Pricing and Costs of Voice Mail

Find out how much to spend on business voice mail services

Pricing and costs of voice mail varies depending on your company's needs, size and call volume. Plans range from basic voice mail services with a limited number of mailboxes to voice mail components that are part of large Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems.

To get an idea of how much you'll need to spend, compare features and prices of various types of voice mail systems. Determine your needs and find a system that will grow with your company. To find costs and pricing for voice mail service providers:

1. Find out if your telephone system provider offers small business voice mail as part of your plan.

2. Consider hosted solutions to save money on voice mail services.

3. Compare the offerings of large providers for more complex voice mail and telecom needs.

 

Look to your local phone company for voice mail solutions

Your local provider probably gives you basic voice mail features you can add to your phone service. Be sure to check the features of Incumbent Local Exchange Companies (ILEC) and Competitive Local Exchange Companies (CLEC) in your area. Contact them to get pricing and information.
Try: Many national telephone providers offer voice mail services. Prices are generally less than $20 per month in addition to regular phone service fees. Verizon and AT&T have a variety of solutions and offer discounts for purchasing a contract for multiple years. Comcast offers voice mail as part of its business class Internet service, with packages starting at around $150.

Consider hosted solutions that offer voice messaging for business

Hosted solutions can give you many valuable features, including a toll free number, voice mail and advanced features. With these solutions, voice mail is forwarded to a hosted service and retrieved by phone or email.
Try: GotVMail Communications and FreedomVOICE Systems offer a toll free number, a set amount of minutes and voice mail service, with plans starting at less than $15 per month. VoiceMailSolution from Coren Telecommunications is a hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution that sends voice mail to your email inbox for prices starting at less than $10 per month.

Compare features and costs of large providers of voice messaging systems

If your company has many users and lots of voice traffic, a large provider may be right for you. Prices are considerably higher than with other solutions. Large providers offer voice mail as part of a PBX or VoIP phone system that is either located on your premises or hosted elsewhere.
Try: Mitel Networks and Alcatel-Lucent are two national providers that offer advanced solutions for businesses of all sizes. Prices vary depending on your company's needs, but generally range from $250 to $500 per user. PBXtra by Fonality is a simpler VoIP solution for small- to-medium-sized companies that costs from $1,000 to $7,000.

 

• Remember to factor in the costs of additional equipment and support contracts when purchasing voice mail systems from large vendors.

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