Not too long ago, Vonage was practically a household name. But with landlines outdated and most of us using our cell phones at home, the company has invested in its Business Cloud Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP (opens in a new tab)) service. And while you'll have to pay more for basic features like video conferencing, chat, and file sharing, there are price scales on how many lines you'll use, which should appeal to businesses with legacy phone systems.
Unlike some of the other players in the VoIP market, Vonage Business Cloud (opens in a new tab) doesn't require an annual contract, and even its lowest price tier offers unlimited talk and text. But if you're a small business that only needs one to four lines, your price per month per user will be higher than if you're a business with 20 to 99 employees. And the younger, more dynamic competitors can really offer more for less money. However, if you want to stick with the proven Vonage brand, the Vonage Home Solution (opens in a new tab) is a great option for small businesses.
Businesses have a decision to make: while Vonage has plenty of features (and integrations) and can grow wonderfully with your business, you'll need to consider whether you think it's good value for money based on the current size of your business. su empresa.
Certainly, Vonage Business Cloud is not a bad option for any business looking to invest in a new VoIP solution, but with such fierce competition in this market, there are more affordable alternatives.
- Vonage Business Cloud Subscription Options:
- 12 month plan - €19.99 per month (€239.88 total cost) (opens in a new tab)
Vonage Business Cloud: Plans and Pricing
We previously complained about Vonage's pricing structure, which was heavily skewed based on the number of employees you want to grant VoIP access to. Although not uncommon, small businesses often end up paying more for the same service simply because they have fewer employees.
Fortunately, Vonage has changed its subscription model, allowing for more consistent pricing. The entry-level Select plan gets call forwarding and forwarding, plus access to mobile and desktop apps, but doesn't include calling. It costs from €9 per user per month, and that's the keyword here. What's not so clear on the Vonage website is that this requires a 36-month contract. When we questioned this, we were told that a more accurate quote could be generated with potential savings for larger organizations. It is a pity the lack of transparency on the company's website in this regard.
Call monitoring, call queuing, call pooling, and a virtual receptionist are all part of the business package, which we think makes the most sense for most businesses. It also has unlimited national and international calls for only €12.50 per user per month. The overall figure, at least, is quite competitive considering the features on offer.
Ultimate plans also allow users to call mobile numbers for free. This, and the option of some pretty useful integrations, costs from €16.50 per user per month.
The dollar prices are a bit more expensive at €19.99, €29.99 and €39.99 for each plan. This is not the first time we have seen such a spread between currencies, and it is also far from the largest.
Vonage Business Cloud - Features
For the most part, the functionality you get when you sign up for Vonage Business Cloud is par for the course. The difference between this and, say, RingCentral MVP (Opens in a new tab), is that RingCentral gives you so much more at the basic level.
Assuming you only want one to four lines, Vonage's Business Cloud Mobile plan is, in Vonage's own words, ideal for "any team that doesn't need desk phones." It offers unlimited talk and text, a desktop app, a mobile app - opens in a new tab, and VonageFlow, or the Vonage team messaging service.
In total, Vonage offers more than 50 voice and unified communication features (opens in a new tab), including video collaboration with Vonage Meetings and a host of productivity tools, all accessible through the Vonage App. Center. These features run the gamut of everything you'd expect from a VoIP system: call forwarding, voicemail to email, call logs, and much more.
To enhance the customer and employee experience, Vonage also comes with a call announcement feature that delivers an audible version of a personalized label to the recipient before the call is connected. The feature can be used in conjunction with call control and the control menu, giving you the option to answer the call, send it to voicemail, or forward it elsewhere. This mainly means that your employees can be fully prepared before picking up the phone. On-demand or company-wide call recording capabilities also mean businesses never have to worry about forgetting important call information. And a password-protected archive lets you store that information for as long as you need it.
The good news is that Vonage Business Cloud comes with all the features you could ever need from a VoIP system. The bad news is that if you want access to more features than just the basic ones, you will have to pay a higher price for that privilege. The platform comes with documentation and sample code to help implement specific features, which will be welcomed by companies who want to dig a little deeper into the coding that underpins some of the VoIP features.
integrations
One of Vonage's most touted features is how it allows for seamless integration with multiple third-party applications. By connecting to organizations' existing CRM tools(Opens in a new tab), Vonage Business Cloud can improve collaboration, increase productivity and enhance the customer experience, all from a unified platform.
This integration means businesses have easy access from any browser (opens in a new tab) or device, can sync all call data across their native reporting dashboards, business app, and can build in UI-level integrations. to remove the application switch.
One of the biggest changes to workplace collaboration in living memory has been the growth of video conferencing tools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the work-from-home policies that many companies were forced into. adopt. This means that solutions like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, and others have seen a huge increase in popularity.
VoIP solutions that can be integrated with some of these video conferencing tools are naturally attractive to many businesses, and this is another area where Vonage Business Cloud shines. The platform comes with Microsoft Teams integration, which allows businesses to access PBX features with superior and optimized call quality from within the Microsoft Teams interface. Instead of having to switch platforms, businesses using Teams can take advantage of enterprise-grade collaboration built into a single app.
Another notable integration is Vonage for Salesforce. This allows employees to simultaneously view caller information and Salesforce recordings and create relevant Salesforce activities from a single interface. Vonage for Salesforce can be accessed through an integrated Salesforce interface or a web browser. Salesforce integration allows Vonage users to capture data across a multitude of devices, streamline workflows and gain real-time insights, with no client-side configuration required.
Although its roots go back more than two decades and its popularity is waning due to increased competition, Vonage remains committed to keeping its services current and this extends to the integrations on offer. These will only improve over time as the company looks to partner with more service providers.
The Teams and Meet integrations, for example, have evolved to be compatible with all Office 365 suites and Google Workforce, and support for Slack has also been added.
final verdict
Compared to other cloud-based VoIP services, Vonage Business Cloud falls short on several fronts for people starting a new business or running one with just a handful of employees. Compared to its competitors, it's hard to see what could really attract SMEs here. Vonage targets its service at businesses that want to tap into cloud services while still being dependent on landlines. In this regard, Vonage can and will deliver for your business, although its competitors may be able to offer more.
Despite the downsides, Vonage offers plenty of features and can obviously cater to its target market. But if you're a startup or small business looking to fully embrace digital transformation when it comes to cloud-based phone systems, you're probably better off looking at more innovative competitors like RingCentral, Dialpad, or GoToConnect. .
Vonage Business Cloud Plans