When it comes to enhancing a company’s internal communications and gaining credibility with clients VoIP phone systems can be considered a game-changer.
For starters, VoIP phones give you tons of unique features without wreaking havoc on your budget.
However, the number of features you get with your VoIP service plan depends on the bucks you’re willing to spend on them. Hence, it’s important that you know the list of features, add-ons and general pros and cons that come with buying a premium or cheap service plan before you settle with one.
The good news is that Top5 Business VoIP has got a comprehensive guide to help you make a decision. In today’s blog, we’ll be discussing the main differences between the premium and cheap VoIP service plans and why you should (almost) always choose the former!
Understanding the Difference in VoIP Plans and Pricing
When you buy a VoIP service plan, you won’t have to buy a different plan for cheap or premium purposes. The plan is always the same, except that its level is determined based on the budget and size of your business.
Many VoIP service providers offer scalable and flexible plans that can adapt to the needs of a growing business and can accommodate additional phone lines in the future.
However, the more expensive VoIP plans come packed with premium features—something that the cheap plans don’t have. Therefore, as a business executive, you should consider all features that your business needs—both in the short and long term.
It’s a wise choice to speak to your shortlisted VoIP service providers before signing up a plan. A point to keep in mind is that small businesses and startups can often get away with skipping many advanced features so they don’t HAVE to sign up for a premium service right from the get-go. They can transition to it at a later date, as the need arises.
Cheap VoIP Services
The task of a top VoIP service provider is to be mindful of your business needs and finances.
If you do a quick search through our website, you’ll find many competent providers who can give you versatile plans at low costs. These plans will have some basic features that a small business can work well with, given its budget constraints. However, you’ll have to ensure that your provider can upgrade your plan to a premium one as your business begins to grow.
Take for example, Ring Central. They start their basic plan at $19.99 per month, per user.
The base plan comes with features like 4-way web conferencing and video calling. It also offers 100 toll-free minutes on a monthly basis which can be used by 10 other extensions. So, cheap plans that come with upgrades to the premium plan are extremely useful since the cheap ones won’t be able to accommodate an expanding business.
As a side note, please always make sure to read through the terms and conditions of each plan before you decide to purchase one. Some cheap plans that claim to be flexible and promise to upgrade to a premium level might have some hidden costs and conditions attached to them.
If you decide to go for a cheap plan without any consideration for any long term business plans you just might end up incurring hefty charges for any bonus features—which you could have gotten access to if you’d just picked a premium plan from the start.
Why Are Cheap VoIP Services Not as Good as Premium VoIP Services?
1. They’re not all-inclusive
One of the main limitations of cheap plans is that they don’t offer many important calling features. For example, cheap plans don’t have an unlimited calling option like premium plans do. They also miss out on features like online faxing, voicemail to email, auto-attendant and more.
Businesses that have clients across the globe will also like to know that most cheap VoIP plans don’t offer international calls. This means your business has to pay fees for all those long-distance calls and deal with its soaring phone bills.
2. The pricing is unclear
One thing you’ll notice about any cheap VoIP plan is that the pricing is never listed upfront. You’ll have to do some research to figure out what the pricing plans really entail. Sometimes the estimated price markedly varies from the quote provided.
We recommend that clients for cheap plans should always clarify pricing plans with their VoIP service providers before signing up—which is undoubtedly frustrated and time-consuming.
3. Hidden fees and charges
Linked with the aforementioned point, cheap plans aren’t exactly like having your cake and eating it too. There’s a high likelihood you’ll incur more costs with them than you would with premium plans. The hidden costs mean there are additional charges that apply to the service and you’d want to go through the terms and conditions to dig up that information.
Why Premium VoIP Plans Are A Better Choice
Premium plans offer pretty much everything that’s lacking in cheap plans. With them, you can get access to features like unlimited outbound calls and video conferencing. Premium plans are ideal for large corporations but with a bit of planning, small businesses can get to experience the efficiency and productivity of a premium plan.
Here’s what premium plan users can look forward to:
- Unlimited minutes
- Call center feature for making and receiving calls
- Can integrate with various devices like a PC desktop, phone, tablet on both iOS and Android platforms
- International/1-800 phone number
- Audio and video conferencing for large groups
- Voicemail transcription service
- Desktop sharing for large groups
- Mobile app
Final Word
Whether you go for a premium VoIP plan or decide to stick with a cheap plan, the size of your business and phone usage capacity will determine how well your VoIP service works for you.
Don’t worry about the costs. You might accumulate higher costs with a cheap plan but paying upfront for a premium can be better for your business in the long term.
Our reviews and guides are always there to help you find the best VoIP services in the country!
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