Vonage Review. Why MightyCall Is a Better Value for Money"/> 
Vonage is a well-established VoIP services provider with several home and business plans. This popular name in phone and calling services is now shifting its focus from phone plans for homes to business plans and cloud services.
Though users find it easy to sign up on Vonage, the level of services varies by city. Over the past years, the company has been working on establishing good user relationships and offering great technology for backing its services. However, recently users have reported a declining quality of experience with Vonage phone services in comparison to the alternatives.
Business Considerations When Choosing a Business Phone Service Provider
On the Vonage business plan, if you require group calling it is going to cost you an additional $4.99. In the case of Call queues, charges of $14.99 apply per month. For voicemail-to-text transcription services, you would pay $4.99 per month per user. Call recording is available for $4.99 per month per user or $49.99 for the whole contract period. Every businessman can understand that it is no good paying $70 each month for a business number with a single extension. Things could be better if the business wouldn’t be required to pay for additional services.
With the MightyCall virtual phone service, you get the same high-quality VoIP service without paying anything for your phone number. You are offered 2 toll-free numbers on the basic plan which comes with an unlimited number of extensions. Apart from 1000 minutes and unlimited texting, additional services like group calling, business hours, call screening, call queuing, conference calling, custom main greeting, and music on hold are free of extra charge.
But that’s not all; you also get a web phone for incoming and outgoing calls. And all these amazing features are included in the basic plan.
Thus, it is not hard to see that MightyCall provides you with better options for a lesser investment. Alternative VoIP service providers offer features that provide you with greater control over various business aspects. It is important that you make a prudent choice to get value for your money.
Vonage Review: Vonage vs. MightyCall
Vonage offers different kinds of pricing plans with reliable services. The pricing system is based upon the number of phone lines you wish to have. The more lines that you have to use, the lesser the bundled price will be. However, you still have to pay for the multiple extensions listed above, which adds onto the overall costs of using simple and basic features.
Pros of using Vonage
Vonage has a large user base with more than two million subscribers. The company as a whole has great momentum in its business efforts and the brand uses the best technology to provide high-quality VoIP services to their users. There are many features that are innovatively brought to market by the company.
- Customers can use the same line while being at a different location. Vonage Pro plans provide for this excellent service giving independence to businessmen and their employees.
- Users get a feeling of credibility due to the large customer base of the company.
- Users get an analog telephone adaptor with the service.
- The company provides a money-back guarantee within 14 days.
- Phone numbers can be ported.
- International calling rates are nominal.
- You get support for 911.
- You can get a second line.
- User-friendly web interface provides for online account management.
However, in recent years there’s been an evident decline in the quality of services provided by Vonage and alternative service providers have come up with superior plans with better features.
Some of the glaring problems that have been found with Vonage include service set up and installation: both need professional help and skill. The set up is not easy to handle. In the past few years, users have been reporting low-quality customer service. Though the 911 support feature is free, it is difficult to use .
Choosing Vonage: What are the alternatives?
Users have been opting for Vonage business plans and Vonage Pro because the company is well-reputed and users are looking for additional services at a nominal cost. With Vonage Pro, the same line can be used at various locations. You do not need to be in office to attend or make calls. This feature is highly useful for mobile businesses like courier delivery services. Moreover, being readily available to customers makes your business more credible and gives peace of mind to the customers.
You can also have a virtual phone number. Moreover, using a web phone or softphone you can make calls using your desktop or laptop and 500-minutes are given for long distance and local calls under this feature by Vonage. Businessmen can also add a fax service, toll-free number and enhanced 411 services through some extra costs .
Interestingly, the provision and offer for an unlimited number of minutes in the business plan seems imprecise. When you look into company policies, the unlimited number of minutes comes with the condition of ‘fair use’. In the end, it sums up that most Vonage users would get 3000 minutes per month. It is intriguing that according to statistics, nearly 95% of Vonage business customers had chosen the same business plan with unlimited minutes. Moreover, if you need the business plan for multiple users, it can prove to be very costly.
Alternatively, when you consider business phone solutions by Mighty Call, a potential competitor, the basic plan costing $19.99 per month allows for 2 users and 1,000 minutes. Additionally, customers can use an unlimited number of extensions and unlimited texting.
This is highly superior to what you get with Vonage at a higher price. The business plan only applies to a single user and only 1 extension is allowed. In case your business set up needs more extensions, you can get them at the cost of $29.99 per user. Going further, the customer also pays for the phone number itself. The local phone number costs $9.99 while a toll-free number means you have to pay $39.99.
You might not find the same charges reflected in your initial quote from Vonage services. However, the problem of hidden costs associated with the standard sales technique of the company implies that you pay much more than what you are told initially.
As compared to Mighty Call, the prices offered by Vonage are significantly higher for the same level of services. Moreover, Mighty Call has a highly superior basic plan as compared to Vonage’s business plan offer.
Vonage Review: Some features that improve service quality
One can get help and support from Vonage representatives, but the live chat feature is still missing. Thus, there can be a lag in response time if you are facing an issue. Moreover, if you want to look for answers on the website, it can be time-consuming as many users reposted that the FAQs on the website are not searchable enough.
Vonage is a long-standing provider and it has inspired innovation in the VoIP industry. However, many customers are opting for alternative services due to superior packages at lower rates.
More about business plans with international calls
Vonage presently offers nine plans that are designed to meet the needs of small businesses. Customers can get excellent features, though international calling is not included in many of the plans. The company also has plans with specialised calling services to certain countries like Mexico and the Philippines. Many businesses with increased communication between these geographical locations have opted for the services.
The world plans by Vonage allow unlimited calling to nearly 60 countries. Apart from this, businessmen can use mobile devices for international calling in 10 countries. However, it was found that the quality of the international calls is quite low. The voices do not seem to be clear and it becomes hard for users to interpret the words spoken on the other end. The worst part is that the problem occurred for locations that cannot be considered as remote.
Other Vonage competitors are known to offer superior quality services for international calls. It is quite understandable that unclear communication can hamper and have a negative impact on the business processes and dealings on the international level.
Vonage review: Interesting features to look for in VoIP service plans
An accurate weather forecast often comes in handy. A nice feature available for Vonage service users is relevant weather information delivered right to their phone. Another feature that businessmen will appreciate is the traffic information service. Traffic reports by Vonage are available by dialling the number 511.
Vonage gives a 14-day trial service with complete money back guarantee . If customers are not satisfied with the services, they may get a refund within the specified time period.
Things the business industry expects in phone plans
Packages specifically tailored to customer requirements are vital for any industry. Thus, newer VoIP providers are focusing on increased user flexibility.
Internet-based businesses can get the maximum benefit from virtual phone services. Earlier, businesses incurred a lot of expenditure on international calls; but gone are those days and now you can reach out to your international partners from any location at nominal charges.
High-quality calls at competitive rates mean that the world has really turned to a global village where business interaction has become easier and more convenient. No longer are you limited to your office for making and receiving calls or getting updates. All you need is a reliable VoIP provider and a package that caters to your monthly communication requirements. The operational costs for local and toll-free numbers have reduced significantly. Thus, businesses can look forward to more turnover and increased profits while reducing the investment costs for getting useful services.
One of the main features that set a good phone company apart from the others is great customer service. It offers users great peace of mind when their queries get answered instantly or at least in a reasonable amount of time.
In case of any problems, it is imperative that your VoIP provider responds immediately and takes the action to correct the impending errors in the business communication system. Even a single wasted hour can have implications on the business’s reputation. As no one wants to lose customers due to improperly working phone lines, it is highly important to choose the service that lets you have greater control over vital aspects of your business.
As a business owner, you should not have to pay for features that you don’t require. At the same time, your VoIP provider should let you upgrade and get additional services when you require them for upscaling your business.
Tips for making the most out of your money when choosing a VOIP package
For small business owners, ongoing research is imperative for finding the best provider of phone services, whether local or international. Presently, there is tough competition in the market and technology allows VoIP providers to introduce better features at lower prices with each passing year.
Things that could not even be imagined a decade ago have now taken the market by storm. But more is yet to come. With reputable providers like Vonage, users have access to phone and calling services that can make their business interactions an enjoyable and productive experience.
However, other VoIP service providers are busy lining up services of high quality at better rates. Thus, small business owners haves a lot to look forward to. For every business focused on growth, only the sky is the limit . . If you are ready to put in the effort, VoIP technology is here to offer you whatever you need to make things happen. All you require is a keen eye on the market and a will to incorporate the latest plans in your business communication systems to make the most of your money.
