Zoom Phone services are available to large and small businesses in 47 countries. Businesses can choose between 3 monthly subscription plans. It can be used to improve internal and external communication. Along with the ability to make and receive voice and video calls, Zoom Phone allows businesses to route incoming calls with an IVR menu, monitor and record calls, read transcriptions for voicemails and exchange messages. Zoom Phone can also be integrated with certain other apps.
ZoomPhone and Vonage are similar business communication systems.
Designed to help businesses of all sizes communicate better, the Vonage cloud communication platform allows subscribers to communicate through voice, video and text. Vonage services are available as monthly subscriptions to 3 business communication plans. These plans are inclusive of 40+ features including unlimited calls to certain destinations. In addition, Vonage offers cloud contact center software and programmable communication APIs.
The Zoom Phone Metered Pack offers unlimited internal calls within the USA and Canada for $120 per year per month. Outbound calls are metered. In addition, it includes features such as voicemail transcriptions, call recording and integration with specific apps.
Businesses can work on improving their external communication with the Zoom Phone Unlimited Pack. Priced at $180 per user per year it included internal and external calls to numbers in the USA and Canada. Add-on packs for calls to 19 other countries will let you make unlimited calls to these numbers too.
While ZoomPhone plans seem cheaper, they require an annual commitment unlike Vonage.
Businesses on a budget can subscribe to the Vonage Mobile plan for $19.99 per line per month. This includes all the standard features and unlimited calls to numbers in the USA.
The Premium plan has a $29.99 monthly per line subscription rate. This plan includes all the features of the Mobile plan such as unlimited domestic calling and other features such as CRM integration and unlimited meetings with up to 100 participants.
For a monthly subscription of $39.99 per line, Vonage users can upgrade to the Advanced plan. This gives them access to all standard features as well features like on-demand call recording, group calls and more.
Zoom Phone services for all plans are available on MAC/ Windows desktop apps and certain IP desk phones.
Office connectivity is comparable for ZoomPhone and Vonage subscribers.
A desktop application to make and receive calls is available to all Vonage subscribers. In addition, Premium and Advanced plan subscribers can handle calls through IP desk phones.
All Zoom Phone plans include access to Android and iOS apps to make and receive calls.
Similar to ZoomPhone, Vonage offers assured on-the-go connectivity through smartphone apps for Android and iOS devices.
Zoom Phone subscribers can use auto attendants or IVR menus to route incoming calls.
Unlike ZoomPhone, not all Vonage plans include call routing. Call routing through a multi-level auto attendant is limited to the Vonage Premium and advanced plans. A virtual receptionist is available for Mobile plan subscribers.
Zoom Phone has several greeting and hold music options available in their audio library. Else, you can upload your own recordings.
1. Click on Settings and navigate to Call Handling
2. Select an existing message from the audio library or upload a new recorded message
Like ZoomPhone, Vonage offers solutions for call routing.
Incoming call greetings offered by your virtual receptionist for extensions, call groups and call queues can be customized from the dashboard.
Step 1: Sign in as admin.
Step 2: Click on "phone system" and then the feature.
Step 3: Upload an mp3 or .wav form recorded message or record a new message online.
Zoom Phone account admins can monitor live calls made over user accounts, shared line groups and common phones. All plans include call monitoring services such as listening to calls, call whispering, call barging and call takeovers.
ZoomPhone's live call monitoring features make it easier for supervisors to assess team productivity as compared to Vonage.
Vonage user statuses are available from the admin dashboard. Those with admin access can see which agents are currently on a call, who is free to take a call and who is unavailable. They can also study reports with details such as call times, caller ID and which extensions are ringing. The availability of call conferencing also allows team supervisors to join a live call and have it transition to a 3-way conference call. Further, voicemail transcriptions are available as email messages to help agents prioritize responses.
Businesses that subscribe to Zoom Phone communication plans can monitor all calls made and received through the smartphone or desktop devices. This feature is disabled by default and can be manually enabled for any call made through shared line groups, call queues, common area phones, etc. Company supervisors can listen to calls without either participant knowing, speak to agents without the other participant’s knowledge, join a conversation to make it a conference call or take over calls. Calls can be monitored only by one supervisor at a time. Those calls that cannot be monitored live can be recorded for later analysis.
While ZoomPhone plans include call monitoring, add-on call recording packs are available to Vonage Mobile and Premium plan subscribers. This feature is included in the advanced plan but limited to 15 hours of recording.
Zoom Phone metered plan subscribers can make unlimited internal calls and are billed outbound calls as per usage. Calls can be made to landline and mobile phones in 150+ countries. Call rates are based on location and the type of number being called. A 10-minute call to a landline number in Denmark costs $3.27 while calls to mobile numbers in Denmark are billed $14.04.
Calls to all numbers in the USA and Canada are included in the Unlimited pack. This can be extended to include 19 other countries by purchasing an add-on pack. Calls to the remaining countries are billed as per usage.
Calling is more budget-friendly with Vonage as compared to Zoom Phone.
Any number within the USA or Canada can be called without additional fees. To make international calls, subscribers must purchase international calling packs.
Irrespective of the plan chosen, you can set up a Zoom Phone account online with your existing number or a new number. You can then start making and receiving calls through the Zoom Phone application for desktops and smartphones or supported desk phones. These are available on the Zoom Phone website or market retailers.
Like ZoomPhone, businesses can sign up for Vonage services from the website. The account can be activated automatically or at any time within 45 days of creating the account. The next step is to define user roles, configure extensions, manage permissions, etc. Company users can then download and use smartphone or desktop apps to make and receive calls and access other Vonage services. In the case of Premium and Advanced plan subscribers, the choice extends to certain IP desk phones. A range of supported desk phones are available on the Vonage website.
