A comprehensive list of the best softphones for small businesses.

If you’re small business, the need for a robust phone system is equally as important as it is to multinational corporations. With 92% of all customer interactions occurring over the phone, delivering a flawless phone experience is one of the primary channels through which you can delight your customers.

As a small business, you may already have a phone system implemented, even if it’s just calling from mobiles or desk based office phones for everyone in your team. However, if you have plans to grow your business and improve operational efficiency, implementing a cloud phone system should be on your priority list. After all, it’s a lot harder to implement a new system when your business is buckling under demand.

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Why do you need a phone system?

Until recently, the question of handsets vs softphones was pertinent in the decision making process of selecting a business phone system. However, the benefits of softphones (or cloud phone systems) far outweigh the argument for desk-based office phones.

Read our related blog on deskphones vs softphones

One of the many advantages of a softphone system is that their functionality can be expanded significantly with built-in software and integrations into third party applications. They also have the advantage of not requiring any hardware so can be set up very quickly without the need for specialist assistance.

Here is a summary list of the ways a phone system could help your small business:

• 360 degree customer views - Keep track which of your customers have been called, when, by whom and what was discussed
• Professional presence - the simple act of a having a ‘business looking’ number can do wonders for brand reputation
• KPI tracking - without a phone system it’s nearly impossible to accurately track call metrics in your team/s
• CRM Integration - if you use a CRM, it’s very hard to encourage good data entry. Good softphones will automatically log all calls to your CRM.
• Great for training & coaching - Good softphones will include call recording and voice analytics on all calls, making it easy to review and coach your team
• Capture inbound leads - Use one central number for your website and other marketing assets and route to your team members instantly - never miss an opportunity again!
• Less non-selling time - With campaign calling and automated call logging, softphones help your team spend more time talking to customers and less time looking for someone to call
  
  

Best Small Business Phone Systems

1. VoiceIQ
2. Aircall
3. Circleloop
4. Dialpad
5. Ringcentral
   
   

1. VoiceIQ

VoiceIQ is a sales-focussed cloud phone system, perfect for small and growing businesses. VoiceIQ packs together; essential phone system functionality, CRM integration, campaign dialing, call recording, call transcription, team reporting and voice AI on every call.

The all-in-one nature of VoiceIQ makes it highly-valuable for users. Why? Because it eliminates the inevitable friction that could stunt growth.

VoiceIQ combats the issue of friction by supercharging your agents through 1) automated cadence to ensure priority contacts, new leads and call-back requests are managed effectively 2) total visibility into success with calls analytics and reporting so reps can offer customers a consistent experience 3) streamlined coaching with bookmarked call recordings and transcriptions 4) automated call logging with CRM workflow integration and real-time topic detection 5) a intuitive yet simple user interface and experience that delivers powerful results within minutes of using it.

Price

• Free Licences with simple PAYG minutes
• There are also paid Unlimited licences with inclusive minutes that you can upgrade to or start with depending on your needs.
  

Who is VoiceIQ suited for?

• VoiceIQ is built for any sized team or business that regularly talks to prospects and customers
• With no upfront costs and no hardware requirements - VoiceIQ is ideal for small businesses looking to get started with a modern phone system.

2. Aircall

Aircall is a cloud-based business phone and call center system that helps manage and streamline customer support and sales engagement operations. As a softphone, it is available as a mobile app and as a web application.

Features of Aircall include voicemail, queueing, recording, shared call inbox, contact management, assign, tag and add comments. It allows businesses to form employee groups based on location, responsibilities, skill set and other attributes. Additionally, it provides phone numbers, which can be used to make calls from anywhere and get live feeds on processes.

Aircall has a marketplace in which many integrations into other business applications are available. Furthermore, Aircall provides intuitive settings configuration to enable businesses to set up complex inbound and outbound call-centre functionality.

Price

• Prices start at £25 per user per month and includes 1000 outbound minutes
  

Who is Aircall suited for?

• VoiceIQ is suitable for small to medium sized businesses wanting a new voice solution. It has custom plans for additional specific requirements.
  

3. Circleloop

Circleloop is a softphone that runs on desktop and mobile apps and was recently acquired by Gamma in 2021. Circleloop has been designed to be completely self-service enabling you to set it up and manage without the need for technical knowledge.

Circleloop’s biggest draw maybe it’s simple international calling packages and rates. If your business is looking for a simple phone system that eagles solid international communication, you should explore Circleloop as a potential option.

Price

• Prices start at £5 per user per month with additional per minute charges
  

Who is Aircall suited for?

• Circleoop has plans suitable for small and medium sized businesses

4. Dialpad

Dialpad is a cloud communication platform for businesses looking for more than a voice solution. Dialpad includes conferencing, contact centre and sales dialer functionality.

Dialpad describes itself as easy to use and provides seamless transfer between devices, record calls, mute, hold and more from a single place. Dialpad also enhances it’s functionality with a wide range of helpful app integrations including Zendesk, Salesforce and Google.

Dialpad’s biggest draw is most likely to be its app marketplace, where you can add voice functionality to many of the applications you use in your business. So if you want a cloud communication platform which can integrate with a lot of your other tools, Dialpad might be worth considering.

Price

• Prices start at £12 per user per month
  

Who is Dialpad suited for?

• Dialpad has plans suitable for small to enterprise sized businesses

5. RingCentral

RingCentral is a provider of cloud-based business communications for companies of all sizes, from small to multinational enterprises. Their solutions provide a single user identity across multiple locations and devices, including smartphones, tablets, personal computers (PCs) and desk phones, and allow for communication across multiple channels, including high definition (HD) voice, video, short messaging service (SMS), messaging and collaboration, conferencing, online meetings, and fax.

As a long established communications provider, RingCentral’s product range is extensive and includes RingCentral Office, RingCentral Professional, RingCentral Fax, RingCentral Contact Center and RingCentral Glip. RingCentral Office is a multi-user, enterprise-grade communications solution. RingCentral Professional is an inbound call routing subscription with additional text and fax capabilities.

For small business, RingCentral offers a small business solution which provides essential softphone functionality in a single app across web and mobile devices.

Price

• Prices start at £12.99 per user per month with 100 inclusive minutes
  

Who is RingCentral suited for?

• RingCentral has plans suitable for small to enterprise sized businesses

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Choose your Phone System

Now that you have the information you need to make an educated decision, go ahead — hop online and get yourself a brand new voice solution for your business!

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