The right phone service for a small business is crucial. You might have considered big-name providers like Ooma and their popular VoIP-based service, Ooma Office. This cloud technology transforms voice into digital signals instead of using traditional copper wires.
But how does Ooma Office stack up as a phone solution for your small business needs?
We’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of Ooma Office and introduce an alternative that could better serve your requirements.
Understanding Ooma Office for SMBs
Ooma Office uses cloud-based VoIP technology to offer a modern phone solution for businesses. For a monthly subscription, it provides more than 35 call management features and promises increased productivity through tools like a virtual receptionist, call forwarding during device outages, voicemail-to-email transcription, and unlimited nationwide calling.
Ooma, similiar to other business phone systems, also claims an easy setup process, claiming you can get your business phone system running in as little as 15 minutes.
Evaluating the Disadvantages of Ooma Office for Small Businesses
Despite its benefits, there may be several drawbacks to consider with Ooma Office that could impact your small business operation and budget.
Setup Complexity
While Ooma promotes an easy setup, the reality can be far from it unless you’re already familiar with VoIP technology. What's promised as a quick setup could get complicated without direct assistance for tasks like recording and uploading greetings or training staff on new features.
Dependence on Internet Connectivity
Ooma’s functionality hinges on a stable internet connection, which can be a significant limitation. Your ability to make calls will be compromised during internet outages unless you invest in Ooma Connect, which incurs additional costs.
Additional Costs and Hidden Fees
The base rate per user per month can quickly escalate once you factor in necessary add-ons for full functionality. Costs for essential extras like Ooma Connect or higher-tier service plans, and equipment like IP phones or analog converters, can make Ooma considerably more expensive than initially advertised.
Customer Support Challenges
Ooma provides extensive customer support resources, but VoIP systems may still demand a high level of technical ability from users. The outsourcing of support services can also affect the quality and effectiveness of the help provided.
Can Community Phone be an Alternative to Ooma for Businesses?
It depends. When evaluating phone services that could potentially enhance business operations, Community Phone emerges as a compelling choice, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for reliability and innovative features at a much more reasonable price.
Regarded as an ultra-reliable business phone solution, Community Phone offers a 30-second setup that is user-friendly and hassle-free, which is crucial for businesses with limited time or technical resources. One of the standout features of Community Phone is its ability to turn missed calls into revenue automatically. By texting missed callers and allowing the conversation to continue via SMS using your business number, this service ensures that every customer engagement opportunity is captured.
For businesses that cannot always answer every call, such as a single-person operation, this feature can be invaluable. It automatically texts missed callers, allowing multiple teammates to interact with customers from the same business number, thus ensuring continued engagement.
Community Phone also helps businesses sound more professional with a branded greeting, enhancing the customer's first impression. Additionally, it blocks all robocalls from reaching your team, eliminating unnecessary distractions. Calls can be easily transferred to different departments or teammates, making internal communication seamless.
Consider the experience of a small business owner operating a brick-and-mortar store solo, with two phone numbers and three physical office phones. This owner, previously using a local service provider, enjoyed features like having all phones ring on both numbers, voicemail, and essential SMS/MMS capabilities for a monthly fee of $150. However, after a disappointing switch to another service and a subsequent contractual issue, the search for a reliable and cost-effective solution became more important.
This owner would benefit from Community Phone’s straightforward approach, where essential features like multi-device ringing, voicemail, and SMS/MMS are provided without complex setups or hidden fees. Moreover, additional functionalities such as voicemail transcription direct to email, call transfers to cell phones, and the ability to manage communications via a mobile app, align with the nice-to-haves that enhance operational efficiency and customer service.
If you want to know more about our service, call our Business Division at (617)-466-6705 or get a free quote online.
Top 10 Small Business Resources
The phone system for small businesses
Grow revenue through automatic business sms
How much does a business phone line cost?
Alternatives to internet-based business phone systems
How to add a business line to my cell phone
Top business sms & text messaging services
Best business phone service providers in 2024