How Much is A Business Phone Line?

Article Originally Published on Nextiva by Yaniv Masjedi

There are a million ways to communicate with your customers these days, but voice communication is still a step above all the tweets and chat boxes out there. That’s why a business phone line is so important. Being available to answer questions or assist with issues on the phone can make all the difference to your customers. However, the cost of implementing an outstanding business phone line can be hefty, and many people don’t know where to start. So, how much is a business phone line? And where do you get started pricing one out?

We’re here to help. We’ll break the features and options that move the needle when it comes to price as well as showcase the different types of phone systems you can choose from.

Let’s take Nextiva for example. We have a three-tiered pricing system that easily breaks down the features and prices so that you know what you’re getting up front.

Office Pro — As low as $19.95 per month

• Lowest Cloud PBX phone plan
• Free Number Porting
• Advanced Call Management
• No Setup Fees

Office Pro Plus — As low as $20.95 per month

• Conference Bridge
• Nextiva Mobile App
• Team Presence
• No Setup Fees

Office Enterprise — As low as $27.95 per month

• Call Recording
• Nextiva Anywhere
• 3 Professionally Recorded Greetings Included
• No Setup Fees

Pricing Factors

No one phone provider is alike. Each one comes with their own set of features and pricing options. What’s most important when you first start shopping for a new business phone service is knowing what you need and what you want. Here are a few of the important things to consider when choosing your phone plan.

Your Company Size

If you have just one location with 10 employees or 10 locations with multiple employees per location, it will make all the difference when it comes to your cost. Some providers charge an installation fee per location which can significantly drive up costs.

Related: How Many Phone Lines Do I Need for My Business?

Phones

If you need to purchase physical phones for your location it’s another cost to consider. Phones come in basic, middle of the road, and feature-rich options that vary when it comes to price points. Typically, your provider can help you make decisions depending on the goals you have for your phone service.

Additional Features

Some features are built into your service rather than your phone. Which means some features may be an additional cost. For example, Nextiva’s three plans each come with their own set of features. You can see that Office Pro comes with fewer features than Office Enterprise, but if the lower tier has the features you want, then there’s no need for the more expensive plan.

Related: How To Choose A Business Phone System

Cost Per User

Once you know the number of lines and locations and have defined your feature set, you can start to get an idea of how much your phone system is going to cost per user. Here’s an example of average cost per user:

• Low-End Plan — $200 per user
• Mid-Range Plan — $400–600 per user
• Enterprise Plan — $1,000 per user

As you can see, the size of your business can make all the difference when it comes to setting up your business phone service. But there are even more options that can affect your cost, including the type of phone system you decided to go with.

Type of Phone Systems

VoIP

A Voice over IP (VoIP) solution gives you the opportunity to host all your voice communications from your internet service. For example, Nextiva’s VoIP for small business is a unified communication solution that includes everything from video conferencing to virtual faxing making and more. And it doesn’t require an additional hard-wired installation like your traditional landline.

Landline

Most of us know what a landline is. That hardwired phone we used to have in our homes or offices. While not obsolete, landlines are usually much more costly, require a telephone line, and can be time-consuming to install.

Virtual Phone System

A Virtual Phone System is an internet-based phone service that requires a fixed telephone line. That one line is funneled to your computer screen where all of the features and controls are then available to you.

Now that you have a better idea of what business phone systems are available to you let’s dive into the good stuff.

Related: How Do I Get a Business Phone Number?

Most Popular Features

These days everything is about the features. When it comes to your business phone line, you’re sure to have a list of things you’d like that line to do. Below are some of Nextiva customers favorite business phone features.

• Security — We have 6 redundant data centers to help protect your business against fraud, natural disasters, and business continuity issues
• Local Area Codes — Nextiva offers area codes in every state across the U.S.
• Reliability — Our highly redundant network offers 8 points of presence and 99.999% uptime
• Mobility — Access calls from anywhere via your mobile phone or softphone
• Conference Calling — Easily schedule, moderate, and record audio conference calls
• Auto Attendant — Greet your customers with an automatic message and give them automated options to choose from
• Call Recording — Set calls to auto record, pause or resume during a call, and access recording features on demand
• Call Forwarding — Forward your calls to other phone numbers or business extensions at the click of a button

These features are available to any of our users depending on which plan they choose, and we make it easy to upgrade should you change your mind later.

Total Estimated Cost of a Business Phone System

We’ve covered what kind of expenses you need to consider when it comes to choosing your business phone plan, and even broken down the cost per users. These costs can vary greatly depending on the plan you choose and the vendor you decided to go with. Here’s an average look at what your overall business phone system might cost.

Enterprise Grade cost per user: $1000 x 20 users = $20,000

This Enterprise grade account is only one example. If you’re a small business, it’s likely your costs will be much lower. Which is why we encourage you to speak with a knowledgeable professional, like a Nextiva Amazing Service rep, to get a more accurate estimate.

Nextiva’s VoIP service is designed to be easy-to-use, cost-effective, and feature rich. Let us find the perfect plan for your business.

Looking to set up your business phone system and have some questions? Nextiva is here to help. You can contact us here or call us at 1–800–799–0600 to get your quote started today.