Looking at factors such as price, features, service, support, contracts, and more, we compared three of the top Cloud phone systems for small business. All three providers are strong UCaaS players, successful in the small business (but not limited to) arena, and quickly growing.
How do these leading UCaaS providers compare?
One of the advantages is VoIPstudios’ Chrome extension, which enables users to access their call history, call recordings and contact lists from a secure browser-based environment.
VoIPstudios’ Chrome extension extends click-to-call functionality, converting numbers from websites users visit into clickable links that can dial the telephone number. With VoIPstudios’ Chrome extension, agents can also manage call and contact centers from the comfort of their browser, leveling the playing field for remote agents.
There are other factors that led to VoIPstudio level with other leading Cloud system providers, including price, which, in fact, is lower than both RingCentral and 8×8. VoIPstudio’ pricing starts at £3.99 a month. Although price shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, it is an important factor in the decision-making process and needs to be weighed.
Now, we will dive into the nuances of each Cloud phone system.
Consider day-to-day management
Choosing a Cloud phone system for your small business should be easy. The reality is, there are so many offerings out there, making it difficult to gain meaningful insight from a list of features. It is, therefore, key to think about what it takes to keep your SMB’s Cloud telephony up and running daily.
Security is a pertinent matter to ponder, and most Cloud telephony offerings have strong security features. If your small business is expanding, scalability will be in the back of your mind likewise. Does the system you choose let you easily add and remove users? In this respect, the answer should always be yes, if not, you are selling your organization short of agility.
Customer experience is also important, and you want the system you choose to be intuitive. As the workforce becomes more scattered, it remains core to factor in team and collaboration features when choosing a Cloud phone system. All these features contribute to a UC 3.0., enabled solution.
VoIPstudio vs RingCentral
VoIPstudio
When put head-to-head VoIPstudio and RingCentral are both winning solutions. VoIPstudio has everything a small business needs to set up a functional call center out of the box, no need for upgrades or extra features. All you have do is bring your own TV with a browser to enable the wallboard functionality, and you’re good to go.
RingCentral is also cloud-based but may take a while longer to set up and get running with it.
VoIPstudios’ price is difficult to beat, starting at £3.99 a month for a pay-as-you-go plan, users pay £9.99 for a national plan, and £19.99 for international. VoIPstudio doesn’t have premium features, meaning features like unlimited call recording and reception consoles come with each of its deployments at no extra charge.
Other VoIPstudio features:
- No long-term contracts/termination fees
- 100 percent self-service
- 30-day free trial
- 24/7 support
- RingCentral
RingCentral’s cloud telephone for SMBs is a strong product, providing an array of communication and collaboration tools. This includes call forwarding, auto attendant, voicemail extension, IVR, user templates for batch support, and call monitoring/recording.
Collaboration comes in the form of ‘Glip’ for RingCentral, a messaging service, along with ‘RingCentral Meetings,’ which has a mobile app, task management services, file sharing, team messaging, and HD video.
RingCentral’s pricing is straightforward and billed on a per-user/month basis. Entry level plans are £7.99, and RingCentral’s Standard plans are £14.99. For SMBs hoping for more premium features, they can access them for £19.99, and RingCentral’s Ultimate plan is £24.99.
Other RingCentral features:
- 24/7 customer service (online chat & phone)
- Online user-portal
- 15-day free trial
- Ticket requests
8×8 vs VoIPstudio
8×8
8×8 presents UC and collaboration features, and where you can find its most unique features is its ‘X Series.’ This Cloud solution enables web-based meetings, CRM integration, as well as customer engagement analytics, which add high levels of value to any call and contact center.
The company does not list pricing online, but you can get a quote from an 8×8 sales representative. 8×8, furthermore, has a range of deployment packages that consider your SMB’s existing resources, from a la carte services to managed implementation.
Other 8×8 features
- Online chat, & phone support
- Online knowledge base
- User/set up guides
- 30-day free trial
VoIPstudio
Although VoIPstudio is lacking collaboration features, it more than makes up for it with CRM integration and pricing transparency.
Other Notable VoIPstudio features:
- Reception console for call flow, users, and administrative management
- Unlimited call recordings for compliance, regulation, and training
- ACD Queues, ring groups, IVR and time routing
Bottom Line
Each of the Cloud phone systems in this comparison is powerful and extend a lot of benefits to SMBs that want to beef up CX. Choosing the right solution comes down to what you want to gain from deploying a Cloud phone system for your business.
As UC Today Publisher Rob Scott put it, ‘UC 3.0 is the holy grail of communications.’ From our comparison of all three small business telephony systems, VoIPstudio is a strong contender. They are on the cusp of something big, fostering UC 3.0 functionalities. VoIPstudio enables SMBs to enter the call and contact center market at an affordable rate and to do so quickly.
The investment in such a strong telephony system like VoIPstudio will put your business on the right track for success. They continuously invest in advancing their solution and offer a range of add-on tools like unlimited call recordings and wallboards to help drive ROI for their customers.
