Looking for a VoIP provider in Auckland? Whether you’re a VoIP rookie starting out with research or a seasoned expert looking for the best VoIP provider on the market, this article has the solution for you.
Let’s start with the basics. If you know your ‘VoIP’ from your fixed-line phones, maybe skip to the “benefits” section.
What is a VoIP system?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol - sometimes called IP telephony. Let’s explore the difference between VoIP and the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) in a little more depth.
We promise we’ll keep this as jargon-free as possible.
Traditional POTS—or hardware-based phones—send voice data as electrical signals through a traditional circuit-switched network of copper cables.
In contrast, cloud-based phone systems using VoIP technology convert voice into digital signals transmitted via the internet. So far, so good.
How many types of VoIP systems are there?
There are three types of VoIP systems: IP PBX, hybrid VoIP telephony solutions, and virtual VoIP technology. With virtual VoIP systems, all you need to get up and running is a stable internet connection and cloud-based phone system software from the VoIP provider of your choice. For a more detailed explanation of VoIP systems, read our blog What Is a VoIP Phone System?
Why have so many businesses in Auckland switched to VoIP phones?
More and more businesses are switching over to VoIP because it can deliver faster and more efficient communication at a more favourable price than most traditional telephony systems.
This is especially true for any enterprise dealing with high call volumes. But cost-effectiveness is far from the only benefit of implementing a VoIP system for your customer-facing teams.
What are the benefits of using VoIP as an Auckland-based business?
According to these report findings by Infometrics, Auckland accounted for 37.5% of New Zealand’s national GDP. Among the industries which made the largest contributions to Auckland’s GDP for the year 2021, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services took the lead with a contribution of 10.5%. The second-highest contributor to the GDP was Financial and Insurance Services with 8.9%.
What do these industries have in common, other than the top spots in Auckland’s GDP contributions? The existence of these services depends on efficient and effective business communication. VoIP can help with that and much, much more. Let’s explore a few of the key benefits.
Boost customer-facing team productivity & performance
The right VoIP provider offers one-click execution and automation which eliminates time-sucking tasks and allows team members to focus on more impactful deliverables. The ideal virtual VoIP system should also bring performance insight and monitoring tools for improving training and call outcomes in real time as sales and support conversations are happening.
Eliminate complex setup and maintenance procedures
A good virtual VoIP system is easy and intuitive to implement, so you can anticipate a headache-free setup experience. Plus, seeing as you’ve disabled those cables, your IT and operations teams are free to refine operational processes instead of responding to frequent maintenance requests.
Implement a strategic, cost-effective solution
Virtual VoIP is a low-maintenance, cost-effective communications solution that saves time and money. If you partner with the right Auckland VoIP provider, that is! Ultimately, VoIP systems free up time and cost savings that can be redirected into growth incentives and competitive business strategies.
Still unsure about making the switch to VoIP? Read our VoIP FAQs to see why you should be using a VoIP solution.
How to choose the right VoIP provider for your Auckland-based business
Now that you know why VoIP is a stronger choice for most business communications needs, you can begin considering which New Zealand VoIP provider is the best one for your business goals. To help begin this decision-making process, we’ve put together some of the leading criteria to consider. Ideally, a prospective VoIP provider should offer the following:
The ability to streamline shared workflows for improved productivity and team performance.
An intelligent design that reduces support ticket numbers and improves CSAT scores with features like call routing, tracking, and analytics.
The elimination of manual admin for customer-centric teams through automation so that they can dedicate their time to making sales.
Same-day setup and one-click integrations: phrases that are going to make your IT team very, very happy.
Before you review the top Auckland VoIP providers and make a selection, you should also consider the following questions.
Can your new VoIP system scale call productivity, performance insight, and cost savings?
VoIP is a superior option to traditional telephony systems because of the flexibility it offers to enterprises of any size. But some VoIP providers are more consciously geared toward improving productivity and performance, cutting down costs, and creating more valuable call interactions than others.
For instance, when considering prospective VoIP providers, keep on the lookout for features—such as call analytics—that give team leaders valuable insights into team performance. This kind of oversight can powerfully impact team productivity and customer satisfaction.
While we’re talking about scaling productivity, we should also talk about the potential for operational resilience that your new VoIP provider can offer your team. Can your VoIP provider help grow and support remote and hybrid customer-facing teams? This potential can provide a competitive advantage in an ever-evolving global workplace.
Do your shortlisted VoIP vendors have outsourced or in-house support?
If you’re switching over from an outdated PBX system to VoIP, you might run into the challenge of team training. Human beings are naturally resistant to change and, depending on the adaptability of your team members, training them in how to use brand-new software could lead to undesirable downtime.
Of course, if your VoIP provider offers team onboarding and ongoing support—in addition to an intuitive user interface—then this shouldn’t be as much of a problem. But, depending on whether the support is outsourced or in-house, the quality of this support might differ.
Outsourced support teams can be associated with slow response times, which has a knock-on effect on your ability to troubleshoot and resolve queries quickly. On the other hand, in-house support teams offer one point of contact with a depth of expertise and access to your request history that allows them to offer you more sophisticated technical assistance.
Will your new VoIP phone solution work for or against your customer-facing teams?
When it comes to selecting and installing a new VoIP system, your IT team is likely going to ask a very important question: does this VoIP solution integrate with our current tech stack, especially our CRM?
If you can’t answer that question with a resounding yes, then the VoIP provider that you’re considering is not the right fit for your purposes. The right VoIP solution will automate away CRM admin, generate on-demand performance insights, and nurture favourable call outcomes as conversations are happening in real time. Your prospective VoIP provider should also bring one-click integrations to all of your existing work tools and systems.
The top five VoIP providers in Auckland
Aircall
Aircall is the VoIP solutions provider bringing value to voice. Unlike most competitors in Auckland, Aircall empowers customers with access to an ever-expanding, industry-leading ecosystem of 100+ integrations, no matter what payment plan you’re on.
For business leaders prioritising workflow optimisation and team productivity, this standout offer is a welcome solution. Not only can teams work more efficiently with the tools that they know and love, but team leaders can gain valuable insights with real-time performance analytics.
Team-enhancing features like call whispering—which allow you to discreetly listen in on active calls and guide team members through conversations as they’re happening—are just a fraction of what Aircall can offer to improve employee training, onboarding, and more.
The intelligent, IT-approved design of Aircall’s VoIP software makes it easy and intuitive to set up and maintain: an ideal option for remote teams. Aircall also offers in-house training and support to all its customers - a point of pride, considering that very few competitors can say the same.
RingCentral
RingCentral is a VoIP solutions provider for businesses. Its cloud-based phone solution includes some of the features that an up-and-coming business might seek to streamline its communications.
To get the most out of what RingCentral has to offer, it’s best to purchase their Premium plan. Unlike Aircall, RingCentral does not offer its customers universal access to its library of integrations. While RingCentral does offer integrations with popular tools like Google Workspace, and Slack, Salesforce, most of these integrations are only available on their Premium payment plan and upwards.
8x8
8x8 is another top VoIP provider available in Auckland. 8x8 offers all the basics that you can expect from a quality VoIP provider: including auto-attendant, music on hold, and voicemail.
But most of what 8x8 has to offer its customers can only be accessed from their mid- to top-tier payment plans. While their Express package does feature basic functions and a unified app called 8x8 Work, it is only suited to teams of five people or less.
Like RingCentral, 8x8 does offer a range of integrations, but these are only available with more expensive plans. Unlike Aircall, 8x8 can only offer customer support to clients on their mid and top-tier payment plans.
Dialpad
Dialpad is yet another competitive VoIP and cloud-based business phone solution provider available to businesses in Auckland. Like Aircall, Dialpad offers real-time call analytics which empowers team leaders to influence call outcomes - this can be a real asset to optimise your team performance.
But, if we’re talking accessibility to a diverse range of integrations, then Aircall comes out on top. Most of the 35+ software integrations that are available with Dialpad are only accessible to customers who are on their Pro plan or higher.
3CX
3CX specialises in hosted and on-premise PBX, so if you’re looking for a VoIP solution that includes IP handsets, then this might be a good option to consider. But, as the first part of this article explains, there are drawbacks to a PBX system which are eliminated by a virtual VoIP system like Aircall.
Not only does Aircall equip your team with much more flexibility, but it offers significantly more entry-level integrations than most other competitors, including 3CX. Opting for a virtual VoIP system provider like Aircall is a strategic and cost-effective solution that requires minimal setup and maintenance while delivering employee engagement and first-class team support.
Try Aircall yourself, free for 7 days
When it comes to creating more value for communication, VoIP phones truly are the way forward. For ambitious Auckland businesses hungry to punch above their weight, Aircall’s virtual telephony—used by over 13,000 businesses worldwide—brings the right blend of automation, analytics, tech stack integration, cost-savings, and more.
Ready to put Aircall’s industry-leading VoIP telephony on your shortlist? Try it for free for 7 days to explore how Aircall gels with your customer teams, tech stack, KPIs, and business goals.
