Best UK VoIP providers for small businesses in 2024

As small business expert, we are constantly shouting ourselves hoarse about VoIP phones. VoIP phones are cheaper, more scalable, and offer crystal-clear audio quality compared to phone lines – I saw this first-hand during our research. Yet 62.1% of UK firms still use landlines.

Good communication is the backbone of any successful business, so a VoIP phone is a worthy investment. In January 2027, it will also be your only option if the (much-delayed) Big Switch Off goes ahead. But which system offers the most value-for-money for your company?

Our top VoIP provider for small businesses is 8×8 as it offers a wide range of calling options plus a generous package for businesses with global operations.

But we considered a grand total of 11 VoIP systems in our research, and we thoroughly tested them all to ensure SMEs find the best VoIP for their industry, size, and pace of growth.

The top 7 best VoIP providers – comparison table

In the table below, we’ve listed our top choices for the best VoIP providers that UK businesses can choose to build their ideal telephone system:

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BEST ALL ROUND
Provider 8×8	Provider Vonage	Provider bOnline	Provider Dialpad	Provider GoTo	Provider RingCentral	Provider Nuacom
Best for 🥇 Overall SME VoIP provider	Best for 🥇 Training staff	Best for 🥇 Keeping costs low	Best for 🥇 Important meetings	Best for 🥇Remote sales teams	Best for 🥇 Streamlining customer service	Best for 🥇Ecommerce businesses
Pricing from Not published online	Pricing from £10 per user, per month	Pricing from £7 per user per month (pay as you go)	Pricing from £12 per user per month (billed annually)	Pricing from £11 per user, per month	Pricing from £12.99 per user per month (paid annually)	Pricing from £9.99 per user, per month
Free trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial	Free trial

You can compare leading UK VoIP providers using our free custom built comparison tool Compare Costs

1. 8×8: best overall VoIP provider

8×8 keeps things simple, and sometimes that’s all SMEs need. It takes a generalist approach to communication tools, spanning team chat, video calling, and telephone services. In business, your communication strategy can often change, but you should be covered by 8×8’s versatile toolkit.

💡 Which type of small business is 8×8 most suitable for?

Firms will get the most out of 8×8 if they conduct their operations internationally. For example, global consultancies and ecommerce firms. Or, if you employ agents from abroad.

8×8 offers unlimited international calling to 48 countries, and unlimited minutes in 14 countries. These features can help global companies to save money.

Features

• 📲 High call volume 8×8 offers scalable solutions that are suitable for handling high call volumes with features like advanced call routing.
• 💻 Huge array of integrations including Salesforce, Microsoft Outlook and Google Workspace

Businesses using 8×8 VoIP services can take advantage of features like auto-attendant (to keep customer wait times down) voicemail to email, and unlimited video conferencing – all available on the X2 plan.

The X2 plan is ideal for scaling firms. It permits unlimited domestic calls and call conferencing with up to 500 employees. Plus, call recording is also available for training staff on the system. Those who are looking for a unified communications platform are well serviced by every X2 package, with a mobile app available and free integrations with CRM software available.

Businesses that opt for the X2 and X4 packages could also benefit from contact centre integration, which is great for small, customer-centric businesses with the potential to scale.

💰 Pricing

Since March 2023, 8×8 no longer shares its pricing tiers publicly. Historical pricing data tells us that users should expect to pay around £19 per user, per month for the platform’s lowest-tiered plan.

8×8 has five plans available for business users, encompassing the X2, X4, X6, X7, and X8 plans. SMEs are best off sticking to the low end of the scale with the X2 plan. However, if you do wish to upgrade:

• X4 is best for teams with international clients
• X6 boasts more sophisticated management features
• X7 is best for marketers wanting to outreach across multiple channels
• X8 is the most useful plan to access its power and auto dialler features.

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Provider 8×8 X2	Provider 8×8 X4	Provider 8×8 X6	Provider 8×8 X7	Provider 8×8 X8
Pricing from Not shared publicly	Pricing from Not shared publicly	Pricing from Not shared publicly	Pricing from Not shared publicly	Pricing from Not shared publicly
Inbound communication features: Call recording Customisable call routing Analytics/reporting features	Inbound communication features: Call monitoring Call transcripts (additional cost)	Inbound communication features: Customisable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Ability to set up multiple teams and departments Task management	Inbound communication features: Multi-channel support for social media, chat, email, and SMS	Inbound communication features: Quality management Speech and text analytics
Outbound communication features: Set custom ID Customise call lists	Outbound communication features: SMS chat (US and Canada only)	Outbound communication features: Power, predictive, and auto dialler (all available for additional £)	Outbound communication features: Everything in X6	Outbound communication features: Power dialer Predictive dialing Auto dialer

2. Vonage: best for training your staff

While Vonage may not be the cheapest provider on this list (this honour goes to rival, bOnline), it’s still solid value for money. Its customer support offering is unmatched, while a sophisticated messaging app and quick setup is ideal for companies based offline that want a phone system that isn’t difficult to use.

💡 Which type of small business is Vonage most suitable for?

Vonage has excellent features for training staff, which makes it a great choice for call centres and customer service teams.

For instance, its call whisper feature lets a manager listen in on a call and speak privately to the call handler to coach them or provide feedback on how they’re handling a customer. There’s also a call barge feature for taking a direct approach when a call isn’t going well.

Features

• 📲 High call volume: Vonage provides business phone systems that are designed to manage high call volumes efficiently, offering features like call queuing and virtual receptionists.
• 💻 Integrations: Vonage integrates with various business software solutions, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Zoho CRM, as well as email platforms like Microsoft Outlook and Gmail. Its CRM integrates with platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk, enabling businesses to streamline customer interactions.

Setting up is quick, and its mobile app platform makes it simple to message your team.

UK users can also speak to helpful Vonage advisors via a user forum, online knowledge base, email, phone, and live chat. This is why we recommend it to startups or firms without major VoIP requirements that are after clear call quality and a simple setup.

However, many sophisticated features are missing from the Vonage feature list. The Basic plan won’t allow users to set up a customisable greeting for inbound calls. Meanwhile, nearly all of the advanced tools (integrations, hold music, voicemail to text) are only available for an added fee, which is a reflection of Vonage’s affordable pricing plans.

These talents contribute to Vonage’s overall customer satisfaction ratings, according to our research, which beats our top contender 8×8.

💰 Pricing

Pricing for Vonage’s lowest-priced tier, Vonage Express, starts from £10 per user, per month. However, this does cap the number of calls you can make from your desktop. We recommend small businesses invest in Vonage Core instead, for £18 per user, per month.

For those looking to upgrade, Vonage has three pricing tiers available for UK businesses. These are Vonage Core, Vonage Pro, and Vonage Max. Here’s a quick run through of how they differ:

• Vonage Core (£18 per user, per month) has unlimited domestic calling available, best for teams with more than one sales rep
• Vonage Pro (£20 per user, per month) is best for managers, with call recording and call monitoring available
• Vonage Max (£25 per user, per month) is best for marketers, with CRM integrations available

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Provider Vonage Core	Provider Vonage Pro	Provider Vonage Max
Pricing from £18 per user, per month	Pricing from £20 per user, per month	Pricing from £25 per user, per month
Inbound communication features: Customisable call routing Ring groups (for multiple teams)	Inbound communication features: Call monitoring Call recording Virtual receptionist	Inbound communication features: Integrations with CRM software Company wide call recording
Outbound communication features: Unlimited domestic calling	Outbound communication features: Unlimited call queue Call group	Outbound communication features: Same as Vonage Pro

3. bOnline: best budget service for keeping costs low

bOnline is the ultimate option for service desks. It allows an unlimited number of inbound calls for just £6.50 per user, per month. It is the cheapest provider on this list, and we recommend it to companies that get numerous customer enquiries, such as small IT helpdesks.

💡 Which type of small business is bOnline most suitable for?

bOnline is built specifically for smaller helpdesks. It doesn’t have the operational capacity and technical ability of 8×8 or RingCentral. However, its wallet-friendly Starter plan makes it an excellent choice for SMEs that want to keep their VoIP phone costs low.

Features

• 📲 High call volume: bOnline offers phone services tailored for small businesses, but the scalability for handling high call volumes may vary based on specific needs and package options.
• 💻 Integrations: bOnline integrates with Microsoft Office 365, G Suite, and Slack for software solutions, along with email platforms such as Microsoft Outlook and Gmail. Its CRM integrations with Zoho CRM and HubSpot CRM facilitate improved sales and marketing processes.

bOnline’s lowest-priced tier (bOnline Starter) is decidedly generous, offering 50+ features – including unlimited calling, a reporting dashboard, a digital phone line, and a mobile app. You’ll also be able to try out the service free for 30 days.

The reporting dashboard is a unique bOnline feature that some providers don’t offer – or only offer on a premium plan (which isn’t cost effective for small businesses). It also uses infographics and processes real-time data, so you can interpret insights and make business decisions based on call volumes and durations.

You can also use preset call flows to customise call flows to your business, directing customers through the appropriate contact channels. This feature is especially handy if you don’t have an existing PBX system, auto-attendant, or receptionist.

You can set up the bOnline VoIP hosted system in just two minutes, with no engineers, installations, or IT buffs required. Plus, bOnline is one of the first providers to start selling broadband in additional to its virtual phone system. This means you have the option to bundle your digital phone line, calls, and broadband.

💰 Pricing

bOnline pricing starts from £7 per user, per month. With this, you’ll get unlimited inbound calls – but you’ll only be able to make 100 minutes of calls per month. International calling also costs an extra £6 +VAT per month for 500 minutes to 100 destinations.

Unlike 8×8, bOnline is not the most scalable option on the market. SMEs can choose from just two plans:

• bOnline Starter (£7.00 per user, per month)
• bOnline Unlimited Calling (£13.95 per user, per month)
• bOnline Unlimited Calling + IP desk phone (£15.50 per user, per month)

Put simply, the main reason to upgrade to bOnline Unlimited Calling is to access more outbound minutes. Whereas bOnline Starter gives you just 100 minutes of outbound calls, bOnline Unlimited is, as the name suggests, uncapped.

This makes it an easy decision on whether you need to upgrade. If you need to contact customers for more than one hour and 40 minutes per month: upgrade. If not, stick to bOnline Starter. Luckily, both plans are still cost effective.

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Provider bOnline Starter	Provider bOnline Unlimited Calling	Provider bOnline Unlimited Calling + IP Phone
Pricing from £7 per user, per month	Pricing from £13.95 per user, per month	Pricing from £15.50 per user, per month
Inbound communication features: Call routing for out of hours calls Call forwarding Music on hold	Inbound communication features: Call recording Call monitoring Call queues	Inbound communication features: Same as bOnline Unlimited
Outbound communication features: 100 UK minutes per user High definition (HD) voice Extension dialling	Outbound communication features: Unlimited UK minutes per user 1-1 onboarding	Outbound communication features: Includes VoIP Desk Phone

4. Dialpad: best for built-in AI features

Dialpad’s AI-assistant can generate instant transcriptions of your phone calls, making Dialpad an excellent choice service for companies that host client meetings where getting the details right is essential, such as legal and financial service firms.

Dialpad’s extensive onboarding and recording tools make it ideal for new starter orientation. Helpful features like call recording can help new starters understand the sales script and identify ways for improvement – offering HR and business benefits.

💡 Which type of small business is Dialpad most suitable for?

Dialpad is well-suited to SMEs that prioritise coaching and training. It offers a unique feature called live call coaching that allows managers to listen in on calls and intervene in real-time to offer guidance and suggestions to their agents. This can be extremely valuable for improving communication skills, identifying areas for improvement, and boosting team performance.

Features

• 📲 High call volume: Dialpad’s cloud-based communication platform is equipped to handle high call volumes effectively, with features such as AI-powered call routing and analytics.
• 💻 Integrations: Dialpad integrates with G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, and Slack for software solutions, as well as email platforms like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook. Its CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk empower businesses to centralise customer data.

When we talk about software innovation, Dialpad’s entire cloud-based platform is powered by AI. The voice intelligence software that comes with Dialpad captures action items, provides coaching, takes notes, and even analyses sentiments in real time.

This voice intelligence is great for call centre managers or sales managers, who, using the VI Call Summary feature, can quickly find specific “coachable moments” to focus their attention on when providing performance feedback.

Dialpad comes with all the standard call management features, plus integrations with Slack, G Suite, and Office 365. It also comes with a 14-day free trial, which is useful if you want to sample what’s on offer.

What lets Dialpad down is its reporting, which lags way behind competitors – but this provider is currently adding more features and working on improvements. Unlike 8×8, RingCentral, and bOnline, you can’t analyse the quality of calls with Dialpad, nor can you schedule reports for future release. Instead, you have the option to print or export old reports in a CSV format – which is a fiddly delimited text file exported into excel.

💰 Pricing

With prices starting from just £12 per user, per month, Dialpad gives users unlimited calling and video calling – a premium offering that outpaces rivals like Vonage. However, it has limited software integrations with popular business systems like Salesforce or Asana. Vonage offer more extensive integrations with a wider range of third-party applications.

Dialpad offers two plans to small business users:

• Dialpad Standard which costs £12 per user, per month (billed annually)
• Dialpad Pro which costs £28 per user, per month (billed annually)

There is also an Enterprise option (which we wouldn’t recommend to SMEs) that provides priority agent support to global corporations.

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Provider Dialpad Standard	Provider Dialpad Pro
Pricing from £18 per user, per month	Pricing from £28 per user, per month
Inbound communication features: Custom call routing Call forwarding to other devices AI-powered call and voicemail transcriptions Automatic spam call detection	Inbound communication features: Call queues 24/7 agent support Supports up to 10 office locations
Outbound communication features: Set personal working hours Set caller ID SMS chat	Outbound communication features: CRM integrations (Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Zoho & more) Multiple phone numbers per account

5. GoTo: best for unifying communications to foster better teamwork

Goto provides video calling, team messaging, and VoIP all in one platform. This makes it an effective platform to unify your business’s messaging for simple, effective collaboration.

GoTo’s huge library of features has all the tricks needed to help remote-based sales reps connect with colleagues and customers. Crucially, GoTo Professional can route calls to multiple phones, so you or someone on your team is always reachable. This way, you can handle large volumes of customer enquiries without having to port your phone number.

💡 Which type of small business is GoTo most suitable for?

For those firms spread across the country and needing to constantly communicate (like construction companies), GoTo is a flexible VoIP provider that can be used across all devices. It is the only option on our list to offer unlimited call conferencing and video call features for only £11 per user.

Features

• 💻 Integrations: GoTo seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Calendar for software solutions, along with email platforms such as Microsoft Outlook and Gmail. Its CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk enable businesses to streamline customer interactions.

GoTo is a cloud-based VoIP system that can be accessed by any device, so you can make calls from both your desktop and smartphone. It also bundles SMS and video calling as part of its package deal.

Supporting over 180 different models of desktop phones and conference room systems, GoTo is the ideal VoIP solution for internal communication. The lowest-priced plan, GoTo Professional, offers advanced call conferencing for up to 150 attendees to keep remote workers connected. It also includes unlimited meeting hours, screen sharing, and breakout rooms.

Enterprise-grade security is a big perk of GoTo. Users can create virtual meetings knowing that nobody will be turning up uninvited to hijack your conferences or leak your video link. You can also join meetings securely from any device thanks to GoTo’s flexible mobile application.

💰 Pricing

GoTo’s Basic pricing starts from £11 per user, per month. For this fee, you’ll get a wealth of call features (predominantly video), certainly enough to satisfy SME customers.

As with Dialpad, GoTo users can choose between two payment plans: GoTo Professional (£11 per user, per month) and GoTo Business (£15 per user, per month). With both plans, you’ll be able to make an unlimited number of domestic calls, plus the option to add a toll-free business number for your customers’ convenience.

The main difference between the two plans is in their average user size. GoTo Business boasts some advanced features that will make life much easier for large teams, like the ability to create an unlimited number of ring groups. This benefit won’t mean as much to microbusinesses receiving fewer inbound calls.

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Provider GoTo Professional	Provider GoTo Business
Pricing from £11 per user, per month	Pricing from £15 per user, per month
Inbound communication features: Smart call routing Unlimited extensions Existing number porting Call queues	Inbound communication features: Call recording Real-time analytics (including Caller Hold Time Report) Hotdesking (allow users to share access to their accounts)
Outbound communication features: Customisable dial plans Ring groups	Outbound communication features: Same as GoTo Professional

6. RingCentral: best for making customer service simple

RingCentral is a great VoIP system for companies that use business mobile phones for the majority of their operations. This is thanks to its simple mobile app that lets you take business calls anywhere, from the same phone number you’d use at your desk. The app has all the features you’d need for customer service teams or sales reps to manage calls, voicemails, faxes, and texts from clients or customers.

It also has seamless integrations with CRM software and Helpdesk platforms, putting all of your customer information at your fingertips while you’re on the call, and helping you to ticket calls in your CRM platform.

💡 Which type of small business is RingCentral most suitable for?

We recommend RingCentral to companies that do most of their business via mobile phone. The platform works brilliantly as a mobile app, and it’s available on iOS and Android. RingCentral users can make and receive calls, faxes, and texts; all with a gentle learning curve that won’t require lots of desk training.

Read our RingCentral review for more.

Features

• 📲 High call volume: RingCentral is known for its scalability and can accommodate high call volumes with features like auto-attendant and call queuing, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes.
• 💻 Integrations: RingCentral integrates with Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365, and Google Workspace for software solutions, as well as email platforms like Microsoft Outlook and Gmail, as well as CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk.

Features on the standard RingCentral Essentials plan include call management (auto-attendant), high-definition voice, and quality of service reports that are great for measuring employee performance. 24/7 customer support is included with all four plans, and the premium plan even comes with a dedicated account manager.

RingCentral Essentials comes with all your basic, core inbound communication features, like the ability to create a customisable greeting, take voicemails, and add a virtual receptionist. It even has spam prevention, flagging any suspect callers you feel might be bad actors.

However, despite RingCentral boasting 24/7 support on all of its plans, customer satisfaction levels are relatively low on review sites like Trustpilot, as technical support isn’t the best and resolution times are often slow.

But that’s only if you can’t grasp the app and we’d be surprised if learning curve was even an issue. RingCentral’s easy-to-use interface and simple functionality means you won’t need much support anyway.

💰 Pricing

RingCentral has three plans available: Standard, Premium, and Ultimate. It does have a smaller plan called RingCentral Essentials which costs £12.99 per user, but this has a maximum of 20 users. We also don’t believe it is relevant to SMEs due to its limited functionality. Your total bill will be based on your team’s size. However, prices start from:

• RingCentral Standard (£23.99 per user, per month): best for teams of 10+ needing an internal collaboration tool
• RingCentral Premium (£28.99 per user, per month): best for sales teams, with 2,000 inclusive minutes permitted
• RingCentral Ultimate (£33.99 per user, per month): best for security, offering both device status reports and alerts

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Provider RingCentral Standard	Provider RingCentral Premium	Provider RingCentral Ultimate
Pricing from £23.99 per user, per month	Pricing from £28.99 per user, per month	Pricing from £33.99 per user, per month
Inbound communication features: Voicemail-to-email Call recording Call monitoring	Inbound communication features: Advanced call handling including call whispering Voicemail-to-text Multi-site admin and management	Inbound communication features: Device alerts Unlimited storage Device status reports
Outbound communication features: 750 minutes of domestic outbound comms Call conferencing	Outbound communication features: 2,000 outbound minutes Automatic call recording CRM integrations with Salesforce and Zendesk	Outbound communication features: 4,000 outbound minutes

7. Nuacom: best for managing in-bound customer calls

Nuacom is a solid choice for businesses dealing with large volumes of customer enquiries and support tickets. But I wouldn’t recommend it for those requiring extensive outbound calling capabilities, such as telesales firms. Taking calls, not making them, is Nuacom’s strong point.

💡 Which type of small business is 8×8 most suitable for?

Nuacom is the ideal choice for busy businesses that need a platform which can handle a large volume of calls. This includes businesses recruitment agencies or ecommerce firms in need of a VoIP system that offers numerous customer insights, and where effective communication with candidates and clients is crucial.

Features

• 📲 High call volume: Nuacom Unlimited offers flexible VoIP solutions, but the ability to handle high call volumes may depend on the specific plan and configuration chosen by the business.
• 💻 Integrations: Integrates with Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Trello for communication and collaboration. It supports Microsoft Outlook and Gmail for email management, and offers integrations with platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk for CRM – as well as its own recruitment integration, BULLHORN, which was released in October 2023.

Nuacom Unlimited excels at inbound communication. Its feature list enables customisable greetings, voicemails, and customisable hold music.

The brand’s virtual receptionist can direct callers based on their inputted responses. For small business owners who are often stretched and low on resources, this is a must-have tool. Virtual assistants dramatically reduce time-consuming admin tasks without comprising customer interaction – important for brand engagement.

Nuacom’s call recording feature also lets businesses capture and review customer interactions, providing valuable insights for training, quality control, and dispute resolution. Call analytics provide detailed data on call volume, agent performance, and customer trends, enabling businesses to optimise their operations.

Still, team management tools, such as collaborative features and instant messaging, don’t fall under Nuacom’s remit. It’s also not great at returning calls. Unlike 8×8, Nuacom does not have an external video call function, and does not permit power or predictive dialling on any plan. It’s better for responding to customers, rather than outreach.

💰 Pricing

Nuacom has three pricing plans available:

• Nuacom Essentials (£9.99 per user, per month) for four users minimum
• Nuacom Unlimited (£24.99 per user, per month) for two users minimum
• Nuacom Enterprise (£34.99 per user, per month) for two users minimum

We recommend Nuacom Unlimited to SMEs. It includes all the essentials SMEs need to manage their calls (unlimited domestic calling, call recording, and CRM integration) and even has AI capability to help automate fiddly call admin tasks.

The Enterprise plan, as its name would suggest, is an advanced VoIP solution that is designed for larger firms with complex needs. It offers a wider range of features, but none of these are fundamental enough to tempt a small business owner.

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Provider Nuacom Essentials	Provider Nuacom Unlimited	Provider Nuacom Enterprise
Pricing from £9.99 per user, per month	Pricing from £24.99 per user, per month	Pricing from £34.99 per user, per month
Inbound communication features: Virtual queue Group extensions Call reports	Inbound communication features: Virtual receptionist Call queue and ring groups Toll-free numbers	Inbound communication features: Queue position announcement 420 hours storage for advanced call recording Live call coaching for newbie sales reps
Outbound communication features: Unlimited calls to UK landline Smart call transfer Free mobile app	Outbound communication features: Call tags and notes Smart call transfer Time-based call routing	Outbound communication features: Auto dialer CRM integrations with Zoho and Pipedrive

How much do VoIP providers cost in 2024?

Generally, you can expect to pay between £10 to £30 per user, per month for a VoIP phone, depending on the features and support level you require. However, it’s essential to consider extra fees for setup, equipment, and placing international calls.

Contracts with VoIP providers can be billed either monthly or yearly. Opting for a longer contract term can lead to discounted rates or additional perks.

Switching or porting your existing phone numbers to a VoIP system may also incur additional costs. Be sure to factor in these expenses when budgeting for your transition to a VoIP phone.

If you’d like a more specific idea of how much a VoIP phone system could cost your business, you can check out our dedicated VoIP costs page.

Buying guide: how to choose the best VoIP system

Landlines are dying out; literally. Traditional phone lines will be eradicated by the Big Switch Off in January 2027. Here are five factors to consider when it comes to switching to VoIP ahead of the Big Switch Off deadline.

🤔 1. Consider the most important features you’ll need

The most crucial aspect of any software decision is features. This is where most providers distinguish themselves with specific niches, so you need to ensure that the brand you sign with isn’t missing any must-have perks. Marketing firms wouldn’t need the ability to create a call queue as much as a service desk would, for example.

Here are some of the VoIP system features you should consider:

• Mobile apps: these allow you to take VoIP calls on a mobile phone, whether that’s by installing an app on your staff’s personal phones, or on business specific device
• CRM integrations: if you’re running a helpdesk, sales business, or customer service team, then integrating your CRM software with your VoIP solution can be invaluable
• Multiple communication channels: many VoIP providers offer solutions for calls, instant messaging, and video conferencing in the same package
• Training tools: getting your staff up to speed is essential. The best VoIP systems offer excellent training and support features for managers
• Call screening: smart call screening tools can ensure that your teams only deal with important queries, and that other calls are deflected or blocked
• Support: what support channels are available and when are they open? Are phone lines 24/7? Is there a live chat for a quicker response?

💰 2. Evaluate your budget

Your budget will affect which providers you can choose from. However, this does not necessarily mean that cheaper is best for your business (larger firms may need to spend more to access bigger feature allowances).

Think about hidden fees. bOnline is cheaper at first glance, but it does charge an additional £5 fee for international calling and CRM integration – two benefits that 8×8 offers as part of its X2 plan.

📏 3. Think about contract length

Today’s economy is prone to certain downturns or upswings that can play havoc with the cash flow of SMEs. Be sure to consider the contract period of the provider you’re looking at to ensure you can afford to make the payments.

For example, are you happy to be tied into a contract for 24 months? Or do you want a lot more flexibility? bOnline sells its services on a pay-as-you-go basis, while other providers like GoTo require a minimum 12-month commitment.

🌎 4. Remember your customers

Think about where your customers are based. If you need to sell to clients in Europe but choose a provider that doesn’t permit any international calls to be made on any of its pricing tiers (like Vonage), you’ll end up forking out additional funds to rectify the problem through another provider.

Consider how your customers are contacting you. It might be a good idea to offer a toll-free number (free for the caller) to improve the customer experience if you are operating in the service industry, for example.

📱 5. Audit your communication channels

Most companies now contact their clients via several mediums, not just over the phone. Cloud-based VoIP software can be integrated with CRM or sales software, helping to keep all of your call data and operations in one place.

Mobile app is another consideration. Most employees now use their phones on the go, such as when working from home. Look for a provider with a mobile app that employees can use on their own devices.

Why can you trust our recommendations?

At Startups, all of our research is completed by an independent analyst alongside our team of expert writers. Over several months, I worked with analyst, James Macey to carry out a thorough examination of the top VoIP software market leaders.

We selected seven key areas of investigation to score each software provider against:

1. Value for money – initial setup costs, equipment costs, and ongoing service fees
2. Depth of features and allowances – software specialisms, capabilities and limits
3. Customer support – help and support options available
4. External connections – number and range of integrations
5. Security options – compliance and certifications, as well as security integrations
6. Scalability – longevity of platform (user limitations, feature limitations, etc.)
7. Customer score – aggregate of consumer review scores across G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Trust Radius

Via extensive user testing, online investigation, and interviews with business owners, we ranked each brand for how it performed in the above categories. We used this to establish our ‘magnificent seven’ ranking of the top VoIP phone providers above.