6 Best Call Management Software Systems for 2022

The best call management software enables businesses to route calls seamlessly, track call performance, and gather customer data. Voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) providers offer an excellent mix of cloud telephony features, such as call recording and call forwarding. They also have a user-friendly interface and advanced capabilities like real-time analytics to handle all inbound and outbound calls effectively.

Based on our research of dozens of software providers, here are the top six call management system for small businesses:

• RingCentral: Best for businesses wanting a robust VoIP platform with extensive third-party integrations
• Nextiva: Top choice for companies with distributed employees needing call mobility features
• 8×8: Recommended for companies needing basic contact center features to monitor agent performance
• Vonage: Great for businesses wanting the flexibility to pick and choose the features they need
• Grasshopper: Ideal for small businesses looking for a budget-friendly, all-inclusive call management system
• Google Voice: Suitable for solopreneurs or small teams looking for a basic call management system

Best Call Management Systems Compared

See fullscreen table

RingCentral: Best Overall Call Management System

*Annual pricing is available.

RingCentral is one of the leading business VoIP services with the most comprehensive call management services and third-party integrations. From multilevel IVR (interactive voice system), real-time analytics, and shared lines, RingCentral has several features to support businesses with high call volumes. Its powerful platform integrates with over 300 third-party applications, optimizing your daily workflow.

While it’s not the cheapest in the market, its monthly plans are still reasonable, given its comprehensive platform. For instance, not all VoIP providers have the ability to support companies with multiple branch offices and global locations. With RingCentral, provision and manage your call system from anywhere with advanced administrative and analytics tools. This eliminates the cost and complexity of managing multiple disparate phone systems.

RingCentral is indeed an impressive VoIP provider, but it still has its weaknesses. Beginners and small business owners will find its robust platform overwhelming and expensive, especially if they only need a basic business phone system like Grasshopper or Google Voice.

RingCentral Features

RingCentral lets you create multiple dashboards to organize data in an easy-to-read graphical format. (Source: RingCentral)

• Analytics portal: Get real-time access to a wide range of statistics and report options based on the status, usage, and QoS of your RingCentral platform. Custom dashboards let you incorporate key performance indicators (KPIs) for a deep understanding of performance data.
• Team messaging app: A virtual workspace for instant messaging, video meetings, file sharing, and project management. It comes with built-in task management to keep track of deadlines and workflows.
• Multisite management: If you have multiple branch offices, RingCentral lets you centrally manage all site assets under one account. It lets you configure the users, devices, and phone numbers across all locations directly from your admin portal.

We compared RingCentral with Nextiva (the second highly rated call management system on this list). Check out our detailed head-to-head comparison to determine which is a better fit for your business. Want to know more about this provider? Check out our comprehensive RingCentral review.

Nextiva: Best for Its Call Mobility Features

*Discounts are available for annual billing and volume purchases.

Nextiva stands out as a business call management system because it has several call mobility features that enable distributed teams to send and receive calls from anywhere. For instance, Nextiva Anywhere lets you manage calls from any device using one phone number, one voicemail box, one dial plan, and a suite of features. All numbers registered under the Nextiva Anywhere feature will ring anytime someone calls you directly or reaches you via a ring group.

Remote office lets users substitute a different phone number as their business phone number. It can be a mobile phone, a home phone, or even a hotel phone. When a caller dials your business number, this feature will ring the device specified in the Nextiva Voice Portal. Besides these useful features, subscribing to Nextiva provides professionally recorded greetings, team collaboration tools, and customer engagement capabilities.

While Nextiva is an excellent VoIP option for small businesses, its monthly per-user plans can get expensive, especially if you have multiple employees signing up for its service. Consider a low-cost provider like Grasshopper, which offers a flat monthly fee and all-inclusive plans regardless of the number of users added.

Nextiva Features

Nextiva’s chat widget allows website visitors to send real-time messages to your team. (Source: Nextiva)

• VoIP switchboard: A virtual dashboard that allows telephone operators to connect live callers to the right person. It also provides the status of phone extensions and enables receptionists to direct callers to a voicemail.
• Conversational AI (artificial intelligence): Enable callers to speak in their natural language to explain the purpose of their call instead of listening to a long menu of options.
• Live chat widget: Interact with your customers in real time while browsing through your website. Integrate the chat widget on your website and set up agents in the routing phases.

Check out our full-fledged Nextiva review to determine if this phone system fits your specific needs.

8×8: Best for Its Basic Contact Center Features

*Annual billing is available for X2 and X4 plans.

8×8 provides phone call management software with contact center features for improving agent productivity. Upper-tier packages like the X4 or the Administrator plan include wallboards, speech analytics, CRM integrations, and call monitoring capabilities, which help keep track of agent and customer interactions. Supervisor analytics are designed for contact center managers to get reports on call queues, ring groups, and agent performance.

While RingCentral and Nextiva require users to subscribe to a separate contact center package, 8×8 lets you mix and match agent and administrator plans. For example, you may subscribe to the X2 plans for your entire team and combine them with the X4 plan to provide admin tools for your contact center manager.

8×8 has a complex and outdated user interface, potentially leading to a steep learning curve. If you’re new to VoIP technology and are looking for an easy-to-use platform, you’re better off with Google Voice. Heavy users of Google Workspace apps will appreciate its familiar look and feel. Its basic call features and clean interface make it ideal, even for beginners.

8×8 Features

8×8’s call flip feature prevents customers from being on hold if they want to switch between devices. (Source: 8×8)

• Call flip: 8×8 lets you seamlessly move ongoing calls to your desk phone, mobile phone, or desktop app. If the 8×8 Work app is integrated across your devices, your calls will instantly transfer to another device in just one click.
• Conversation IQ: Automatically transcribes employee and customer interactions and captures information for keyword search, sentiment analytics, and topic trend reporting.
• User provisioning: View status reports on all devices and softphones to monitor location and activation status. To save time in managing roles and devices, 8×8 lets you apply individual rules and settings to a group of employees.

Find this provider impressive? Read our 8×8 review to find out if it’s the best VoIP solution for you.

Vonage: Best for Its Customizable Call Features

Vonage is a flexible cloud solution that lets you fully customize your phone system. Subscribing to its monthly plans gives you the option to purchase any of its 18 add-on services. These include call recording, unlimited extensions for mobile phones, and a virtual assistant. While most providers in this list offer bundled packages, Vonage lets you pick features based on your business requirements.

The Vonage Developer Center provides technical resources for businesses wanting to customize their call management app. APIs let you create custom integrations and add voice, video, SMS, and email to your existing business applications. This mainly benefits companies looking to grow their customer bases since APIs focus on enhancing customer communication channels.

At first glance, Vonage monthly rates look cost-effective, but it gets pricey if you need more extensive features. For instance, a local phone number requires a monthly add-on purchase while it is offered for free by RingCentral, Nextiva, and Google Voice. If you need a solution that covers all the call management capabilities you need, check out RingCentral. Its entry-level plan includes business SMS, visual voicemail, and call log reports.

Vonage Features

The Vonage Receptionist Console is designed for phone operators to help manage a high volume of calls more efficiently. (Source: Vonage)

• Receptionist console: This feature lets you view all call activity and use call control tools, such as call park, call transfer, and call queue. Handle up to 50 concurrent calls and play a custom greeting or music to incoming callers.
• Shared line appearance: Answer, park, and place calls from another extension using your desk phone. It also lets you monitor the status of other extensions from your desk phone screen.
• Call tagging: Assign a unique label to a phone number or extension to quickly identify the origin of incoming calls. Vonage lets you keep track of the tags in Google Analytics.

Want to learn more about Vonage’s calling features? Check out our Vonage review for a comprehensive look at the provider.

Grasshopper: Best for Its All-inclusive Phone Service

*Annual prepayments are available.

Grasshopper is a virtual phone system that provides access to all its call management tools in all plans. While most VoIP providers charge based on the number of users, Grasshopper has flat monthly fees with no per-user pricing. The difference between each plan is the number of phone numbers and extensions. This makes it ideal for budget-conscious businesses needing multiple phone lines and extensions for their departments or branch offices.

For those wanting to keep their work and personal communications separate, Grasshopper provides a business phone number, including access to basic phone system features. These include custom greetings, voicemail, call forwarding, and detailed call reports.

While Grasshopper is an all-inclusive platform, users should note that its services are basic. A better alternative is Nextiva, a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) provider that combines VoIP, video conferencing, and team collaboration features in a single platform.

Grasshopper Features

Grasshopper lets you immediately respond to new clients even when you’re busy. (Source: Grasshopper)

• Instant response: If you miss a call from a new customer, this feature will automatically send a text message to let them know you’re unavailable. Customize your message by including your business hours, company website link, and brand logo.
• Voice Studio: Have your phone greetings recorded by experienced voice actors. This add-on feature costs $75, and a single order may contain multiple scripts.
• Virtual receptionist: Grasshopper lets you add a live answering service to your account via Ruby. A team of live receptionists will answer calls on behalf of your business and provide personalized messages to your customers based on your instructions.

Looking for more information on this platform? Read our Grasshopper review to determine if its offerings match your business needs.

Google Voice: Best for Its Basic Call Features

*Pricing plans apply to Europe, the Middle East, and Asian (EMEA) regions only. Other regions may vary.

Google Voice offers a phone call management app for calling, text messaging, and voicemail. It offers a free virtual phone number and basic call features, such as call screening, blocking, and forwarding. This makes it an excellent fit for businesses with low call volumes and small teams prioritizing functionality over fancy features. It also has a free plan for solopreneurs who can’t afford a Google Workspace subscription.

While its simplicity and affordability are impressive, those with advanced call management needs must look elsewhere. Consider RingCentral or Nextiva if you’re looking for a robust VoIP or UCaaS platform.

Google Voice Features

Google Voice makes it easy to set up your auto-attendant by automatically converting text into speech. (Source: Google Voice)

• Multilevel auto-attendant: Set up an automated menu to transfer callers to the right people or departments. It also lets you create multiple submenus depending on how you want to handle specific calls.
• Ring groups: Enable team members to answer calls from a single Google Voice number. You have the option to ring all the available phones simultaneously or sequentially.
• Call blocking: Prevent unwanted calls or messages from reaching your Google Voice number. Block numbers or mark them as spam, so when a blocked caller contacts your number, they will receive a “Number not in service” message when they call.

Considering Google Voice as your virtual business phone system? Check out our Google Voice review for more information.

How We Evaluated the Best Call Management Systems

Modern business phone providers provide a wealth of basic call management tools like call routing and auto-attendant. To help you decide, we looked at dozens of call management software platforms and analyzed them based on pricing, distinct features, and ease of use. After evaluating each, we narrowed it down to six recommendations.

Learn how we evaluated the best call management systems by clicking on the tabs below:

Bottom Line

A call management system is critical in managing phone operations efficiently. With the right solution in place, companies are able to route, process, track, and analyze all incoming and outgoing calls. With so many options in the market, you want to ensure you end up with a solution that offers all the functions your business needs.

While each provider has its distinct strengths, RingCentral made it on top of our list with its impressive price range and features, perfect for scaling businesses needing robust call management tools and those with high call volumes. Sign up for its 14-day free trial to explore its capabilities.

Visit RingCentral