As a system, the first use of VoIP started in 1995 as a means to cut back on costs while making international calls. Now that technology has significantly advanced, we see the use of VoIP everywhere.
With the rise of Zoom and other modern communications technologies, people have been throwing the term VoIP around and you may not fully understand the meaning of VoIP.
VoIP stands for ‘voice-over-internet-protocol’, it is how we have harnessed the internet’s powers to be able to make calls to each other.
In this article, I will try to explain what is a VoIP caller and which one you should be using for your needs.
What is a VoIP Caller?
VoIP providers allow you to make calls online through a virtual number. This way, you can use your phone/ PC to make calls to traditional phone numbers.
You might want to get a virtual phone number from one of the VoIP providers I am about to list to get a second phone number in any country you’d like!
Perhaps you operate outside the US and would like to get a US phone number to gain credibility when dealing with US-based clients.
Nonetheless, if you have received a call from a VoIP caller, know that they probably used a VoIP provider to make that call.
Traditionally, you would have to get a separate VoIP phone to be able to make VoIP calls. Now it is as simple as installing an app on your phone or making a call through the software on your PC.
How does VoIP Work?
To put it in layman’s terms, a VoIP caller simply converts the audiovisual signals that your device receives into a broadband signal. Thus, allowing it to travel through a broadband network.
This makes calls so much cheaper for everyone. Instead of using expensive telephony, people find it more convenient to make calls through VoIP.
Nowadays, it is impossible to avoid the use of VoIP, you use it for business meetings, or just catching up with friends and family. Facetime, Skype, Zoom, and Google Meet use this same technology.
A Brief History of VoIP
Tracing back to 1973, the beginning of VoIP can be found in ARPANET’s research on packet-switched networks for voice communication. However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that consumer-level applications like Skype began popularizing this groundbreaking technology.
With the increased availability of broadband and cloud-based services, VoIP has become an invaluable asset for businesses looking to cut costs and increase efficiency.
Different Types of VoIP Services
Variety abounds in the world of VoIP solutions. Businesses can choose from several types depending on their needs:
- Hosted PBX: A third-party provider manages all aspects of your phone system off-site while offering advanced features such as call routing and voicemail transcription.
- SIP Trunking: This service connects your on-premises PBX system directly to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) via an IP connection without requiring physical phone lines or circuits.
- Cloud-based VoIP: With this option, your entire phone system is hosted and managed by a provider in the cloud, offering easy scalability and minimal upfront costs.
What is The Best VoIP Caller?
1. RingCentral
For business owners, there is no better VoIP provider than RingCentral. They have built their software with business owners in mind.
Their plans give you a virtual business number that gives you unlimited domestic calls in the US and Canada.
RingCentral gives you access to video conferencing, SMS, and voicemail and allows you to change features like holding music.
At $19.99 per month, I think it is a steal, especially for people that intend on using this for their business. RingCentral guarantees 99.999% uptime so you will never have to worry about your line being invalid.
With servers all around the world, RingCentral offers call quality better than you would expect with your phone carrier.
A big downside to RingCentral is that their basic plan only allows up to 20 users. If you need more users to use the same number, you must upgrade to their unlimited plans.
This pricing strategy has led people to seek more cost-effective packages with RingCentrals competitors.
Features:
- Ideal when operating your business in the US
- Affordable pricing
- Free or very cheap domestic calls
Pricing:
- Essentials – $19.99/user/month
- Standard – $27.99/user/month
- Premium – $34.99/user/month
- Ultimate – Starts at $49.99/user/month
2. Nextiva
If you are already using a stack of business software, Nextiva is the best VoIP caller for you. Nextiva comes with a host of integrations with software like Zoho, Hubspot, Outlook, and many more.
You will also realize that Nextiva is great for cutting down costs. You will get unlimited domestic calling for all your users.
Nextiva offers all the features of a traditional phone and more. For instance, you can choose to receive your voicemails directly to your email for more convenience.
Being one of the more expensive options on this list, you can expect all of Nextiva’s VoIP services to be top-notch. It’s ideal for those that want to host webinars with their employees or customers.
As you begin to explore Nextiva’s advanced packages, you will notice that it starts to act as a marketing platform, allowing you to manage sales funnels.
Features:
- Unlimited domestic calls in US and Canada
- Integrates with most other business software
- Very intuitive interface
Pricing:
- Essential – $18.95/user/month
- Professional – $22.95/user/month
- Enterprise – $32.95/user/month
*Prices vary depending on how many users you have
3. Openphone
This is one of my favorite VoIP callers because I have used it extensively in the past. I mainly used Openphone to set up a virtual phone number in the US, but it had so many other features that I haven’t touched.
With your team, you will all be able to control a single phone number to contact customers. This is great because your customers will only need one phone number to get in touch with your business.
Like Nextiva, Openphone offers a very wide host of integrations. These are helpful if you want to automate some parts of your business.
Openphone makes contacts easier to identify. Every contact has a list of descriptive features for you and your team to know them better before contacting them.
Features:
- Very customizable contact pages
- Cheap plans for small businesses
- Ready to integrate with most business software
Pricing:
- Standard – $13/user/month
- Premium – $20/user/month
- Enterprise – You must contact Openphone for pricing
4. 8×8
I like 8×8 because of its easy-to-use interface. This will especially come in handy if you are working in teams. All your team members will find adjusting to this VoIP software easily.
8×8 is one of the only VoIP callers on this list that offer a 30-day free trial. This means you can test their service to see if it suits you.
Out of all the VoIP callers on this list, 8×8 is the best for large corporations. When you visit their site, there is a professional feel to their interface, unlike, the other modern options on this list.
Because of their professionalism, you can expect quality service and great support from their team. They have a 24/7 chat interface on their website for your convenience if you get stuck using their services.
Features:
- Professional service
- Emphasis on security
- Unlimited international calling
Pricing:
- Express – $15/user/month
- X2 – $24/user/month
- X4 – $44/user/month
5. Dialpad
Dialpad likes to set itself apart as the innovator of the VoIP world. They are constantly releasing new features for their users to use. Using Dialpad means you are at the forefront of VoIP technology.
They’ve got some very big names in the industry using their VoIP services, naturally making them a more trusted brand in the VoIP space.
AI is Dialpad’s main unique selling point. The AI can guide you through sales calls, transcribe video conferences, and much more.
Modernity is the main theme with Dialpad, this can be seen with their minimalistic approach towards their solutions. Furthermore, their set-up is extremely quick and easy to do.
Features:
- 100% uptime
- AI for mundane tasks
- Very intuitive interface
Pricing:
- Standard – $15/user/month
- Pro – $25/user/month
- Enterprise – You must contact Openphone for pricing
Conclusion
A good VoIP caller is essential for all companies that plan on operating internationally. Just the ability to call someone on a domestic number from a different country gives your company much more trust.
There are some staple features that every VoIP caller needs to have to be identified as decent. Some of these include call recording, video conferencing, and a local phone number. Luckily for you, all the VoIP callers I have listed have those features.
Your customer service will truly be enhanced for the better with the advanced communication service that VoIP callers provide.
Internally, having a dedicated place for your team to meet makes it more convenient for everyone.
In conclusion, I think that the best VoIP caller is RingCentral because of what you are getting out of your money. It is indeed more expensive than the other options on the list, however, you are getting so much more for your money.