If you’re looking for a VoIP system but you aren’t exactly sure where to start, then you’re in the right place. There are a lot of small businesses up and down the country that probably need a Voip system installed, but unfortunately it can be quite confusing, which puts many people off even getting started.
However, VoIP doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, if you get the right VoIP system in place, then it can actually be quite simple. There are many different VoIP providers in the UK to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the best VoIP systems for small businesses.
Best VoIP Systems for Small Businesses UK
Generally when we’re looking for the best VoIP system, it’s finding a good balance between price and performance. Most VoIP providers will be able to provide you with the basics, but your decision will also depend on the size of the company you’re working with too.
For smaller solo folks, it might not be worth signing up to an expensive VoIP providers. We’re going to run the top options you can find in the UK right now.
RingCentral
RingCentral is one of the most popular VoIP companies in the UK, and there’s a good reason for that – they provide a pretty decent service.
One of the best things about RingCentral is the customer support. If you’ve never used a VoIP system before and you’re not entirely confident in your ability to fix any issues that come up, then RingCentral is a good choice. They have a great customer service team who can help you out with any issue. Even if you’re not sure on setting up your system, they have a customer service team in place to guide you.
Whilst you can opt for the entry level with RingCentral which only costs £7.99 a month, you’re probably better going off with their premium plan. This costs £19.99 a month, but you get a lot more features with the premium plan.
Instead of getting 100 minutes of call time with the entry level plan, you’ll get 2000 minutes of call time with a premium plan. As well as this, you’ll get things like an Interactive Voice Response (IVR), which allows you to select individuals within your organisation. You’ll get automatic call recordings, the ability to fax and quite importantly, you’ll have access to in depth analytics which you don’t get with the cheapest plan.
So, the main issue with RingCentral is that if you only have a basic plan, then you don’t get all the features that you may need. If you want all of the features that RingCentral offer, you’ll have to opt for one of their more expensive plans, which can end up being quite expensive.
But aside from this. RingCentral is probably the best place to start if you’re looking for a VoIP system for your small business.
Pros
- If you want a high sound quality on par or even better than using an analog phone, then RingCentral can give you that.
- It’s one of the best functioning VoIP systems available to date.
- In terms of minutes, they are actually quite generous with their packages in comparison to some others.
Cons
- The main problem that anyone would have with RingCentral is the expensive price, which adds up quite significantly if you have a lot of users. That’s why I recommend it for small businesses with limited users.
- It can take a while to get used to the RingCentral software, which isn’t the easiest to navigate.
Overall Verdict: RingCentral is one of the best options for small businesses who haven’t used a VoIP system before, as their customer service is excellent.
Freshcaller
Freshcaller is a software made by the Freshworks company, which have a wide array of different softwares available to the market. If you’re looking for more than just a VoIP service, then it might be worth looking at what other options they have, as they are all easily integrated together. They also have Freshdesk for customer support, or Freshservice which can help you to streamline all of your IT processes.
One of the best things about Freshcaller is the ability to scale up via their array of different packages. You can start with the Sprout program which is free, before moving onto the Blossom program which is one £11 per month. The Blossom package will probably be enough if you only have a small team. When you’re ready, you can switch up to the Garden package, which is £22 a month and more similar to the professional packages offered with RingCentral and others.
Even with the cheaper Freshcaller packages, you’ll get some very useful features like Advanced Phone Call Queues and simple call conferencing. You’ll also get the option to get a local number if you want to show customers that you’re within the same region as them.
With Freshcaller, you can easily access customer reporting to study the analytics of your phone calls. You can set this up very easily to automatically send the report to your phone via email, which makes things easier and more automated.
So, Freshcaller gives you the ability to start small and grow as you grow. It’s another awesome option for those who don’t need an expensive and advanced VoIP system.
Pros
- The main reason people really opt for Freshcaller is that they probably offer one of the best prices currently available in the UK. You can get advanced for features for less than £20 a month, which most other companies don’t offer.
- You can easily set Freshcaller up with an array of their other softwares for ease of use. Not only their softwares, but it’s easy to integrate with most softwares worldwide.
Cons
- The user interface isn’t as intuitive as the Nextiva one, which is a bit of a shame.
- The technical support service that Freshcaller offer get’s very mixed reviews. For every review there is stating that they have the best customer service ever, there’s one to match which states that the customer service could do with some improvement.
Overall Verdict: If you want a good VoIP service at the cheapest price, then it’s worth looking at Freshcaller as an option.
Nextiva
Another one of the most popular companies that provide VoIP services is Nextiva. They have some of the best customer feedback in comparison to other VoIP providers, as they have a wide array of successful clientele.
The best thing about Nextiva is probably the easy navigation of the software. Even if you’re a tech-phone, it’s still very easy to navigate your way through the software and get everything set up.
It’s very easy to integrate Nextiva in with any other software that you’re currently using. If you’re using something like Salesforce, then you can set this up with Nextiva very simply. The same is said if you’re using Microsoft programs like Teams or Outlook.
Nextiva is a good choice for teams that are in need to speaking to each other throughout the day. It has private group messaging and screen sharing, as well as the ability to send unlimited business texts. It’s available in both a monthly and annual fee service, which can save you some money if you’re happy to pay for the entire year upfront.
The main drawback of Nextiva is that their essential plan, which is the cheapest option, starts at $20 a month. This can be quite expensive for those who are new to using a VoIP service, though generally this is what you should be looking to pay if you want the more advanced features that a VoIP system can offer you.
Pros
- It’s super easy to integrate Nextiva with a wide array of different softwares like Hubspot and Zendesk.
- If you want a VoIP that has comprehensive apps for both IOS and Android, then Nextiva is worth thinking about as their apps are very easy to use and navigate.
- With Nextiva, you’ll able to set up a free automatically recorded voice message for when your customers call you.
- It’s very easy to use, even if you have senior team members who aren’t necessarily tech savvy.
Cons
- Nextiva is more expensive than most of the other competitors out there, especially for smaller businesses.
- Though generally the customer service is very good, there are some people who aren’t happy with the customer service in comparison to other providers like RingCentral.
- It is quite hard to get out of the contract once you are signed up, and when the renewal date comes, you can be sure that they’ll do everything they can to keep you on board, even if you want to cancel.
Overall Verdict: Nextiva is one of the best VoIP providers, but it is very expensive, especially if you have a limited amount of users.
8×8
8×8 are another one of the biggest companies when considering VoIP services. You can try 8×8 for 30 days free, and their cheapest plan starts at only £9. However, this plan is probably not going to be enough for most businesses, and you’ll probably have to upgrade to the £20 plan at some point. Whilst the £8 plan gives you unlimited calling within the UK, the more advanced plans can give you calls to other countries.
With the cheapest plan, you don’t get integration into other softwares. But with any plan except the cheapest one, you can easily link 8×8 up to Salesforce, Zendesk or whichever other softwares that you’re using.
The main criticism of 8×8 is that you don’t get many of the best features until you’re on a plan of £47+ per month. You can’t get queued and web callback, and you can’t use Interactive Voice Response (IVR). So for small businesses who don’t want an expensive option, then it probably isn’t the right choice.
Pros
- As with other of the most popular VoIP systems, the software that 8×8 user is very user friendly and simple to use.
- It’s very easy to scale up with 8×8 if you do want to grow your business over the coming months, as with most things.
Cons
- You don’t get the best features until you’re on a really expensive package, which isn’t good for SMB’s.
- Most packages with 8×8 don’t come with any hardware included, even though they can be extremely expensive. So in terms of value for money, they’re probably not the best option.
What is a VoIP system?
At it’s very simplest, a VoIP system is a type of technology that helps us to connect with other people. Instead of making a call via the normal phone line (analog), a VoIP system will let you make calls over a digital broadband connection instead.
Why is VoIP used?
VoIP quite simply makes it much easier for business to connect with their clients and prospective clients. It is still the most effective way to have a conversation between a business and a person.
Do you need Internet for VoIP?
Yes, you do need an internet connection to use VoIP. However, you don’t necessarily need a computer to use VoIp, which is one of it’s big appeals.
Can you text a VoIP number?
Yes, you can send and receive text messages via a VoIP phone. A lot of companies have free apps that you can download to use their messaging services.
Is Skype a VoIP?
Yes, Skype is the perfect example of what a VoIP system is – the ability to make phone calls over the internet as opposed to via a phone line.
Conclusion
All in all, there are many different options currently out there if you’re looking for a good VoIP system. Whilst RingCentral are the biggest and most prominent, they are slightly above average in terms of pricing. Nextiva, the American company, have some of the best reviews online. But, they are very expensive for small businesses, as their prices for a low amount of users are particularly high.
If you want to find something that’s good value for money, it’s worth looking at an alternative option like Freshcaller of . These services are lesser known in comparison to the others, but they provide a similar quality level of service and for a lower cost. So, hopefully this has helped you figure out which of these options might be the best for your small business.
