Virtual Phone & Virtual Office

Updated 05-03-2013

If you're a small business owner who needs the features of a big business phone system with the freedom to receive calls on any phone, anywhere, then virtual phone is the solution you're looking for. Virtual phone service gives you a single phone number that you can route to the phones of your choice. This means calls to your company's main number can go to your employees no matter where they are. You can configure custom greetings, programmable telephone menus, call forwarding, faxing, and more, all without extra equipment. And with plans around $10.00 per month, it might just be your cheapest business expense yet.

Virtual Phone & Virtual Office


Services: Our Ratings: Bottom Line:
eVoice Rating:stars
Good interface and a great value, includes teleconferencing, but only 2 extensions
Ring Central Rating:stars
Integrated faxing and mobile apps make this a good choice, but it's a bit complex
Phone.com Rating:stars
Extra minutes, capable with iPhone apps, and simple setup and interface make this a top choice
Grasshopper Rating:stars
Best for businesses who don't use a lot of minutes, this comprehensive service boasts unlimited extensions, integrated faxing, and a multitude of other features
FreedomVoice Rating:stars
Service designed for 10 employees or less, includes faxing; it's not a beauty, but it's easy to use
Nextiva Connect Rating:stars
Best for small businesses with multiple offices, but service has some annoyances

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Virtual Phone
& Virtual Office
Overview

Make the calls come to you

If you're a small business owner, your office may be your car one day and your kitchen table the next. With virtual phone service, your callers won't know the difference. They'll call one number, and they'll be routed to the number (or numbers) you select: home, office, or cell—all at once, or one after another. You can even set your own business hours so you'll only receive calls when you want them. And with a number to handle your business, your cell phone number remains just for personal use.

Run your business, not your phone service

We've reviewed these services extensively, making and receiving calls, recording messages and, most importantly, gauging how easy each service is to use. So we've given our highest ratings to those services that not only give you essential features for a great price, but that won't cause you headaches either. When considering a virtual phone service decide which features are important to you: Want faxing? How about conference calling? How many minutes do you need? Our reviews and comparisons break down all the costs and features.


Save money, and save yourself from headaches

Call it virtual phone, virtual pbx, or virtual office, it doesn't matter, because mostly you'll be calling it a life saver. There's no need to spend extra money on equipment or high-priced plans from the big phone companies. Virtual phone is cheap, powerful, and scalable. You'll be surprised at the big features you get for a low monthly cost. Sign up, configure your mailboxes with your web browser, and you're good to go. You'll have great phone service anywhere you can receive telephone calls.


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Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.