Best Call Center Phone Systems 2025: US Business Guide

people in a call centre

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Our research has revealed that RingCentral provides the best call center phone system for US businesses in 2025. Its agile, customisable features, from AI analytics and skills-based routing to IVR automation and extensive integration options, should equip your call center with the necessary savviness to keep your customers happy.

RingCentral also has the cheapest call center-specific plan of any provider on this page, although you can find some better value VoIP phone system plans with GoTo in our view, due to the inclusion of unlimited calling minutes (something not available with RingCentral’s cheaper plans).

Whether either is the right phone system for your call center is a completely different question. Read on as we discuss each provider’s benefits and downsides compared to one another.

Best contact center phone system providers in the US 2025

  1. RingCentral – Best all-round phone system for call centers
  2. Vonage – Best phone system for small call center teams
  3. 8×8 – Best phone system for international call center
  4. GoTo – Best call center phone system for value for money

Based on our research, these are the providers we recommend. Clicking on them will take you to our comparison tool to find the best phone line service for your contact center business. If you want to find out how we ranked these providers, jump to the section outlining our research criteria further down this page.

The Best Call Center IVR Phone System Providers

After extensive research and analysis, our researchers have rounded up the four best call center phone systems.

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0 out of 0
Best For

All-Round System For Call Centers

Best For

Small Call Center Teams

Best For

Scalability

Best For

Inbound Communication Features

Price

$20 – $35 per user, per month

Price

$13.99 – $27.99 per user, per month

Price

Custom

Price

$27 – $32 per user, per month

Domestic Calls

Unlimited calls within US and Canada

Domestic Calls

Unlimited to domestic landlines

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

International Calls

Free calls to the US and Canada only

International Calls

None included

International Calls

Free calls from 14 to 48 countries (varies by package)

International Calls

Free international calling to 50+ countries

Management Features
  • Call routing
  • Call transcripts
  • Setting up teams
  • Call barge*
  • Call whisper*
  • Call monitoring*
  • Analytics*
Management Features
  • Analytics
  • Reporting
  • Call whisper*
  • Call barge*
Management Features
  • Call monitoring*
  • Call recording*
  • Call barge*
  • Call whisper*
  • Analytics*
Management Features
  • Call barge*
  • Call whisper*
  • Call recording*
  • Analytics*
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RingCentral

Best all-round system for call centers

As part of its range of VoIP-backed phone systems, RingCentral offers a comprehensive contact center solution to aid your business’s customer calling interactions.

Its RingCX and RingCentral Contact Center plans – the two calling options RingCentral recommends as its contact center solutions – combine voice, video, messaging, and omnichannel capabilities to provide a unified experience that stands out according to our US market analysis.

RingCentral Logo on white background
RingCentral
Pricing $20 - Custom
Strengths

Tightly integrated IVR and automatic call distribution (ACD), allowing you to leverage customer data

Extensive integration options (over 400 pre-built)

Rich menu of management and training features

Weaknesses

Integrability with most software requires Premium or Ultimate subscriptions

Extensive feature set and integrations may be overwhelming for smaller teams

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
RingEX Core $20
RingEX Advanced $25
RingEX Ultra $35
RingCX $65
RingCX Contact Center Custom

Why do we recommend RingCentral for US call centers?

Before we get into why RingCentral is our top call center package for US businesses, we think it’s important we explain the differences and similarities between its two call-centre related plans.

Both RingCentral’s RingCX and Contact Center plans are AI-first contact center solutions that combine voice, video, social media, email, and other channels into a user-friendly interface (surpassing the likes of 8×8 in channels offered). This omnichannel approach also offers capabilities like intelligent routing, real-time analytics, and workforce engagement management to help businesses deliver customised customer experiences.

As the table below highlights, the key difference lies in the number of digital channels you need to utilise and via what software architecture. Here’s a quick comparison of the two plans:

FeatureRingCXRingCentral Contact Center
Omnichannel supportVoice and 20+ digital channels via RingCentral appOver 30 digital channels via the MAX (My Agent eXperience) app
PricingStarting at $65 per user/monthCustom pricing based on business needs
Ideal forSmall to medium-sized businessesLarger enterprises requiring customisation

Pricing and feature details are based on available information as of April 2025. For the most current details, please visit RingCentral’s official website.

Offered as part of both the above plans, the smart routing features can be based on interaction type, team, agent skills, and other factors to direct customer calls efficiently. Agents can use features including call transfers, conferencing, hold options, interaction tagging, and an integrated address book for efficient contact management.

ringcentral interface when making a call
Using RingCentral is pretty self-explanatory as we found out in our hands-on testing of its platform. Source: Expert Market

Supervisors can monitor and interact with agents in real time, too. They can view performance metrics, listen to live calls discreetly (monitoring), record interactions, provide in-call coaching (whisper), join calls when necessary (barge), and force agent logouts if required.

Teams and individual users can design scripts incorporating features like Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus, and virtual agent bots. The simple drag-and-drop interface simplifies the creation of both basic and complex scripts, accommodating various organizational needs.

RingCentral IVR designer
With RingCentral's Visual IVR Designer, users can drag, drop and customize different aspects of call routing in an easily digestible manner, like the scheduling options being applied here. Source: Expert Market

The platform offers real-time analytics and reporting tools to monitor performance and make data-driven decisions. For instance, you can employ interaction analysis across voice, chat, and email interactions to help identify trends and areas for improvement. Managers can analyse Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of agents, accessible through intuitive dashboards. We’d argue the level of insight is more comprehensive compared to some competitors like GoTo, providing a clearer view of contact center operations.

With RingCentral offering over 400 pre-built integrations, including popular CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, it’s well-suited to slot in smoothly with your current workflows and avoid any issues in data consistency across platforms. While fairly extensive, 8×8 supports fewer integrations, which may limit flexibility for some businesses.

And perhaps most crucially of all, RingCentral offers the cheapest contact center-specific plan of the four providers on this page at $65 per agent, per month via the RingCX plan. While the exact pricing of some of the other provider plans is unclear, this is the lowest price according to our current knowledge.

ringcentral RingCX pricing web page
Via RingCentral's website, you can view the pricing for its RingCX plan (though there's no cost listed for its Contact Centre package) - Source: Expert Market via RingCentral website

Are there any drawbacks to RingCentral?

While RingCentral’s contact center solutions are robust, there are potential considerations to be had compared to other contact center calling system providers.

Firstly, and perhaps most pertinent for your operations, there’s no specific pricing for the RingCentral Contact Center plan. This is not readily available on their website, requiring potential customers to contact them for quotes. By comparison, GoTo provides upfront pricing for its most comprehensive contact center plan (although its worth noting all other providers besides GoTo on this page are equally opaque about their top plans, so RingCentral isn’t out of the ordinary in this sense).

Relatedly, these two plans’ extensive range of features, like the 400 pre-built integrations and advanced analytics, might be overkill for some operations, particularly smaller businesses. This complexity, and the potential for underutilised resources as a result, may mean less comprehensive but still capable RingCentral RingEX VoIP phone plans (which we’ll discuss shortly) are a better fit for both practicality and your business finances.

Does RingCentral have any other VoIP plans suited to call centers?

Yes, RingCentral offers various VoIP plans under the RingCentral RingEX plans, which can be suitable for call centers, especially those not requiring the full suite of contact center features. These plans are:

CoreAdvancedUltra
Cost per user, per month$20 (billed annually) $30 (billed monthly)$25 (billed annually) $35 (billed monthly)$35 (billed annually) $45 (billed monthly)
Inclusive minutesInbound: Unlimited Outbound: Unlimited (US/CA)Inbound: Unlimited Outbound: Unlimited (US/CA)Inbound: Unlimited Outbound: Unlimited (US/CA)
Key featuresHD video (100 participants), business SMS/MMS, visual voicemail, IVR, team messaging, call menus, Google/Microsoft integrations, AI transcription and summariesEverything in Core PLUS: auto call recording, advanced call monitoring, internet fax, CRM integrations, multi-site support, usage analytics (6 months), AI notes & call actionsEverything in Advanced PLUS: customizable reporting, 12 months of analytics history, HD video (200 participants), device analytics and alerts, unlimited storage, AI SMS/chat writing and translation

These plans differ from the contact center-specific solutions by focusing more on unified communications rather than specialised contact center features like omnichannel support. They are cost-effective alternatives for businesses that may not require the full functionality of a dedicated contact centre solution but still need robust communication tools to manage customer interactions effectively.

Business Phone Line Plan or Contact Center Plan?

Don’t need full contact center capabilities? A business VoIP phone line package like those listed above might make more sense. We discuss the potential packages relevant to call centers at the end of each provider review section, or you can head to the linked guide for full details on the top-rated options.

Vonage

Best for small call center teams

For contact centers, Vonage has two options for US businesses: Vonage Priority and Vonage Premium. Both have a wide range of communication channels so that you cover all bases with your customer base, though there are some important distinctions between the two (alongside Vonage’s other VoIP phone plans, which could act as a cheaper alternative).

Vonage logo
Vonage
Pricing $19.99-39.99
Strengths

Customizable dashboards and wallboards give you real-time visibility of KPI progress

Displays a local number when reaching out to customers, improving response rate

Solid customer support service

Weaknesses

Security is not as robust compared to other IVR phone systems

Most useful features for training and management only available at Premium and Advanced subscriptions

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Mobile $19.99
Premium $29.99
Advanced $39.99

Why do we recommend Vonage for US call centers?

Both Vonage Priority and Premium plans come with a comprehensive suite of features to support efficient customer communications, including omnichannel capabilities, via CRM integration, to let businesses communicate with customers across voice, email, and chat seamlessly.

Vonage call dashboard on its software
Vonage has an intuitive call dashboard that can be accessed as part of all its plans. Source: Expert Market

Phone line operators will see screen pop-ups during calls, thereby helping agents deliver more personalised service by providing relevant customer information during interactions.

When calls come in, intelligent routing features, such as IVR, skills-based routing, and SLA optimization, help direct customers to the most suitable agents to solve their queries. Priority call handling and personal queues help businesses prioritise high-value clients efficiently, too.

vonage IVR routing settings
While not as visually appealing as RingCentral, Vonage also has a visual-based IVR routing controls that make it easy to see the call pathway callers will face depending on what criteria are met - Source: Expert Market via Vonage website

While waiting for their call to be taken, customers are kept informed with announcements of their place in the queue so they have a clear expectation of wait times.

After calls are complete, advanced analytics, reporting, and dashboards can provide businesses with in-depth insights into performance, too. Businesses can also benefit from activating Vonage’s post-call quality ratings, which can provide essential feedback to improve customer satisfaction in the future.

How do the Vonage Priority and Premium Contact Center plans differ?

While these are all features both plans have in common, it’s worth quickly highlighting how the Vonage Priority and Premium Contact Center plans differ from one another:

FeaturePriorityPremium
Dynamic & Multilingual AnnouncementsNoYes
Dynamic Routing, Queued CallbackNoYes
Whisper CoachingNoYes
Post Call SurveyNoYes
APIs for Agent Availability, Authentication Reporting, InteractionsNoYes
User AdminNoYes

Are there any potential drawbacks to Vonage?

While Vonage’s contact center solutions are robust, it’s worth stressing that Vonage states that its omnichannel capabilities are only supported through CRM integration. This might require additional configuration compared to providers offering native omnichannel support, like RingCentral. Equally, if you already have a comprehensive CRM system, this could be a benefit, but it’s something to be aware of.

Vonage also lacks RingCentral’s breadth of pre-built integrations or 8×8’s unlimited call minutes, which may limit scalability for larger enterprises. And, even though there isn’t much in it, Vonage also only offers a 95% to 99.8% uptime guarantee, unlike RingCentral’s 99.9% uptime promise.

And lastly, its Priority and Premium plans are custom-priced, which can make it harder for businesses to compare costs upfront. By contrast, GoTo offers its Contact Center plan at a (sometimes) transparent $72 per agent per month, providing clarity for businesses looking for all-in-one solutions– albeit, that fluctuates constantly. At the time of writing it has removed its pricing once again.

Does Vonage have any other VoIP plans suited to call centers?

Yes, Vonage offers Unified Communications plans under the Vonage Business Communications (VBC) suite, which can be suitable for call centers with less demanding needs.

Since you’re very likely to want CRM integrations to access customer information easily, we’d suggest that the Advanced plan will be the best suited to call centers of the bunch. In any case, below is a quick comparison of these VoIP plans:

PlanCost per user, per monthInclusive minutesKey features
Mobile$13.99 (promo, billed annually) $19.99 (standard)Unlimited domestic callingDesktop and mobile apps, SMS and MMS, voicemail
Premium$20.99 (promo, billed annually) $29.99 (standard)Unlimited domestic callingAll Mobile features plus VoIP desk phone support, unlimited video meetings (up to 200 participants), team messaging, App Center, single sign-on
Advanced$27.99 (promo, billed annually) $39.99 (standard)Unlimited domestic callingAll Premium features plus on-demand call recording (15 hours/mo), visual voicemail with transcription, call groups
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8×8

Best for global call centers

8×8 provides a range of contact center solutions tailored for US businesses, focusing on delivering comprehensive features with an emphasis on unlimited calling options to 48 countries across the globe.

This included perk, combined with a more comprehensive system than GoTo (which has a similar 50+ countries included with its calling) makes 8×8 our pick for international call center operations wanting the best system going.

8x8 logo
8x8 Work
Pricing Custom
Quick overview

Chosen by over 2.5 million users, 8x8 has a proven track record of success – according to Forrester Consulting, clients that opted for 8x8 reported a 158% growth in ROI! Known for its customizable drag-and-drop dashboards and intelligent coaching and collaboration tools, 8x8 offers a wide menu of subscription options that will allow you to gradually – or rapidly – scale up your customer service building blocks.

With features like ring groups and call queue offered at almost all subscription levels, your business will be able to deal with large volumes of callers. What’s more, with Web Conferencing and internal live chat integrations of a wide range of platforms including Telegram and Slack, your agents will be able to work remotely, giving you more flexibility and slash office costs.

Strengths

Boasts some of the most generous customer service in the IVR-verse

Unlimited inbound and outbound minutes to 48 countries

Offers real-time dashboards and wide range of seamless integrations

Weaknesses

Niftiest features only available at the most exclusive subscriptions

Free trial is limited to features offered at Express subscription

Unclear if their Customer Success Managers (onboarding support) come at an additional charge

Pricing
Plans (listed prior to 2025)Starting price (per user, per month)
X2 Bespoke (previously ~$24)
X4 Bespoke (previously ~$44)
X6 Bespoke (previously ~$85)
X7 Bespoke (previously ~$110)
X8 Bespoke (previously ~$140)

Why do we recommend 8×8 for US call centers?

While the latest pricing pages on the 8×8 website have no description of its exact plans, before 2025 (and still today on certain pages of its website if you scroll to the bottom), these were listed as being: X6, X7, and X8.

The biggest perk of these 8×8 packages, now simply titled Contact Center to the public, compared to the other providers on this page, is for international calling operations since 8×8 has unlimited calling to 48 countries with any of the listed plans. That’s better than all the other providers on this page, which either require paid add-ons or have custom rates for international calling.

We found its software to be simple to use, too, for the most part, with a calling interface that didn’t leave us confused or bound up in knots.

making a call in 8x8 Work software
Making a call and using call management features like call forwarding is incredibly intuitive with 8x8. Source: Expert Market

All plans also include essential features designed to improve customer experience and operational efficiency, such as intelligent routing via its auto-attendant/IVR system, real-time monitoring, and CRM integration with popular systems. In other words, you have all the essential tools for effective customer interactions.

auto-attendant creation in 8x8 admin console
The 8x8 Auto Attendant creator isn't as visually simple compared to the likes of RingCentral and GoTo - Source: 8x8

Below is a comparison highlighting the key differences among these three plans, according to its business phone webpage (although, as previously mentioned, it’s not clear whether 8×8 is still using these plans given its pricing page now has no reference to them):

FeatureX6 planX7 planX8 plan
PricingBespokeBespokeBespoke
Communication channelsVoice, Email, ChatVoice, Email, Chat, SMSVoice, Email, Chat, SMS, Social Media
Analytics and reportingStandardAdvancedAdvanced with Predictive Analytics
CRM integrationYesYesYes
Outbound diallerNoYesYes
Quality managementNoNoYes

Plan details are based on available information as of April 2025. For the most current details, please contact 8×8.

Are there any drawbacks to 8×8?

A key issue with 8×8 is around the transparency of its pricing across any of its plans (including its other less extensive calling packages we discuss below). 8×8 doesn’t state the price of any plans, requiring you to get a custom quote for your business needs. And our research tells us that 8×8 tends to have higher prices than the three other providers on this page, although this could have changed since 8×8 last stated its pricing publicly.

This can make assessing the costs of your business compared to other systems more difficult, although since call center plans are generally custom-priced (due to being the most feature-rich of most providers), you can utilise our quote-finding tool to get answers for each provider quickly and easily.

Additionally, while 8×8 supports multiple communication channels and advanced analytics, its CRM integrations are fewer in number compared to RingCentral, which boasts over 400 integrations, including Salesforce and HubSpot. This may make 8×8 less appealing to businesses that rely heavily on diverse software ecosystems, though your mileage may vary depending on the tools you use, as 8×8 still caters to a decent variety of software.

Does 8×8 have any other VoIP plans suited to call centers?

Yes, 8×8 offers Unified Communications plans under the 8×8 Work package, which can also be suitable for call centers, especially those not requiring the full suite of contact center features. Previously titled as the X Series, these plans used to be listed as:

X2 plan: This plan includes unlimited calling to 14 countries, video conferencing, and team messaging, making it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.

X4 plan: It expands unlimited calling to 48 countries and includes advanced call handling and analytics, catering to businesses with a global presence. Again, the X4 plan has custom pricing like all other 8×8 packages.

Today, these plans aren’t listed on its main pricing page, suggesting things might have changed in 2025. But given they are still discussed on its business phone page, we thought it was still worth highlighting here.

GoTo Connect

Best for value for money

GoTo offers cost-effective contact center solutions tailored for US businesses, focusing on affordability without compromising essential features.

The only provider on this page to publicly state the pricing for all of its plans, including its contact center-specific plan, we think it’s one of the best choices for monetary value overall. Even if you can get one of RingCentral’s contact center plans for a little less investment, in terms of the providers as a whole, it’s an appealing choice, no matter what plan you pick.

GoTo logo
GoTo Connect
Pricing $27-$32
Strengths

Onboarding support is available across all subscription models

Free international calling to 50+ countries and unlimited domestic inbound and outbound minutes

Weaknesses

Analytics and workspace integrations unavailable

Limited number of compatible platforms for external connections compared to other providers

Not the most comprehensive customer support

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Phone System Custom (~$25)
Connect CX Custom (~$32)
Contact Centre Custom (~$72)

Why do we recommend GoTo Connect for US call centers?

GoTo Connect keeps it simple with just one plan relevant for call centers and is aptly titled Contact Center.

As you will expect from a contact center package, it supports multiple communication channels like the other providers on this page, including voice, email, chat, SMS, and social media, allowing businesses to engage with customers through their preferred mediums.

Features such as skills-based routing and auto queue callback should help customers be directed to the most appropriate agents (to improve first-call resolutions), and then reduce wait times in the long run.

dial plan in GoTo Connect controls to route calls with nodes of different colors
The different nodes in GoTo allow you to edit call flows in a visual manner, as well as see how effective the route is directly inside the console over the past seven days. Source: Expert Market via GoTo website

All this valuable data integrates with popular CRM systems such as ServiceNow and Zendesk, so your agents can access customer information effortlessly and provide personalized service. Granted, this extent doesn’t match RingCentral and 8×8, but it’s around par with Vonage.

When compared in terms of value for money, our research tells us that we believe GoTo might be your best bet on this page. At around $72 per user, per month, it’s the only provider on this page to have its highest-priced and most feature-rich plan to have publicly priced, which is transparency we value highly. And you get unlimited international calling to over 50 countries, no matter what plan you pick, bettering all other options purely in terms of the number of countries you can call without an extra charge.

Add in that its Phone System and Connect CX plans are also competitively priced according to our research, and we reckon GoTo is an attractive option for small to medium-sized businesses seeking comprehensive contact center capabilities without significant financial investment (particularly compared to RingCentral and 8×8).

goto connect pricing plans for canada
Often GoTo has shown us custom quote based pricing, and you will still need to contact GoTo for an exact price for your business, however these prices were shown to us at the time of writing - Source: GoTo

Like RingCentral, GoTo highlights the inclusion of AI-driven tools such as call summaries, chat analysis, and sentiment detection to help improve agent productivity and provide valuable insights into customer interactions (and that’s majorly helpful if you’ve made hundreds of calls that week and can’t quite remember what was said in a particular one).

Relatedly, GoTo offers detailed analytics and reporting capabilities to monitor individual agents’ performance metrics, as well as understand customer trends, and use that information to adapt your approach accordingly.

GoTo contact centre dashboard
GoTo's contact centre dashboards provide valuable oversight into your call centre operations. Source: Expert Market via GoTo website

Are there any drawbacks to GoTo Connect?

GoTo’s Contact Center plan is competitively priced at around $72 per agent per month, offering excellent value for businesses seeking affordability. However, compared to RingCentral, which includes over 30 digital channels in its Contact Center plan, GoTo’s omnichannel capabilities are slightly less comprehensive.

Additionally, while GoTo integrates with CRM systems like ServiceNow and Zendesk, it lacks the extensive integration library of RingCentral, which may impact businesses with diverse software needs. 8×8’s unlimited call minutes across different countries is also a distinct advantage for organisations with high outbound calling demands, an area where GoTo does not match.

Does GoTo Connect have any other VoIP plans suited to call centers?

Yes, GoTo offers additional plans under the GoTo Connect suite, which can be suitable for call centers, especially those not requiring the full suite of contact center features. These plans include:

Phone System plan: Costing around $25 per user/month, this plan includes essential communication tools such as voice calls, video conferencing, and team messaging, making it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.

Connect CX plan: Priced at approximately $32 per user/month, it adds features like omnichannel communication, shared inbox, and enhanced reporting and analytics, catering to businesses with more advanced customer interaction needs.

All prices discussed here are estimates based on the CAD pricing, as at the time of writing this page, GoTo has made its pricing private again. It has routinely switched between making this public and private over the past six months though, so this may have changed if you visit its pricing page today.

What are the benefits of a call center phone system?

  • Keeps your customers happy – When customers give your business a call, they expect their query to be handled quickly and seamlessly. A powerful IVR phone system that can assign the right calls to the right agents will ensure your customers can hang up – rather than slam down – the phone, feeling satisfied with your service.
  • Boosts efficiency – Whether you’re running a small or big business, your call center is likely to experience a large number of inbound calls. Therefore, streamlining your service is key. IVR systems allow you to track all call activity in a single place, making it simple to understand where you’re faltering in customer service. Did you know that IVR phone systems can help reduce telephony-related costs by 30%?
  • Scale up your business – The perfect fertiliser for growing your business is slashing costs and planting an infrastructure that’ll make your agents as productive as they can be. Call center phone systems can do just that. They can also help you collect data to understand how your product is performing, and where it needs improvement. In fact, call center phone systems can reduce your IT costs by up to 14%.

What do call centers need from a phone system?

Compared to other areas of your business, your call center has a specific and unique set of needs. With so many features and systems available, you may be overwhelmed with what exactly you need to choose the right system.

We’ve done the research for you and noted the key features phone systems for call centers should have:

  • Call routing – this will help callers be put through quickly and efficiently to the right person. There’s nothing worse than being put on hold for a long period or being bounced around to different departments before you eventually find the right person. Efficient call routing will reduce this from happening.
  • Call recording – an important feature as it helps to protect both your business and the caller if a dispute is raised. Call recording is legal in the US in this scenario as it is done to ensure a business is complying with regulatory procedures.
  • Integrated CRM – an integrated CRM system will help keep all of your calls and records unified. It makes it easier for your employees to access necessary information quickly, providing callers with a more efficient experience and ensuring fewer mistakes are made. If you already have a CRM system, then look for a phone system that integrates easily.
  • Training mode – this will ensure your agents avoid mistakes that could lead to bigger issues and provide agents with more confidence when dealing with real calls.

What hardware do I need for a call center?

To provide a high-quality customer experience, each of your agents will need reliable hardware, including a computer, headset, and a high-speed internet connection. On the software side, you’ll need a business phone system, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and workforce management tools.

Here is why you need them:

Hardware equipment ($1000+ per workstation)

  • Computer – to access your call center software and other tools.
  • Headset (headphones and microphone set) – having a comfortable and reliable headset with a noise-cancelling feature will facilitate clear communication between your agent and the customer.
  • Internet connection – you’ll need strong bandwidth to ensure smooth communication, high-quality calls, and uninterrupted service.

Software tools ($3,500+ per year)

  • Call center phone system – whether cloud-based or on-premise, a call center software is your agents’ main tool to manage all your customer communication.
  • Customer relationship management (CRM) system – a database typically integrated into your call center phone system, which stores important customer information, such as client demographics, call logs, and purchase history.
  • Workforce management tools – a software that helps you manage your workforce to make sure you have enough call center agents to handle high call volumes, such as customisable SLAs and call monitoring.
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How We Compare Call Center Phone Systems

In our latest assessment of VoIP systems, we've researched 11 market-leading VoIP service providers so we can make the most useful recommendations to US businesses in 2025. Using our in-house research framework and ranking process, we evaluated each VoIP system across eight core categories of interest, each weighted differently, and then combined the results to come up with a final score. We asked some key questions to get to the answers that will help your operations most.

Our Decision-Making Criteria with Assessment Weighting

Informed by readers and businesses we speak to regularly, as well as our own experiences using major VoIP platforms, we designed a research framework to assess each VoIP provider plan. It consists of eight overarching assessment categories, each designed to answer a specific question a buyer might have.

  • Which VoIP service offers the best call handling features for US businesses?
    Call management (25%) – We assessed features like call routing, queues, custom greetings, voicemail screening, and spam call blocking to see how well each provider handles inbound traffic. VoIP-using organizations often deal with high call volumes. They rely on call management features to create a better experience for these callers.
  • Can this platform support internal communication across remote or hybrid teams?
    Communication channels (20%) – We looked at the availability of tools like video conferencing, team messaging, SMS, and mobile app functionality, since VoIP is often purchased to streamline communication into one application rather than separate tools.
  • Will this system help me onboard and train staff effectively?
    Training features (20%) – We tested tools for live coaching (e.g. call whisper/barge), call recording, and performance dashboards — crucial for service and sales teams. VoIP-using businesses often train their employees on telephone etiquette.
  • Is the pricing clear and competitive for small and medium businesses?
    Pricing (10%) – We reviewed subscription tiers, user discounts, setup fees, and whether unlimited minutes are included or capped.
  • Will this VoIP system work with the software we already use?
    Software integrations (10%) – We checked how well each provider integrates with platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Google Workspace, and Microsoft Teams. VoIP software is often used with customer-data applications and other communication technologies in order to increase operational efficiency.
  • Can we keep using our existing phones and hardware?
    Hardware integrations (5%) – We reviewed compatibility with desk phones, speaker systems, and headsets from major brands. VoIP software is often used with standalone hardware.
  • What level of customer support is available if we run into issues?
    Customer support (5%) – We tested the availability of live chat, phone, and email support, as well as help centers and user communities, and how they perform in terms of accessibility and convenience.
  • How secure is this system for business use?
    Security options (5%) – We assessed features like multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption, and compliance with US data protection laws. Organizations can be put at risk if sensitive information is leaked due to a breach of security.

Where possible, we've also completed usability testing for VoIP services that we could get hands-on with. Testers put VoIP software through its paces to assess how well each could complete certain prescribed tasks.

Verdict

We recommend RingCentral as the best all-around phone system for call centers. Why? We think its rich set of customisable features that help train your agents to a first-class level, its integrability with a wide set of third-party software, and its ability to deal with a large number of calls make it a great option for call centers. It has the cheapest call center-specific plan we reviewed, too, which is an appealing boon in terms of cost savings.

However, we know that RingCentral might not fit the needs and priorities of all call centers. If you’re looking for more flexibility to scale up your operations over time, 8×8 Work can be a sound alternative. With a reported menu of six subscription models, you can adapt this IVR solution to cover all the specific needs of your call center as and when you need to.

A downside to 8×8 is its completely private pricing model, meaning you need to find out costs from the supplier yourself. Alternatively, we suggest filling in our quick and free comparison tool to get quotes from 8×8 and all other providers suited to your call center system needs.

Just answer a few questions and we’ll match you up with the call center phone system providers who will be in touch with free, tailored, no-obligation quotes.

Written by:
Matt Reed is a Senior Communications and Logistics Expert at Expert Market. Adept at evaluating products, he focuses mainly on assessing fleet management and business communication software. Matt began his career in technology publishing with Expert Reviews, where he spent several years putting the latest audio-related products and releases through their paces, revealing his findings in transparent, in-depth articles and guides. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism from City, University of London, Matt is no stranger to diving into challenging topics and summarising them into practical, helpful information.
Reviewed by:
James draws on more than four years experience as a researcher to offer specialized advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to fleet management. He believes all businesses can grow if they use the right tools and services.