Eugenia Grochmal

As the internet permeates all areas of business life, voice communication is one sphere that is poised for complete transformation. The telephone enjoyed a long run of dominance in voice communication for business since its invention in 1878. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a technology invented in 1973, is now coming of age. Its continued adoption could shrink telephone usage in business in the years ahead.

There are several reasons you want to use VoIP technology in your business. The first is cost. VoIP is transmitted over the internet, eliminating the need for a separate telephone contract. Particularly for long distance or international business calls, VoIP could save your business money in the long run.

A second advantage is the ability to easily scale connections. Unlike with the phone system, you don't need to build new infrastructure when you want to connect more users to VoIP. Existing internet infrastructure will suffice. Below we take a look at some of the best VoIP plans for business use.

Ring Central's VoIP plan is among the leaders for businesses both small and big. Starting at just $19.99 a month, the company's service offering packages multiple services at a single price. Services included in the package include:

• Conferencing
• Virtual numbers
• Fax
• Instant messaging
• Call recording

In a mobile world, Ring Central has made sure that its plans work with typical mobile devices, making it possible to do business on the go.

Vonage is a New-Jersey based provider of VoIP and other cloud telecommunication services. The company stands out for the affordability and reliability of its service for businesses. Vonage's VoIP plans begin at $14.99 per user per month. There are multiple tiers of service, including Mobile, Premium, and Advanced. This allows you to pick the features you need and lower your bill by avoiding features your business will hardly use. Vonage adds to the flexibility of the experience by not requiring contracts.

Recognizing that business VoIP users are busy with other aspects of their business, Nextiva has set out to make VoIP as easy to use as possible.

This means that setup can be completed quickly, with no need for specialist knowledge. Service plans begin at between $19 and $25 per user per month.

Nextiva also provides a beginner friendly guide to cloud phone systems that will help you understand all your options even better.

For enterprise users who value having a complete set of features, Jive is a suitable VoIP solution. It has all the basics covered, including:

• Call routing
• Toll-free numbers
• Auto attendants
• Voicemail to email
• Call recording
• Video conferencing

With call analytics integrated into its package, Jive will allow you to understand your organization's phone communication performance. If you are running call centers for customers, for example, you can see how well your are attending to customer calls and spot potential improvements.

Ooma's business package offers affordable VoIP service with features that rival or eclipse those of more expensive competitors.

Starting at between $15 and $25 per user per month, you can get a business VoIP solution that provides unlimited US calling, conferencing, mobile phone support, and more. The feature pack allows even smaller businesses to look and sound bigger, all at predictable prices.

You can port your existing number to Ooma for free, and there is no need for long-term contracts.

With an uptime guarantee of 99.999%, Intermedia's VoIP plan will suit businesses that want the best reliability. Service plans begin at around $25 to $30 per user per month. Features like conferencing, video calling, and file syncing enhance the capabilities of its deployments.

While Intermedia enjoys a strong reputation for enterprise level features, smaller businesses will appreciate its mobile phone support. Intermedia stands out for the quality of its customer service.