As conventional phones become less prominent in homes throughout the country, so too do traditional phone systems. Many are switching to VoIP ( Voice over Internet Protocol) phone systems that, true to their name, transmit calls via the internet. With VoIP, you can make calls from your smartphone, tablet, computer, office phone: anything with speakers and a microphone. These systems can save you a bunch and typically include calling features that would cost extra with most other phone services.
The biggest VoIP savings are in international and long-distance rates, which is a huge benefit to insurance agencies as they do business with more and more “long distance” numbers used with cell phones. Also, most VoIP systems let you keep your old number and include call-forwarding and voicemail. This allows you to be accessible when you want, but gives you the freedom to allow calls to go to voicemail if you’re not in a place where you can talk.
As with most cloud technologies, there are many new VoIP services popping up. We’ve outlines a few of the most popular to help you decide what’s right for your agency.
Phone Power
Phone Power offers a number of features and great customer support, but has limits to outbound calling and high cancellation fees.
- Unlimited incoming minutes and free in-network calling
- Second line offered for free
- Toll-free numbers and fax lines supported
- Call forwarding to several phones, conference calling, call transferring
- Great customer service (can contact by email, phone or live chat)
- High cancellation fees if terminating your annual contract
- No unlimited plans offered
- Outbound calling threshold of 5,000 minutes
Lingo
Lingo provides great coverage for international calling, unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada, and includes all your basic features (voicemail, call waiting, speed dialing, etc.). Its monthly rates are a bit higher than other companies with similar features, but in the end it offers a lower cost by providing only the basics.
- International calling to over 65 countries
- No minutes thresholds for U.S. and Canada
- Basic needs are covered: voicemail, call waiting, call blocking, speed dialing
- Phone adapter included at no extra cost
- Extra fee to make calls from mobile phones
- Only the basics: not a lot of additional features offered
- High monthly fee compared to other services
Skype
Skype is well known for its video services, but also provides VoIP. It has great pricing and no limits on calling, but like Lingo it lacks some additional features. Although there is no hardware to install, it also does not offer phone adapters, meaning you cannot make calls from a handset.
- Competitive pricing for national and international calls
- Voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, call waiting and call transfer included
- Free calling to other Skype users
- Unlimited plans offered
- No hardware to install
- Not many additional features
- Limited to using mobile device or computer to make calls
- Voice quality is less than desirable
- Does not provide support via email or chat, only offers video tutorials
Star2Star
Star2Star also offers the basics (voicemail, call forwarding, etc.) but adds a lot more with voicemail-to-email and auto attendant. In addition, Star2Star operates using less bandwidth than similar systems. Set-up and installation are easy, but figuring out how to use the system can be a complex, so be ready for a bit of a learning curve.
- End-to-end installation of phone system for easy set-up
- Unlimited conference calling
- Voicemail-to-email: sends an MP3 file of the voicemail message to your email
- Auto-Attendant automatically transfers callers to extensions
- Less bandwidth than other systems
- Complex system means a longer learning curve
What other VoIP providers have you tried? It’s important to share your experiences so we know what really works. We love to hear our clients’ opinions, and put their feedback to work. Our Partner XE agency management system is a product of that client feedback, including features like Outlook integration and mobile access. We’d love to hear what you think! Contact us at 800.747.9273 or [email protected] to find out more!
