The Best Business Phone Services for Distributed Workforces

Professional business phone services offer reliable and secure multichannel communication for distributed workforces. 

Last spring, countless companies shifted their operations online. Now, two-thirds say that they plan to maintain remote teams - even after the pandemic is over. To make a telecommuting setup sustainable, though, one element is crucial: communication. 

Countless solutions are available, but many of them come with concerns. Zoom has come under fire for its lack of encryption, making confidential calls vulnerable to hackers. Consequently, governments like Taiwan and enterprises like Google have banned its use.

In this regard, modern business phone services provide the optimal solution. These services run through the cloud via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The providers maintain multiple disaster-proof data centers, and carefully encrypt calls.  

In fact, many VoIP business phone services work both with both desk phones and softphone apps. Users can install these apps on smartphones and desktops - and access their business phone numbers from anywhere. 

Today’s business phone services also offer so much more than voice calls. Many of them provide video calling, conferencing, email, live chat, and messaging.

Also, they often offer extensive productivity features. Examples include advanced call management, detailed analytics, and AI-driven call transcription. 

Overall, VoIP business phone services enable you to centralize and streamline your team’s communication. Here are the five best providers currently on the market. 

1 - Nextiva - All-Round Excellence 

First off, Nextiva heads the list by virtue of its comprehensive functionalities, outstanding additional features, and stellar customer service.

Based on proprietary software, Nextiva offers voice and video calling, conferencing, and messaging. 

Additional features include voicemail, call transcription, and advanced call management. Nextiva also offers interactive voice response (IVR) powered by a natural language processing AI. 

While this business telephony provider integrates with platforms like Zendesk and HubSpot, its greatest strength is its proprietary ecosystem of business tools. 

The NextOS platform provides analytics powered by machine learning. These yield actionable insights on caller behavior and team performance. 

More than that, Nextiva also offers a customer relationship management (CRM) system. For distributed teams, the company’s virtual workspace platform offers an excellent basis for team collaboration. 

Finally, the company can boast an uptime of 99.999% (‘five nines’) and award-winning 24/7 customer service. 

Nextiva’s pricing is competitive, with monthly plans starting at $19.95. 

2 - OnSIP - Excels for SMBs 

OnSIP’s solution specifically addresses the needs of small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) with remote teams. 

Voice and video calling, conferencing, and messaging are all included in the provider’s package. Additional functionalities like call recording, hold music, and auto-attendants can be added. 

One of OnSIP’s flagship features is its sayso click-to-call service. By clicking a button on your website, users can voice-and video call you directly. 

Finally, OnSIP also offers numerous native integrations. These include business applications like HubSpot, Zendesk, Slack, and other platforms that are integral parts of remote setups. 

Pricing starts at $18.95 for basic plans. You can add more functionalities through individual subscriptions. The advantage? You won’t end up paying for features you don’t use. 

3 - Vonage - Scales for Start-ups 

Vonage offers an excellent solution for fast-growing businesses with distributed workforces. Its all-in-one communications platform prides itself on its flexibility and scalability. 

Vonage’s Business Communications platform is easy to set up. Users can add, change, and remove extensions through the click of a button in the online admin space. 

The platform itself offers voice and video calls and messaging. It further includes productivity tools like call routing and calls transcription. A big plus for telecommuters is its team collaboration features. 

One of Vonage’s most significant advantages is how neatly it slots into a network of business apps. It offers countless native integrations. You can easily connect it to staples like Office 365 and Google Workspace, but also to platforms like HubSpot or Zoho CRM. 

Vonage’s Mobile plan starts at $19.99 per month. However, many features are only available with the Premium ($29.99) or Advanced ($39.99) plans. 

4 - 8x8 - Optimal for International Operations

8x8 stands out for its global flexibility. It offers local numbers in 75 countries and toll-free ones in 110. This makes this provider an excellent choice for businesses with international remote workforces.

8x8’s communication platform encompasses voice and video calling. It also includes HD video conferencing, screen sharing, and team messaging. 

What's more, the platform can boast additional functionalities like omnichannel routing. It also offers integrations for social media and third-party platforms like Salesforce or Zendesk. 

8x8’s business plans start at $25 per user and month. Note, though, that many features are available only at the premium “X4” tier, for $45 per user and month.

5 - Dialpad - Provides Cutting-Edge AI Features 

Finally, Dialpad offers a solid set of features and high-tech applications driven by AI that can increase the productivity of remote teams. 

In terms of communication, Dialpad’s offer is comprehensive: it includes voice and video calling, email, chat, and text messaging. The platform also integrates with various third-party apps, like Google Workspace, Office 365, Salesforce, and HubSpot.

Dialpad’s biggest standout features are its AI-powered functionalities. These are an asset for smooth remote operations. 

AI features encompass automated note-taking and call transcription, as well as real-time sales support. This support AI, for example, helps agents by analyzing ongoing conversations, automatically pulling records on callers, and offering relevant information and suggestions just when they are needed.

Dialpad’s Standard plan comes at $15 per user and month, though it is only suitable for small teams. For distributed workforces, the company’s Pro plan starts at $25 per user and month. 

Final Thoughts

Today’s business world is dynamic and in constant flux. Distributed workforces are a necessary adaptation for many businesses. 

The right business phone service can help remote teams communicate seamlessly, securely, and productively. 

Centralized communications eliminate the distraction of constant app switching. Productivity features and automatic analytics reduce the time spent on menial tasks. And innovative AI features and integrations with other business platforms help streamline workflows. 

With the list above and some research of your own, you’ll find the perfect provider to meet your business’s remote needs.