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Business Phone Service in Chatham, LA

Making a phone call is still the most preferred method of initiating contact with a business, so it's crucial for any business to consider the affordability as well as features and reliability of their business phone service. There are some different technologies available to businesses in Chatham, LA, who are comparing possible service providers - and we here at MyRatePlan will help you come to an informed, educated and good decision! The three main types of technology we're going to discuss are VoIP (which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, meaning that the phone calls are routed through and over the internet itself to your computer or a traditional phone), PBX (which stands for Private Branch Exchange, and is a system whereby an enterprise-level customer can have any number of local-to-itself lines that all share the same or same few external lines) and - what the industry likes to call it - POTS, or 'Plain Old Telephone Service,' which is the standard that we've all grown up with.

Business VoIP Providers 
Provider Plan Details Monthly Rate*
Ringcentral logo
RATED #1 BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS
  • Includes 100+ Premium Features
  • Unlimited Calling, Faxing, SMS, Conferencing
  • Trusted by over 350,000 Businesses

$19.99
Details
4/5

142 Reviews

VOIP logo
Business phone service - no internet required
  • Not internet-based - more reliable than VoIP
  • Landline & cell plans, unlimited calls/texts
  • 1:1 account setup tailored to your business

* 8.3% discount if paid for the year upfront

$17.41*
Details
5/5

7 Reviews

Telidesk logo
Engineering for the Small Business
  • Unlimited Calling 24/7 Customer Service
  • Quick QR Code Onboarding
  • SMS, Ring Groups, Call Reports

* per user per month

$9.95*
Details
5/5

1 Reviews

Phone Service for Business
Alliance Phone Service
  • Simple Control Panel
  • Easy 25-minute setup
  • Daily call reports

* 12% discount for subscribing and paying for a year upfront

$19.97*
Details
5/5

13 Reviews

Talkroute logo
The phone system built to do business anywhere
  • Video Meetings & Text Messaging
  • Call Forwarding & Routing
  • Desktop, Mobile, & Web Apps

* $5 per additional user

$19.00*
Details
5/5

1 Reviews

Verizon logo
Get 99.99% network reliability with Fios.
  • Business Digital Voice
  • 1-year price guarantee
  • Unlimited data

* Per month. Plus taxes, fees and equipment charges.

$69.00*
Details
1/5

11 Reviews

Best VoIP Providers in Chatham, LA

How Does Business VoIP Service Work in Chatham, LA?

VoIP is commonly used in favor of an analog phone service, and it stands for voice over Internet protocol. The technology for VoIP has been around for many years, but recently, it has become much more popular. After switching to VoIP, many business owners are ditching their traditional PSTN service. VoIP is a popular choice among small startups because it's affordable and satisfies the needs of most smaller businesses. The call quality available from VoIP is almost identical to analog phone service, but in most cases, it's much less expensive. When a call is made with a VoIP service, the call is sent through the Internet, and on the other end of the transmission, the call is reassembled from its digitized form, and the person on the other end can clearly understand the voice. However, before considering a VoIP business phone service, it's very important to have a high-speed Internet connection. MyRatePlan takes the guesswork out of checking the speed of an Internet connection, and it offers one of the best tools available for Internet speed testing.

Although VoIP and analog phone services deliver similar call quality, they function differently. The major difference between these two services is how the calls are transmitted. When a call is made with a PSTN service, it's transmitted through analog telephone lines. VoIP is different because it digitizes calls and passes them through the Internet. Most businesses in Chatham, LA can save money by using a VoIP service because it's much cheaper to send and receive calls. A VoIP service also charges less money for international and long-distance calls, which can be quite expensive when made with an analog phone service. Some of the best VoIP services charge a flat rate for their services, which creates another opportunity to save money.

By getting business VoIP service in Chatham, LA, business owners can get access to many useful features. Several of the top features offered by VoIP services are call forwarding, fax to email, caller ID and multiple extensions.

Most of the VoIP business phone providers in Chatham, LA offer great features for businesses, and the size of the business doesn't matter. Some of the smallest companies start out with VoIP and don't need more than five lines, and many larger companies require hundreds of extensions and use VoIP.

Compare VoIP Providers in Chatham, LA

How to Choose the Best Business VoIP Service Provider in Chatham, LA

Most business VoIP providers in Chatham, LA offer plans designed to accommodate businesses of all sizes. You could have a small company with only five lines, or a large corporation that uses thousands of extensions for multiple departments. There is a VoIP service that meets your business needs.

Still, having more than one provider from which to choose requires knowing how to choose what is best. The first thing you want to do is determine the type of telephone service your business needs. Answering questions such as the number of phone lines required and features used during the normal course of business are relevant to finding the best phone service provider.

If you plan to expand, you want a system that is scalable, whether you are adding a new location or increasing needs at your current one. Of course, you want to determine how much you can afford and whether you are receiving an introductory rate that expires in 6-12 months.

Next, you can use MyRatePlan to look at different offers from business VoIP providers in Chatham, LA. Compare their services, prices and reputation for serving businesses in the area. Getting a good deal is great, but having a consistently working phone system is crucial to your business' success. A low rate is not good enough if the company does not have a positive track record for excellent customer service and being reliable.

Find and compare business phone service providers in Chatham, LA

What is Traditional Business Phone Service in Chatham, LA?

Traditional phone service companies transmit their signals through a PSTN. The PSTN uses circuit-switched telephony. It is based on copper wires carrying analog voice data. Telephone services that are facilitated by PSTN are often known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) because it has been operational for more than 100 years. It was the first mode of a network to be used by telephone service providers. The PSTN also comprises of satellites, mobile networks, and cables.

The PSTN infrastructure is very large. Therefore, it is expensive to use PSTN telephone service than VoIP in Chatham, LA. Moreover, the PSTN network is old and often requires maintenance. The major setback of PSTN telephone services is that they have difficulties when sending data over long distances because they are analog.

When making long distance calls over the PSTN, the data has to stop at different destinations during its transmission. The data flow through the equipment owned by various companies as the call is in progress. Therefore, it makes the call cost per minute higher and expensive. The traditional phone service companies use a lot of infrastructures to carry, switch, and route the calls that are now digital. However, the connection between the local central office and the customer is still analog.

Traditional PBX

Analog Phone Systems and PBX in Chatham, LA

Most Chatham, LA businesses choose to use a private branch exchange, also known as a PBX system. A PBX system allows the system to route calls to the correct line and enables the use of other calling features such as voicemail, call forwarding, multiple extensions and others. Businesses can locate the PBX system at their office or a remote location.

An analog PBX system requires multiple pieces of hardware that need to be purchased, installed and configured, so you need to keep these expenses in mind if you are considering using one. For example, the hardware alone can cost over $1,000 to purchase. That price does not include installation and configuration which will require the expertise of a professional technician.

If you are interested in an analog PBX system for your Chatham, LA business, you should be aware that expansion can be challenging and expensive. Most PBX systems only support a limited number of lines, so if your business eventually requires more capacity than you originally designed the system for, you may be forced to purchase more expensive hardware.

All electronic equipment eventually fails and will need replacement. Since an analog PBX system requires more electronic equipment than VoIP systems, the potential exists for higher costs due to the replacement of electronic hardware. There is also the risk of your equipment becoming obsolete as providers modernize their telephone systems. Phone companies will place less emphasis on analog technology as they phase out analog and refocus on more affordable and efficient VoIP technology.