{"id":4713,"date":"2024-04-04T06:05:36","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T06:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/?p=4713"},"modified":"2026-10-27T04:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T04:05:49","slug":"small-business-voip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/small-business-voip\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Business VoIP: What You Get and How to Pick a Provider"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If your business still pays for a landline and a few desk phones, you’ve probably wondered whether switching is worth the hassle. For most small teams, it is. Small business VoIP (voice over internet protocol) runs your phone system over the internet connection you already pay for. That means no on-site phone box, no separate line for every employee, and no waiting for a technician every time someone joins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide covers what a VoIP phone system for a small business actually does, what it costs once you add up the extras, which features are worth paying for, and how eight well-known providers compare. We build telecom software at REVE Systems, so we’ll also tell you where we fit and where we don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is small business VoIP?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Small business VoIP is a phone system that carries calls over the internet instead of traditional copper lines. The provider hosts the system in the cloud, and your team makes and takes calls on desk phones, a computer, or a mobile app, all using a business number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what happens on a call. Your phone or app turns your voice into small digital packets and sends them over your internet connection to the provider. The provider connects you to whoever you’re calling. If they’re on a regular phone, the call moves onto the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for the last stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll see this called hosted VoIP, cloud PBX, or a virtual phone system. The labels overlap a lot. They all mean you’re not running a phone box in a closet. Many plans also bundle texting, video meetings, and team chat, which is why you’ll sometimes see the term UCaaS (unified communications as a service).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small business VoIP vs. a traditional landline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"VoIP<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0Feature<\/strong><\/td>Traditional landline<\/strong><\/td>Small business VoIP<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
Equipment<\/td>On-site PBX and physical lines<\/td>Hosted by the provider; you need phones, headsets, or an app<\/td><\/tr>
Upfront cost<\/td>Often thousands for hardware and installation<\/td>Usually low; desk phones are optional<\/td><\/tr>
Adding a user<\/td>New line, sometimes new wiring<\/td>Add an extension in a web dashboard<\/td><\/tr>
Working outside the office<\/td>Mostly limited to call forwarding<\/td>Same business number on a laptop or mobile app<\/td><\/tr>
Features<\/td>Basic voicemail; extras cost more<\/td>Auto attendant, ring groups, call recording, and texting are often built in<\/td><\/tr>
Long-distance and international<\/td>Per-minute carrier rates<\/td>Typically cheaper, but check the international rate card<\/td><\/tr>
When the power or internet fails<\/td>Copper lines often keep working<\/td>Depends on your internet and power, so you need a backup plan<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Landlines still win on one thing: they tend to survive a power cut. If your business can’t go offline for even an hour, plan a second internet connection or a mobile failover before you switch. More on that below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you actually get from switching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lower monthly bills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You stop paying for a separate line per employee and for a maintenance contract on a PBX. Long-distance and international calls usually get cheaper too. The savings are biggest for offices with several lines and a lot of out-of-area calling. If you only have one line and make a handful of local calls, the gap is smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number that follows your team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With a mobile or desktop app, people answer the business number from wherever they are. A sales rep can return a call from the car park. A project manager can pick up on site. The customer sees the company number either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growth without rewiring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

New hire? Add an extension in the admin panel. Opening a second office? Connect it to the same system and the same main number. You don’t need new cabling or a second phone vendor in each location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Features that used to cost enterprise money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Auto attendant, call routing by business hours, ring groups, voicemail-to-email, call recording, and video meetings now come with most hosted plans. A five-person company can sound as organized as a fifty-person one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less IT work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everything is managed from a browser. Changing who answers after hours takes a few clicks, not a service call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Features worth paying for (and a few you can skip)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most small businesses need fewer features than the plan pages suggest. Start with these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worth having from day one<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n