Remote Office Phone System:
The Key to Effective Decentralized Global Operations

Q: What is a remote phone system?

A remote phone system is a virtual phone system that enables businesses to make and receive calls from anywhere. It allows remote workers to access all the features of an office phone system, including call routing, call forwarding, voicemail, and conference calls. It also helps businesses to maintain their professional image and provide excellent customer service while working remotely.

Q: How do I set up a phone system in my office?

Setting up a phone system in your office can be challenging, but it's essential for any business. You need to choose the right phone system, select the appropriate hardware, set up call routing , configure voicemail, and set up call forwarding, among other tasks.

Q: What are the benefits of a Remote Office Phone System?

Increased flexibility: allows employees to work from anywhere with an internet connection, giving them the freedom to work from home or on the go. Cost savings: lower setup and maintenance costs than traditional phone systems, as they do not require physical infrastructure like wiring and hardware. Improved scalability: easily scale to meet the changing needs of a business, such as adding or removing phone lines. Enhanced collaboration: advanced features such as conferencing, screen sharing, and messaging make it easier for employees to work together remotely. Increased accessibility: customers can easily reach a business outside of traditional office hours, increasing customer satisfaction and potentially more business. Read more information here .

Q: How much does a remote office phone system cost for small businesses?

The cost of a remote office phone system for small businesses can vary depending on the features and functionality required. Cloud-based phone systems are more affordable than traditional ones and typically charge a monthly subscription fee. The cost also depends on the number of users and the required features such as call routing, voicemail, and conference calls.

Q: What is the best remote office phone system?

The best remote office phone system depends on your business needs, budget, and required features. Some popular remote phone systems for small businesses include CloudTalk, Nextiva, Aircall, and Dialpad. These systems provide features such as call routing, voicemail, call forwarding and conference calls. -Approx. how many extensions does your company have? -Approx. how many approximate outside calls are taking place at your busiest time? -Are all extensions in the US? -What features are most important to your company? -Does your company have a call center? -Does your company ideally want to integrate with any software (other than Teams & Outlook)?

Question 1

#1 CloudTalk | Best All-Round Remote Office Phone System

Answer

CloudTalk is a cloud-based call center and business phone system built to let you maximize your customer support efforts across all channels.

All you need to do is choose a number for one of the 160+ supported countries, and you can instantly start optimizing your workflows with advanced features, including IVR, click-to-call, power dialers, and more!

CloudTalk also supports 35+ other powerful integrations for helpdesk, e-commerce, and CRM systems, including HubSpot and Zendesk.

CloudTalk is the perfect phone system for mid-sized companies looking to grow. Typically, it’s used in sales for outbound calls and in customer service for inbound calls.

Set up your call center in 5 minutes

Setting up your call center has never been easier. CloudTalk Voice replaces your outdated PBX business phone system and lets you scale with ease. No need to invest in phone hardware or be afraid to work with IT experts. All you need is your internet browser and a headset and you’re ready to make your first calls.

Contact Sales

Cloudtalk Benefits

CloudTalk Voice provides high-quality offers, care, and service, all included in our business phone system solution.

Easy Management: Use CloudTalk’s web-based admin interface to manage your call center in real-time, add agents, phone numbers, and set up everything you need at any given moment.
Reduced Operational Costs: With our business phone system, you can significantly reduce your operational costs, as no special skills are required and there’s no need to hire extra IT specialists. CloudTalk can be managed in a user-friendly interface – all you need is an internet connection.
Accessible Anywhere: CloudTalk is a completely cloud-based business phone system – all you need is to set up your CloudTalk account. But don’t worry, if you already have an existing infrastructure, CloudTalk can be easily linked to it. Switch between your laptop and your cell phone easily.
Smarter Calls: Distribute all calls to your team in a smart way and view past customer interactions during the call to enhance customer experience. Native integrations with CRM, helpdesk or other popular apps boost your productivity and take lots of manual tasks out of your workflow.
SLA: A service level agreement can be provided for all CloudTalk PBX business phone systems, guaranteeing a maximum level of reliability and technical support.
Reliable Operation with 24/7 Monitoring: We always make sure your data and voice services are safe. All data (including VoIP itself) are stored in secured locations of Amazon AWS with 24/7 monitoring provided by CloudTalk experts.

Key Features:

With CloudTalk advanced features, your phone experience will get to a whole new level.

ACD: Automated smart and efficient queue distribution of inbound calls based on all available data to make sure that callers are always directed to the most qualified agent or agent group.
IVR: Create your multi-level interactive voice response (IVR) menu to guide the caller through different options. Make sure they are always directed to the right department, agent or group of agents and that they are receiving relevant information through customized messages.
Call Queuing: Create customized call queues. Inbound calls are sorted in call queues based on pre-defined rules and steered to available agents within the right group. Personalized messages are available as well.
Call Recording: CloudTalk can automatically make a recording of all calls. Once the call ends, you can listen to it directly from your internet browser anywhere and anytime. Improve customer interactions by monitoring your team’s calls.
International Numbers: Acquire international numbers (with geographic or non-geographic codes) from more than 160 countries. Local phone numbers allow customers from abroad to call you at standard local rates or free of charge.
Real-time Customer Card: Your agents can see all caller information displayed in one place. During the phone call, they can instantly look at the client’s history of interactions, orders, chat, or notes. This allows them to deliver top-notch customer service.
Callback: If there are any unanswered phone calls, CloudTalk can automatically call your customers back. A missed call from a customer is registered in the system, which will later dial the customer’s number until the agent and the customer are successfully connected.
Business Hours: Define your business hours and decide when you are available for receiving calls. Outside of these hours, you can choose a special personalized absence message, redirect calls to a different phone number or answering machine or even use various combinations.

What is CloudTalk Missing?

According to our users, CloudTalk Analytics needed remastering in order to give users more precise data. That is why we launched a new version of Analytics with in-depth insights into your calls, including call steps, reasons for missed calls, and much more.

What Type of Business is It Best For?

CloudTalk is the perfect phone system for mid-sized companies looking to grow. Typically, it’s used in sales for outbound calls and in customer service for inbound calls.

Pricing:

If you’re interested in learning more about the following competitors, just click the drop-down menu.

Question 2

#2 Nextiva | Automated Remote Office Phone System

Answer

Nextiva is a big player in the VoIP market, providing services to more than 15,000 customers. Nextiva is widely regarded as user-friendly — users can start calling within minutes thanks to a simple and intuitive setup process. Furthermore, the system is hosted by Nextiva, which makes maintenance of the software Nextiva’s responsibility.

Nextiva Benefits

Nextiva offers various advanced features, including conference calling, voicemail transcription, multi-level attendant, and much more. The provider also integrates with solutions like Zendesk, ConnectWise or MS Teams.

Nextiva’s HIPAA-compliant virtual faxing makes it a great solution for healthcare workers. Medical employees can share information without having to worry about data breach.

Furthermore, 24/7 support means agents are always on hand to assist you.

Key Features:

Unlimited Calling
Video Conference Recordings
Mobile & Desktop Apps
Workflow Optimization
Omnichannel Communications

What is Nextiva Missing?

Although Nextiva is a well-known VoIP solution, there are some issues you should know about when considering this provider:

Integrations: Nextiva is missing certain integrations, like Slack or Zapier. With Zapier, users are able to connect your VoIP telephony system with thousands of non-native systems.

Prices: Many consider Nextiva’s prices high, especially for small businesses.

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

Businesses that need a robust, secure and reliable enterprise phone system that works across every device and comes with advanced features like video conferencing, mobile app, call recording, and more.

Pricing

Question 3

#3 RingCentral | Best Remote Office Phone System for Enterprises

Answer

When you think about VoIP telephony solutions, RingCentral is probably among the first ones that come to your mind. It’s no wonder the company has been on the market for over 20 years and has built quite a reputation for itself.

RingCentral’s Benefits

RingCentral has a great variety of features and offers HD-quality voice and video. The provider is a good fit for enterprises since it offers an omnichannel experience and lead qualification tools, as well as management, collaboration, and performance features – all in a single software.

Key Features:

SIP Trunking
IVR
Call Recording
Call Routing
Contact Management

What is RingCentral Missing?

Despite all the positives, RingCentral does lack quite a few essential tools that modern businesses require.

features like native sentiment analytics, Speech-to-Text transcription, smart dialers or Skill-based routing are only included in Contact Centre Solution. The same goes for some agent management features, like monitoring.

The Call recording tool and Toll-free numbers are only available as add-ons, for an additional cost.

Furthermore, RingCentral’s implementation can take as much as 90 days and involves an implementation fee.

RingCentral UI is also not always the friendliest to work with.

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

RingCentral MVP is a flexible cloud-based solution which is ideal for businesses of all sizes.

Pricing

Question 4

#4 Ooma | Best Remote Office Phone System for SMBs

Answer

Ooma is an ideal solution for smaller companies with up to 500 employees or a home phone service. It is mostly used for call logging, alerts, and escalations.

Ooma Benefits

Simple set-up: you can install the phone system without any technical expertise, and it comes pre-configured.
Feature-rich mobile app that is compatible with both iPhones and Android devices.
Ooma’s Virtual Receptionist is a great option for managing calls for your company. You can program a personalized welcome, direct callers to various extensions, or offer a menu of choices that can direct callers to the appropriate party.

Key Features:

Voicemail-to-email forwarding
Caller ID or video conferencing
Desktop and mobile apps for Android and iPhone

What is Ooma Missing?

Although the set-up is very simple, and you can seek assistance from guides or customer support, there is no in-person training involved. Ooma also doesn’t offer predictive dialers and telemarketing management these features speed up your workflow and make your sales efforts much smoother. Ooma lacks reporting and analytics capabilities.

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

Ooma is best for smaller businesses looking for a basic VoIP service.

Pricing

Question 5

#5 Grasshopper | Best Streamlined Remote Office Phone System

Answer

Grasshopper is often the go-to VoIP solution for smaller businesses looking for call center software to streamline their operations all around the world. But is their business model really so SMB-friendly? Let’s see.

Grasshopper’s Benefits

Set up is simple and takes just a few clicks — no IT degree required.
The Solo pricing tier is very affordable, even for companies that are just starting out. Furthermore, there are no limits on extensions after you reach the Small Business tier of service.
There is no need to purchase pricey new equipment. You can run your business from your personal smartphone while keeping it separate from the rest of your life.

Key Features:

Voicemail transcription
Custom greetings
Simultaneous call handling

What is Grasshopper missing?

There is a downside to Grasshopper’s simplicity, however, and it’s this: The solution lacks several core VoIP features users may expect, including:

call recording,
power dialers,
and even click-to-call.

Furthermore, a fair few users complain that the app could benefit from some deeper reporting features.

What Type of Business is It Best For?

Grasshopper is best for SMBs who value their customers’ happiness above all else.

Pricing

Question 6

#6 MightyCall Best CX-Oriented Remote Office Phone System

Answer

MightyCall is a cloud-based VoIP solution for small and mid-sized businesses. It helps users manage customer service calls and company communications. The system promises a convenient user experience anywhere in the world and a good variety of automation features.

MightyCall’s benefits

Customers valued MightyCall’s unlimited free call minutes policy, as well as its selection of toll-free and vanity numbers. Many also praised the provider’s value for money, citing it as comparably cheap to other alternatives, with excellent customer support to boot.

Key features

Voice to Text
Call Recording
MMS
Performance Reports,
IVR
Call Flows
Auto-Attendant
Conference Calls
Business Hours

What is MightyCall missing?

Despite MightyCall’s attractive price, some customers pointed out you get what you pay for. MightyCall doesn’t offer click-to-call, smart or power dialers, warm transfer, skill-based routing, call tagging, and many other popular call center features. Furthermore, the solution only integrates with 3 CRMs (so far).

Pricing

Question 7

#7 Aircall | Best Remote Office Phone System for Salespeople

Answer

Aircall is an advanced calling solution used by 15,000+ clients. It’s designed to speed up sales processes, boost communication with prospects, and close more deals. You can automatically dial multiple candidates in a back-to-back queue and surface crucial contact information directly within the phone interface.

Aircall’s benefits

Aircall excels when it comes to automation. The provider also features many useful integrations, including Intercom, Pipedrive, and Zapier. Furthermore, it offers Advanced automation tools, user-friendly apps, and reliable customer support.

Key features

Automatic Call Distribution
Call Monitoring
Call Transfer
Call Recording
Call routing

What is Aircall missing?

Aircall lacks some essential video-calling features. Webinar hosting and screen-sharing capabilities are severely limited on the platform, which can lead to a fair amount of frustration for users.

Pricing

Question 8

#8 Google Voice | Best Big-Brand Remote Office Phone System

Answer

Google Voice has been on the market since 2009. It offers both free and paid versions to customers. Google Voice has many useful features, such as call forwarding, ring groups, and integrations with Google Meet and Google Calendar. The biggest disadvantage of Google Voice is the lack of a desktop application.

Google Voice Benefits:

The free version of Google Voice offers unlimited calling within the US and Canada, which is ideal for companies with a domestic client-base. The provider also includes Call recording as part of all of their plans. Implementation is fairly simple, too: you can be up and running within minutes. Last but not least, Google Voice’s customer support is there for you 24/7.

Key Features:

SIP Link
Unlimited text messaging in US
Google Meet integration
Google Calendar integration
Voicemail transcription
Call forwarding
Multi level auto attendant
Ring Groups
Advanced reporting (BigQuery)
Ad-hoc user call recording

What is Google Voice Missing?

In order to access Google Voice, you must have a US phone number.

The platform also lacks popular integrations, like Slack or Zapier.

Google Voice also has certain feature limitations. You won’t get Toll-free numbers, Smart dialer, Automated Call Distribution, Call monitoring, Contact management, IVR, nor reporting and analytics.

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

Google Voice is best suited to companies that are just starting out. In fact, the provider is often listed as one of the best virtual phone services for small businesses, but all sizes will find something to benefit from.

Pricing:

Question 9

#9 eVoice | Simplest Office Phone System for Minimalists

Answer

eVoice, or eReceptionist in Europe, is a little-known VoIP solution with quite a limited user base. It focuses on a similar group of entrepreneurs and SMBs like Grasshopper. But can it offer something that the other providers can’t?

eVoice Benefits:

What customers value most about eVoice is its fairly affordable price point, value for money, and streamlined design, making it easy for anyone to pick up and use.

Key Features

Calling,
Screen sharing,
Presentation streaming,
Automated routing.

What is eVoice missing?

This provider comes with its first significant hurdle right from the start – it’s unavailable for European customers. It lacks advanced features, including smart dialers, caller ID, advanced analytics, and 3rd party integrations.

Pricing

Question 10

#10 Mitel | Flexibility-Oriented Remote Office Phone System

Answer

Mitel’s VoIP product, MiVoice Business, provides users with a comprehensive calling platform that meets both their sales and customer support needs.

Mitel’s benefits

Mite’ls list of features offers many benefits to users, improving their efficiency and productivity, regardless of whether they work from the comfort of their home or the office. The phone system was designed with flexibility in mind, making it easy to scale your business without breaking the bank. What’s more, Mitel pays close attention to their customer experience, so you’ll always have someone to talk to should anything ever go wrong.

Key features

Call forwarding to mobile numbers
Video conferencing
Drag-and-drop call flow designer

What is Mitel missing?

Reviewers on G2 have complained about connectivity issues with this service. According to some, the interface can also be difficult to navigate for new users.

Pricing

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Remote Office Phone System:The Key to Effective Decentralized Global Operations

The 4 Most Popular Features of Global Call Centers

Call Conferencing

Automatic call distribution (ACD)

Call forwarding

Toll-free numbers

Cut Landlines and Extra Costs

Grow Your Global Influence

10 Best Remote Office Phone Systems for Your Business

Set up your call center in 5 minutes

Cloudtalk Benefits

Key Features:

What is CloudTalk Missing?

What Type of Business is It Best For?

Pricing:

If you’re interested in learning more about the following competitors, just click the drop-down menu.

#1 Rated call center software

Nextiva Benefits

Key Features:

What is Nextiva Missing?

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

Pricing

RingCentral’s Benefits

Key Features:

What is RingCentral Missing?

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

Pricing

Ooma Benefits

Key Features:

What is Ooma Missing?

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

Pricing

Grasshopper’s Benefits

Key Features:

What is Grasshopper missing?

What Type of Business is It Best For?

Pricing

MightyCall’s benefits

Key features

What is MightyCall missing?

Pricing

Aircall’s benefits

Key features

What is Aircall missing?

Pricing

Google Voice Benefits:

Key Features:

What is Google Voice Missing?

What Type of Business Is It Best For?

Pricing:

eVoice Benefits:

Key Features

What is eVoice missing?

Pricing

Mitel’s benefits

Key features

What is Mitel missing?

Pricing

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FAQ

What is a remote phone system?

How do I set up a phone system in my office?

What are the benefits of a Remote Office Phone System?

How much does a remote office phone system cost for small businesses?

What is the best remote office phone system?

Connect agents, customers and other software, together in the cloud

Remote Office Phone System:
The Key to Effective Decentralized Global Operations