For a business organization, efficient communication is important to drive processes. This is an essential element in today’s business environment that no organization can do without. There is need for communication within and between teams in any organization as well as with the customers they are serving. In addition, in-house communication is important for coordination of the human resource of any organization as well as for sustaining collaborative efforts between team members. It is essential to get everyone on the same page and keep them focused on achieving a set goal. This is where Vonage Business excels.
Furthermore, efficient communication between a business and its customers is also important for sustainability. It is only when a business is connected to its customers that it understands their experiences and make improvements. When there is real connection, there will be meaningful interaction that will help the business keep existing customers and attract new ones.
Knowing that efficient communication system is relevant in any business organization, how do businesses get things going? The use of traditional in-house PBX systems is no longer an option for businesses and there is need for more reliable telephone solutions. Cloud-based VoIP (Voice-over internet protocol) phone service has become the real deal and has been embraced by several businesses. The popularity of this solution has grown over the years with several companies entering as providers. One of the providers that have caught the attention of experts in the industry is Vonage Business. Here is a comprehensive Vonage business review that takes a look at Vonage Business Essentials, various Vonage Business phones, and other amazing services and support provided by the company.
Our Vonage for Business Pricing & Review
What Is Vonage Business?
Vonage Business is a major player in the business VoIP market just like it’s counterpart, Nextiva. Actually, it is safe to say that it is a leader in the Voice-over Internet Protocol phone service industry. The company possesses quite a large market share in the United States of America. The parent company, Vonage, is a publicly held business, with that headquarters situated in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 2001, the company has been providing telecommunication services based on voice over internet (VoIP) and Vonage Business is only one of their services that is specifically meant for businesses.
To be specific, Vonage Business is a VoIP phone service for businesses. It is most suitable for small and mid-size companies and has been around for a while in the industry. The Vonage phone system enables businesses to connect their VoIP phone system to internet-enabled devices and communicate through desired channels. Users in the network can communicate through text, over the phone or through videoconferencing. What it offers can best be described as unified communication platforms that integrate communication services in a manner that simplifies organizational communication. Using voice as a platform, Vonage business essentials support video conferencing, voicemail transcription, and desktop sharing. Through a middle ware technology, Vonage for Business also allows business customers to connect with different business applications and customer relationship management (CRM) tools.
There are currently thousands of businesses using Vonage Business solution and most of them seem to be pretty satisfied with the services they are getting. The Vonage business phone service boasts of a highly impressive 99.99% up-time reliability. While the cloud service, Vonage business cloud, with its 40+ built-in features is aimed at small and mid-size businesses, Vonage business premier (currently referred to as Vonage Enterprise) is more suitable for larger organizations. To ensure optimal quality of service, the later uses Vonage private Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network and includes 24/7 monitoring.
Why Consider Vonage Business Phone Service?
For businesses in need of VoIP phone services, there are several enterprise VoIP providers in the market. What set Vonage Business phones apart and why should you consider using their services? Well, there are several reasons and we will try as much as possible to highlight the most important ones:
Affordable Phone Service For Businesses
Let us start by talking about the affordability of the service. VoIP phone services are generally cost-effective when compared to traditional landline phone service and Vonage does not fail in this regard. Though it offers a highly efficient communication solution, the Vonage business cost you have to pay to access it is very affordable. Besides, there are Vonage phone systems for small business.Whether you are a small, medium, or large business, the affordable Vonage Business plans will improve the overall profitability of your business.
Security
Every business is expected to be security conscious and Vonage understands this. Vonage business phones system is secured. You can be certain that your business and your communication channels are safe and properly secured.
Quality communication
Though it is an inexpensive business communication service, Vonage phone system for small businesses is a top quality VoIP service with uncommon reliability. The up-time is also very impressive so businesses can be certain of seamless communication at all times.
Flexible communication solution
The flexibility it offers is another reason to consider Vonage business service. Vonage Business cloud offers different service plans that suits different types of organizations.The mobile plan is for businesses that depend so much on mobility and can be run on mobile devices without the need for desk phones. The premium plan is the middle plan that is ideal for traditional businesses that use desk phones. It also support mobile devices. The last of these plans is the advance plan that has all the complete features Vonage has to offer. We will discuss more about these service plans but the flexibility is something you need to take note of.
Key Features of Vonage
In a comparison of VoIP Providers, Vonage standards out for providing quality VoIP services to businesses. Asides from the extensive infrastructure they have built and acquired to make their services better and stronger, the key features the service offers to businesses are numerous and awesome. Below are some of the most notable Vonage Features.
Vonage for Business Cloud App
The Business Cloud Mobile App is an additional feature that Vonage Business customers get when the purchase Vonage Business Cloud phone system. The features let business owners and managers link the business phone number to the Mobile Cloud App. This enhances mobility as the business owner/manager and employees can make and receive business calls from anywhere. The App also allows for video calls while users remain integrated with the full business phone system.
The Business Cloud App is available for Android and iOS: you can use it on any smartphone to communicate effectively with the business phone system. When users call or text on their smartphone using the mobile app, the caller ID reflect that they are calling from the business even when they are far from the office. This is a good way to project professionalism without incurring unnecessary expenses. Even when users send messages, they do so with the company’s number. This includes all messages to/from any U.S. number. Group messages within the account can also be sent.
There are several likable things about Vonage Business Cloud App but one of the most outstanding thing is the ease of use. Downloading the app is straightforward and once that is done, you can get started easily: it is as simple as that. Other things you will like include:
- Great interface with intuitive navigation to maintain a single business identity in the office and on the road
- Instant messaging that allows you to communicate with team members either on a private level or in group conversations
- Real time video call with other users on the account (with the Business Cloud Mobile App version 4.1 and above, you can easily switch from audio call to video call and back)
- Image attachment sharing with team members across the business cloud account is also enabled by the app
- Saving of Vonage business contacts and accessing, editing, and managing them across multiple devices is also made possible by the App
- It is also easy for users to manage their availability with such features as Call Forwarding and Mute This Device
- The App also works over different connection options including Wi-Fi, 3G/4G/LTE;there is no disruption of your calls when you lose Wi-Fi as your mobile data connects immediately
The Vonage Business Cloud App can improve productivity in any business organization. The‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) policy has been fruitful for many and the mobile app facilitates that. It also makes it possible for business owners and employees to keep their business and personal account separate without having to switch device from time to time.
Vonage Enterprise App
If Vonage Enterprise is the most suitable platform for your organization, there is no need to worry about mobility, either. The Vonage Enterprise App has you covered in this regard. The App is a complete cross-platform Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) solution. Businesses and other organizations have access to the App as an added feature for purchasing the Vonage Enterprise phone system. Vonage launched the app as a way of making their enterprise plan mobile too. It is therefore a solution for large enterprises in need of IP telephony, video telephony, and messaging. As an extension of the Vonage enterprise, this App takes the affordable solution to a whole new level.
The Vonage Enterprise App is available for Android and iPhone/iPad devices. Users of Vonage Enterprise can easily download the app and enjoy the many benefits it offers to them and their entire organization. The App is completely integrated with the Vonage platform to offer the various calling options available to enterprise users. It is simple and straightforward, allowing users to initiate or receive phone calls from their colleagues and peers. Instant messages is also allowed just as it is easy to make/receive video calls. Users can also keep contact lists to make the process of communication easier: it actually make multimedia communication more effective and efficient.
There are several things to like about the Vonage Enterprise App but the convenient and intuitive interface for unified communication is among the most interesting ones. The App is also easy to access and use: simply download from App Store or Google Play and enjoy the numerous benefits. Other things you will like include:
- The ability to receive HD Voice and Video calls with the business account via mobile devices
- The ability to move from one device to another without interrupting an important call (call logs, buddy lists, and service settings can also be synchronized across all devices)
- The ability to save and manage business contact across multiple devices (users can also know the status of business contacts; away, busy, in a meeting, do not disturb, and offline)
The Vonage Enterprise App is amazing for so many reason. There has been lots of improvements made on the App. A new visual notification is available when users get a voicemail in their inbox. The App has also been enhanced to minimize the amount of power it uses,providing you with longer battery life.
Vonage Business Wi-Fi Calling Options
Being a voice-over internet protocol (VoIP) phone service provider Vonage handles telephony services through the internet. Instead of relying on cellular towers to transmit call signals, this services are coordinated over the internet. Like other cloud-based telephone service, Vonage business Phone service is transforming the one businesses approach telephone service. There is less dependence on traditional telephone systems that are expensive. Businesses using cloud based VoIP services can save so much and this is one of the main reasons this communication solution is becoming mainstream.
Once the Business phone system is successfully set-up, one of the major requirement for seamless running is strong internet connection. Once there is strong internet connection, the system works exceptionally well. For Vonage Business, there are other possibilities enabled by the Vonage mobile apps. One of the possibilities is Wi-Fi calling.
Users of Vonage Business Cloud App are able to make and receive calls through different connection options including Wireless Fidelity. Once their smartphones has strong Wi-Fi connection, users can easily enjoy all the services offered by their Business package through the mobile app. This includes voice calls, instant messaging and even video calls. This Wi-Fi calling option is also available for Vonage Enterprise Apps.
Another good thing about the Wi-Fi calling options is that users do not have to experience call disruption even when they lose Wi-Fi connection. The apps work well with mobile data. With3G, 4G, or LTE, users can still stay connected and communicate efficiently.
In addition to these key features, there are add-on features that can enhance your VoIP experience.While some are free features, others are paid features.
Free Add-ons
The features your business can add for no fees are:
- Three-way conferencing – This is a feature that lets you have more than one person in a conference at a time. It is a free feature that is necessary for today business environment.
- Call management functions – With this feature you can add such things as call blocking, auto dialing, call forwarding, and call waiting. At no extra cost, you will get these really necessary functions.
- Call logs – Keeping call activities is more important than some people assume and this is why this feature is something to be thankful for. It can be incredibly helpful when there is any need for call audit.
- Administrative Portal – This portal will let businesses manage their communication system better. It lets users manage all their extensions; the admin can add and remove extensions in an easy and convenient manner. Thanks to the administrative portal, setting up conferences can become a lot easier too.
- Cell Phone integration – Cell phone integration is an important feature for businesses that cherish mobility. Vonage business phone service lets you connect extension with a cell phone or choose multiple phones as extensions.
- Fax/email feature – This is another important feature for businesses. If you find it helpful to communicate using fax, the Vonage business fax feature will let you fax from your computer: users can do virtually anything they can do with a traditional fax machine albeit, in a virtual environment.
Paid Features
Besides the free features discussed above, there are several other paid features that can greatly enhance the experience of using Vonage business. Some of the features are as follows:
- Conferencing facility – This is a paid feature that will let you enjoy conferencing in a well-defined dimension. It lets users to add up to 30 individuals to a conference. This will definitely enhance collaborative effort in your business organization.
- Toll-free number – When participants can join a call without a fee on their cell phone service, there are great opportunities it can fetch your business. You can make this happen with this paid feature in Vonage phone service.
- Automated call recording – There may be need to review conference calls and this is the feature that will let you do that seamlessly. For purposes of evaluation and discussion, you can use this paid feature to record calls and playback in the future.
- Queuing of Incoming Calls – This is another necessary feature for serious businesses. If your customer support handles too many calls at a time, this feature can help keep things going when there is need to put some customers on hold. You can also entertain the callers with music when they are on hold.
Service Plans & Vonage Business Pricing
Similar to Ringcentral and 8×8, Vonage offers three pretty basic service plans including mobile, premium and advanced. Pricing differs across the three service plans but the number of phone lines your business uses will also determine how much you will pay. For the different subscription plans, the features you will get differs. The mobile plan is the most affordable and the features you get are quite limited. On the other end, the advanced service plan is the costliest and it comes with all the advanced features you need. Vonage business costs are friendly and choosing what suits your business will see you improve overall profitability.
Mobile (starting from $19.99)
The mobile service plan is the basic plan and the cheapest. It allows businesses to communicate through mobile and desktop but is most ideal for remote teams and businesses that have no need for desk phones. This service plan comes with the following features:
- Unlimited calling and SMS messages
- Mobile App for Android and iOS
- Desktop App and
- VonageFlow for team messaging
The Vonage business pricing for the Mobile service plan starts at $19.99 per month/per line plus taxes and fees for 1 – 4 lines. For 5-19 lines, it is $17.99 per month/per line plus taxes and fees while for 20 – 99 lines it is $14.99 per month/per line plus taxes and fees. For 100 lines and above, you have to contact sales or Vonage business help to get a quote.
Premium (starting from $29.99)
This is the second option in Vonage Business Pricing. It offers all the features you will find in the mobile plan and more. It is best for traditional office environment as it allows communication with any device including mobiles and desk phones. In addition to all the features listed in the mobile plan, you will have access to the following features:
- Multi-level Auto Attendant
- Video Conferencing, Chat and File sharing, supporting up to 100 people and powered by Amazon Chime and
- CRM integration
The Vonage business pricing for the premium plan starts at $29.99 per month/per line plus taxes and fees for 1-4 lines. For 5-19 lines, it is $27.99, while for 20-29 lines it is $24.99. To get the Vonage cost for 100+ lines in this plan, you need to contact sales.
Advance (starting from $39.99)
This is the top-end plan and the most expensive of the Vonage Service plan. It offers all the features you will find in the Premium plan and more. Your business will also get a dedicated team for setup and on boarding. In addition to all the features listed in the premium plan, you will have access to the following features:
- Call recording on demand (15 hours/month)
- Call group
- Vonage visual voicemail and
- Orange-Glove Setup
The Vonage business pricing for the advance plan starts at $39.99 per month/per line plus taxes and fees for 1-4 lines. For 5-19 lines, it is $37.99, while for 20-29 lines it is $34.99. To get the Vonage cost for 100+ lines the advance plan, you need to contact sales for a quote.
International Calling Options
For businesses with customers, clients and partners abroad, staying connected is very important. While emails are often reliable means of communicating with individuals in foreign soils,there are instances where calls need to be made. Making international calls is no big deal for most phone users but the atrocious rate may be too much for your business. Vonage understands this perfectly and have a way out for its customers.
The Vonage business phone service offers business customers high quality international calling at very friendly rates. Even better than that, there is international conference calling option for businesses and you don’t have to break the bank to afford this services. Simply named international long distance, there are several things to love about Vonage international calling service: it is easy to set up and stay connected,you will be able to make calls to numbers in 200+ countries and territories around the world, and the rates are incredibly low. From a comparison initiated by the company, it was found that the international long distance rates offered by Vonage business were 75% lower on average than those of traditional carriers. If your business deals with international customers or is expanding into new markets in foreign territories, you can save so much by using the international long distance offered by Vonage business phone services.
There is no need for special international long distance plans. When you buy a Vonage Business Cloud phone system, the feature is there already. All you need to do is request the feature and enjoy the amazing rates. You can call Vonage business for a free quote to get started.
What is Vonage Business Premier?
Vonage Business Premier is the unified communication platform offered by Vonage to larger organizations. It is the Enterprise Cloud Communication solution that is suitable for businesses that need:
- Powerful unified communications
- Scalable, reliable, and fully managed system and
- Elevated quality of service.
With the Vonage Business Premier,enterprise customers get unparalleled up-time and reliability with the Vonage network QoS. The robust portfolio of unified communication platform also features end-to-end management. This integrates easily with business application and simplifies the entire communication process for enterprise customers of Vonage.
To maintain the communication quality of service needed by enterprises, Vonage has invested heavily in infrastructure. The company has one of the nation’s largest dedicate Multi protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network with more than 25 individual POPs. This ensures that your data is kept private and managed in an efficient manner.The Vonage Business Premier also has an App. It has been rebranded as the Vonage Enterprise App which we have discussed above.
How Is Vonage Business Customer Service Rated – My.Vonage business support?
Undoubtedly, Vonage offers top quality VoIP phone service but how do their customers feel about Vonage Business support? In other words, how is their customer service rated? We are interested in this because the services will not matter so much if there is no serious support team to help customers in times of need. Vonage appears to be a company that cares for its customers and the reviews and ratings across reliable third-party websites speaks volume. Overall satisfaction level is very high.
From their website, there are lots of helpful information for customers. On your own, you can fix several issues with your Vonage business phone system but there may be times you will need real help. There is business cloud contact us page for Vonage essentials and enterprise contact us page for enterprises. The Vonage business tech support can be very helpful when you are dealing with a technical issue. You can also call anytime between 8 AM – 11 PM ET with the Vonage business support phone number which is 1.855.558.2436 or go to my.vonage business support.
The customer care team at Vonage offers a full range of support services. Vonage business tech support team is also available at all times to troubleshoot issues directly and help with technical guidance and support in any way possible. In some Vonage business phone reviews, there has been complaints that the support team takes too long to resolve some issues. The experiences of some other customers differ in this regard and we can conclude that the number of satisfied customers far exceed the number of customers that have rated Vonage business customer service poorly.
How to Set Up Vonage Business
Setting up Vonage Business phone system is actually no big deal. This is one of the characteristics that make the service appealing to most business owners: they can set up the cloud-hosted system in a snap since it is plug-and-play capable. This means in-office installation and other such things are not needed while setting up the system.Actually, there are three simple steps you can take to get your cloud phone service working, according to the company.
First step will be to call Vonage business phone service. You will have to speak with a VoIP specialist who can estimate your business phone service needs, provide answers to important questions you may have and deliver pricing quote. Once you are satisfied with the quote and ready to get started, Vonage works with you to prepare your business account and order desk phones if they are needed. The second step is to prepare your account. The VoIP specialist will work with you throughout the process. There is a porting team that can help you transfer your existing phone numbers to your Vonage business account and if you ordered new IP desk phones, they will be delivered directly to your business. The final step is to activate your Vonage Business account which is a straightforward process. You can call the support team to help you activate the service and plug into your existing high-speed internet connection to get started. You can download the desktop App and the Mobile App to get things going with Vonage business desktop or Vonage Mobile. The advance plan grants you access to Orange-Glove Setup. You can contact a Vonage VoIP specialist here: https://www.vonage.com/business/switching-is-simple/easy-setup/.
How to Fax With Vonage: Fax.VonageBusiness.com?
There are some business owners and employees that prefer to communicate via fax. There are actually some advantages of using this method of communication and Vonage business clearly understand this. It is possible to fax with their services. The paperless fax from Vonage business lets you send and receive virtual fax from wide range of supported devices. It is more like an electronic fax-to-email solution but there are options when it comes to using it: users can send and receive faxes through emails, a portal, or a virtual fax machine.
In any Vonage business account, only a Super Users and administrators can add or set up paper fax. A fax number is associated to a single email address which can be managed from the portal.
To send a fax from the portal, take the following steps:
- Sign in to Vonage Fax with the fax number or associated email and password at fax.vonagebusiness.com
- Click send fax at the left side of the prompt
- Complete the required fields and attach your fax
- Click Review and Send at the top, then click OK.
To send fax through email:
- Sign in to the email associated with paperless fax
- Compose a new email and in the ‘To’ field, type 1<10-digit phone number at fax.vonagebusiness.com
- Attach a file in the supported format
- Click ‘Send’
To send fax via their Virtual Fax Machine:
- Sign in to Vonage Fax and click download at the top to download Virtual Fax Machine (VFM) which is compatible with Windows only.
- Install the program on your computer
- Sign in with your fax portal credentials
- Fill out the applicable fields
- Attach your fax
- Click Send
Vonage Business Login: My.VonageBusiness.com
Vonage business customers can easily log in and access their accounts from any supported device. It is as easy as opening the my.vonagebusiness.com website, selecting ‘Sign In’ and imputing your credentials.
For Business Cloud Customers, System Administrators can access their account majorly from their offices, manage and customize the company’s phone system, and monitor account activity. End users can access their account from supported devices anywhere and use the numerous features available to them.
For Vonage Enterprise customers, Administrators can log in to Vonage Enterprise Portal, MyVoice Portal, and Call Recording Portal.
It is also possible for customers to sign in to their Vonage business account using their Google ID. This is available for Account Super Users (ASU), Account Administrators (AA) and end Users (EU). Also, only one Google account can be linked to one Vonage Online Account.
To set up your Alternate Google ID:
- Go to the Vonage Sign In page
- Click on Sign In With Google
- Select the Google account to link to your Vonage Business account
- Enter your Vonage account credentials
- Click Login
- Click Allow to accept the terms and conditions from Google
- Review and click Confirm
What We Like About Vonage Business
There are certainly so many things to like about Vonage Business. For us, there are specific things we like about this service and we will summarize them as briefly as possible:
Affordable services – Businesses need to improve profitability and an affordable phone system can help in so many ways. Vonage offers very affordable phone service that can help businesses to save so much.
Top quality VoIP phone service – Even though the service they offer are affordable, the quality is top-notch. From Vonage phone reviews in different third-party websites, it is clear that there is no complaints about the quality of the phone service.
Flexible service plans – Vonage offer flexible service plans. You can choose your plan depending on the feature you need for your business. The number of lines you will also be accounted for when determining what you will pay for each service plan.
Amazing 40+ features – Vonage Business phone system comes with 40+ built-in features that improves your business communication system meaningfully. Some features are free add-ons and there are ones you will have to pay for. They are all amazing.
The helpful App – Aside from the desktop App for Vonage business desktop, the phone system also come with mobile Business App that works with Android and iOS devices. This can help businesses in so many ways.
What We Don’t Like About Vonage Business
Though Vonage is great in so many ways, it is not perfect. There are some things we don’t like about this service and we will summarize them briefly below:
Voicemails are deleted after 3 months – Voicemail to business accounts are securely stored in cloud for 3 months and are completely deleted afterwards. This is no big deal for most businesses but we think you need to know.
Calls to Alaska and Hawaii attract additional charges – In addition to international calls outside the United States, calls to Alaska and Hawaii attract extra charges. This is common among some other providers too.
Customer support can take long to resolve issues – There are several complaints from customers claiming that they had to wait for long for Vonage business technical support team to resolve their issues. Though the customer service is favorably rated, this complaints are hard to ignore.
Vonage for Business VoIP FAQs
Q: Do businesses get free trial before commitment?
A: Yes, businesses can try any Vonage phone service for 14 days before making commitment
Q: Can businesses cancel at any point they want?
A: Yes, there are no contractual obligations if you don’t want any. Businesses can cancel whenever they want.
Q: Can I use any kind of internet connection for my Vonage Business?
A: Vonage needs high-speed internet connection to work; anything less will not give you a good experience.
Q: Can businesses use their existing phones?
A: Yes, businesses can use their old phones including mobile devices as far as they are compatible.
Final Thought on Vonage Business Solutions
From the detailed Vonage Business review provided above, we can see that Vonage Business offers great VoIP services which can be helpful for different kinds of businesses. There are plans for small and mid-size businesses as well as a plans that are suitable for larger enterprises. The phone system also offers several amazing features that make business communication more efficient. It is a reliable business solution that is also affordable. Overall, it has all it takes to improve business productivity.
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