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7 Best Virtual Business Phone Number Apps In 2023
According to FlexJobs’ 10th Annual Survey, 58% of survey respondents said they want to work remotely full-time even after the pandemic is long behind us. What’s more, a further 39% would like to keep working in a hybrid model. This should not be too surprising, given how flexible and convenient remote working can be.
But there’s one aspect of remote work that may be slightly troublesome both for businesses and their employees. Namely, having to use their personal phone numbers for making and receiving work-related calls.
There is a solution – obtaining virtual business phone numbers for your employees. You can get such numbers in a matter of minutes through one of the many virtual business phone apps available on the market. Moreover, those apps come packed full of useful features for your business as well.
But which app should you pick? We have chosen the 7 most interesting apps from the 100+ you can find on Capterra. These are the best of the best, and we’ve prepared everything you need to know in order to make an informed decision for your business.
CloudTalk
CloudTalk is a user-friendly cloud-based phone software solution for sales and support teams. It is used by startups, scale-ups, SMEs, and eCommerce companies to improve their customer experience and team performance.
Inside the app, you can find more than 70 advanced calling features and multiple seamless integrations with tools such as CRM, helpdesk, and e-commerce platforms. Thanks to how intuitive the app is, it’s one of the top virtual calling apps on Capterra – it was recently marked as an emerging favorite in the business phone system category.
What’s more, CloudTalk has been named to G2’s 2022 Best Software List for Fastest Growing Products, ranking in 15th place.
Rating on Capterra: 4.4
Rating on G2: 4.3
Features
There are around 40 integration options and 70+ features in CloudTalk, making it one of the most comprehensive platforms on the market. Among them are several productivity tools for employees (such as one-click call recording, automatic callback, call transfers, and call notes), unlimited phone extensions, and also a call masking feature if your agents want to disguise their phone numbers.
Pros
Even on the starter plan, you can make unlimited calls and buy phone numbers from 140 countries. Reviewers also praise the ease of use, even for non-technical folk.
Cons
Some reviewers have complained about the glitchy mobile app, but the remastered CloudTalk Go application already solved these issues, added many useful features, and new updates are regularly coming.
Pricing
CloudTalk offers three pricing plans plus a custom option. The lowest plan is $25 per user/per month when paid annually, whereas the Essential and Expert plans cost $30 and $50 per user/per month, respectively.
Nextiva
Nextiva combines all available communication channels (including voice and video, SMS, chat, and collaboration tools) so that businesses of all sizes can use every method they need to provide excellent customer service.
Rating on Capterra: 4.2
Rating on G2: 4.4
Features
Nextiva’s app provides unlimited phone calls, faxes, and text messages (only in North America, though). Inside the app, you can find useful features such as anonymous call blocking, three-way calling, and custom ringback.
Pros
Nextiva is known for its outstanding audio and video quality, as well as a very helpful support service.
Cons
Compared to other platforms, Nextiva’s integrations are limited to native ones only – it doesn’t support Zapier or Integromat.
Pricing
Nextiva offers four pricing options, from the lowest Essential plan ($21.95/user/month) to Professional ($25.95/user/month), Enterprise ($35.95/user/month), and Ultimate ($65.95/user/month).
Learn how to obtain a free business phone number and why you should do it:
Sideline
The Sideline app helps employees obtain a virtual number to use for work-related calls and add it to their existing phone line. Sideline also has a special feature to detect spam calls and telemarketers, making it easier for your staff to avoid these inconveniences.
Rating on Capterra: 3.9
Rating on G2: 4.5
Features
Besides offering the option to quickly add another phone number, Sideline also provides group messaging, unlimited text messages, and WiFi calling.
Pros
Straightforward to set up and allows the user to add anonymous phone numbers.
Cons
Sideline doesn’t offer any integrations with other applications. Users also often complain that the app can sometimes be a bit glitchy.
Pricing
Sideline offers three plans on their website: Monthly ($9.99), 6 Months ($49.99), and 12 Months ($99.99).
Grasshopper
Grasshopper is another useful option for separating your personal and business phone numbers on whichever device you prefer. As the app is available both on desktops and mobiles, your employees can call from any device of their choosing. It can also be used to send and receive text messages.
Rating on Capterra: 4.4
Rating on G2: 4.1
Features
Grasshopper contains the standard features of a business calling app, like local, toll-free, and vanity numbers, as well as voicemail transcription, IVR, and call groups. In addition, you can “hire” live US-based receptionists with its Ruby Receptionist feature to help answer your business calls when your employees aren’t available.
Pros
The same features are available on each plan, so there is no need to purchase a top plan to access some of them. However, the number of available extensions and phone numbers varies between plans.
Cons
It’s only available in the USA and Canada for now.
Pricing
Grasshopper has three billing plans: for solo users ($26/user/month), partners ($44/user/month), and small businesses ($80/user/month). Each plan has the same features, the only difference is how many extensions and numbers are available in each.
Ooma
Ooma Office provides unified communication solutions for voice, video conferencing, and call center operations, all in one pack.
Rating on Capterra: 4.5
Rating on G2: 4.7
Features
Ooma has all of the main calling features you would expect to find in a VoIP platform. The capabilities range from a virtual receptionist and advanced call-blocking features to call forwarding and recording, ring groups, plus voicemail transcription.
Pros
Very smooth and intuitive to set up, and the number of available features is impressive for the price as well.
Cons
The end cost might be a bit steep if you require multiple extensions or phone numbers. Some reviewers also mention that the faxing feature doesn’t work quite as expected.
Pricing
Ooma office costs $19.95 for the Base and $24.95 for the Pro version per user/per month. However, you should keep in mind that extensions, additional phone numbers, and toll-free calling are all charged separately.
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eVoice
eVoice provides businesses and freelancers with a wide range of phone messaging and communication tools. For example, you can choose from a selection of automated voices, accents, and languages to record personalized greetings. It is also possible to set up an automated receptionist to handle incoming calls and route them to the right person straight away.
Rating on Capterra: 3.5
Rating on G2: 3.0
Features
Inside the app, you can find most of the usual business calling features such as call recording and routing, call transfer, plus IVR and video conferencing.
Pros
One of the cheapest options when it comes to finding a tool that can provide you with virtual numbers and a few other useful calling tools.
Cons
Unfortunately, the app has pretty poor reviews both on G2 and Capterra, with many users complaining about bugs, barely responsive support, and unclear billing.
Pricing
The cheapest plan is “pay as you go” for €7.50 per month. Other available options are Startup (€14.95), Startup+ (€19.95), and Scale-up (€29.95).
Phone.com
For small businesses that need a simple app with transparent pricing, Phone.com might be worth a look. Both the desktop and mobile apps provide access to multiple features like text messaging, conference calling, inbox and call logs, as well as an SMS filter.
Rating on Capterra: 4.1
Rating on G2: 3.3
Features
Regardless of the pricing plan they choose, all users have access to standard tools like voicemail to email, auto-attendant, and video conferencing. The app also offers call routing and queuing, so users can choose how and when to receive calls. What’s more, every user gets a free conference bridge number to make conference calls for up to 250 participants.
Pros
For one of the lowest prices on the market, Phone.com has multiple features available in its app.
Cons
Poor customer support seems to be one of the biggest problems, both when it comes to billing issues and technical support.
Pricing
Three plans are available on their website: Basic ($10,39), Plus ($15.99), and Pro ($23.99), all prices are per user / per month.
Conclusion
Remote work is no longer and probably won’t ever again be a rare occurrence. Now that 85% of managers believe that teams containing remote workers will become the new norm, having a separate phone number for your employees to use outside of the office should be your priority.
Fortunately, nowadays, you can buy and set up a new virtual phone number in a matter of minutes. You also have plenty of options when it comes to virtual phone platforms, whether you want just to give your employees a new number to use away from the workplace or to utilize the many features available within them.
CloudTalk can be especially handy if you want to make your remote team feel more confident when handling calls. They are no longer tied up with their work. Let them work from anywhere, using advanced features and integrations.
So how about changing business communication as you know it and taking your customer service to the next level by giving Cloudtalk a go?
