Any recommendations for VoIP - working from home and the office

[sands67]

So, one thing that has come out of quarantine is to get me to consider VoIP again. I have ruled it out in the past because of the voice quality but there's not getting away from the flexibility it offers.

We are currently working from home with DDI numbers forwarding to our mobiles. If someone calls on the main number we take a message and then email the staff member concerned and ask them to ring back.

We will all be back in the office in the coming weeks and I now want to look at an alternative to the iSDN 30 that we have currently.

Some people may work from the office with occasional time at home. I am often out on the road so want calls on my mobile. And from next year I will spend a good part of the year working from a holiday home.

I saw an ad for https://www.hihi.co.uk and it got me thinking. (I don't like the fact they're not open with their pricing though) but I liked the idea i could have a "linked" phone in my office and my overseas home. Able to transfer and receive calls from the office.

Can anyone share their experiences and what they have implemented please?

 

[alan1302]

Vice quality should be as good as a standard phone line - even BT are going down that way rather than having individual lines

 

[Deleted member 315707]

You'll get 100 different replies, most either trying to sell you a service or getting affiliate payments from recommending one. https://www.ttnc.co.uk/ offers fair priced plans, no high monthly payments, lots of optional bolt ons if you are so inclined plus their site has a really simple UI. No complaints from me when I started with them about 4 years ago when I needed a new business phone.

You'll be able to use a laptop, mobile phone or VoIP phone to access their service. Completely open and easy to understand pricing too..

 

[NickGrogan]

Another vote for ttnc, used them for years, for desk phone and mobile. Work well, good quality, no issues or downtime so far.

 

[DavidWH]

We use Voipfone.

All their prices are visible on their website. No issues here, and currently helping our neighnour switch from BT's cloud service to them.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

We use Vonage
I have two phones in the office but the app on my phone .
Recently the office is has been unattended through the crisis as I have been covering jobs on the road
I love the fact that I can divert the landline calls to my mobile but also phone out from my mobile on the office number as I don't give out my mobile

 

[sands67]

Vice quality should be as good as a standard phone line - even BT are going down that way rather than having individual lines

Not without QoS

 

[sands67]

You'll get 100 different replies, most either trying to sell you a service or getting affiliate payments from recommending one. https://www.ttnc.co.uk/ offers fair priced plans, no high monthly payments, lots of optional bolt ons if you are so inclined plus their site has a really simple UI. No complaints from me when I started with them about 4 years ago when I needed a new business phone.

You'll be able to use a laptop, mobile phone or VoIP phone to access their service. Completely open and easy to understand pricing too..

Thanks, are they special phones to plug into your router or does it just use your PC/Device?

 

[sands67]

thanks for the replies. Just to clarify, I want a physical system phone on my desk in the office and at my overeas home. I am happy to use my mobile as a soft phone when I'm travelling. But i want the simple operation of a system phone to transfer calls, see which of my colleagues is free, normal system features..

thanks again

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Thanks, are they special phones to plug into your router or does it just use your PC/Device?

1 viop box goes into the router and connects wirelessly to the office phones
This may have improved a bit now as my system still straddles a few upgrades that I did not involve myself in
The Vonage system will do all you want it to do and you can make all the changes from the App

 

[Darren_Ssc]

I have ruled it out in the past because of the voice quality but there's not getting away from the flexibility it offers.

If you get a business line from BT today it will be a VOIP phone unless you really insist otherwise. Even then, I believe, that won't be option in the next year or so.

 

[Alan]

Just to clarify, I want a physical system phone on my desk in the office and at my overeas home

Yes this is pretty standard stuff, A basic business desk voip phone like a yealink or cisco is about £70 for the unit.

Personally I have been using Voipfone for many years and what I can say is their help is very good and their costs competitive.

 

[anonuk]

We use voipfone. The one thing I love about voipfone is that they have an app called GeoDivert. It recognises if you’re away from your physical office and automatically diverts calls to your mobile. They are really well priced too. We have three phone numbers, 3 extensions and call barring. We pay £15.60 a month

 

[Yussef]

I actually finished writing an article on how to choose a new phone system! It has 7 steps and is an approx 15 minutes read. Would you like me to share it with you?

Might help you ask the right questions when speaking to potential vendors

Also, what country is your overseas office based in?

 

[Deleted member 315707]

Thanks, are they special phones to plug into your router or does it just use your PC/Device?

Completely up to you, I mainly use a VoIP deskphone similar to this which has been thoroughly brilliant. Rather than plugging into a phone line it just plugs into your router.

I also connected using a softphone using a free opensource app on my phone for when I am away. Barely more complex than setting up an email address and password.

Then finally if you just want a really simple experience (like scan a QR code and off you go) then they have a simple app you can install on iOS or Android which is explained here.

 

[Yay.com]

thanks for the replies. Just to clarify, I want a physical system phone on my desk in the office and at my overeas home. I am happy to use my mobile as a soft phone when I'm travelling. But i want the simple operation of a system phone to transfer calls, see which of my colleagues is free, normal system features..

thanks again

If you're looking for a VoIP phone system, choosing one that's not specifically tied into a device can have its benefits. For example colleagues working in a warehouse may prefer the ease of cordless DECT style phones, whereas the reception team may require a 12 line desk phone.

We don't tend to lock customers into specific devices, so the flexibility is there to choose the right VoIP phones to match your needs, and use smartphones/laptops if preferred too. A VoIP phone can be pre-configured as well, so you just need to plug it into your router and go.

If you're concerned about call quality and features on offer, I would recommend possibly taking out a free trial initially, just so you can compare and contrast call quality prior to purchasing any extra hardware.

 

[Martin Patfield]

S
I saw an ad for https://www.hihi.co.uk and it got me thinking. (I don't like the fact they're not open with their pricing though) but I liked the idea i could have a "linked" phone in my office and my overseas home. Able to transfer and receive calls from the office.

Can anyone share their experiences and what they have implemented please?

The company I work for has had the same old, tired phone system for the last 10 years.

We upgraded to HiHi last summer. It does exactly what it says on the tin really. Pick up phone, dial number, talk. We can upload our address book to the system see we can see who is calling in if they are apart of the address book already. If it's a new number/business then it's quick and easy to get that name and number uploaded and saved etc.
We upgraded mainly in order to get some phone and mobile data in order to help analyse sales teams and see who is talking to us from other organisations the most. They do tie you straight in with a 7 year contract, I think, there is a break clause in there somewhere too.

 

[Deleted member 315707]

They do tie you straight in with a 7 year contract, I think, there is a break clause in there somewhere too.

This sounds like a throwback to 80's photocopier sales people... I would be very suspicious of any company, aside from mortgage providers, who try and sign me up to 7 years...

 

[TomUL]

We made the switch quite recently and went with Bonline.

Few teething issues at first (we bought our own kit, which they then had to reconfigure for their servers) but the level of support is great. They're based in South Africa but their support team were in touch around the clock over the phone, which was helpful.

N.B. This is my first post but I'm not affiliated with them in anyway. Dipped in and out of here a few times and not been able to reply to much as the threads often seem to be closed by the time I see them.

 

[Ismail.2412]

The company I work for has had the same old, tired phone system for the last 10 years.

We upgraded to HiHi last summer. It does exactly what it says on the tin really. Pick up phone, dial number, talk. We can upload our address book to the system see we can see who is calling in if they are apart of the address book already. If it's a new number/business then it's quick and easy to get that name and number uploaded and saved etc.
We upgraded mainly in order to get some phone and mobile data in order to help analyse sales teams and see who is talking to us from other organisations the most. They do tie you straight in with a 7 year contract, I think, there is a break clause in there somewhere too.

You might want to double check this with 4com. We've had a few clients come over from them, because if you read the fine print in your contract you'll find that you would be paying 4-5 times as much, after your first 2 years (with no break clause). Have a look on trustpilot at 4com's reviews, and you'll see a load of angry customers, some who have even started court proceedings with them.

 

[Martin Patfield]

You might want to double check this with 4com. We've had a few clients come over from them, because if you read the fine print in your contract you'll find that you would be paying 4-5 times as much, after your first 2 years (with no break clause). Have a look on trustpilot at 4com's reviews, and you'll see a load of angry customers, some who have even started court proceedings with them.

Yes, the fine print reader has checked all through it.
It took us a number of weeks to get it all agreed having checked through all the paperwork.
We are well aware of the reviews which is what made us take a number of weeks to agree or decline.

 

[sands67]

I actually finished writing an article on how to choose a new phone system! It has 7 steps and is an approx 15 minutes read. Would you like me to share it with you?

Might help you ask the right questions when speaking to potential vendors

Also, what country is your overseas office based in?

sorry, I hadn't seen this post. yes please

 

[AndyBowness]

Just to give you another option, I use Soho66 and have been happy with their service. I'm a one-person business though, so I have never looked into their options for multiple users.

 

[Olivia Trott]

VoIP technology has always been on-trend as it offers a series of benefits. In the current scenario of COVID, this technology proved itself again. Businesses are working remotely and running their operations seamlessly because of this technology. I have heard about a few VoIP service providers, some of them are Acefone, CallCenterhosting, and ameyo. Most of the businesses have good thoughts about Acefone; you can check their services.

 

[Mark T Jones]

VoIP technology has always been on-trend as it offers a series of benefits. In the current scenario of COVID, this technology proved itself again. Businesses are working remotely and running their operations seamlessly because of this technology. I have heard about a few VoIP service providers, some of them are Acefone, CallCenterhosting, and ameyo. Most of the businesses have good thoughts about Acefone; you can check their services.

can you do my marketing for me please?

 

[Deleted member 315707]

can you do my marketing for me please?

I know it's sarcastic but.. for the admins in this group...

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/...ul-girl-smiling-holding-hand-chin_8467647.htm

 

[Mark T Jones]

I know it's sarcastic but.. for the admins in this group...

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/...ul-girl-smiling-holding-hand-chin_8467647.htm

Damn. I thought I was in there.

 

[Devyce]

Hi there. I am not sure if this thread has been closed off but I would love to point you in our direction. We offer a VOIP solution for small businesses that allows business owners such as yourselves to issue their employees with a 2nd 07 mobile number on their personal device. In addition to this you receive a management portal to have greater control over your staff. Feel free to take a look at our website. Thanks!

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

thanks for the replies. Just to clarify, I want a physical system phone on my desk in the office and at my overeas home. I am happy to use my mobile as a soft phone when I'm travelling. But i want the simple operation of a system phone to transfer calls, see which of my colleagues is free, normal system features..

thanks again

Don't know if this is still alive but I went with Tristar Tech Solutions and their systems work well everywhere you need them to (it's not their system, they're a reseller). I even used mine in China on holiday, just as an accident! Reason is:

1. I wanted all the standard phone stuff. i.e. physical phones & normal system features plus nice stuff.
2. They also do an assessment and are just as likely not to sell you a phone or give you the hidden costs. e.g. They were dealing with a friend of mine and told him not to get it because their telecoms infrastructure was too poor to support it. It saved them a ton of time and hassle.
3. Ancillaries cost. They're well priced if you do need other stuff to make it work. So if you have a small business with a couple of people, you'll be fine but if you need something bigger, maybe even with backups, a dedicated line might be necessary. They use the same dedicated lines as everyone else (they're all the same lines) but are way cheaper than, say, BT. So it's the same thing just costs less money.

If you need more info, just let me know. They saved me a ton of money and gave me a bit more convenience.

 

[Underline Digital]

We have been using Vonage and SBF for about 10 years without any issues.

 

[Countrymun]

Another thumbs up for Voipfone from here - it was recommended on here when we were looking for business phone.
Can't say we need all the facilities that you mention but it is well-priced, quality is good on voice calls and I can forward whenever needed. Bought our desk phone from them too - older Snom version now but haven't had any issues.
I find the online support/chat is excellent too.