Virtual Phone Numbers

Virtual Phone Numbers

If you’re looking to give your small business the same aesthetic as a big
business, or if you’re small business is growing larger, a virtual phone number may be the direction you should head in. I researched a few and this is what I came up with.

I started with eVoice. You get a free phone number which can be local or toll-free or you can even connect your current business number to eVoice. They also have an option for a vanity number which would be like 1-800- Walmart, for example. You have the ability to create your own greeting.

You also get call forwarding and an auto attendant that sends your customer to the appropriate place for their call with customizable extensions and a dial-by-name directory. There is no hardware, no setup, and no contracts, they also have a phone app to manage calls or you can use the desktop service. They offer sequential calling which would call the employee phone lines in the order you select or Sequencing calling which would ring all lines at once until someone answers. Do not disturb, hold music, and conference calls are some of the many other features available. Let’s discuss the pricing.

All plans come with a 30-day free trial. The first plan is e-voice lite which is $12.99 a month. It includes 300 minutes, 2 extensions and 6 numbers. Their most popular plan is $29.99 a month with 1,000 minutes, 5 extensions and 15 numbers. Their next plan is 2,000 minutes, 10 extensions and 30 numbers for $49.99. Their last plan offers 4,000 minutes, 15 extensions and 45 numbers for $79.99.

Next, I researched Mighty Call. They also give the option to choose a local number, toll-free number, or a vanity number. They have many of the same features as eVoice including call queuing and voicemail transcription. Where they differ at is unlimited extensions and texting, and performance reports. They have 3 plans; basic, standard and ultimate.

The basic plan is $19.99 with 1000 minutes and 2 numbers which can both be local, both be toll-free or one local and one toll-free. The standard plan includes 5,000 minutes, 5 toll-free or local numbers, call recording and voice to text for $49.99. For $99.99 a month you can get 15,000 minutes, 10 toll-free or local numbers, softphone, and hard phones, API, call recording, voice to text, and Voice Studio Recording. They put some of their best features in their more expensive plans.

Phone.com was the last of my research. They have all the features of the previously mentioned virtual phone number services but also, their calls are in HD and faxing. A premium feature they off is Caller Analytics which breakdowns demographic, social profile and cell provider. Their base plan is as low as $12.99 a month but if you pay annually its $9.99 a month. It includes 300 monthly minutes, unlimited user extensions, 1 local or toll-free number, and 5,000 SMS messages. Included in the Plus plan is 5, 000 monthly minutes, unlimited user extensions two local or toll-free numbers, 10,000 SMS messages, everything in the base plan plus automated voicemail to text, premium hold music, and hold music for $19.99 monthly or $14.99 if you pay annually. The pro plan is $29.99 if paid annually and $29.99 if paid monthly. Some features include 1,000 monthly minutes, unlimited user extensions, three local or toll-free numbers, 20,000 SMS messages, call analytics, 300 call recording minutes, and HD video conferencing. They also offer plans with unlimited monthly minutes.

I believe that Phone.com is the better choice but eVoice is not far behind. Visit these websites to get more details and specifics on what they offer and figure out what works best for you.