VoIP phone system

Typically, VoIP solutions are more cost-effective and affordable than PBX phone systems. This is mainly because hosted VoIP phone systems generally charge on a monthly or annual subscription model, and all responsibilities for maintenance, upkeep, and updates fall on the service provider.

PBX solutions, on the other hand, typically require hardware installations and have a high upfront cost. This makes them much more expensive and less flexible for businesses—especially those looking to scale up or continue growing at a steady rate.

Beyond the price tag, VoIP solutions also cost less in terms of resources and time to set up. Dialpad, for example, can be set up in minutes.

Depending on the circumstances, a business VoIP phone service can be more reliable than its PBX counterpart.

VoIP solutions work as long as there’s an internet connection. This means that they’re highly reliable, if your office or home office has a steady Wi-Fi connection.

PBX solutions aren’t unreliable. But because they’re hardware-based, they can be more susceptible to technical faults, mechanical breakages, and other maintenance-related issues. They also don't tend to have redundancies built into the system as easily as VoIP solutions do. (For example, if a VoIP provider's data centre goes down, they likely have 10 or more other data centres that can pick up the slack and still allow their customers to make phone calls and video calls as usual.)

By their very nature, business VoIP phone systems are significantly more mobile than PBX solutions since PBX relies on on-premises hardware. While VoIP solutions can be used on all kinds of devices and from anywhere, PBX systems can only be used by people who are in the same location as the infrastructure. VoIP solutions let you work from pretty much anywhere as long as there’s a Wi-Fi connection.

VoIP solutions come out on top in this regard as well. PBX requires users to be present in the place where the PBX system is installed. This will usually be an office. Not all offices are equally accessible to all employees, especially if they’re based in buildings that are difficult for people to reach because of their location or design.

In contrast, VoIP solutions can be installed on devices that users already own. That means that, in principle, your employees can access your VoIP platform from devices that are tailor made to suit their specific accessibility needs. The result is that VoIP solutions can be tailored to the needs of their users much more easily.

The main limitations of using a VoIP business phone system is that if you regularly work somewhere that absolutely cannot support a reliable internet connection, you won't be able to have quality video and voice calls.

With that said, this is becoming less and less of a problem with the rise of remote work, and VoIP solutions do come with significant advantages too, like very affordable international calls and local calls. Plus, it’s not limited to particular devices, so you can use VoIP solutions from your desktop, mobile device, and/or a softphone equally easily.

VoIP business systems, like the one Dialpad offers, come with plenty of other communication channel options. For example, Dialpad lets you communicate via voice and video calls, SMS, team messages—and its omnichannel contact centre platform lets agents communicate with customers through social media, live chat, and more.

It also comes with integrations with popular business software like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, HubSpot, and so on to to automate workflows and reduce data entry for sales reps and support agents.

Of course, VoIP solutions rely on an internet connection. This means that if your internet connection goes down altogether, you may have some trouble with VoIP-based communication.

That being said, VoIP solutions work with any kind of access to the internet, so if your Wi-Fi network goes down but your mobile phone still has access to a 3G, 4G, or 5G network, you’ll still be able to do everything through your mobile app since it should work over both Wi-Fi and a cellular network.

Solutions like Dialpad are compatible with all kinds of devices, too. Whether you’ve got an Android or iPhone, a Macbook or a Windows laptop, you can place VoIP calls on your device if it has any kind of internet access.

In short, yes, a VoIP system is almost always going to be worth it regardless of the size of your company, including if it’s a small business because of both the cost savings and the many functionalities that come included with VoIP systems.

VoIP technology doesn’t require you to pay for maintenance or upkeep since it's software-based, which saves small business owners and startups money.

And if you're running a small business that has an outbound sales or inbound support team, Dialpad's cloud platform gives you a contact centre solution that's fully integrated as well, which means it's more cost-effective than paying for multiple pieces of software and spending time to manage each one separately.

No, you’ll never need specifically designated or designed hardware to install a VoIP solution (which is one of the major benefits of VoIP).

When you’re setting up your VoIP solution, all you need is at least one device that’s capable of connecting to the internet, like a computer or mobile phone. For example, you can sign up for Dialpad online using either of those devices, choose a subscription plan, and start making VoIP calls in minutes.

Fun fact: Dialpad doesn't just work across mobile and desktop apps—it's also browser-based, meaning you can just log into Dialpad on a web browser and start using it, no downloads needed.

While every VoIP phone system is unique, we’re going to go ahead and say that Dialpad is the best one. That’s because our platform isn’t just a phone system. It’s a holistic solution that caters to all your communications needs in one go while also giving you access to a wealth of integrations. Aside from making your employees’ daily workflows as seamless as possible, Dialpad is also hugely customisable. The integrations we offer let you create a bespoke solution that combines new functionalities with familiar favourites, ensuring your needs are all met.