9 Best Cloud PBX Solution for Small to Medium Business

Hey there! Choosing a business phone system is a big decision. I know – I‘ve been there! As a long-time technology geek and data analyst, I‘ve spent many hours researching options to find the best cloud PBX solutions for small and medium businesses like yours.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share my insights to help you make the right choice. I‘ve studied countless user reviews, product features, and company stats to break down the top 9 contenders on the market today. This isn‘t a sponsored post – I‘m just a fellow tech nerd who loves analyzing data and testing out new tools!

Let‘s start with the basics…

What is a Cloud PBX Phone System?

A cloud PBX system works a bit differently than traditional phone systems. Instead of using on-premise hardware that you maintain, it leverages the cloud to deliver phone services virtually.

Here are some of the key advantages cloud PBX solutions offer:

• Cost Savings – No expensive hardware to purchase and you only pay for what you use each month. Maintenance fees disappear! According to 2019 data from Sandler Partners, 87% of businesses saw cost reductions after switching to cloud PBX.

• Flexibility – Employees can make calls from their desk phone, mobile device, or computer softphone. It‘s easy to scale up or down as your team grows. 79% of cloud PBX users surveyed by TalkRoute reported improved business flexibility.

• Advanced Features – Enjoy capabilities like auto attendants, intelligent call routing, conference calling, call recording, and voicemail transcription. 61% of respondents in Metrigy‘s 2021 study said advanced features were a top driver for choosing cloud PBX.

• Reliability – Cloud systems have built-in redundancy across multiple data centers to minimize downtime. Nextiva, for example, guarantees 99.999% uptime in their SLA.

• Mobility – Calls seamlessly transition between your desk phone, mobile phone, and laptop based on your preference. 66% of cloud PBX users in Metrigy‘s survey reported increased mobile capabilities.

• Integrations – Many providers offer native integrations with popular CRM tools, helpdesk software, and other business apps you already use.

For small and medium businesses, the benefits around costs, flexibility, features, and mobility make cloud voice very appealing compared to legacy on-premise systems.

According to a 2021 Eastern Management Group study, 89% of SMBs reported that cloud PBX solutions meet or exceed their performance expectations. And Gartner predicts that by 2024, 90% of global businesses will be using cloud PBX platforms. The benefits speak for themselves!

Factors to Consider in Your Cloud PBX Decision

I know you’re eager to get to my top product recommendations! Before we get there, let’s go over some of the key factors to keep in mind as you evaluate options:

Cost – Compare monthly fees, number of included services, and pricing models across vendors. Watch out for hidden charges! Ask about discounts for annual contracts or multi-year deals.

Features – Ensure core features like call routing, auto attendants, voicemail, conferencing, and call monitoring are included. Consider future needs too.

Scalability – Look for providers that let you easily add users, phone numbers and features as you grow. No one likes being locked in!

Reliability – Ask about uptime guarantees and make sure there is redundancy to minimize downtime risks. Even a few minutes of downtime can equal lost calls and dollars.

Customer Support – Review response times, support channels (phone, live chat, email, self-service, etc), and availability outside standard hours.

Integrations – See what CRM, helpdesk, payment processing, and other tools integrate natively. More integrations = higher productivity.

Mobility – Test mobile apps and softphones to see if the experience meets your remote work needs.

Ease of Use – Sign up for free trials and play around in the admin portal and phone interfaces. Complexity frustrates customers.

Implementation & Training – Ask providers what’s included in onboarding. Look for dedicated reps to guide you through transitions.

Whew, that’s a lot to consider! But doing your homework here pays off big time. Now, let’s look at my top 9 recommended cloud PBX platforms for SMBs. I’ve done the heavy data lifting for you!

1. Nextiva

Founded in 2006, Nextiva is one of the most popular cloud communications providers with over 150,000 business customers. Their cloud PBX really shines when it comes to call quality, reliability, and ease of use.

Here are some standout features:

NextOS Platform – This is the brain behind Nextiva‘s services. NextOS seamlessly integrates voice, video, messaging, analytics, and more into one hub.

Reliability – Nextiva guarantees 99.999% uptime backed by real-time redundancy and failover across multiple data centers. Outages are super rare!

Easy Admin Portal – Nextiva‘s dashboard is clean and intuitive. In my testing, it only took minutes to set up call routing flows, IVRs, voicemail, and other settings.

Advanced Voicemail – Voicemails are conveniently transcribed into text for searching or reading on the go. Super handy!

Smart Call Routing – Nextiva analyzes millions of data points to proactively route calls based on location, time of day, caller ID trends, and more.

Top Integrations – Nextiva integrates with 100+ business apps like Salesforce, Zendesk, Microsoft Dynamics, and Marketo. Work smarter!

Nextiva has several pricing tiers to meet different needs. Their popular Professional plan runs $23.95 per user/month and includes unlimited domestic calling. Upgrades like call recording and real-time analytics come with Enterprise plans.

Overall, Nextiva hits it out of the park when it comes to call quality, ease of use, reliability, and integration capabilities. Their solutions are built to scale, which is perfect for medium and larger businesses expecting growth.

2. RingCentral

As one of the first movers in cloud phones, RingCentral now supports over 400,000 global organizations. They are feature-rich with a solid track record.

Here‘s what stands out about RingCentral:

Diverse Clientele – RingCentral‘s customers range from small startups to large enterprises like AAA, United Healthcare, and Uber. Their product scales well.

Mobile Apps – Slick iOS and Android apps plus a desktop app keep you connected on any device. As a mobile worker, I found these super convenient.

Video Conferencing – Face-to-face meetings via RingCentral Video and screen sharing boost collaboration.

AI Assistant – Real-time speech transcription done automatically is great for meetings and webinars. The future is here!

Call Monitoring – Managers can silently monitor calls and whisper feedback/advice to reps during calls. Very cool for training!

Integrations – An open API integrates with leading CRM, helpdesk, messaging, and video conferencing apps.

Custom User Roles – Admins can finely tune user permissions around call monitoring, call handling, and other capabilities.

RingCentral has editions ranging from Essentials to Ultimate to meet needs of different sizes. Pricing starts at $19.99 per user/month for Essentials and scales up from there based on features.

The extensive features, integrations, and mobile capabilities make RingCentral very flexible across industries and roles. It‘s a smart choice for many growing SMBs.

3. Ooma Office

Optimized for small businesses, Ooma Office stands out with straightforward pricing and features. There are no per-user costs – you only pay one low rate per number added.

Here are some useful Ooma highlights:

Low Cost – At just $19.95 per number/month with unlimited US/Canada calling, Ooma beats almost every competitor on base pricing.

Plug-and-Play – Phones auto-provision for quick setup. Compatible with analog phones and VoIP phones from major brands like Polycom and Cisco.

Virtual Receptionist – Ooma‘s interactive voice menus (IVRs) make it easy to route callers to the right people or departments.

Ring Groups – Ring groups let you set multiple phones to ring at the same time until someone picks up (like a home office).

Desktop App – The desktop app allows making calls directly from your PC. I found call quality crisp when testing.

Mobile App – Ooma‘s mobile app enables easy call management on iOS and Android devices.

Basic CRM – Caller ID and call history automatically sync with the mobile app for quick reference on the go.

While Ooma lacks some advanced features bigger platforms offer, it covers all the basics very affordably. The mobile integration and virtual attendant offer more than traditional landlines. For budget-conscious small companies, Ooma hits the sweet spot.

4. Jive Communications

Jive Communications focuses on delivering enterprise-grade phone service while keeping things simple and cost-effective. Reliability and integration capabilities are where Jive truly excels.

Here are some of their highlights:

99.999% Uptime SLA – Jive commits to maximum possible reliability. Out of how many minutes in a whole year, they promise less than 5 minutes of total downtime. Impressive!

Unlimited Calling – No per-minute usage charges for US/Canada calls. Most providers charge overage fees.

Voicemail Transcription – Ai-powered voicemail transcription saves huge time. Transcripts are easy to skim versus listening to messages.

Presence Indicators – See real-time coworker availability statuses before transferring calls for smoother hand-offs.

Mobile Apps – Android and iOS apps allow calling, texting, and managing voicemail on any device.

Integrated Fax – Send or receive faxes without a physical fax machine. Jive makes it all digital.

Jive Communications starts at $29.95 per user/month on their Pro plan, which includes unlimited domestic calls. Enterprise-level plans are available too.

For growing companies that need consistently solid phone service, Jive hits the mark on reliability and seamless integration with popular business apps. Well worth checking out!

5. Vonage Business Cloud

As one of the biggest names in VoIP, Vonage Business Cloud builds on technical expertise to deliver advanced features and integrations. They excel at flexibility and customization.

Key things Vonage offers:

Drag-and-Drop Editor – Easily design intelligent call flows without coding. Makes customization a breeze.

Integrated Contact Center – Route calls to the right agents and monitor performance with wallboard dashboards.

CRM Integrations – Tight native integrations for Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho CRM and other top platforms.

Mobile App – Vonage‘s mobile app provides access to calls, voicemail etc on the go from iOS or Android.

API Access – Build custom apps and leverage data using Vonage‘s APIs. Great for developers.

Global Reach – Local numbers in over 100 countries, with competitive international rates.

Vonage Business Cloud pricing starts at $19.99 per line/month for Premium plans. Advanced options add contact center, analytics and integration capabilities.

For larger or distributed teams needing customization, Vonage Business Cloud is a flexible choice thanks to API access and advanced features.

6. 8×8 Voice for Teams

8×8 combines a full-featured cloud phone system with integrated video meetings, team chat, and contact center software (optional add-on).

Here‘s what makes them stand out:

Integrated Video – Face-to-face conferencing and screen sharing powered by 8×8 Video Meetings. Helpful for remote collaboration.

Team Chat – Chat apps keep everyone aligned. Share messages, files and collaborate across departments in one place.

Single Sign-On – One system for voice, video, chat and contact center creates simplicity.

Advanced Analytics – Real-time dashboards provide insights into team productivity and performance.

Global Coverage – Local numbers in over 50 countries keeps your team connected.

For a streamlined system consolidating multiple communication channels, 8×8 is a great choice. Their X Series packages start at $24 per user/month for the Pro plan, scaling up from there.

If you want an all-in-one solution from a single provider, check out 8×8. The value is strong with their bundled pricing.

7. Grasshopper

Ideal for solopreneurs and very small teams, Grasshopper offers a basic but solid cloud phone option. Plans start at just $26/month for a dedicated local or toll-free number.

Here is what Grasshopper includes:

• Affordable – Grasshopper is among the cheapest cloud phone services on a per number basis. Easy to try them out.
• No Contracts – All plans are month-to-month so you can cancel anytime.
• Mobile App – Manage calls from iOS or Android devices on the go.
• Basic Call Forwarding – Redirect calls to cell phones or external numbers when away.
• Voicemail Transcriptions – Voicemails are sent as text messages or email transcripts.
• Auto Attendant – Recorded message guides callers to the right extensions.
• Integrations – Connects with Salesforce, Zendesk, Slack, and other popular apps.

While Grasshopper lacks advanced features, their low pricing and flexibility appeals to solopreneurs and very small teams. They make it easy to upgrade if you outgrow their basic service.

8. Aircall

One of Aircall‘s biggest differentiators is their intuitive browser-based interface for setting up call flows and managing calls. No clunky desktop phones required.

Here‘s an overview:

Visual Editor – Aircall‘s colorful drag-and-drop editor makes it super easy to customize call routing workflows.

Built-in CRM – Automatically log all calls with notes, tags, and tasks in Aircall‘s timeline view.

Real-Time Dashboards – Monitor queue statuses, agent performance, wait times, and other important metrics in real-time.

150+ Integrations – Aircall connects with helpdesk, calendar, payment, and productivity platforms.

IVR Menus – Easily build interactive voice menus to route callers to the right people or departments.

Voicemail Drops – Listen to voicemail recordings directly in the Aircall interface versus dialing into a traditional inbox.

Aircall pricing begins at $30 per user/month billed annually ($45 month-to-month) for their Essentials plan. Volume discounts available for larger deployments.

For easy call center management without the hassle of on-premise hardware, Aircall is a great modern choice. Their visual workflow builder makes configuration very intuitive.

9. Dialpad

True to its Google roots, Dialpad incorporates AI and machine learning into a robust cloud business phone system.

Here are some highlighted Dialpad features:

Voice Intelligence – Real-time speech transcription and analysis is done automatically using AI. Meetings and calls become more searchable.

UberConference – Dialpad owns UberConference, so audio/video conferencing is built-in.

Compliance Features – Secure call recording options help meet industry compliance requirements. Useful for financial services.

Salesforce Integration – Click-to-call and screen pops make Salesforce integration super seamless.

Custom Roles – Admins can tailor user roles with specific permissions around call monitoring, system access, and more.

SMS – Send and receive text messages directly from Dialpad‘s desktop app and mobile apps.

Global Coverage – Competitive international rates to 50+ countries.

Dialpad Pro plans start at $15 per user/month billed annually ($20 month-to-month) with volume discounts available.

If you want an advanced cloud phone system with built-in AI capabilities, Dialpad is a top contender. The automated transcription and call analytics stood out in my testing.

The Bottom Line

I hope this guide gives you a head start in finding the right cloud PBX solution for your growing business! With so many excellent options now available, take the time to evaluate your team‘s unique needs and priorities before deciding. I‘d recommend signing up for a few free trials to experience the admin portals first-hand.

Focus on essentials like cost, ease of use, reliability, and how well each platform integrates with other tools you rely on. Also consider the potential for advanced capabilities like intelligent call routing or full-blown contact centers as your business scales. One huge benefit of cloud-based systems is that you can easily add users, features, and integrations as needs evolve.

If you have any other questions as you evaluate options, don‘t hesitate to reach out! I‘m always happy to lend my technology experiences and data analysis skills to help a fellow entrepreneur make the right tech decisions. Wishing you the best of luck in finding the perfect phone system for your team!