IT Pro Verdict
Pros
- +
Packed with features
- +
Value for money
Cons
SMBs that want more call-handling features should consider the Voip Unlimited Voxone service, which delivers a complete unified communications solution with an equally sharp focus on value.
Voxone runs alongside Voip Exchange and offers the same advantages, as it's also hosted on Voip Unlimited's own dedicated network spread over three UK data centres for resiliency and optimised for voice traffic. Prices start at £15 per user per month, which includes 2,000 call minutes to UK landlines and 1,000 minutes to UK mobiles, with separate charges applied for international calls based on each country's call rates.
Voip Unlimited Voxone: Deployment
Voxone is easy to deploy. A technician did most of the hard work for us by setting up an account, creating an admin user and assigning a pool of external phone numbers as we requested. Each user can have their own direct inward dial (DID) number if required, and a nice touch is Voip Unlimited throws in an extra ten free numbers that can be used for functions such as call routing and IVR (interactive voice response) services.
The Voxone admin portal opens with a basic service overview, although we noted that the doughnut chart for the number of logged-in users only shows those using the iOS and Android mobile apps and not the Windows and macOS desktop versions. Adding new users is swift: you provide a name and email address, assign a licence, choose a group membership and, if required, assign them a DID number from the pool.
The onboarding process is equally pain-free. Users click on the link in their email invitation, enter the unique code provided, choose a password and opt to log in to the Voxone user web portal or download the Windows or macOS desktop clients.
A smart feature is the user web portal, and desktop apps provide exactly the same interface. Users can load either one to access shared and personal contacts, make and receive calls, view a call history, listen to voicemail, see the availability status of colleagues, join or start chat sessions and sync with their Google and Microsoft calendars.
Users can swiftly change their online status by selecting their user icon and choosing from a range of predefined options such as out to lunch, on holiday, sick leave and so on, and you can use Voxone profiles to add company-specific statuses as well. In fact, profiles are extremely versatile, since each one contains a set of actions that determine how incoming calls are handled during the specified time period.
Video conferencing services are superior to those offered by Voip Exchange and are supported by all types of Voxone client. Meetings can be accessed from the client's PBX services page, which offers options to email participants a web link, apply a PIN and use a QR code for scanning in from a mobile.
Voxone provides all the call-handling features businesses are likely to need and they'll love the visual mapping tool in the admin portal, which makes it easy to create professional IVRs, call queues, shared voicemail and fax-to-PDF services. Call statistics and a wallboard display are enabled with a CC (call centre) licence that costs £20 per month, but you need them only for users that want to access this information.
Feature-rich and affordable, Voip Unlimited's Voxone offers easily deployed and reliable cloud-hosted voice services. Call-handling features are extensive, it's simple to manage, and it provides integral video conferencing services.
