Choosing the Best Business Phone App for Entrepreneurs

With the increased popularity of remote work, many people are finding that how they use their phones contributes a great deal to their ability to set boundaries between their work and personal lives. Setting clear boundaries can lead to increased productivity at work and reduced stress in your personal life. If you are using your personal phone for business, your privacy can be compromised, your personal life may get interrupted, personal distractions sometimes arise during your business hours, and it can make you appear less professional.

One way to address this issue is with business phone apps – apps that use a virtual business phone system to allow users to have phone numbers that can be used exclusively for their business number and can be conveniently accessed via a mobile or desktop app, either in the office or on the move.

Read on to find out if a second phone number for your business is right for you!

A virtual business phone system is a cloud-based phone system that operates using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology to make and receive voice calls, texts, video calls and more. A virtual phone system gives you more flexibility and more features than a landline phone system. With a virtual business phone system, users are not confined to taking phone calls from an office desk phone, as a virtual phone can be used with phone apps for business anywhere there is internet access.

A virtual office phone service provides a more affordable setup than a traditional phone service, is easy to use and gives you expanded options for business numbers such as toll-free and local phone numbers.

A second phone number for your business allows you to allocate a number that you can use exclusively for your business communications, without needing another phone or device to manage. Some of the many advantages to having a second business phone number include:

One of the greatest advantages to using phone apps for business is the many features that enable you to automate and streamline communications. Features such as call forwarding, mobile twinning, auto-reply text messaging, auto attendants and interactive voice response capabilities will save you time and ensure no opportunities are being lost due to missed communications.

There are high risks associated with giving out your personal number for business – you can quickly lose control of who has access to your number, opening your number up to spam, unwanted calls and texts and even possible identity fraud. A second number gives you the added security to protect your personal identity and feel confident that it is safe to give your business number out as needed.

Separation of private life and work life is incredibly important because it can lead to your personal life becoming more fulfilling and your business life becoming more productive. Achieving that separation can be a challenge whether you work in the office or remotely, but it If you are using your personal phone line for business, it becomes practically impossible.

With just one phone number it is harder to know if you can ignore a personal text while you’re working, or whether you can let that business call go to voicemail while you’re out for a lunch date. A second business phone number allows you to easily compartmentalize communications from your personal life separately from your work life.

Giving out your personal number to business contacts is not a good first impression and does not inspire confidence in your professionalism. Having a second business phone number is a simple way to add credibility to your business and show the world that you mean serious business.

Getting a business phone number is easy and affordable with a virtual office phone service like LinkedPhone. There is no new hardware required, no specialized technicians needed and no appointments necessary. Simply sign up with a provider and choose between a local or toll-free business phone number or choose to port your current number.

You can easily add team members, add a business phone line to your cell phone or other devices, and then customize your new phone system with preferences for features such as greetings, voicemail, custom call routing, business hours and more.

While the top phone apps for business often share a lot of the same features, there are important distinctions to consider when choosing the best phone app for your business needs. We’ve done the research for you and here’s what we found:

Passionate about the small business community, LinkedPhone’s mission is to empower you to work from anywhere and to provide the tools necessary for streamlining communications and growing your business. LinkedPhone excels in the following areas:

More professional features included with your LinkedPhone plan:

With LinkedPhone you also have affordable options to add colleagues and assign extensions or share a common business number.

Final word: Our mission to support entrepreneurs sets us apart, and we strive to provide you with all the best tools and resources, along with the latest insights to keep your business growing. LinkedPhone customers consistently find the service to be a game changer for their business; see what users have to say in our reviews and ratings.

Google Voice is one of the most popular phone apps on the market due to the option for a free personal line, but Google Voice does not offer a free business phone number. For your business line, you’ll need to choose one of their tiered options starting at $10/user per month for the basic features, increasing in price as you add features.

Top features included in the Google Voice basic plan:

While all communication on Google Voice is stored so you can search your history, Google Voice does not offer call recordings.

Final word: users have noted that the tiered pricing system lacks the simplicity they desire, forcing them to choose between affordable prices and the features they desire such as auto attendants, desk phone support and ring groups.

Built for teamwork in large groups, Nextiva excels at video calls and screen sharing. However, you should expect to pay more if you are a small business, as their tiered pricing means that the fewer employees you have, the more you pay per user. You will also need to pay more for even basic features such as business texting and voicemail transcription. 

Top features included in Nextiva’s basic plan:

Final word: Nextiva offers high quality calls and is a decent choice for a big business with a big budget, but the lack of basic features in their basic plan is a huge disadvantage, as is their complicated, tiered pricing.

Callcentric no longer offers free business phone lines, but they have one of the cheapest business phone plans you can find, albeit with a very limited plan. For $1 a month you receive unlimited incoming call minutes within select U.S. states. Callcentric provides highly customizable services, but some businesses find this to be more challenging and confusing than it is worth.

Top features provided by Callcentric:

Final word: while Callcentric offers dirt cheap options, getting all the features you need at an affordable price may be more challenging.

RingCentral is a popular phone service provider and is a great option if budget is not a barrier to your business. With basic plans starting at $32.99/month for each user, you might expect to get a full range of features, but with RingCentral you will have to pay extra for many of the features you need, such as app integrations, video meetings and unlimited internet fax.

Top features included in RingCentral’s basic plan:

Final word: RingCentral offers simple setup and quick activation but may leave you wanting more for the price.

After reviewing all the options, we think you’ll agree that LinkedPhone has it all: the features you need and service you can trust. LinkedPhone goes above and beyond to ensure we provide you with a high quality virtual phone system that is simple to manage, easy to navigate and affordable to scale as your business grows. Our commitment to helping small businesses excel distinguishes us from other business phone number apps and makes LinkedPhone the best choice for entrepreneurs and small business communications.

Ready to get started with a free business phone number that works on any of your devices? Sign up for a 7-day free trial of LinkedPhone and take your business to the next level today!