Maybe you're trying to leave your old provider while keeping your landline number. Or maybe you're a small business looking to set up an affordable telephone system.
Either way, free VoIP services might seem like an attractive option: they promise to provide a free way to do exactly what you need.
But few "free" VoIP phone services are actually free -- most include hidden fees or require expensive hardware -- and many suffer from poor call quality, complicated software interfaces, and involved set-up.
That's why choosing the right provider is so important. In this blog, we'll help you consider:
- Individual VoIP Options
- Business VoIP Options
- Moving your Landline Number with our Self-Transfer Form
- Setting up your Business Telephone System
Individual VoIP Options
If you are an individual looking for free VoIP service, you have a number of options.
Some providers -- like Ooma -- offer what they call "free" VoIP phone service in addition to a one-time, up-front hardware investment.
In actuality, however, most of these services charge taxes and fees on your phone service, and end up being very far from free.
Ooma, for instance, will require that you buy a $99.99 hardware device and spend $39.99 to port your old number to their service in addition to paying $84/year (in MA, for example) in taxes and fees.
This "free" service also lacks many basic functionalities -- like the ability to send missed calls to voicemail -- and requires a strong, consistent, and thus expensive internet connection. If your internet or electricity were to go out, you would be unable to call friends, families, and emergency numbers.
And while other services, like Google Voice, are closer to being truly free -- Google Voice only charges you a one-time fee to transfer your number -- they require technical savvy to set-up and use, and are not your most secure option. It's a commonplace in the technology industry that if a service is free, you are the product. By using Google Voice, you allow Google to collect an inordinate amount of your personal information to use as they see fit.
You have a cheaper, more reliable, more user-friendly option backed by 100% US-based customer support in Community Phone's landline relocation service. You can see if your landline number is eligible to be transferred below.
Business VoIP Options
There are a number of VoIP providers which cater to businesses and offer free services. These services, like Dialpad, offer severely limited services (a small number of users/lines, a small number of outbound calls, etc.), are a hassle to set up, and require a complicated online interface.
Here at Community Phone, we make it easy and affordable for you to set up your phone system while providing custom features that will help you grow your sales and customer support capacities. You don't have to work through an internet interface or go through the hassle of setting up your system -- we handle all of that for you and give you and your employees one business number.
For more information about Community Phone's service, call our Business Division at (617) 466-6705 or visit our business page for more information.