With more and more companies looking to gain flexibility, scalability and achieve growth, cloud-based PBX providers are becoming increasingly popular as the top choice in communication systems.
The PBX virtual phone system is secure, convenient and reliable, making it a great choice for businesses. Because no physical hardware is required, it is economical, easy to scale, has plentiful features, a wide range of integration possibilities, and takes very little time to set up.
If you have decided that a cloud PBX is what your business needs, this summary lists the top 10 hosted PBX providers to help you find the right choice for you.
phone.systems™ is a scalable, feature-packed and fully integratable cloud telephony solution for businesses of all sizes. This platform is designed to seamlessly interconnect with any service provider without the need for hardware or software to be purchased or maintained. The phone.systems™ unique and easy to use drag-and-drop user interface not only allows you to visually see your PBX configuration, but instantly activates the services upon assembly, giving you immediate access to your phone system. This cloud PBX is a feature-rich virtual phone system that offers a wide array of attributes, including voice menus, time and caller routing, voicemail to email, call recording, internal extensions, real time provisioning, a dedicated softphone and more. In addition, phone.systems™ allows users to connect their existing IP Phones or softphones, choose their own inbound and outbound internet telephony service providers, or interconnect with any VoIP-enabled hardware or software. Best of all, you can start using phone.systems™ completely free of charge.
Nextiva is probably one of the most popular cloud-based PBX solutions on the market. The company consistently achieves high scores in reviews for all aspects of their service and receives accolades from numerous organizations for their innovative solutions. Whether in the office or on the road, teams using Nextiva can enjoy smooth mobile connectivity, clear communications and scalable services. Some of the features offered by Nextiva are voicemail-to-email transcription, call recording, auto attendant, conference calls, HD quality calls, custom dashboards and advanced call logs. In addition, Nextiva’s virtual phone system allows users to access their business line via a personal mobile phone. This is extremely convenient, as the need for additional devices is reduced.
The 8×8 business phone system fuses video conferencing and messaging, as well as audio phone calls. Theis PBX gives businesses of all sizes access to enterprise-wide private chat, presence detection, softphones, web conferencing, video and more. The company has a variety of feature-packed offers, hence even with the most basic plan, users still get an extensive set of services, as you would expect from a full-fledged business PBX system. 8X8 offers unlimited calls in up to 47 countries, toll-free or local numbers in over 120 countries, as well as IP fax services and comprehensive SMS capabilities. The vendor offers an Express plan for business with up to 10 employees, while the X-Series plans offer additional features such as voicemail transcription and integration with CRM software. Higher-level plans, starting with the X4 package, also add call center features.
GoToConnect is a scalable, cost-efficient, comprehensive business phone and meeting system. For a single all-inclusive price, GoToConnect offers more than 100 features to help businesses communicate more efficiently in data centers, call centers and offices. Features include custom call routing, team call distribution, time and geo-location routing to ensure fast call reception, on-screen sharing and personal meeting rooms. GoToConnect also offers industry-specific solutions for education, healthcare, automotive, legal and asset management operations. The hosted PBX phone system can be accessed anywhere you have an Internet connection, providing the ability for mobile or remote workers to use their smartphones to answer calls, check messages and stay connected via a mobile app.
RingCentral Office provides a cloud communications and collaboration platform for businesses of all sizes. The company has strong and reliable services with all the standard features you would expect from a PBX, and also advanced features such as super-fast scaling and in-depth system analysis found both on the desktop website and mobile app. Some of the general features are call logging, monitoring, recording, faxing via Internet and HD voice and audio conferencing over mobile devices. RingCentral offers a handful of pricing tiers, and all plans cover unlimited phone calls, unlimited business SMS and mobile applications. Higher priced plans also include hot desking, one-time logins and CRM integration.
CloudTalk is a cloud phone system with an integrated call center platform. This product is designed to work with modern business tools, including helpdesks and e-commerce stores that assist in simplifying customer and employee communications. With CloudTalk, users can easily connect branches, divisions and team members. CloudTalk is managed from a web browser, ensuring that setup takes only a few moments, so users can start using the services almost immediately. Some of CloudTalk’s features include automatic call distribution, call queuing, call recording, interactive voice response and callback. The most popular monthly plan starts at $20 and can be upgraded anytime to suit all business needs.
Ooma Office is a cloud-based PBX that delivers the experience of large business phone systems to small businesses at a competitive price. Ooma Office provides all the basic features you should expect, as well as some more advanced features, such as a virtual receptionist that allows calls to be routed automatically to the appropriate department. Users also get the option to use hold and transfer music, as well as mobile apps for iOS and Android that include call forwarding capabilities, allowing calls to be routed from desktop phones to mobile devices. With plug-and-play technology and a user-friendly web portal, Ooma Office’s phone service is easy to use and set up. Pricing for the basic Ooma service starts out at $19.95 per user per month, with no contract required.
Ringover allows users to build a complete business phone system in minutes using one simple, easy-to-use platform without requiring any technical knowledge. Ringover is a hosted PBX platform that offers phone numbers in over 60 countries, with no restrictions on outgoing or incoming calls, and includes desktop and mobile availability, a dynamic switchboard, detailed reporting, easy integration with CRMs and more. In addition, the dashboard you receive when you sign up is all-inclusive, meaning users can immediately start adding new numbers and team members. The most popular plan starts at around $60 per month and includes unlimited calling to more than 100 countries around the world.
Aircall is a cloud-hosted PBX that can be set up with just a handful of clicks and provides a comprehensive communication system for calls, videos and messages from a web browser, desktop or mobile. Once configured, users can begin adding numbers in more than 100 countries and including teammates. Each number can be tailored according to country requirements. Some of the features provided are IVR, call conferencing, forward-to-phone, and customized schedules. Aircall also has a number of CRM, helpdesk, and productivity features to help improve call handling for sales and support teams. This PBX also provides users with an analytics suite to help evaluate performance and monitor KPIs. Aircall offers three levels of subscription: Essentials, Professional and Custom. Each plan is charged annually and includes a combination of different features. The Essentials tier costs $32 per user per month.
Grasshopper provides a unique product in the Virtual PBX service industry and is the go-to choice for small businesses that have mobile workers and do not want or need desktop phones. By using Android and iOS apps, users can receive calls on their mobile phones from their business number anywhere. With the mobile app, users can accept calls, listen to voicemails, send and receive an unlimited number of texts, view faxes and even sign PDFs and fax attachments. The 3 main Grasshopper plans – Solo, Partner and Small Business – all have the same features but differ in the number of virtual phone numbers and extensions included. They cost $26, $44, and $80 per month when paid annually.
Conclusion
A good business phone system should deliver a customer-friendly impression and be easy and intuitive to use. Whether you are a small business or a large enterprise, having a hosted PBX system can support your customers and provide a great experience, whether you have three employees or 200.
If you are planning to switch to a cloud PBX system, thinking of starting to use one for the first time, or just switching providers, we hope this Top 10 list has helped you determine the best choices in the market and make a decision.
