up and allows employees to work remotely. Unlike on-premise PBX, it doesn’t incur costs upfront and uses the network’s bandwidth modestly. It also lets you use any SIP phone to connect.

This phone system is fast and comparatively easier to work with, capable of more customization and flexibility. The information transfer happens over the Internet with enterprise-grade performance and reliability.

Related: 5 Types of Call Centers: Which Is Right for Your Business?

How To Tell If Your Call Center Needs a Cloud PBX

You would have to make a few trade-offs regardless of which PBX system you choose. 

Traditional PBX offers better call quality since it relies on physical line connections. Cloud PBX delivers better scalability and more robust features. 

Take a deep dive into whether a cloud PBX is the most suitable choice for your call center.

Outgrew on-premises phone system

Call volumes can trend upward or downward depending on callers’ needs. If you go for a traditional PBX, you need physical infrastructure changes to adapt to dynamic demand.

Here are a few signs that you need a more scalable solution:

• Unable to add more call capacity
• Callers receive busy signals frequently
• Calls drop because of longer wait times

A cloud-based system is fully equipped to adapt to your evolving needs. Adding new users happens instantly when you purchase additional subscriptions.

Slowed down by maintenance

System downtime is no excuse for stopping customer communication. It can have severe outcomes, for example, a bad review on social media.

Cloud PBX can help when you encounter these situations:

• IT staff is burdened with the physical maintenance of traditional PBX.
• Downtime and system failures increase.
• System maintenance costs exceed resources.

Technology changes fast, and keeping it current becomes a challenge when you have a traditional PBX system in your office.

Crave a unified messaging solution

Unified communications keep your team on the same page with a single shared platform. To simplify omnichannel communications management, you need a holistic view of voice, email, and video messaging.

Here are a few situations where a cloud-based call center PBX can help:

• Customer requests are falling through the cracks.
• Call center agents are updating information across separate apps, such as customer relationship management (CRM) tools.
• Team members are using personal phones and several different meeting apps for corporate messaging.

Have a remote team

A hosted call center PBX lets call center agents work from anywhere. It helps them take calls remotely while managing the needs of a distributed workforce.

In a place where 63% of call center leaders believe working from home is the future, you need solutions that can cater to this environment.

Here are a few easy signs to tell whether you need to move your call center to the cloud:

• Increasing numbers of remote team members
• Employees can work in the office or at home consistently
• It’s difficult to reach team members or route calls efficiently

Need more robust features

More than eight out of 10 customers prefer automated responses to avoid waiting to interact with a human agent. It makes cloud PBX features such as auto-attendants, call routing, and interactive voice response (IVR) indispensable for call center teams to improve customer experience.

Below are some situations where cloud call center features can help:

• Calls drop because of long wait times
• Managers have a tough time monitoring calls and coaching their teams
• Multiple call transfers occur before customers are connected to the right agent

You have a range of customizable features with a cloud PBX. These can be tailored to your call center’s needs and workflows.

10 Notable Call Center PBX Features

Call center PBX systems provide several additional features where on-premises options fall short. These features are easy to configure, and it doesn’t take long to start using them. Check out what features can make your call center operations more effective and scalable.

Go through these PBX features to learn about what you actually need for your contact center.

1. Automatic call distribution (ACD)

Call centers use ACD to answer incoming calls and route them to the best available agent. This routing is subject to various factors, such as caller ID, business hours, customer support level, and IVR selections.

ACD makes sure the right agent and department receive the call, and the caller doesn’t need to frustrate themselves by dialing different numbers.

Here are some notable techniques call centers use to distribute calls:

• Round-robin distribution distributes calls evenly across the team. For instance, in a team of five agents, the first call goes to the first agent, the second to the next, and so on. After the fifth agent, the cycle restarts with the first agent.
• Talk time-based distribution equalizes the total talk time among agents. Calls are routed to the agent who has spent the least time on calls.
• Fixed-order distribution routes calls based on a predefined order. If certain agents are designated as primary contacts, they receive calls first. If they are unavailable, the call moves down the hierarchy.
• Uniform call routing sends calls to the agent who has been idle the longest.
• Simultaneous distribution routes calls to all available agents simultaneously, and the first to respond takes the call.
• Weighted call routing allows managers to allocate a percentage of incoming calls to specific agents. The allocation is based on the agent’s expertise, language skills, or customer satisfaction ratings.

ACD is similar to IVR, but the former focuses more on directing calls to available agents, while IVR tries to direct callers to the right place as soon as possible. 

For customer experience, opt for an IVR. If agent balance is your priority, choose ACD. But it’s best to implement both.

2. IVR

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) asks customers to select options using their voice or the telephone keypad to reach call center agents.

You might have heard, “Press one if you’re a customer or press two to talk to sales.” This is exactly what an IVR does.

It greets callers and assists them in reaching the most appropriate agent or resource, based on the choices they make during the call.

An IVR is prone to sounding robotic. It’s best to record your greetings in a quiet room and smile as you read your script.

Keep wait times short or use these times to share promotional or important messages. 

You can consider multi-level IVR and integrate it with an ACD to maintain agent balance while providing a good customer experience.

3. Call queuing

Call queuing places incoming calls into a virtual line to be answered by the next available agent based on pre-established criteria.

Call queues hold the caller’s place in line until the call is directed to a call center agent. When callers are in the queue, play hold music and let them know about self-service options. You can even share some helpful tips to get the most out of your product or service.

Call queues help call centers effectively use the existing agent hours to manage high call volumes with a lean staff.

4. Call recording

Call centers can record agent calls to monitor and evaluate their performance, provide feedback, and improve service. However, when you’re recording calls, make sure to let the customers know this by playing a message such as “This call is being recorded for quality and training purposes.”

You must have heard a similar message when connecting to the support staff of the companies you’ve called.

Call recording helps you pinpoint areas where agents need to improve so that you can offer more targeted training. When escalations happen, call recordings help provide the context for the customers’ issues.

These recordings uncover challenges customers frequently face, and they help refine the support documentation with more information to help customers address their pain points with the product in a self-serve manner.

Related: How to Record Customer Service Calls & Why You Should

5. Real-time analytics

Team leads and supervisors can monitor calls in real time while generating detailed reports on call center metrics. You can discover how long customers waited on hold before connecting with an agent. These insights can help you perform workforce optimization.

After each call, you will have details about metrics such as the customer satisfaction score and the number of repeat callers. These metrics are the basis for optimizing your call center strategy.

6. Call barging or call monitoring

Call monitoring and barging are essential call center features.

Call barging helps the call center manager join a live call. It comes with a call-whispering function where the customers won’t hear the manager joining the call. It allows managers to ensure call quality and provide advice and feedback to agents when they need it the most.

The manager can enable a conference call or simply shadow the agent to help them quickly resolve the customer’s issues and provide the best experience to the customer.

7. CRM integrations

A cloud-based call center PBX lets you integrate your phone system with your CRM or customer data sources. It helps you log calls to provide context later to other teams that may not be directly involved.

For instance, if the customer interacted with the social media team, you can view those interactions.

Your agents can click to call and manage their tasks without going through a lot of back and forth between different applications. Integrations save time and provide context to make communication more effective.

Overall, customers feel more supported and heard, improving their experience with you.

These integrations help your team respond to customer questions with confidence and lower your average handle time.

8. Skills-based routing and after-hours services

Skills-based routing automatically assigns incoming calls to agents specializing in a particular skill set. You can configure the skills of each agent based on their competency levels.

Newer call center PBX systems come with omnichannel skills-based routing where customers reaching out through messaging, social media, live chat, SMS, and other digital channels can connect with relevant support agents.

You can enhance skills-based routing with ACD and IVR to better manage agent productivity while elevating customer experience.

For contact centers offering after-hours services, you can configure the call center PBX to route calls to live agents who can resolve customers’ issues.

9. Softphone app

With softphone functionality, contact center agents can use an app or their web browser on an Internet-connected workstation to make and receive calls. A softphone app has various PBX features, all within the software, which is easy to operate.

Your agents receive customer notifications, with the added feasibility of answering calls from comfortable workstations, improving their service delivery.

10. Security and compliance

A call center PBX uses encryption and secure voice protocols to keep communication safe and secure. The technology adopts the right security posture to comply with standards such as GDPR and HIPAA, protecting sensitive data and information.

These systems enforce access control procedures, ultimately preventing unauthorized access. It uses security measures such as endpoint security and call authentication to protect customers’ data and information.

How To Get the Most Out of Your Call Center PBX

Let these best practices help you drive maximum value through your call center PBX. Here’s what you can do.

Train your staff in workflow and software capabilities

Train agents and supervisors in every aspect of the PBX system. Cover basic operations and advanced features while making sure they gain hands-on experience to familiarize themselves with the system. It’s advisable to update the training material regularly to include feature changes.

You can develop handy guides or manuals with step-by-step instructions and diagrams if someone needs a quick refresher. This training would go beyond the initial onboarding process to include regular workshops.

Monitor and analyze performance data

Make sure to review call reports and analytics to understand agent performance. Look into metrics such as first call resolution, average response time, average waiting time in queue, and customer satisfaction score.

These metrics help you identify areas where you can improve. Let these insights guide your way toward making informed staffing decisions.

Optimize incoming call flows

When configuring your inbound call flows, make sure to remove unnecessary menu items. Keep options simple, clear, and straightforward to prevent customers from scratching their heads.

Focus on delivering the best possible experience while efficiently using your agent pool.

Reduce the number of steps a caller must take to reach their desired outcomes. It’s frustrating to go through an IVR simply to realize there’s no option to speak to a human.

No matter how many support areas you cover, provide an option to reach a live agent for customers with unique issues.

Give callback options to prevent customers from navigating long hold times. Let them know when they can get in touch with the agent.

Schedule system maintenance

A cloud-based call center platform doesn’t need any maintenance, updates, security patches, or hardware replacements, and it doesn’t have power failures. However, an on-premises PBX needs frequent updates and technical oversight.  

Nextiva requires zero maintenance, so you have continuous availability.

Grow Your Call Center With the Right PBX Provider

Think long-term. When choosing the best call center platform, move beyond what you need today.

Opt for a call center solution that scales in a flexible and cost-effective manner to meet your rising call volume. Don’t overlook indirect costs, such as maintenance, complexity, and overall IT burden, beyond the sticker price.

With these in mind, a VoIP or cloud-based solution stands out as the best approach to scale a call center. But if have an IP PBX and need a reliable trunking provider, we’ve got you covered.

Canopy Technology, a banking platform, made a reasonable choice by choosing Nextiva’s contact center solution to deliver a customer-first approach to finance. The company was looking for a tech-forward, omnichannel solution, and Nextiva checked all the boxes. It became a natural fit.

Ready to give Nextiva a try? Speak to a Nextiva expert.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been around for nearly three decades, but it’s so commonplace these days, that you might not be aware of the ways in which VoIP helps people communicate reliably. 

While the technology has evolved, it’s become a standard function in communication apps and a linchpin in business communication to meet increasing consumer and workforce demands. 

Let’s look at real-world examples of how VoIP is used across major industries and applications. We will also discuss several scenarios of how Voice over IP has helped companies scale their communications. 

VoIP Overview

VoIP phone service has been used since the late 90s as a way to make and receive phone calls from your computer or desk phone in an office. It uses your internet connection to establish voice calls together.

Today, VoIP technology real-time audio, streaming video, and exist at the heart of call centers. It’s the preferred choice instead of installing analog phone lines.

To appreciate the versatility of cloud-based telephony, let’s take a look at some of the sectors where it has made a big impact. 

• Healthcare: From telemedicine appointments to staff communication.
• Education: Distance learning and virtual classrooms have benefited greatly from VoIP.
• Business: Startups and enterprises use VoIP for scalable, cloud communications.
• Telecommunications: The telecom industry relies on VoIP and related technologies for its backbones.

Types of VoIP Communications

When thinking about examples of VoIP, consider the nature of the communications. Typically, all voice communications consist of the following scenarios: 

• User to User VoIP
• User to Traditional Phones 
• Traditional Phones to VoIP

User-to-User VoIP

Calls between users are where a VoIP phone provider would establish voice communications between multiple users internally. In many cases, these calls occur over the Local Area Network, such as in an office building.

Popular in both personal and business contexts, this allows two or more users to communicate directly through the Internet. Examples of user-to-user VoIP include virtual meeting platforms like Google Meet or Skype.  

User to Traditional Phone

Calling phones outside of the communication system is a core function of an office phone service. The service provider maintains superior call quality with data packets and relays voice calls to the traditional phone system.

This form of VoIP facilitates calls from users to reach the public telephone network, such as cell phones, landlines, and other phone numbers. The practicality here is that users can talk with customers, partners, and employees on and off the phone system.

This is where voice over IP telephony delivers the goods. Anyone can make and receive calls, including international calls, for up to 90% less than landline phones. In addition to low-cost calling, users can also send and receive SMS/MMS business text messages.

Traditional Phone to VoIP

Calls that originate from the PSTN are connected through a VoIP service provider. From there, the private branch exchange, known as a PBX, routes calls to the assigned user or team.

This arrangement is best for high-volume applications, such as at a call center. Incoming calls are held until they can be distributed to the appropriate team member. And since VoIP calls work over any broadband internet connection, the team can work from anywhere.

When thinking about VoIP applications for your organization, consider how users actually need to communicate with each other, customers, and partners. For instance, when replacing a traditional PBX, you might opt for a more cost-effective cloud PBX instead. 

In some cases, your team might not need the most advanced features immediately, but the advantage of VoIP is that they’re available when you want them.

Related: What Is a Contact Center? Definition, Features, and Uses

Examples of VoIP In Action

VoIP has a variety of uses. Here are several everyday examples of how each solution drives communication forward.

• Business phone service
• Call centers
• Paging systems
• Team collaboration
• Video conferencing
• Online gaming
• Personal messaging

Business Phone Service 

One of the most prominent applications of VoIP technology is in modern business phone services. Companies of all sizes are increasingly relying on VoIP for their unified communication needs. It’s cost-effective, improves efficiency, and adds flexibility to the work environment. 

Employees can stay connected from their desktops and mobile devices for phone calls, instant messaging, and more.

Case Study: Simmons Bank Moved their On-Premises PBX to VoIP

Call Centers 

In a call center scenario, VoIP is a game-changer. Voice over IP is the technology that lets customers operate efficiently and scale up as their company grows. VoIP technology also provides features such as call recording, auto attendants, CRM integration, and automatic call distribution. With VoIP, team members can work from anywhere. 

Case Study: Heaton Eye Associates Used Contact Center to Improve Patient Experience

Paging Systems 

Many facilities, such as hospitals, schools, or warehouses, employ VoIP-enabled paging systems for instant, on-demand communication. These systems utilize your existing IP network and do not need separate wiring, making them a practical and efficient choice. They can even work on Wi-Fi. 

Case Study: Mountains Community Hospital  Improved Communications with Group Paging

Team Collaboration 

In the era of remote work, VoIP technology shines. Professionals can easily collaborate with colleagues across the globe using VoIP phone systems, which offer features like real-time messaging, caller ID, voice and video calls, multimedia sharing, and even virtual whiteboards. 

Rather than shuffling between separate meeting apps, simply use the collaboration features built into your business VoIP solution.

Case Study: On the Map Marketing Improved Client Outcomes with Better Team Collaboration

Video Conferencing 

Whether it’s a company-wide meeting or a one-on-one interaction, video conferencing is essential to business communications. Video meetings use VoIP functionality to deliver real-time video and audio between computers and smartphones.

When team members want to call in from the road, they can — no extra meeting apps or softphones are needed. 

Case Study: PetRelocation Enhanced Team Communication with Video Meetings

Online Gaming 

VoIP isn’t only used in the corporate world. It’s also found its place in online gaming. In games that require team coordination, in-game VoIP allows players to communicate in real-time, enhancing their competitiveness and overall gaming experience.

The current pace of scalable, low-bandwidth, low-latency audio could be traced back to the days of TeamSpeak or Ventrilo, popular voice chat servers used by gamers.

Personal Messaging 

Interacting with friends and family on apps like WhatsApp, Viber, or FaceTime? That uses VoIP, too! These VoIP apps provide voice messages, video calls, and group chats. So, without even realizing it, you’ve been using VoIP in your everyday life. 

Essential Business VoIP Functions

Communication is at the heart of business. These communication features improve how work gets done and how customers are helped, thanks to VoIP.

• Call recording – Since VoIP is all-digital, voice conversations can be securely recorded in the cloud without additional equipment. Listen to past calls to identify areas to improve. 
• Call forwarding – Direct calls to another phone extension or phone number based on any criteria you want. Ensure every call is answered the way you want on your terms. 
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – An IVR routes incoming calls with a simple number-based menu so callers can reach their desired person or department. Since the call flows are virtual, you can update it anytime in just minutes. 
• Three-way calling – Bring on a third person into a conversation instantly with a cloud-based phone system. VoIP makes it easy to dial another person and bridge the calls together. 
• Group paging – When you need to broadcast a voice message to a department or all IP phones, VoIP provides the ability to dial a special extension to provide audio messaging. 
• Call parking – It’s simple to switch devices (e.g., desk phone, mobile phone, computer, etc.) to continue your conversation uninterrupted. VoIP technology makes this a big advantage over traditional landlines. 
• Call queues – When your company has more telephone calls than people to answer them, you need to place them on hold. This is known as a call queue. VoIP services specialize in the ability to provide on-hold messaging, call back functionality, and call routing. 
• Voicemail transcription – One of the benefits of VoIP is to get voicemail messages in your email. They arrive with accurate transcriptions made better with the power of AI.

Take Your Telephone System the Next Level with VoIP

Now that you’ve seen several examples and possibilities of VoIP, it’s time to take the next step. 

We recommend getting a personalized price quote. Why? 

Because VoIP is highly customizable, and all its features can be tailored to your company’s needs. If you need a simple “voice only” service, you can choose that. Or, if you want a more complete solution to improve the customer experience, that’s available as well.

Plus, you’ll also know the actual VoIP costs so you can see the savings and avoid surprises. 

VoIP opens up many possibilities for business communication. It allows you to do everything: talk to customers, run meetings, close sales, and schedule appointments. It’s there at every stage of growth in your business.

Choosing a VoIP phone system for your organization can be overwhelming. When researching providers, it’s easy to get lost in lists of features and pricing, especially when you need to account for qualities like great customer support and service reliability. 

Nextiva and Ooma are two of the leading VoIP business phone line providers for 2024, but which one is right for you? Both offer comparable pricing and have plenty of happy customers, so the devil is in the details.

This guide compares both platforms to help you choose the best VoIP service for your business, looking at features, pricing, and customer ratings. And while we believe Nextiva is the superior option in most cases, Ooma could meet the needs of those looking for micro-level offerings. 

Nextiva vs. Ooma VoIP Comparison

Looking to compare Nextiva and Ooma at a quick glance? This side-by-side comparison table can help. 

Nextiva’s Enterprise VoIP plan costs slightly more than Ooma’s Pro plan, starting at $32.95 per user per month compared to Ooma’s $29.95 per user per month. 

That said, the $3 a month difference is well worth it, with Nextiva delivering higher customer support and call management ratings and unlimited video participants. Nextiva also includes significantly more toll-free minutes, app integrations, and customer support hours. 

Nextiva vs. Ooma VoIP Product Features & Pricing

Both Ooma office VoIP technology and Nextiva’s business phone system offer similar features at comparable pricing. That said, Nextiva offers more “bang for your buck,” and includes personalized support and advanced functionality that businesses need. 

Nextiva plans, pricing & features

Nextiva has multiple price plans to help you balance the cost and functionality of your business communication needs. 

Nextiva’s Essential plan is priced at $18.95 per user monthly, and gives you these features:

• Unlimited calling in the United States and Canada
• Customizable outbound caller ID
• HD video calls
• Desktop and mobile apps (iOS and Android) for softphone functionality
• Call logs with detailed history
• Smart call routing with spam call blocking
• A toll-free number with 1,500 minutes included monthly
• Microsoft Outlook and Google Contacts integrations
• Video meeting recording
• International calling rates are as low as $0.01/min
• Unlimited internet faxes

Nextiva’s Enterprise plan gives you additional functionality for just $32.95 per user monthly:

• Unlimited video conferencing participants with screen sharing
• Multi-level auto attendant IVR
• Toll-free business phone number with 12,500 minutes included
• Up to 20 integrations, including HubSpot and Salesforce add-ons
• SMS/MMS text messaging, with up to 2,000 text messages per user.
• Call recording (on-demand and automatic)
• Voicemail transcription to email or SMS messages
• Single sign-on support

Nextiva offers advanced functionality, with reliable features that can help you with all of your company’s phone system needs. 

Nextiva also offers attractive multi-year and volume-based discounts to keep your VoIP costs low. For example, if you have a team of up to 20 and prepay for three years, the Essential plan drops from $25.95 to $18.95 per user monthly. 

Ooma plans, pricing & features

Ooma’s Essentials plan starts at $19.95 per user per month, with features including:

• Phone tree
• Call parking
• Ring groups
• Virtual receptionist
• Extension dialing and monitoring.
• Call transfers
• Hold music 
• Basic call logs 
• Call forwarding

Ooma’s highest-tiered plan is their Pro Plus plan, which costs $29.95 per user per month, and it includes additional features like the following:

• Call queues
• CRM integrations, with up to 5 integrations 
• Video conferencing of up to 100 participants
• Team chat
• Meetings recording
• Hot desking
• Call screening 

Ooma’s pricing is slightly less than Nextiva’s, but the comprehensive features Nextiva offers is well worth the difference. Nextiva also offers 12,500 toll-free minutes, a multi-level auto-attendant, and powerful video conferencing capabilities. 

Ooma vs. Nextiva Analytics

With the Ooma Office Pro plan, you can utilize the new call analytics functionality to get an overview of when your calls come in with easy-to-use charts. You can view metrics like:

• Call volume trends
• Call metrics by day of the week/hour of the day
• Call distribution
• Missed calls
• Outgoing and incoming calls
• Peak periods

Most of Ooma’s metrics are basic, though effective. Nextiva offers more advanced versions of these analytics. You can see more here: 

Nextiva features a built-in business intelligence tool that helps you make smarter business decisions, find hidden insights, and boost staff performance. Our analytics includes all of the above metrics and more.  

Nextiva’s analytics also has a voice analytics tool that provides a real-time synopsis of all actions in your contact center. You can see the voice analytics data that you need with Nextiva’s interactive maps and graphs.

While Ooma’s analytics aren’t quite as sophisticated as Nextiva’s, they’re fine for businesses that don’t need advanced tracking or that are on a budget. They are not, however, a good fit for businesses that need advanced tracking and may be looking for custom reporting and advanced integrations to understand (and optimize) call data and performance. 

Nextiva vs. Ooma Reliability

Nextiva has 99.999% uptime and carrier-grade data centers, which means you’re always online around the clock, even if the internet at large has an occasional hiccup. 

Nextiva’s data centers use fully uninterruptible power sources, with impeccable uptime in the industry. This is supported by Nextiva’s eight points of presence within North America, which leads to better call quality, less latency, and greater redundancy. 

On the other hand, Ooma boasts call quality but does not have an uptime guarantee like Nextiva and other VoIP providers. Ooma also only has four points of presence in North America, which is half of what Nextiva offers. 

Ooma vs. Nextiva Customer Support

Customer support is a key consideration that all brands should take into account when choosing a VoIP or business communications provider. 

Nextiva offers several ways to get help, including:

• Phone support
• Live chat
• An online ticketing system
• Video tutorials 
• An online knowledge center 

Phone lines are open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. MST, seven days a week. 

While on weekends, their phone lines are open between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. MST.

Ooma also provides phone support available every day of the week and during office hours. Their support personnel are reliable in terms of ensuring that you get the needed help at any time.

Because every business claims to deliver great customer experiences, it’s important to let existing clients chime in here. Reading customer reviews online that specifically mention customer support should be a vital step in your decision.

Nextiva is known for delivering outstanding customer support experiences, with expert agents with a commitment to customer satisfaction. 

Over 3,000 Nextiva reviews are posted on GetVoIP, many of which mention our customer service. Here are a few of them:

• “Switching to Nextiva was a transformative experience for us. Their support team ensured a seamless transition, and the improvement in call quality was remarkable. What truly sets Nextiva apart is their ability to customize their service to our specific needs, like communication wizards. They have become an invaluable communication partner, delivering top-notch support and service quality. I highly recommend Nextiva for anyone looking to elevate their communication solutions.”
  — Camilo D. 
• “What truly sets Nextiva apart is their unwavering commitment to meeting our unique company needs… they took the time to understand our specific requirements and tailored their services specifically to us… With their top-notch support and service quality, Nextiva has become an invaluable asset to our organization.”
  — Ari M. 
• “I’ve worked closely with Nextiva over the past two years, and I’ve been really impressed. They helped us set up our communication systems as our company grew from 20 to over 150 employees. Their call center reporting platform is robust and user-friendly. Of course, we’ve had a few hiccups along the way, but Nextiva has always been quick to help us resolve any issues. Unlike many companies where you want on hold forever, with Nextiva, I’m rarely on hold for more than a minute.”
  — Angelica M. 

When it comes to Ooma’s customer reviews, some customers have recently reported struggling to get in touch with their support team. 

One customer review on TrustPilot, for example, noted that they couldn’t connect with support when they tried to follow up for charges after cancellation. Another review mentioned that the customer service policies created an unpleasant experience. 

Ooma vs. Nextiva Setup and Usability

Initial setup and overall usability can directly impact your experience. It’s essential to choose a tool with intuitive usability and strong ease of use so that all members of your team can use the technology. 

Ooma’s three-step system makes the setup process simple, enabling users to get the system up and running in your company efficiently. Ooma also provides straightforward interfaces for desktop and mobile devices, and devices are pre-configured. 

Nextiva’s user interface is incredibly intuitive, even with complex requirements. Robust features like user administration, call flows, and voicemail transcription are easy and straightforward, ensuring that even tech novices can navigate the software.

If you have any questions during the setup process, don’t worry — Nextiva’s customer support team can help you every step of the way. 

While both Ooma and Nextiva offer simple setup and usage, NextivaONE (including desktop app and mobile app) is more intuitive than Ooma’s, with a more visually appealing and feature-rich interface.

Which VoIP Service Is Right for Your Business?

Every company has its pros and cons, so you’ll need to consider those when choosing a VoIP service.

A small five-person business relying heavily on a call center, for example, will have starkly different needs from a large company with 20 customer service teams. 

That said, Nextiva consistently offers more extensive features and functionality for only $3 more per month with comparable plans. 

Nextiva’s customer support and reliability both consistently outperform Ooma’s scores on multiple platforms, including GetVoIP. Nextiva has a 4.6 score, while Ooma has a 4.3 customer support rating.

Nevertheless, the best phone service for your business ultimately depends on your budget, unique needs, and which specific features are most important to you.

Nextiva works best if:

Your company has more demanding communication needs, such as:

• CRM or help desk integrations
• Virtual and toll-free phone numbers
• Intelligent call flows and forwarding
• Real-time call analytics
• Easy setup and administration
• Friendly and knowledgeable customer support

Ooma is ideal if:

You are interested in either residential or micro-level offerings. While Ooma’s features are sufficient for a small business, larger organizations will need a more feature-rich solution. 

Ooma, however, is great for residential VoIP phone service. It’s one segment that Nextiva doesn’t cover. 

So, which VoIP service should you choose? 

We may be biased, but we believe that Nextiva is a stronger solution for most business needs when you’re considering a VoIP phone system. Customers get the most calling functionality at a great price, all backed by the company’s signature Amazing Service®. 

Nextiva takes cloud-based business VoIP and unified communications to the next level with advanced features that go beyond basic functionality. And when your business expands, you’ll have a tightly integrated contact center that scales with your team. 

Nextiva’s all-in-one communications platform can help your business improve, assess, and optimize communications performance with exceptional uptime and reliability.

For decades, traditional landline phones relied on circuit-switched networks to make calls. But in recent years, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony has taken over voice communications.

By transmitting voice conversations over data networks rather than traditional phone lines, IP telephony systems enable unified communications that integrate voice, video, messaging, fax, conferencing, and more at a much lower cost.

The global IP phone market is valued at over $20 billion and is expected to grow steadily in the coming years. Businesses need to step up and use this emerging tech to their advantage.

To get you up to speed, we’ll discuss what IP telephony is, how it works, and how you can use it to improve customer communications.

What Is IP Telephony?

IP telephony (Internet Protocol Telephony) refers to any phone system that uses an internet connection to send and receive voice data.

Unlike a regular telephone that uses landlines to transmit analog signals, IP phones connect to the internet via a router and modem.

The first publicly available IP phone arrived on the market as early as 1995. But, compared to a standard phone system, it had low audio quality and was prohibitively expensive.

Since then, internet-based phone technology has improved by leaps and bounds. IP telephony now offers HD voice quality, cheaper running costs, and advanced business phone features.

And the need for up-front investment is next to nothing.

IP telephony doesn’t stop at voice calls. Here are some more of its use cases.

• Video calling
• Audio and video conferencing
• Text messaging
• Instant messaging
• Faxing

How Does IP Telephony Work?

IP telephone systems use the Internet Protocol — the fundamental data communication protocol of the Internet and modern networks — or other digital protocols to transfer voice communications over the internet.

IP telephony digitizes analog voice signals into data packets that are then transmitted using the Internet Protocol. As data packets traverse networks, they encounter devices such as routers that read packet headers and forward them to their destinations.

The major protocols that enable IP telephony include SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) for signaling and call session management, RTP(Real-Time Transport Protocol)/RTCP (Real-Time Transport Control Protocol) for transmitting voice media streams, and H.323 (call control and signaling protocol), an early VoIP protocol.

When packets complete their journey, the software reassembles them in the correct order to reconstruct the voice stream.

If you use an IP PBX system, the data is transferred digitally on a Local Area Network (LAN), and then transformed to analog voice signals and sent to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

However, because of high hardware and installation costs, IP PBX is no longer the leading solution.

Hosted VoIP has become the most popular IP telephony solution. It lets businesses take advantage of advanced PBX features without hardware installed on-site.

Here’s a breakdown of how the VoIP system works: 

With hosted VoIP, your IP phone sends data (in the form of digital signals) over the internet to your provider. Your provider handles the routing of calls, call queues, and everything else in the cloud.

You can also use SIP trunking to connect a legacy IP PBX to a modern VoIP provider to take advantage of missing features.

IP Telephony vs. VoIP

IP and VoIP telephony are often used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference between them.

IP telephony is a broader term that covers any telecommunications system using the Internet Protocol to transmit voice and data. This includes traditional phone systems that have been upgraded to use IP, as well as newer VoIP systems.

Voice over IP (VoIP), on the other hand, is a specific technology that uses IP to transmit voice calls. It’s a subset of IP telephony that specifically deals with the transmission of voice traffic.

In other words, all VoIP systems are IP telephony systems, but not all IP telephony systems are VoIP systems.

The term VoIP was initially more specific. It only referred to the technology used to make and receive phone calls over the internet.

In recent years, though, even VoIP providers and telecommunications companies have started to use these terms interchangeably. IP telephony and VoIP technology both cover phone systems that use a LAN (local area network) to connect to the internet via a modem/router.

Key Components of IP Telephony Systems

IP telephony systems comprise several key components that work together to facilitate voice communications over IP networks. These include:

• IP PBX: The IP PBX, or Private Branch Exchange, serves as the central switching and control unit for the IP telephony system. It manages call routing, voicemail, and other features.
• Softphones: Softphones are software-based alternatives to traditional hardware phones. They run on computers or mobile devices and allow users to make and receive calls directly from their devices.
• VoIP Gateways: VoIP gateways connect IP telephony systems to the PSTN, enabling calls to be made to and from traditional phone numbers.
• Session Border Controllers (SBCs): SBCs act as gatekeepers for IP telephony traffic, providing security and management functions. They ensure that only authorized users can access the network and protect against unauthorized access and attacks.
• Network Infrastructure: A robust and reliable network infrastructure is essential for supporting IP telephony. This includes high-speed network connections, adequate bandwidth, and proper network configuration.

Protocols play the most important role in IP telephony. Which protocols IP telephony uses depends on how your phone system is set up and your VoIP provider.

To effectively send voice data over the internet, you need a way to compress and decompress it. Because phones stream data in real-time and the focus is on human voices, they can’t use general codecs like MP3.

Most IP telephony service providers, including Nextiva, use the specialized G.711μ codec — the same as the new digitized PSTN.

Related Article

What Are VoIP Codecs & How Do They Affect Call Sound Quality?

Benefits of IP Telephony

More software buyers go with VoIP phones than any other type of voice service.

Why are so many businesses making the switch? 

1. Reduced costs

VoIP is significantly cheaper than traditional business plans. Switching to an unlimited VoIP plan can save you up to 50% over a comparable business landline plan.

Nextiva Essential, for instance, starts at $18.95/month per user and includes unlimited calling for the US and Canada.

Consolidating voice and data networks saves businesses long-distance and international call charges.

2. More features without extra hardware

IP telephony offers access to advanced features like advanced call routing, call recording, instant messaging, and video conferencing without having to invest in extra hardware.

Nextiva lets you choose advanced enterprise plans that include all key VoIP features. Businesses can also upgrade and enrich their plans with different add-ons or add more users as they grow. This makes IP telephony highly scalable.

3. Increased accessibility

With IP telephony you can make and receive calls from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection.

Users can make and receive calls from their computers, mobile phones, or any device with a softphone or VoIP app installed. This mobility is particularly valuable for businesses with remote or mobile employees.

4. Unified communications

VoIP also makes it a lot easier to integrate voice communications with your CRM and other business tools.

Centralizing data and providing consistent customer service across multiple channels (at a lower pricing) makes IP telephony and VoIP a no-brainer for many businesses.

Challenges With IP Telephony

Quality of Service (QoS): VoIP calls can be susceptible to network jitter and latency. This can lead to choppy audio, dropped calls, and other issues. Make sure you have sufficient bandwidth and a reliable internet connection to support VoIP.

Security: VoIP calls can be intercepted and eavesdropped on if not properly secured. Implement encryption and authentication measures to protect your calls.

Compatibility: VoIP systems may not be compatible with all existing telephone devices. Investing in the right VoIP phone service that can connect your existing systems via SIP trunks is key to switching to IP telephony.

Reliability: VoIP systems rely on the internet. VoIP calls may be interrupted by power outages or other internet outages. Make sure to have a backup plan in place if the VoIP system fails.

Although IP telephony can present its own challenges, you can easily get around the common issues. It all starts with choosing a VoIP service that understands your needs, has a reliable and scalable system, and offers excellent technical support.

Save Big on Monthly Bills by Switching To VoIP

Want significant cost savings and a new and more multi-line phone system with advanced PBX features?

Nextiva offers tailored solutions to businesses of all sizes. Our small business VoIP starts at $18.95/month per user.

For companies that require unified communications, more advanced features, and dedicated support, our enterprise plans start at $31.95/month per user.

Our Amazing Service Team will be with you every step of the way and ensure that the switch to VoIP is seamless.

Ready to make the switch to IP telephony? Speak to a Nextiva expert for an all-in communications solution.

More businesses are now switching to VoIP, replacing traditional phone lines and desk phones.

VoIP provides low-cost voice and video calls globally through the internet. As VoIP apps improve, they’re quickly changing how modern businesses communicate.

But with several apps flooding the market, it can be tricky to know which one is right for your business and how to choose it.

In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of VoIP apps, the best VoIP apps to consider, and the features to look for in a VoIP phone service—whether switching to VoIP or using an existing solution.

What Is a VoIP App?

VoIP apps, also known as softphones, are software applications that transmit voice and video data over the internet, instead of traditional phone networks.

A VoIP app runs on the Voice over Internet Protocol technology, transmitting voice packets over the Internet for clear calls. VoIP apps cater to enterprises and small businesses alike for low-cost communications.

Chances are you’ve already used one before. Popular personal VoIP apps include Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp.

It’s easy to install a VoIP app on a computer or smartphone and can be used from anywhere in the world with a stable internet connection.

Businesses use VoIP apps to get phone service at a lower cost, with dozens of premium features, like video conferencing, instant messaging, and even faxing, built into the platform.

Benefits of Using VoIP Apps 

VoIP apps offer a variety of benefits that attract many companies, from startups to large enterprises for business communication.

1) Ease of use

Traditional phone systems require complex installation and extensive technical expertise. In contrast, VoIP apps are straightforward to set up. Even non-technical users can quickly get up and running. They work on both mobile and desktop (installed as a desktop app or through web browsers).

Simply download the application, provide your SIP credentials, and you’re ready to make calls. No hardware installation, tangled wires, or lengthy configurations. Wi-Fi and high-speed cellular networks further allow you to seamlessly connect and make calls from virtually anywhere.

For power users seeking advanced features or compatibility with third-party applications, VoIP apps like Nextiva provide a user-friendly experience that eliminates the complexities associated with traditional phone systems.

2) Mobility and accessibility

VoIP apps can go anywhere with you. They’ve grown more popular with the rise of remote workers. 

From your laptop, tablet, or cell phone, you can instantly access your business line and use it whenever and wherever you need. Even simple features like ringing multiple devices at once let employees take business calls anywhere.

Rather than changing your workflow for a VoIP app, administrators can fine-tune them to fit your business needs. VoIP apps complement your virtual phone service. It’s a perfect tool to bring your remote teams closer.

3) Unified communications

VoIP apps easily integrate with other communication channels (SMS, video conferencing, and file sharing), creating a unified communication hub. This lets you scale VoIP to meet your business needs accommodating new users and additional features without costly hardware upgrades.

Centralized management capabilities allow business owners and IT managers to monitor all communication channels and settings through a single interface. This streamlines management, ensures consistent configurations, and simplifies troubleshooting. 

You initiate and manage calls from one interface. No more juggling between different communication channels means simplified workflows and lower costs for managing different systems.

7 Best VoIP Apps To Use in 2023 (Ranked)

At a glance

Nextiva

Nextiva provides a highly-rated VoIP app on Android and iOS. It truly functions as a call center in the palm of your hand. Nextiva subscribers can download the mobile app and immediately enjoy its feature-rich capabilities.

Offering much more than VoIP phone service, the NextivaONE App drives team collaboration with group chats, video calling, and one-click conference calls. Together, these features provide users with a versatile communications platform in their hands.

Users will also appreciate the ability to manage their availability and call routing directly within the application. For example, you can adjust call forwarding, call rejection, and manage voicemails in an instant.

The Nextiva App is available free on the App Store and Google Play.

Key features

• Unlimited calling and text messages to the US and Canada
• Video conferencing
• Call recording
• Call analytics
• Screen Pops
• Visual voicemail
• Integrations with CRM systems

Best for: Small businesses looking for a no-frills VoIP solution. Enterprises looking for advanced VoIP features, easy administration, and unified communications capabilities available in one app.

Mitel

Mitel offers customizable VoIP systems tailored for the unique needs of large enterprises. Mitel’s VoIP apps are bundled within the Mitel Connect Applications ecosystem. The platform offers various apps for video conferencing and basic VoIP calling.

Key features:

• Audio, video, and web conferencing
• Call routing, auto-attendants, and IVRs
• CRM and business app integrations

Pricing: Users need to reach out to Mitel’s sales team for a quote.

Best for: Large businesses that need enterprise-grade voice, video, contact center features, and reliability.

Zoom Phone

Zoom Phone is a business cloud phone system that integrates seamlessly with Zoom’s video conferencing solutions. 

Key features:

• Unlimited calling in some plans
• Integrates with Zoom Meetings for video conferencing
• Voicemail transcriptions and recording options
• Developer platform and API for custom apps

Pricing: The base plan costs $120/month per user.

Related: Zoom Phone Pricing: Is It Worth the Cost? 

Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses that want an integrated, cloud-based phone system that works with other Zoom services.

Aircall

Aircall provides a user-friendly, cloud-based business phone service designed for startups & small teams.

Key features:

• Auto attendants & interactive voice menus
• Advanced call routing rules
• Integrations with CRM systems like Salesforce
• Call recording, analytics, and reporting

Pricing: Starts at $30 per user per month for the Basic plan. Individual pricing plans are also available for larger companies.

Best for: Startups and small businesses that need an affordable and easy-to-use cloud telephony solution.

CloudTalk

CloudTalk is a cloud-based business phone system with built-in CRM tools. It provides an all-in-one communication and contact management platform.

Key features:

• CRM, email marketing, live chat
• Audio/video calls, screen sharing
• Call analytics, tracking

Pricing: The starter pack costs $25/user/month.

Best for: Small businesses wanting deep CRM integration.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper offers a simple virtual phone system for entrepreneurs and small businesses. 

Key features:

• Auto attendant, extensions, IVR menus
• Call forwarding, routing, waiting
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Mobile app integration

Pricing: Starts at $28/month per extension

Best for: Solopreneurs, microbusinesses, and freelancers needing an entry-level virtual phone system.

Zoiper

Zoiper is a softphone app that lets you make VoIP calls directly from your desktop or mobile device. It easily integrates with common VoIP providers.

Key features:

• Call management from any internet-connected device
• Video calling capabilities
• Voice encryption options
• Call recording

Pricing: Zopier charges a one-time fee of €49.95 for its Zoiper 5 app available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Best for: Mobile professionals, remote teams, and users already with a VoIP provider.

Free VoIP Apps To Try

Several free VoIP apps allow free video and voice calls over the internet. They offer businesses and consumers a cost-effective way to communicate without traditional telephone charges.

Skype

Skype by Microsoft is one of the most popular free VoIP platforms, best known for Skype-to-Skype video and audio calling.

Key features:

• Free Skype-to-Skype calls
• Video calling & screen sharing
• Instant messaging
• Call phones for a per-minute fee

Pricing: Free desktop and mobile client

Best for: Cost-conscious users already using Skype routinely for free calls.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger by Meta supports free VoIP calls to other WhatsApp users.

Key features:

• Encrypted messaging, voice, and video calls
• Location and document sharing
• Works on Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows

Pricing: Free

Best for: Basic business communications.

Viber

Viber is a popular free messenger and VoIP app for consumer and business communications. It’s available across mobile and desktop devices.

Key features:

• Free HD video and voice calls
• Chat, share photos, video messages
• Connects with contacts based on phone number

Pricing: Free

Best for: Video calling individuals and groups.

Google Voice

Google Voice offers HD video meetings for up to 100 participants. It integrates with other Google services like Calendar and Gmail. Google Voice is also a good starting option for those who need basic calling functionality.

Key features:

• HD meetings
• Screen sharing capabilities
• Virtual backgrounds, captions, attendance tracking
• Calendar integration, phone dial-in options

Pricing: Free

Best for: Small video conference meetings.

Features to Look for in a VoIP App

Call quality

When choosing a VoIP app, call quality is a top priority. 

Voice and video quality varies significantly depending on both the app itself and the speed or stability of your internet connection. 

Dropped calls, video delays, and poor audio quality negatively impact the user experience. Test call quality under different network conditions to determine whether an app’s performance meets your standards. Nextiva’s VoIP speed test is a good place to start testing your connection’s capacity.

It’s important to assess whether call quality issues are related to the application or just the network environment before moving on to another option.

Nextiva, for instance, has a highly reliable network with 8 points of presence and carrier-grade data centers. We strive for 99.999% uptime, so you’ll never miss a beat with your customers.

Cost

VoIP cost depends on your usage. While the basic versions of most VoIP apps are free, some have paid premium versions with additional features. 

Evaluate whether the free app’s features meet your needs or whether upgrading to paid versions is worth it for you. 

Compare pricing models across different apps to determine the most economical options. Also, look into ways to reduce any broadband data overage charges due to increased calls over internet data.

Cross-platform availability

Cross-platform availability makes a VoIP app infinitely more useful. 

VoIP apps such as Nextiva can be accessed via the iOS and Android mobile operating systems as well as directly via desktop browsers. This enables flexible calling from smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers using the same account. 

Consider compatibility requirements before choosing a VoIP provider.

Encryption & security

Encryption and adherence to security best practices impact VoIP app evaluations. End-to-end encryption prevents third parties from accessing call streams, ensuring maximum privacy. 

Before transmitting sensitive communications, check the providers’ encryption specifications and security standards. Verify that privacy practices meet expectations.

Advanced features & add-ons

Explore what extra features each VoIP app offers. 

Capacity for group video calls, chat tools, call recording permissions, virtual backgrounds, and integrations with other productivity suites vary widely. Weigh which VoIP features are essential versus unnecessary for your use cases.

Compare apps holistically to choose a provider tailored to your needs.

Nextiva — One App to Manage All Your Communications

The hassle-free setup that requires no technical knowledge to use makes Nextiva a top pick for cloud phone service. 

Nextiva puts users in control of their calling experience with intuitive controls to manage call transfer, call forwarding, voicemail, and more.

NextivaONE is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone, making it ideal in the modern workplace. The built-in team collaboration features are a useful, time-saving feature as well.

NextivaONE streamlines business communications for voice, video, and messaging from your mobile phone, laptop, or desktop computer.

Countless businesses trust Nextiva for new ways to work remotely. Its VoIP application just makes it even better.

Ready to give Nextiva a try? Speak with a Nextiva expert.

Voice communication connects people to your business. 

Customers and partners rely on it day in and day out. And you, in turn, rely on business communication tools to keep them connected. These systems cater to the needs of your teams, customers, and partners. When these needs evolve, you must adapt.

Businesses often compare Primary Rate Interface (PRI) and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) when thinking about agility and scalability. They both help you connect to the telephone network but in entirely different ways.

One is a legacy product from a local telephone company, while the other is much easier to scale. Dive deeper to know which technology best aligns with your needs.

What Is PRI?

PRI is a telecommunication standard that carries voice and data transmissions between a network and a user. It uses physical copper wires to digitally connect your business with the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

PSTN aggregates national, regional, and local telephone operators. Whenever someone calls you, the call enters a private branch exchange (PBX). An on-premises PBX is a private telephone network professionals use within an organization to communicate with external and internal callers.

When the call reaches the PBX, an integrated services delivery network line or an analog copper line transmits to the receiver. However, if the receiver is busy, the call will go to a voicemail. This helps businesses prevent callers from listening to a busy tone.

Large organizations and enterprises often use PRI lines to address the challenges of traditional phone service in business. It’s been the backbone of enterprise telephony for many years.

PRI features

Below are some notable features of the PRI telecommunication standard:

• Fixed number of voice channels: A PRI phone supports 23 bearer voice or data transmission channels, which means 23 communications can happen at the same time. These channels allow multiple calls simultaneously and transmit voice, data, and video on the same line. The data transmission occurs at 64 Kbps per channel. It uplifts speed, makes communication reliable, and increases the security of a business voice communication system.
• Dedicated lines for voice and data: A PRI trunk offers a consistent level of service, and voice and data connection lines don’t traverse over the Internet but rely on the PSTN for connectivity. 

PRI requirements

You need PRI-compatible equipment, such as a PRI gateway or a PBX with a PRI card, to interface with digital lines. It can work with analog or private automatic branch exchange systems.

Although PRI allows 23 simultaneous calls, you can increase the capability by adding additional PRI circuits when the number of calls increases.

What Is SIP?

SIP connects your Internet Protocol (IP) PBX to the internet. It lets you make and receive calls over the Internet.

SIP trunking is a scalable way to facilitate voice calls in businesses. Trunking consolidates multiple communication channels into a single virtual connection. It uses resources effectively while connecting to a telephone network.

💡Did you know? SIP is one specific protocol that enables Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

SIP trunking makes voice accessible over the IP network, just like email or web services. It helps businesses move past traditional physical limitations toward IP phone communication. Overall, it makes your phone system digital and offers the flexibility to add and replace lines.

Key features of SIP

Below are some notable features of SIP:

• Doesn’t need separate phone lines: When people dial direct inward dialing (DID) numbers, the call is routed to a specific user instead of going to an auto-attendant or a queue. The incoming call goes to your PBX through SIP and gets routed to the receiver. It lets you have multiple phone numbers without separate phone lines.
• Integrates with other IP-based services: You can integrate SIP trunking with customer relationship management software, emails, and other conferencing services to enable unified communications.
• Is built on dependable network reliability: VoIP providers, such as Nextiva, maintain several points of presence, or data centers, to achieve the highest level of uptime and call quality. SIP sits atop reliable IP networks for maximum performance.
• Offers more flexibility in virtual connections: Unlike PRI, SIP allows for more flexibility in how calls are terminated. This is due to the virtual nature of call routing, phone numbers, extensions, and a network-agnostic approach to reaching the PSTN.

SIP trunking requirements

While switching to SIP trunking, you’re making a physical infrastructure virtual. You’ll need an Internet connection and SIP-compatible PBX, also known as IP PBX.

For desk phones, you’ll need a VoIP phone to connect to your PBX. If you’re using existing traditional phones, get a VoIP adapter. You’ll also need Internet access between your VoIP phones and your PBX server. Older PBX systems might need additional hardware and configuration.

Pros and Cons of PRI

PRI has upsides and downsides. However, these depend on your needs. Dive into some advantages and limitations to get more clarity.

Pros and cons of SIP trunking

If you need a cost-effective voice communication solution that’s easy to scale, SIP trunking is a suitable choice. However, there are advantages and disadvantages.

PRI vs. SIP Head-to-Head Comparison

Thinking of Migrating From PRI to SIP?

Considering its benefits and features, the decision needle will likely sway toward SIP trunking. When you have made a decision, think about migration. Assess what you need so your team’s communications are seamless

Follow the steps below to make sure your PBX migration is successful.

1. Assess and plan

Assess your voice and data usage to determine the scope of SIP trunking services required. Check if your current network can support SIP. You should upgrade the Internet service and routers and make sure the quality of service matches your available bandwidth.

Then, investigate your PBX. See if it’s compatible with SIP calls or if you need a communication gateway.

2. Choose a SIP service provider

Go for a SIP provider that offers the right balance of cost, reliability, and support. See if it can scale with your business and offer features such as DID, call routing, and other functionalities per your needs.

Case Study: Elkhart Clinic chose Nextiva for SIP trunks to ensure their phones are reliable and they can easily communicate with patients, pharmacies, and providers.

3. Implement

Train your IT staff to manage the migration and troubleshoot any issues that might surface during the process. Then, port existing numbers to the SIP service of the new provider.

When the Adams Publishing Group migrated to Nextiva, they transitioned over 300 phone numbers. Nextiva provided temporary numbers to forward incoming phone calls to Nextiva devices while they were ported successfully.

4. Decide on post-migration support

Make a clear support agreement with your provider for future issues or any changes required after migration. You would need ongoing assistance to make the migration a success.

Choose a SIP provider that provides timely and consistent support. Check if they can train your employees and managers in the new processes and systems.

Nextiva Makes It Easy To Adopt Cloud Communications

With all this talk about PRI and SIP, there might be a better alternative.

Have you considered a cloud-based phone system?

Unlike PRI or SIP, a complete business phone system has everything your team needs to stay in touch and help customers. And it’ll actually lower your infrastructure costs and increase your productivity.

The flexibility and scalability of the cloud encourage its adoption in businesses aspiring to level up with the evolving market. Although you might adore your phone system’s traditional ring, it’s time to part ways and adapt to the needs of your customers and partners.

SIP trunking offers the right construct to amp up your phone system. It’s flexible, cost-effective, and, most importantly, adaptable.

If you’re looking beyond SIP or PRI connection and need an all-in-one business phone service.

Check out how Nextiva can improve your team’s productivity. You could lower your calling costs by up to 60% — that’s a win for everyone.