The Top 4 Small Business Phone Systems in Canada

We’ve reviewed phone system providers in Canada to find the best choice for small businesses like yours

The best phone systems for small businesses in Canada are net2phone Canada, Grasshopper, Ooma, and 8×8. During our extensive research, these systems impressed us most with their innovative features, affordable price plans, and easy setup and installation processes.

But exactly which of these top-rated phone systems is right for your small business? Informed by over a decade's experience in comparing and recommending business phone systems, the reviews on this page highlight what each system is best at, and who they're suitable for – so you can find out which is best for your team.

You can also try our free quote-finding tool to receive tailored, no-obligation quotes from the right phone system suppliers for your small business.

1. net2phone Canada (formerly Versature)

Best Customer Service

2. Grasshopper

Best for Remote Workers

3. Ooma

Best for Very Small Offices

How Much Does Ooma Cost?

Ooma offers two price plans (prices are in USD):

Pricing correct as of 19/10/2021

4. 8×8

Best for Small to Medium Sized Businesses

How Much Does 8×8 Cost?

8×8 offers six main price plans for Canadian businesses. As a small business, you'll most likely be choosing between X1, X2, and X4. Meanwhile, X6, X7, and X8 add features for contact centres.

Pricing correct as of 19/10/2021

Expert Verdict

Each of the phone systems featured on this page are excellent options for small businesses that are looking to supercharge communication and collaboration, without breaking the bank or facing hours of unwieldy setup.

We believe net2phone Canada and Ooma are excellent all-rounders for remote and office working, while Grasshopper could be just what you need if your workforce is remote more often than not. Meanwhile, quickly scaling small businesses that will need advanced features and call centre capability soon could benefit more from 8×8‘s plans.

FAQs

How will a good telephone system help my small business?

1. Integrate with your CRM software

Combining a tech savvy telephone network with a CRM – Customer Relationship Management system can have big benefits for small companies.
A good CRM will ensure incoming and outgoing sales leads are managed and followed up, and excellent customer service thrives. Combining with a phone system makes dialling, logging calls and responding to orders, amongst other factors including the management of the sales process, much easier.

2. Ensure every call is answered quickly and well

Efficient customer service is where small businesses can get the upper hand. A good telephony system will allow management of extension numbers to quickly direct calls to the right person or department. It will enable calls to be diverted to mobile and either picked up or managed with caller display and voicemail.

This is absolutely essential for a smaller business where some or all employees could be out of the office, in meetings, or making sales in the field when the phone is still ringing at base. If nobody’s available to pick up the call, your telephone should direct the call to the appropriate queue.

3. Save you time and space

With today’s technology there is no longer the need for large and costly cabinets of equipment. A desktop phone is compact and low cost, and much of the software and connectivity can be managed in the cloud. Training and support can be in the form of tutorials, email and chat support, negating the costs of site visits and lengthy set up calls.

What types of small business phone systems are there?

Here’s a quick overview of the three different types of phone system you can choose for your small business:

KSU

A KSU or Key System Unit is popular for small businesses as it’s a basic system with a limit to how many phones can be connected. It has the basic features a small business requires and will have a base unit. Wireless KSU systems are also available.

PBX

PBX or Private Branch Exchange systems are more advanced than KSU’s and automatically route calls. They have an uninterruptible power supply which can be of benefit where downtime due to power outages would have serious consequences. They work well for services and facilities companies for this reason. PBX systems are available as hosted systems or with a physical base unit.

VoIP

VoIP or IP technology is the most advanced, transmitting calls over an IP network rather than the traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) that KSU and PBX systems use. VoIP units can be software based phones and are more flexible, integrated and controllable. VoIP phone units are more advanced can display and transmit data digitally.

How much does a small business phone system cost?

You can expect your small business phone system to cost between around $25/month per user, to upwards of $50/month per user depending on your plan. You’ll then also need to factor in any additional set-up costs, and the cost ($0 to $200) and of the telephones themselves ($50 – $200+ each).

Here’s a complete list of possible costs to consider:

• Base system
• Phone units
• Installation
• Training and support
• Network and call charges
• Monthly maintenance and contracts