What is the Best 800 Service? Compare Virtual Phone Systems

How do you find the best internet business phone system when you don't even know these services exist? I knew I wanted a cheap 800 service for my business but didn't know what was available until I started searching the web. It is unbelievable what you can get for a small monthly fee - a free 800 number - professional voice mail and forwarding services. The problem is sorting through all of the various services to find the best one suited for you. Every business and every person has different needs.

I have to tell you - it was quite a task! I investigated 7 different virtual PBX phone services and compared ALL features. I decided to take notes and post the information so everyone could benefit. I had to post the chart on my bargains website as I could not figure a way to get it on this hub. But the information is great and will save you TONS of time!

If you are new to the idea of a PBX system and never heard of a virtual business line then I suggest reading all of the information. If you already know what you are looking for and just want to see the final comparison - then see the my Comparison Chart that helps you find a Cheap 800 Service that will work best for your business.

It is important for a every home office or small business to professionally manage incoming phone calls and ensure that no important calls are missed. You can't have your business calls routed to your home phone or cell phone because you would never be able to tell the difference between a personal call, business call or (oh no) a telemarketing call. Worse yet - what if you 7 year old answers the phone and it is an important business call?

We all know the importance of having a second business line for your home but did you know you can do it virtually - without have a hard wired phone in your house? A virtual business line means the phone never rings in your house unless you route it to do so. The best part is you can set it so you know it is a routed call from your business line - therefore you can choose to answer it or not. You are not going to answer a business call when you are at your son's soccer game...right? With a Virtual Phone System - you can see the call, choose not to answer it and let it go to your PBX voice mail (not your personal voice mail!).

A virtual PBX system offers a variety of plans for a small monthly fee - $10 to $30. There is NO equipment to purchase or setup fees and it works with your existing phones. You also get a free 800 number to use. Most virtual PBX services are geared toward home office, and small to medium-sized businesses with 20 or less employees. Different plans are available with prices based on the number of extensions and the features included. It is important to compare different systems so you find the best 800 service to suit your business needs.

At the most basic level you will receive a toll free or local number with a recorded greeting, internet access to voicemail; limited call scheduling, and call forwarding options with your PBX plan. Some basic plans also include auto-attendant features (more on this later) or extra extensions. Depending on the company and plan you sign up for you may even get a web-based phone system that greets customers and connects them to the right person in your business, at any time and at any location.

Other Important features:

Toll free and local number availability is important. You may want to transfer an existing 800 number or get a vanity toll free number. With some plans - this may mean an extra one time charge.

Some Virtual PBX service providers offer an auto-attendant feature with their most basic plans. An auto-attendant is a 24\7 web receptionist that greets callers and connects them to the proper person or extension. The auto-attendant feature may also includes advanced greeting options such as a dial-by-name directory, after-hours messages, quick connect keys, and call transfer. Decide which components of the auto-attendant feature you require and make sure they are included in the service you choose.

Some low priced plans allow you to customized greetings. The ability to record your own voicemail greeting allows you to decide on, and control the business image portrayed to your callers. Me personally - I didn't like the idea of recording my own voice and I didn't want to pay for it to be professionally done. I was so happy to find one service that offers Text to Speech. So you can just type in all of your greetings and pick the voice you want! That was a dream come true for me. In my research I only found 1 company that does that (and it also happened to be one of the lower priced options!). For me that was extremely important. When you see all of the features that are out there you can figure out what the most important one is for you.

For some businesses voicemail and mailbox extensions is the main reason for getting a Virtual PBX system. Dedicating an extension to each employee and department will make your company appear larger to the public, and streamlines business communications. These features allow employees to be located in the same office, or geographically scattered. Extensions can be individually configured with call forwarding, voicemail, and message preferences, and information extensions can be setup to communicate important messages such as operating hours, sales promotions, and key upcoming events even during weekends and off-hours when no one is available to take the calls.

Other features to consider are call scheduling, call forwarding, call transfer, and caller ID screening. Some, but not all providers offer extra functionality such as call announce, and call blocking. Some services also allow you to receive faxes on your same number - which are then converted to PDF files. With one company you are even able to obtain a separate fax number for a small monthly fee.

Find me - follow me call forward is a important feature as it ensures you never miss a call and allows you to customize your preferences to route callers to multiple phone numbers including your mobile, office, and home number. You may want to have the ability to select different rules for your call forwarding to ring all numbers at the same time, or in sequential order. For example: you can setup the system to connect callers to your office first, then your cell phone, followed by your home number. If you are not available at any of your numbers, the system then connects the customer to your voicemail.

Another advantage of a Virtual PBX, which is available with all providers, is you can manage your voice messages online just like your emails. You no longer need to pick-up the phone to access your voicemails, instead, you can receive voicemail from all of your phones in one place and access your messages via the web. Listen, manage, forward, and archive your voicemails online, just like you do with email. Email delivery of voice mail messages is a practical way of receiving your voice messages in your inbox as audio files. Some service providers will offer text message notification to your mobile phone of new voicemails. This message usually includes caller ID, time, and date of the call.

Most importantly, with this as with any product or service you are considering, take the time to review the different providers as well as the different plans each of them offers, and make sure you understand the various pricing structures in regards to usage overage charges, and number of extensions supported before you make your decision. You will love me because I did all of the work for you in comparing 7 different PBX phone service plans. Be sure to see my comparison chart by following the link below.

To see more information about the definition of the PBX features follow the index at the bottom or simply view the Comparison Chart to get more details on services (the index is at the bottom of the chart page as well).

Save yourself LOADS of TIME and take advantage of the research I have done comparing 7 different Virtual PBX, 800 number, internet business phone systems on 45 different variables! Yes - there is a LOT to consider and it can be confusing but much easier to figure out when they are all compared like this...

Cheap 800 Service Comparison Chart

Vanity Number: A vanity number is a phone number that happens to translate with the letters on the keypad into more memorable words or phrases. (example: 888-582-GOAL).

Receiving Faxes:Receive faxes on your Virtual Office number. Faxes are converted into PDF files and stored in your online account for easy access. You can also have an internet fax forwarded to your email account for you to view, forward and save on your computer.

Call Me Link on Website: A Click to Call Button that allows visitors to your website, blog, auction or any online document to place a call directly to you without having to dial your number.

Greeting vs. Main Greeting: Every service offers a greeting for your callers but some also allow a main greeting which will then direct the call - this usually coincides with menu driven services.

Text to Greeting: Allows you to type your script, select a voice, add sounds and preview. Here are a few examples that may work for you:

• Record a "Joke of the Day" for your callers to laugh at
• Create a silly Voicemail Message
• Give your Menu a professional twist

Professional Recording Services: A professionally recorded greeting for your voicemail system. You select a voice and submit a script to transform your outgoing message into a professional presentation that can distinguish you and your business. Generally this incurs and additional charge. However one service does offer a professionally recorded initial main greeting in their service package.

Auto Attendant: It is virtual receptionist that answers incoming calls. It is a recorded message that indicates menu options so your caller can choose to connect to either employees or departments.

For example: "You've reached ABC Company. Press 1 for sales, 2 for support, or press 0 to reach the main operator."

Call Scheduling: Call handling rules to route incoming calls to a single destination or different destinations based on the day and time the call is received.

For example, a call received between 8am - 5pm would be sent to your cell phone, but a call received after 5pm and before 8am will be sent to a voicemail box. But, if mom calls she will be sent to your cell phone no matter the time of day.

Day Night & After Hours Mode Greeting: Allow you to set actions for each phone number in your system based on the day and time a call is received. A call received during business hours will hear the Main Greeting and a call after business hours will hear your After-Hours Greeting.

Custom Menu, extensions and audio recordings: The ability to customize the initial audio greeting telling callers which key to press to reach your phones, groups or message system ("Press 1 for sales..."). You can set up your menu with a customized recording giving important information such as business hours, company directory and any other important instructions.

Professional Message Voice Mailbox Extension: Allow callers to listen to important 24/7 promotional messages such as product description, special promotions, or information such as business address and hours of operation.

Dial by Name Directory: A computer generated auto-attendant voice will ask callers to enter the first or last name of the person they're seeking, and then will read the person's name and extension to the caller. The caller would then be transferred to their extension.

Find Me/Follow Me Call Forward: This ensures you never miss a call. Customize your preferences to route callers to multiple phone numbers including your mobile, office, and home number. Choose your call forwarding to ring all numbers at the same time or in sequential order.

For example: The my1voice service could route callers to your office first, then your cell phone, followed by your home, and lastly to your voicemail

Caller ID Screening: This works a little differently for each service but in most cases you can choose to see the number that is routed to you or just view your toll free number. If you choose to view your toll free number as the Caller ID - you can determine if it is a business call and answer appropriately. You can choose to accept or let the call go to voicemail. Whether you actually screen the call or choose to route the numbers based on who is calling - many services give you complete control as to which calls you want to receive and when.

Import/Export of Address Book: Some services allow you to save the time of manually entering each contact in your address book one by one. The export option allows you to move your address to your computer at anytime.

Caller Announced by Recorded Name: The auto-attendant calls you first before connecting a call, and announces the caller's name; it then gives you options: accept, reject or send it to voicemail.

Real Time Call Controller Software: Free software serves as a desktop caller ID for when you're online. You can also block callers, and see blocked caller IDs

Music on Hold: Play music while callers are on hold or waiting in a queue. Some services allow you to select from a variety music tracks.

Virtual Calling Card: Use your PBX service just like a calling card to place calls to any number in the US and overseas. In order to place a call you call your number and enter your extension password.

Quick Connect Numbers/Speed Dial: Saves time by allowing you to pressing a single digit to be redirected to the desired extension or voicemail box.

Extension Dialing or Forwarding: Easily forward a call to an outside line or voicemail.

Call Transfer Destination: When receiving incoming calls, you can choose to transfer callers to another phone number, or extension.