The 15 Best Office Phone Systems for Canadian Businesses

The Top 15 Office Phone Systems

The top five entry level office phones are the Poly VVX 300, Avaya 1616i, Cisco SPA514G, Snom D712 and Grandstream GXP 1630.

The top five mid level office phones are Poly SoundStation IP 5000, Yealink T46S, Samsung i3105, Cisco 7841 and Mitel Aastra 6757i.

The top five high end office phones are Mitel MiVoice 5360, Cisco 7975G, Avaya 9641GS, Alcatel-Lucent 8068s BT and Panasonic KX-UT670.

Many of these phone suppliers cover large areas of the country. But if you only need to make local or regional calls, there might be a better deal waiting for you with a smaller supplier.

Luckily, we’re here to help you find the very best deals. Just fill out our short questionnaire, and we’ll crunch the numbers to find quotes from the best phone suppliers in your area.

Entry Level Office Phone Systems ($0 – $150)

Poly VVX 300 VoIP Phone

Best for: Small Business

The plug-and-play readiness of the Poly (formerly Polycom) VVX makes this powerful 6-line handset a cinch to set up. Call quality is crystal clear, and the pairing of audio and video technology enhances communication, collaboration, and team productivity. Deployable in almost any business environment, it’s the perfect office phone for the multitasking needs of busy managers and knowledge workers.

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Avaya 1616i Deskphone

Best for: Build Quality

Avaya’s flagship deskphone is for users who monitor multiple line extensions in addition to their own. Out of the box, you get 16-line support, feature keys and dual Ethernet connectivity. For customers new to IP phones, Avaya handsets are reknowned for having intuitive user interfaces and gentle learning curves.

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Cisco SPA514G

Best for: Reception Desks

From enterprise executives to remote workers, the SPA514G is versatile enough to meet the demands of most users. Easy installation and secure encryption give you high-quality VoIP service at a reasonable price. Like all Cisco phones, it delivers the excellent voice quality, connectivity and functionality you expect from an industry leader.

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Snom D712 IP Phone

Best for: Style

Snom is an innovative, quality-led German company. Their phones possess sleek designs and many features that are essential for knowledge workers. Handsets like the D712, which features HD audio output and a bright backlit LED display, are rare at this price point. You’d be hard pressed to find another product line with comparable call management capabilities.

Grandstream GXP 1630

Best Budget Buy

The GXP 1630 is a next-generation IP phone that gives small and medium businesses access to superior sound quality and rich telephony features in a compact, affordable package. The only gripe we have about this handset is the relatively limited line functionality (three lines).

Mid Level Office Phone Systems ($151 – $300)

Poly SoundStation IP 5000

Best for: Conference Calls

The IP 5000 is the perfect model for small conference rooms with up to six participants. The sound quality is so sweet that phone calls are as natural as talking face to face. Poly’s SoundStation range is full of superb conference VoIP solutions. From startups to multinational conglomerates, there’s a great buy here for every budget.

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Yealink T46S VoIP Phones

Best for: Multitasking

Although Yealink can’t actually give you an extra set of hands, the T46S phone supports hands-free headset use. Combine that with an intuitive key layout, and this is a great companion for multitasking managers. Other Yealink T4 handsets range from basic desk phones to highly programmable touchscreen models – there’s a solution here for every office.

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Samsung i3105 Phone

Best for: Video Calls

A popular choice for common areas such as hotel lobbies, this mid-range phone is incredibly easy to use. It’s equipped with several useful features, including short messaging, video calling, phonebook and a call log. Samsung phones are known for their smooth audio quality. The SMT-iSeries sports programmable feature keys and a polished interface. Samsung’s most advanced handsets even connect with mobile devices to let you make and receive calls on the fly.

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Cisco 7841

Best for: Medium-Sized Business

The Cisco 7841 keeps you connected in any kind of business setting. With excellent voice quality, clear displays and wireless capability on selected models, Cisco’s 7800 Series embodies convenience and user-friendliness. Sophisticated features like wideband audio, support for customizable information services and campus mobility on selected models are the cherry on the cake.

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Mitel Aastra 6757i

Best for: Call Management

The Mitel Aastra 6757i is fully programmable, and integrates with leading VoIP services. 12 soft keys and more than 30 functions will equip your customer agents with the tools to handle any situation. Aastra phones carry more customizable line and speed dial functions than most, making them the perfect choice for regular users of those features. They also possess an impressive array of call management features. Businesses all over the world choose Mitel for their industry-leading equipment and support.

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High End Office Phone Systems ($300+)

Mitel MiVoice 5360 IP Phone

Best for: Executives

This executive class desktop phone integrates with the Mitel 250 communications platform. It even lets you create rich multimedia applications with a built-in HTML toolkit. The Mitel MiVoice line is designed for enterprise executives and managers, teleworkers and contact center supervisors. These are powerful but easy-to-use executive-level phones with advanced multimedia capabilities.

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Cisco 7975G

Best for: Call Quality

Cisco 7975G combines convenience and user-friendly operation with killer call quality and wideband audio support. A crisp color LCD display lets you view a range of information services at the press of a button. With excellent voice quality, clear displays and wireless capability on selected models, Cisco 7900 Series phones offer a versatile solution for organizations with wide-ranging needs.

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Avaya 9641GS

Best for: Contact Centers

The Avaya 9641GS features excellent sound and touchscreen access to web apps, calendars, and other productivity tools. Avaya 9600 phones are workhorses in enterprise and contact center environments. Low power consumption, advanced functionality and high bandwidth provide a powerful combination that improves performance while keeping costs low.

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Alcatel-Lucent 8078s BT

Best for: Large Business

Installing this highly customizable handset (72 programmable soft keys) couldn’t be simpler, thanks to plug and play provisioning. Alcatel-Lucent phones feature full wideband audio. This, combined with their ergonomic design, makes them a breeze to use for extended periods. They have an alphabetic keyboard, which offers fast access to messaging and call-by-name functions.

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Panasonic KX-UT670

Best for: Plug-and-Play Functionality

Panasonic crams a suite of features into this handset, including a web browser, calendar, email and contacts manager. Menus couldn’t be easier to navigate on the 7-inch touch screen, making sure nothing gets in the way of your most important calls. Panasonic KX phones span the full range, from standard office handsets to executive terminals and touch-screen Smart Desk phones.

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Next Steps to Finding Your Office Phone

The information on this page should help you narrow down your search for an office phone.

Believe it or not, office phone suppliers aren’t trying to bamboozle you with their seemingly endless product lines. They’re just trying to serve the wide ranging needs of a diverse bunch of businesses.

When you’re shopping around, pay attention to the build quality and the combination of features on offer. Ideally, you should be able to scale your system to add more phones or features as your needs change and your business grows.

Finally, remember to keep your business’s goals in mind. Yes, the handsets covered here are all superb, but they’re also designed for different tasks. Do you want a conference phone that picks up sound from anywhere in the room? Or a call centre handset/headset combo that does the exact opposite? The handset you need depends on the work you want it to do.

You’ve done the hard part – now let us help you hone in on the best office phone for your business. Fill out our quick quotes comparison form and we’ll put top office phone suppliers in touch with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do VoIP services work universally with all office phones?

Generally speaking, you can use any VoIP service with any VoIP-enabled handset. However, some VoIP providers offer special integrations with particular handsets that you won’t get with another supplier. Vonage, for example, boasts unparalleled support for Panasonic and Poly phones, while RingCentral favours Cisco handsets.

Our advice is to choose a VoIP service provider before you start looking for office phones.

Aside from purchasing the handsets themselves, what other costs do I need to consider?

Handsets aren’t the only expense. You’ll also need to budget for the following:

• Installation Costs: Most suppliers are happy to install your phones for you…for a fee. Costs vary according to the number of handsets you’re installing and the locations where you need them.
• Line Rental: Just like the old public switched telephone network (PSTN), hosted VoIP is a subscription service. Unlike the PSTN, VoIP doesn’t saddle you with bad reception and outrageous outgoings at the end of every month.
• Business Expansion: VoIP suppliers normally charge based on the number of handset users in your business or your bandwidth needs. It’s usually very easy to upgrade your subscription as your business grows, but finding the best deal for your business means shopping for quotes.

To learn more about the benefits of VoIP for business, check out our 2021 VoIP buyer’s guide. Or, learn more about the best phone systems for small businesses.