Tuesday, March 21st
2023 Business Phone System Reviews
Nextiva
- "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
- Integrations with top productivity, CRM, ERP and helpdesk apps
- Monthly or annual pricing available
- 7-day free trial on Essential, Professional, Enterprise plans
- Four service levels to choose from
Nextiva got our attention by being selected as U.S. News' best business phone system for two consecutive years. Companies ranging from small-scale to industry leaders are featured in Nextiva's customer stories - like Nothing Bundt Cakes, Stanley Steemer, and even Conan O'Brien's roadshow team. Read on to see how this provider's business phone systems measure up against the competition (or how they don't!).
Big discounts with annual payment plans
Keep an eye on the settings when you go to price your company's business phone system. The Nextiva site defaults to annual pricing, which comes at a significant discount over month-to-month payments.
No shortage of included features
You'll find four total service packages on business phone systems here: Essential, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. All of them come with unlimited calling within the US and Canada, unlimited video calling, team messaging/collaboration/video, voicemail-to-email notifications, integrations with MS Outlook and Google Contacts, 24/7 customer support, hold music, call groups, call history and log reports, plus a handful of other features. If that's all you need, the Essential plan will be your pick: it's priced from $24.95 to $30.95 per user per month.
Business Phone System Costs
- $24.95 to $30.95 per user per month for Essential plan
- $29.95 to $35.95 per user per month for Professional plan
- $39.95 to $45.95 per user per month for Enterprise plan
- $60.95 to $75.95 per user per month for Ultimate plan
Jump to the Professional plan for greater capabilities
Moving on to the Professional package at $29.95 to $35.95 per user per month, your business phone system will include unlimited conference calls with up to 40 participants, unlimited video conferencing with up to 250 participants, call pop for up to 250 contacts, more integrations (with apps like Hubspot, Salesforce and Zendesk), mobile SMS/MMS, and professional setup.
Enterprise package adds even more
Small-to-medium teams may want the extra features included with Nextiva's Enterprise package, priced at $39.95 to $45.95 per user per month. Your users gain extended integrations (Microsoft Teams, ServiceNow, Oracle Sales Cloud), voice analytics and voicemail transcription, single sign-on, and unlimited call pop, voice and video conferencing, and video conference/call recording.
Most management and productivity tools with Ultimate
Finally, the Ultimate package incorporates every feature of the first three tiers and adds automated surveys, customer journey analytics, plus management of sales productivity, pipeline management, service productivity, and ticket management. As you'd expect, the business phone systems at this level aren't cheap: $60.95 to $75.95 per user per month.
7-day trial but may need a rep to authorize
Nextiva offers a 7-day trial on three of their four plans - but the main pricing page only makes that obvious for the lowest tier, Essential. We saw the free trial options for the other plans when we went to the comparison page. When we reached out to a sales rep via live chat, he confirmed that Nextiva offers that trial period for the Essential, Professional and Enterprise plans, but that it would be best to set that up directly with a representative (because it might not show up during the online quote process otherwise). That comparison chart also had different pricing than the dynamic page, so don't trust it to be up-to-date.
Compliments from some users
At the outset, Nextiva seems to check all the boxes to have a good reputation, like an "A+" rating and accreditation from the BBB. And it's true that you'll find some businesses who have nothing but sunshine for this provider, saying that their account reps and support team have been friendly and available whenever needed.
Not just minor failures here
Unfortunately, it appears that when Nextiva lets a client down, it's in grand fashion. We found reviews from doctors' offices and emergency responders whose phone numbers gave callers a "this call cannot be completed as dialed" - for a week at a time! Some business owners who have been Nextiva users for years theorize that this service grew too quickly and now puts too much emphasis on sales and not enough on service. From hidden or erroneous charges on accounts to monthly fees skyrocketing within a short time after starting service, there are indicators that even the billing aspect of Nextiva service is subpar.
A service that disappoints
Perhaps if you've got a well-known, large-scale business, Nextiva makes sure to keep you happy. But from what we've seen, solo-preneurs and small companies don't get the customer support they need from this platform. And, given the higher-than-average cost of service and the number of options out there that seem to do a better job of taking care of "the little guys" , we can't recommend Nextiva for most business phone system needs.
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The 11 Best Business Phone Systems
Which Company Offers the Best Business Phone System?
To answer that question, you first need to decide what exactly you need your system to accomplish. Is it just the basics, like having a separate number for business calls and being able to route them to different employees? Or are you looking for something fully-featured, with the ability to handle video conferencing and file sharing, integrate with apps you're already using, and extend your reach globally?
No matter what type of phone system your business needs, you've got options! Even if you're a solo entrepreneur, there's a provider for you. If you're wondering whether it's going to be a huge investment to set up your business phones, that depends on how you look at it.
Business Phone System FAQ
Continued from above...
Gone are the days of having to buy equipment and install landlines: most business phone systems today rely on mobile phones and can often use what you already have, minimizing hardware expenses like never before. That doesn't mean it's going to be cheap, though: expect monthly costs ranging anywhere from $12 to over $100 per user, depending on the features you require and which provider you choose.
However, that doesn't mean you'll end up spending more money. Those costs can quickly be offset by increased productivity, getting more customers because of faster response times, and all-in-one packaging that eliminates the need for multiple vendor contracts.
There are a lot of business phone system services out there, and it can be a little daunting narrowing down the possibilities. Want some help? Keep these four Cs in mind as you look for the one that will be the best fit for your company:
- Convenience. How easy is it to set up and use the business phone system? Will it save you time and hassle over the long run? Does it work well with the phones, apps, and other processes your company already uses?
- Cost. How much will you pay to get the business phone system that meets your day-to-day operational needs? How do those fees compare with rival systems? Do you get a good value for the money?
- Contracts. Do you have to make a commitment of a year or longer? Does paying for a year-long contract get you a discount on your monthly fees? What happens if you need to break your contract?
- Customer Support. It's easy to make big promises about service and savings but not as easy to keep them. How does the provider respond after the sale, to keep your system up and running with little to no downtime?
To help you get the right phone system for your business, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the top providers on the market today. We're confident that this information will help you easily sort through the options and find the perfect match for your company!
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