Remote Office Phone System: 5 Options + Pricing

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Key Takeaways

• A remote office phone system is a communications platform that helps employees make and receive business calls from anywhere.
• There are three types of remote phone systems: cloud-based phone systems, softphone apps, and on-premise PBX software.
• The five best remote phone systems are Allo (best pricing), Ooma, Nextiva, Dialpad, and CloudTalk.

With nearly one in five people working remotely these days, traditional landlines are showing their age. Hybrid workers can’t rely on landline calls to reach customers when working from home, after all. The same goes for remote agents, as well as in-the-field sales reps.

That’s why, rather than relying solely on desk phones, handsets, and phone extensions, small businesses are turning to remote office phone systems. These flexible business platforms let you make and receive calls via internet access. This enables remote work from anywhere and leads to significant cost savings compared to most traditional phone systems.

This article compares the five best remote office phone systems so you can compare and contrast the top options on the market. You’ll also learn about the three different types of remote office phone systems, plus how to choose the right option for your business.

What is a Remote Office Phone System?

A remote office phone system is business software that lets you make and receive calls from anywhere. Even if you’re not physically present in a main office, you can keep in touch with customers and coworkers while at home, traveling, in satellite offices, or even in the field.

You can use a remote phone system to:

• Keep remote, hybrid, and in-person teams on the same page. Everyone can share responsibility for calls and texts using the same software (and without relying on personal numbers).
• Maintain a professional image with a single business number. Even remote team members can use your business number to communicate with customers. They just need an existing device and a WiFi connection.
• Reduce costs compared to traditional phone systems. Old landline systems required IP phones, handsets, cables, and more. But a virtual phone system requires nothing but your cell phone and an internet connection. Your host pays for maintenance, updates, and hardware maintenance. You simply pay a monthly fee (usually per user or per phone number per month).
• Scale easily. Remote office phone systems let you add or remove users without needing to add more copper wire or purchase a desk phone. Any new remote workers can use their existing devices and internet connection. Whenever they’re no longer associated with your business, simply close down their account and transfer any phone number(s) to someone else on your remote teams.
• Centralize call logs and analytics. Since both office techs and remote employees can access the same business number, everyone can see the same trail of context (read: conversation history). This can help remote employees work together when solving

3 Different Types of Remote Phone Systems

Whether you’re a growing small business or a well-known enterprise, you can choose from one of four different types of remote phone systems:

Let’s break down each system in more detail below.

Cloud-Based VoIP Phone System (Cloud Phone System)

Cloud phone systems use Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to route calls over the internet rather than traditional phone lines. That way, you can use your mobile device, laptop, or tablet to handle outgoing and incoming calls.

You may also hear them called:

• Virtual phone systems
• Hosted PBX
• Cloud phone systems
• Hosted phone systems

Softphone Apps, aka Mobile VoIP Systems

Softphone apps turn any smartphone, tablet, or laptop into a secondary business number via WiFi calling. These second phone number apps aren’t as robust as true remote phone software, but can still support basic tools like:

• Push notifications
• Background calling
• Caller ID control to separate personal and business calls.

On-Premises PBX, with Desk Phone Options

An on-premises PBX system takes physical desk phones (typically connected through hardware installed at a physical office location) and connects them to the internet so remote employees can make calls using an app or other proprietary software.

Since everything runs on your local network, you have more direct control over your remote phone system. But this comes at a cost: on-prem PBX requires expensive equipment, plus ongoing costs for on-site maintenance.

On-prem systems can work for remote employees — if you’re desperate for a solution, and if you’re willing to try things like hot desking or integrations with Zoom Phone. But it’s far less flexible than cloud-based alternatives, and also similarly expensive.

The 5 Best Remote Office Phone Systems at a Glance

First, let’s compare the top five remote office phone systems side-by-side. Then, we’ll break down the specifics of each platform so you can make more informed decisions.

Comparing the Top 5 Remote Office Phone Systems

Here’s how the best remote office phone platforms compare:

Now, let’s dive into each specific platform.

Allo: Best Remote Office Phone System for Sales Teams

Allo is the remote office phone system specifically built for sales teams. It runs on devices your team already owns, and doesn’t require any onboarding or training to get started. Because Allo lives entirely in the cloud, you can get remote teams up and running in 15 minutes or less.

With Allo, phone numbers always belong to your business, and can be shared among your reps however you please. Shared numbers allow any member of that number to see incoming calls, pick up an incoming call, perform a follow-up, or transfer a call. Don’t want reps to share a number? Assign them their own number for $5/number/month.

Allo was designed to integrate with the tools you already use. Does your remote team rely on unified communications? Connect with unified communications apps via Zapier, Make, and webhooks. Need to connect with a CRM, Slack, or sales software like Pipedrive? These (and more) are available in Allo’s Business plan.

No matter which plan of Allo you choose, you’ll have access to an AI receptionist. This AI voice agent can greet callers, capture information, and route calls to the right rep so you can stay available to prospects 24/7.