eVoice is becoming a go-to virtual PBX system for individuals who are taking a personal business to the next level. The system offers a mid-range of features, options, and prices, so you’ll get a good model and platform for scaling during the earlier years of your business.

eVoice is a budget-smart tool that many are taking advantage of, and the company boasts a high rate of conversions for people who use its free 30-day trial and become loyal customers.

PBX Focus

eVoice offers you a custom virtual phone number and PBX platform that works as a call forwarding service for any of your existing phones. It offers a lot of the standard features such as screening and auto attendants, but also a big list of free and premium services that you can add to your business to build up your services.

The company is different with a smaller fee but is one of the few that does not offer an unlimited number of phone extensions. You can get access to 1-800 numbers, vanity numbers and local numbers but there are some limitations. For a vanity number you’ll make a one-time payment of $30 and the company does admit that it doesn’t have as much access to true 1-800 numbers as compared to some other service providers.

How It Works

eVoice describes its service as a simple four-step option that gest customers to you. Thanks to its routing rules, you’ll get calls no matter when or where you are, so you don’t have to miss important calls.

Essentially, eVoice gives you a new local or 1-800 number that customers will call and it connects that to your existing phone line. It then lays a set of services on top of your phone number so that you get access to advanced options and metrics while customers get access to you. Think of it like putting a warm blanket on your bed during a cold night. The bed and mattress still do the real work when you lie down, but the warm blanket makes everything feel a bit better.

The process is:

1. The customer dials your phone number.
2. The eVoice system answers and manages the call with the menu you have set up on the service.
3. eVoice looks at your rules and routes your calls to you at your business, on-the-go, or in your home office.
4. eVoice then connects your call and your customer is never the wiser. The company’s slogan for this step is “eVoice handles your calls, so you can handle your business.”

What Are the Plans?

Most of the plans don’t have different names, so the best way to look at them is by price. Check out the table below to understand the basic differences between top features such as minutes, extensions, and phone numbers.

The company also offers a Workforce Plan that scales up to meet your exact number of users. eVoice provides the $79.99 and $49.99 price points as examples of that plan, but says you can custom tailor it specifically to your needs and you’ll get a personalized pricing plan as well.

How Are the Plans Different?

The main difference between the plans is that the three Small Business options also include digital faxing options and access to a VIP Support program—as well as just having more minutes, extensions and numbers. All four plans get access to the included features list provided below and each can add any number or combination of premium features, for a select price.

One nice thing about the different plans is that eVoice works with you if you’re going over minutes or expanding your staff. That means you can switch to higher or lower plans based on your usage. The online account manager platform lets you quickly change between these with just a few clicks. However, if you need a hand understanding what’s going to change or what can help your business out, you can always contact eVoice for free help determining which plan meets your needs.

What Are the Features?

You’ll find a huge list of features with eVoice. The company breaks them down into lists of features included with all of their options, plus a few premium features. Those lists are recreated below:

Depending on whatever services you need, you may not be covered with those standard features. If you need more options, check out these premium features below, but remember that they each have a cost in addition to your standard account.

Call recordings will set you back $5.95 per extension per month, and a few other options follow that price plan. You’ll want to be careful before adding these options because that cost scales very quickly and is automatically applied to all of your extensions. That means you may end up paying for a call recording for a voicemail extension depending on how you set up your platform.

The live receptionist might be a great bet for any small business if the price is right. You’re typically not paying the same amount as if you hired an individual to sit in your front office, and you don’t have to pay for any new equipment. This feature is priced depending on your individual situation, so you’ll have to add it directly after getting your account together to find out your pricing requirements for it.

Running Over?

eVoice notes that only 8% of its customers have ever gone over their monthly minute amount. That’s a good number for the market, especially with features that tailor to growing businesses. If you go over your allotted minutes, eVoice will let you either ramp up to the next-tier plan without a charge or will charge you 3.9¢ for every minute you go over.

Mobile Apps

eVoice was an early differentiator with its mobile application for iPhones and Android phones—some users every say that these are supported on tablets that use the Android or iOS operating system, but eVoice doesn’t guarantee support.

These are feature-rich apps because they offer support beyond just the basic account management that is common with many low-cost competitors. According to eVoice, with the apps you can:

• Receive calls.
• Screen calls.
• Forward calls to other numbers.
• Search for messages on your system and your phone.

For premium paid accounts. you get even more features:

• Record calls.
• Receive faxes.
• Use speed dial.
• Voicemail-to-text.
• Send faxes from anywhere.
• Setup conference calls.
• Update voicemail greeting and other messages.

There are a couple important notes for the apps. The first is that you can use your service contacts as well as your phone contacts. If you use a free eVoice plan, your service will include 20 minutes of app-based calls each month and calls that you miss will get sent to your company voicemail.

Please note that eVoice apps can’t be used to call 911.

Is It Right for You?

eVoice is an okay choice for small and mid-sized businesses. If you’re not spending a lot of time on the phone and don’t want to spend a lot of money. They have a decent spread of options, but a mixed service record. That means you’re a good fit if you don’t use the service and don’t completely rely on phone calls for your business. That means e-retailers are a good fit.

The real recommendation here is to use the 30-day trial before you sign up for any paid plan.

Pros

• Good price
• Can transfer phones and set up new lines easily
• Lots of local and toll-free number support
• Free 30-day trial
• Robust service list
• Great mobile app
• Can edit and save multiple greetings
• Strong call recording and routing
• Great hold music options
• No setup fee
• Added extensions come with a free bump in additional calling minutes
• 24/7 support from California or Indiana call centers

Cons

• Can’t import contact lists
• No international phone number options
• Low number of extensions compared to other companies, especially in basic plans
• Some users report difficulty when routing calls with complex requirements (such as routing a call to a cellphone after work hours)
• Some users say the billing is troublesome because a payment that lists as “due” on a date must be paid in advance of that date; multiple users say late fees are applied at 12:01 a.m. on the due date.
• Phones still ring when the companies are set up to be closed
• Users report outages without any notification from eVoice
• When the company’s website goes down, phone numbers also tend to, so it’s hard to get support

Final Say

eVoice is a strong platform that works well for growing businesses, but it has a lot of users who are upset over outages that eVoice was slow to address. The service is strong and you get a great platform with different options, but the sheer number of customers who have had their phones go out for more than one day is a bit concerning. It’s a great additional option and some recent work on its reliability make eVoice a decent choice for those on a budget.

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