Olivia Maier
We wanted to give you an overview of the best cloud phone systems of 2022. We will be comparing a variety of providers for your business to consider. But before we do that, we wanted to give you an overview of what a cloud phone system even is, and what factors go into differentiating different cloud phone systems. Finally, we wanted to demonstrate some of the most relevant use cases for using a cloud phone system (hint: if you’re STILL working from home, this one’s for you)
In no particular order we will be looking at the following 3 virtual cloud phone systems, which are consistently seen as some of the top performing options for businesses.
A cloud phone is a form of VoIP communication. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that lets users make calls over an internet connection. You may have heard it called IP telephony, internet telephony, or other alternative names. At the end of the day, terms used to describe internet based phone calls are referring to VoIP systems.
Within VoIP systems, you can choose between an on-site VoIP solution, where all of the servers and other hardware is housed on your premises, or a cloud based solution. With a cloud based solution, you are able to offset a lot of the costs and barriers associated with VoIP phone systems, as you work with a trusted VoIP provider. A cloud phone is simply a VoIP phone service that is hosted in the cloud.
Many businesses looking for a new phone service provider are making the switch from traditional phone lines to a VoIP system. That is because a VoIP system is able to provide additional services and benefits beyond what a traditional telephone service could.
Cloud phone VoIP systems are able to pick up your voice through the microphone of the device that you are using. This can be a computer, phone, tablet, as long as those devices are connected to the internet. Your voice generates analog voice signals, which are compressed into packets of data. The VoIP data packets are transmitted over the internet and then decompressed back to analog voice signals for the person on the other side of your phone call.
For a cloud phone user making and receiving calls is done in the same way that it would be with a traditional telephone system. The person on the other end of the call, whether they are using a cloud phone system or not, won’t notice any difference or have to make any changes in the way they are communicating.
Cloud phone system can provide additional services and benefits that lead to competitive advantages for businesses. Cloud phone providers can be differentiated by the degree to which they are able to provide the following benefits to their customers.
Furthermore, Cloud phone providers can be differentiated by the advanced features that they are able to offer their customers.
VoIP providers are able to offer advanced features that traditional phones aren’t able to. These features will vary depending on who your provider is, but Yodel is able to offer collaboration tools, productivity enhancers, and more.
Collaboration tools can include features such as:
Productivity enhancers are features such as:
If you are looking to take advantage of a cloud phone system, you might be overwhelmed with having to choose the right provider for you. In general, it is best practice to determine the features that your team absolutely needs. That will help you weed out many options who can’t offer you the non-negotiable features. From there, look to see which additional features can add value to your team, as well as pricing, and onboarding options.
Our best recommendation is to take advantage of a free trial. With a free trial you will not only be able to see if a VoIP cloud based system in general is right for you, but if you have found the right provider.
We will be using the five main benefits a cloud provider should offer to frame our reviews of some of the most popular cloud phone systems. These systems are:
When it comes to Yodel, this cloud based phone system offers two pricing plans for your team to choose from. Each plan is priced per user, per month, and ranges from $25 to $35. There is a 14 day free trial that will help your team get acquainted with Yodel, and it is always easy to distinguish what is included in each plan.
Yodel can be accessed across device types such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, making it a highly flexible solution. Their mobile app makes it easy to distinguish between person calls, and business calls, meaning you don’t need to supply your employees with a personal business phone. Instead, they can use their mobile devices, without having to worry about security and privacy issues.
Yodel’s most notable productivity feature is the intelligent business routing system, aka Voice IVR. With Voice IVR, your cloud phone can route callers to the appropriate team members, and even give them a heads up on the purpose behind the call. This helps avoid unnecessary interruptions, as well as reducing wasted time on spam callers.
This is a highly international solution, with the capability to pick from hundreds of countries to find the perfect phone number. You are able to have international numbers as well, so you are no longer tied to one specific location to access a specific area code.
Yodel is great for remote and growing teams due to its seamless Slack integration. With the Slack integration, you can add your phone communication to the platform where your team likely already lives. This is just one of many integrations that improve communication, and streamlines processes for teams of all sizes and styles.
Nextiva is known for their ability to save when you commit to a three-year agreement. This will help you save money, regardless of which of the four pricing plans you decide to commit to. This can help reduce your bill, which will be charged annually at a price set per user. However, Nextiva does have generally higher costs especially if you are just seeking basic VoIP services.
Nextiva is seen as being a highly reliable business phone provider, which would translate to increased flexibility as you don’t have to worry about connectivity issues. Remember, regardless of your provider, you need to have an internet connection to take advantage of VoIP.
Nextiva offers features that can contribute to productivity such as the ability to video call, as well as connect to other business tools such as fax machines. Nextiva can be beneficial for teams which seek versatility and a full service communication platform.
Nextiva offers area codes across US states, but if you are looking for an international solution, Nextiva is not for you. Nextiva does not offer an international service.
Nextiva is great if you are looking to use their other products and services beyond a cloud phone solution. However, it is unclear if you are able to integrate Nextiva into other software. If you already have a tool your business loves, it may be worth finding out if Nextiva will be compatible with it.
Dialpad has three different pricing options, Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. The features offered differ between the pricing plans, which range from $20 per user/per month, $30 per user/per month, to an unknown price for the Enterprise option. It is worth noting that some features that appear in other providers’ most basic plans, are reserved for the Pro and Enterprise options.
DialPad offers an app that appears to be on the Google Play store, as well as the Apple App Store. This app is compatible with mobile devices. Dialpad can also be used on web-browsers such as Chrome.
Dialpad can give your team access to productivity features such as video calling, which can be great if you are constantly using video conferencing for your business communication.
Dialpad offers international numbers for a number of countries around the world. This makes it one of the providers listed that is able to support international pursuits and capabilities.
Dialpad is overall a strong provider, but you should be cautious of their seemingly limited integration option. The base price plans will come with G Suite and Office 365 integrations. However, if you want to integrate into your CRM and other business apps, it looks like you will need to pay for one of their higher end options.
When your team is spread across the country, and even across the globe, it can be hard to always stay on the same page. That’s why a cloud phone system is perfect to keep everyone connected.
Within one business phone system, you can access area codes that make sense for your business. Whether that means one consistent number, having local numbers for different areas where you do business, or even international numbers, a cloud phone system has you covered.
The best part? You don’t have to be in the location of the area code to answer incoming calls to that number. You can have calls routed by team member responsibility, such as billing, or have certain teams be responsible for certain regions.
Regardless, you can all stay connected by a shared call log, call notes, and call tagging. This way even though you are apart, you can still stay one unified team.
A cloud office phone can be incredibly beneficial for small businesses and teams. With a cloud office phone, teams can expect to see many benefits including:
While these benefits are great for teams of any size, they can be huge game changers for small businesses and teams.
You need a solution that can scale with you. Your worst nightmare would be a phone system that limits your team size, has a painful onboarding process, or that just simply doesn’t work for your changing team.
With a cloud phone system, you can easily add users as needed to your plan. And, the best cloud based phone systems will always be easy to use, and easy to get started with. AND they traditionally offer tons of support options to help new teammates get caught up to speed.
Your cloud phone should work no matter what your particular use case will be. We wanted to give you the tools to see the benefits you should expect from your cloud phone, and how you can use them to analyze and compare top cloud phone providers.
One of the best ways to get started with a cloud phone is by taking advantage of a free trial. With Yodel, you can get started for free with a 14 day trial, and access unparalleled support through demo calls, always available resources, and webinars.
