
Phone.com is one VoIP provider that is an anomaly. Looking around the industry, they are certainly talked about everywhere yet they never seem to be categorized as a top VoIP provider. This is categorically false though, as they service more business accounts than any other VoIP service except RingCentral. Phone.com was actually started in 2007, which is late considering the VoIP boom started in the early 2000s. They provide excellent flexibility and continuous innovation one would expect from a corporate culture. They have, and continue to, receive award after award from major publishers like Inc. 500. They also service some of the largest companies worldwide including Jewelry.com and Express Writers. This is because they offer the entire package – a full array of customizable features, convenient usability, competitive pricing, high quality customer support, and of course an effective and reliable service.
Features
Phone.com comes with a wealth of features, 40 to be exact, that puts the rest of the competition to shame. One of the backbones of this service are the call handling rules which allows you to route incoming calls to a specified location, all through your Phone.com account. Not only does this feature allow you to redirect the calls to a phone, voicemail or your computer, but it also allows you to create custom greetings. Additionally, Phone.com provides caller menus which enables you to connect your business staff by simply pressing a key on their keypad. Other standout features include:
- Unlimited minutes
- Choose your global & local phone number
- Caller analytics
- Voicemail transcription
- Mobile app (iPhone)
- Call forwarding/blocking/screening
- Professional recording services
- Dial by name directory
- HD voice
- Address book (import your contacts – manage, sync and route your contacts)
Some other important features of note are call logs which allow you to view outgoing, incoming, fax and missed calls, call voice tagging which allows you to specify an audio message, caller analytics which enables you to see and analyze your callers’ public data, and conferencing that handles up to 500 people. There are dozens of other features and we highly recommend you visit Phone.com’s site to see the full features list.
Ease of Use
Due to the nature of this VoIP service and their focus on business accounts, the set up and usability is a bit less easy (more technical in nature). The actual download and installation process is extremely easy as you follow a few direct instructions. However, the online management system offers so many features and functionalities that it could be overwhelming to a beginner user. However, if you are a business, your IT staff will likely take care of setup and usability throughout the office. If this is the case, Phone.com offers one of the best online management interfaces in the VoIP industry.
Pricing
Before getting to the pricing section, we will admit we were nervous due to the fact that Phone.com caters mainly to business customers. As a general rule, any company targeting business users are more expensive. This is not the case with Phone.com. While certain features come at an extra charge, their base plans are some of the most competitive plans on the market. Additionally, they do not overwhelm you with too many options, allowing you to make a decision in a matter of minutes.
Features |
Option 1 |
Option 2 |
Option 3 |
Minutes | Pay per minute | Unlimited | 100 |
iPhone app | $4.99/month | Free – included | Free – included |
International calls | Pay per minute | Pay per minute | Pay per minute |
Price | 2.5¢ – 3.9¢/minute | $19.99/month | $9.99/month |
Phone.com also allows you to sign up for 30 days to test out their VoIP service absolutely free. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, there are no set up or cancellation fees through this service.
Customer Support
Phone.com offers some of the best personalized support in the industry. Their representatives understand VoIP in its entirety and are therefore able to tackle any question that may arise. They are also US based which should ease your concerns about dealing with an overseas service rep. What really stands out though is that not only is there the typical English support, but they go as far as providing service in Spanish. You can get in touch with Phone.com through all major channels – phone, e-mail and live chat, all of which are available 8AM-6PM PST. You can also tweet them, read through their user and communicator guides, or browse their FAQs. All of these sections provide detailed responses to just about any question. However, the best support channel is the Phone.com University which is essentially their blog. Each post covers a specific topic in far greater detail than you can probably receive over the phone.
Reliability (Call Quality)
We cannot stress enough that call quality has mostly to do with your internet connection. However, there are certain measures VoIP providers can take to enhance your call quality and overall reliability. This is one area though that Phone.com does not elaborate much on. RingCentral and PhonePower both operate bandwidth testing and network monitoring web pages. We have yet to see a service like this from Phone.com. That said, Phone.com still is one of the largest providers and consequently you can expect superior reliability in terms of network performance.
Summary
Phone.com initially built its stellar reputation on their massive range of features, however they have since expanded from there to be an all-inclusive VoIP service. While there is not much talk of how good their reliability is, no company expands to tens of thousands of business customers if their reliability is terrible. Further, their user interface was clearly designed for IT professionals. Needless to say, if you are a beginner, you should probably look to RingCentral. However, if you are operating a business and employ an IT staff, Phone.com is a fantastic choice.