How to find the best voip providers?

VOIP SERVICES % € What Is Voip Service? • VolP, voice over internet protocol, is a flexible service that has quickly gained popularity in the business world. VolP transmits calls over the internet rather than the typical phone network. This allows you to access your phone network from virtually anywhere there is a mobile connection. • VolP systems offer substantial cost savings compared to traditional phone systems. Often, they have lower monthly fees and provide exceptionally low rates for calls, especially international calls. Additionally, most VolP systems have features not found with regular phone systems, such as voicemail to email forwarding and apps that allow you to answer your calls even when youíre away from your desk. VolP services are a great option for home use and small businesses; if you have one phone in a home office or up to ten phones, you can pick the plan that best meets your organizationís needs. VOIP Options for Business • If you are looking for an enterprise system that can handle 15 phones at once or more, check out our business VolP site, or if you will be placing a high number of international calls, check out our international call services site. If you are in the market for a VolP system, we encourage you to read our articles about VolP services. You can visit our video and web conferencing sites if you are looking for services that allow you to host secure virtual meetings. Voip Services: How We Tested, What We Found Staying connected is the backbone of your business; having a reliable phone system is part of an essential communication between you and your customers. To test these VolP services, we obtained a basic trial from each service. These trials were acquired independently, and the companies had no influence over our decisions, nor were they given any additional information about the results prior to publication. 01 VolP System Setup & Accessibility Setup is a huge part of selecting a VolP system. When you select a service, you want to rest assured that you will be able to easily access the service and set it up without hassle or unnecessary extra steps. When we evaluated the accessibility of services, we looked for a few key features. One of these features was how easy it was to access and sign up for the service. Were we able to input our information into an online form and fulfill our request? Or, did we have to go through multiple steps before receiving access to a service? Once the service was attained, we evaluated the setup process. How many steps did it take between receiving the service and being able to place calls? Another thing we looked for was the ability to place calls on the first try. For example, even though we specifically requested plans that would allow us to make international calls, some VolP providers required us to go through additional activation steps for international calling once the plan was set up. One VolP service that did exceptionally well in this test was Broadvoice. This service has an online form that is easy to understand and submit to the company. Our VolP adapters were shipped almost immediately, and even more helpful was the no-charge softphone. With the softphone, we were able to instantly access the Broadvoice network and begin placing calls. The platform was easy to use and calls went through with no issues. Call Quality 02 In our tests, we looked for the overall sound and quality of the calls. Could we clearly hear the party and could they clearly hear us? To test this, we placed calls to local and international numbers. This helped us determine how well a service could connect, no matter what our calling needs were. During these calls, we surveyed features of the calls and asked those we called to fill out forms rating how well they could hear us, how much feedback the calls had and how much background noise got through. We also noted if a call was dropped or had difficulty establishing a connection. In our tests, VOIPO performed well even though it falls in the middle of the lineup. The calls were clear on both ends with very little feedback. 03 Help & Support The last key feature we examined in VolP service providers is help and support options. We evaluated common things, like whether they have a searchable FAQ and knowledgebase or if they provide comprehensive installation manuals. We also looked closely at more important features, like the quality of support provided by service representatives. We tested response and hold times for phone, email and live chat. We also looked for support that was helpful and representatives that were knowledgeable about their service rather than those who just referred us to pages on the company website. Vonage, a popular name in VolP service providers, provided helpful customer support. It offers all of the features we were looking for, including live chat. Wait times were reasonable, and when we connected with agents over chat or the phone, they were helpful and knowledgeable. Another thing we appreciated was that support agents did not try to upsell us on products or push new, costly features on us. Picking The Best Voip Service Plan For Your 04 Needs VolP service plans and costs are one of the biggest factors for deciding which VolP service you choose for your small business. For example, many VolP providers offer low rates for long-term contracts ñone or two years. While month-to-month plans are more convenient, they often come with higher fees. Each VolP service on our featured lineup includes a month-to-month plan and long-term contracts. 05 Service Plans VolP provider plans vary in what they offer in features, the number of international minutes they provide and whether Puerto Rice is considered domestic. For example, some services include X11 services, like 411 calling, for no additional cost, while other plans charge extra for this add-on feature. When services include features for no additional costs, we gave them full credit. If companies charge extra for these features, they only received partial credit in these sections. Long-Distance Calling 06 Another important aspect of your internet phone service plan is the long-distance and international rates it provides. One of VolPís biggest draws is that it provides less expensive long-distance and international calling. If these features are important to you, make sure to pick a plan that works for you. Some services, like VolP.com, offer unlimited world plans. Others, like RingCentral, focus on local calls. This can be a plus if you donít call internationally on a regular basis and are looking for a low-cost, high-quality service. 07 Unlimited Minutes 1.2 1 11 10 Each VolP system provider on our lineup features unlimited minutes. As with any unlimited feature, unlimited may not mean truly unlimited. Most often, the number of minutes you are allotted are constrained by what each VolP phone system determines as reasonable use. Excessive calling can lead to extra charges. Make sure to read the fine print of each service provider to find the iunlimitedî plan that works best for you. 9 3 4 7 Online VolP Account Management 08 VolP providers all provide online account management through portals accoccible vin thoir wnhcitoc While onch convice hac thic fonture not oven A %24 血