Immigrant advocacy groups condemned Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan Wednesday for calling illegal immigrants "illegal," or what they called "the i–word." 

Liberal activist groups and public figures have called for illegal immigrants to not be described as such, instead wanting them to be referred to as "undocumented" or "unauthorized" immigrants.

As some localities plan to resist the Trump administration’s efforts to remove criminal illegal immigrants, Duggan has said that Detroit is not a sanctuary city and would not shield those who are here illegally.

SELENA GOMEZ POSTS, QUICKLY DELETES VIDEO CRYING ABOUT TRUMP'S ICE DEPORTATIONS AND DISPLAYING MEXICAN FLAG

"ICE has a list of who they're looking for who are illegal immigrants, who have committed crimes," Duggan, a former Democrat turned Independent, said last week. "And when one of the people we've arrested comes up, they will contact us. And if we have them in custody at the Detroit detention center, we will turn them over to ICE."

According to The Detroit News, nine Michigan organizations that work with immigrants denounced the mayor for "describing undocumented immigrants as ‘illegal.’"

"The Mayor’s use of the I-word is inappropriate, dehumanizing, and an insult to Detroit’s longstanding immigrant communities," the organizations wrote in a press release viewed by the local news outlet.

Duggan reportedly shrugged off the criticism as mere "political correctness" in an email, according to the Detroit News.

TRUMP’S ICE NABS CHILD SEX OFFENDERS AMONG 530+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN SINGLE DAY

"[W]hen Detroit police make a criminal arrest and DPD gets federal notification that the person in custody is in the country illegally, we should not and do not shield you from federal enforcement," he said. 

"Groups who oppose this position are criticizing me today over the political correctness of my statements, but I do not apologize for providing a clear explanation of Detroit’s position. It is a position we have followed consistently through the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations," Duggan added.

House Republicans are unveiling a new bill to clear a path for President Donald Trump to enact his sweeping tariff plans.

First-term Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., is reintroducing the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act on Friday, which, if passed, would allow Trump to unilaterally make moves on import taxes from both adversaries and allies.

He would be required to notify Congress, however, which could file a joint resolution of disapproval against the moves.

"American manufacturing has endured decades of decline under the globalist system that has hollowed out our industrial base and shipped countless jobs overseas. Leaders in both political parties deserve blame. But those days are over," Moore said in a statement.

TRUMP CONFRONTS BANK OF AMERICA CEO FOR NOT TAKING 'CONSERVATIVE BUSINESS'

Moore said Trump was "the first national politician in my lifetime to recognize this problem, campaign on it, and work to reverse that trend."

"With the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act, we’ll give the executive the leverage necessary to go to bat for the American people and achieve tariff reductions on U.S. goods," he said.

Trump released a campaign video in 2023 pledging to work with Congress to pass the Reciprocal Trade Act, declaring, "Under the Trump Reciprocal Trade Act, other countries will have two choices—they’ll get rid of their tariffs on us, or they will pay us hundreds of billions of dollars, and the United States will make an absolute FORTUNE."

TRUMP'S PROPOSED TARIFFS ON MEXICO, CANADA, CHINA WILL INCREASE INFLATION, GOLDMAN SACHS WARNS

This week, the president announced that he wanted to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, making good on a campaign promise to use such taxes to lower the U.S. national debt, which is currently over $36 trillion.

"We're talking about a tariff of 10% on China, based on the fact that they're sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada," Trump said Tuesday. "Probably February 1st is the date we're looking at." 

During his campaign, Trump promised to levy a 60% tariff on goods from China and as much as 20% on other countries the U.S. trades with.

He also recently pledged on Truth Social to create an "External Revenue Service" to "collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources."

Trump has praised the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act by name multiple times, including during a January 2019 meeting with House Republicans, including the bill's former lead, ex-Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis. Trump recently nominated Duffy to be secretary of Transportation.

"The United States Reciprocal Trade Act — this legislation will help, finally, to give our workers a fair and level playing field against other countries. Countries are taking advantage of us, whether they think we’re very nice or not so smart.  They’ve been doing it for many, many years, and we want to end it," Trump said at the time.

However, not everyone is in agreement that tariffs are an effective way to bolster the U.S. economy, with some economists warning it would only raise costs for consumers.

"Not only would widespread tariffs drive up costs at home and likely send our economy into recession, but they would likely lead to significant retaliation, hurting American workers, farmers, and businesses," Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said while unveiling a measure to block Trump from using unilateral tariff powers by declaring a trade emergency.

The Congressional DOGE Caucus’ plans for cutting government waste are shifting into focus after the group’s second-ever closed-door meeting on Wednesday.

Caucus leaders are splitting lawmakers into eight working groups focused on different sectors for waste-cutting. Those will focus on retirement, social and family safety nets, emergency supplemental funding, energy permitting, homeland security, defense and veterans, the workforce, and government operations, according to a document viewed by Fox News Digital.

Co-chairs Aaron Bean, R-Fla., and Pete Sessions, R-Texas, challenged lawmakers in the room to introduce at least one bill related to government efficiency in the 119th Congress.

REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE'S MUSK, RAMASWAMY

Both told Fox News Digital that it was just one of the coordinated efforts the caucus is planning as it seeks to be the legislative support for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being co-led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

"We’re going to aim for a day where we will drop pieces of legislation, a day where we will go on the floor and speak to the American people," Sessions told Fox News Digital.

Bean expounded on the idea, labeling it "DOGE Days."

"We're going to have a day where we hopefully can draw up 20, 30 bills and all the DOGE members come forward, boom, we're on them," Bean said. "We're going to have great team work and great synergy and momentum."

They asked attendees to fill out a survey, a copy of which was obtained by Fox News Digital, designating which working groups they would like to be a part of. 

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During the closed-door meeting, lawmakers took turns to discuss their own ideas for cutting government waste as well.

Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., called for a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to balance the federal budget.

And Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., suggested cutting off child tax credit eligibility for illegal immigrants.

"Currently, we’re not nearly careful enough… where illegal aliens are getting a child tax credit, childcare tax credit. That's ridiculous. You know, so those are my point was those are the easy things to do, the low-hanging fruit," Van Drew told Fox News Digital when asked about his meeting comments.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is leading the DOGE effort on the Senate side and also attended the Wednesday House meeting, urged lawmakers there to work with their counterparts in the upper chamber on bicameral bills.

Lawmakers have been enthusiastic about the goals laid out by Musk and Ramaswamy’s new panel. Commissioned by President-elect Trump, the group is an advisory panel aimed at recommending where the executive branch can cut government waste.

The DOGE Caucus is a bid to make Trump’s cost-cutting initiatives permanent through legislation.

The group opened and email tip line which Bean and Sessions said has already received over 15,000 emails.

Bean said he was surprised but pleased at the enthusiasm.

Sessions added, "I've gotten probably 200 letters here that were really typed out, and some were written, that said, ‘Thank you for doing this. I'd like you to hear from me.’ And this is an acknowledgement back to the American people who have skin in the game also."

A Detroit police officer heading home from work was killed in a hit-and-run crash on the city’s east side on Sunday, according to authorities.

FOX 2 in Detroit reported that Officer Cameron Richardson had been with the department for just over a year, and police described him as a family man with two daughters, as well as a veteran of the military.

"Today, the Detroit Police Department lost Officer Cameron Richardson, who served one year with the Department," the department wrote in a post on X. "Officer Richardson was killed in a car accident while off-duty."

Interim Chief Todd Bettison told reporters the city had lost "one of Detroit’s finest."

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"He was a good officer, a fine officer who served with distinction," Bettison said, adding that Richardson will not be forgotten. "We’re going to wrap our arms totally around this family."

The police said Richardson was driving home from work as he traveled northbound on Hoover Street at Greiner Street.

Witnesses told investigators a white van turned left onto Hoover Street, turning directly in front of the Jeep Wrangler Richardson was driving.

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When officers arrived on the scene just after midnight, they found Richardson's Jeep had rolled over in the crash.

But the other vehicle had left the scene.

Bettison thanked the Michigan State Police during the presser, saying they were able to locate the white van a short distance away from the accident.

All occupants inside the van were detained, police said, and a 28-year-old man has been identified as a person of interest. But that person has not yet been located.

The Detroit Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for more information.

"We have worked tirelessly since the incident occurred. We've executed search warrants," Bettison said. "We have identified individuals who were in that white van. We know who the driver is. We are asking the driver to turn themselves in."

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Republican lawmakers on Saturday that President-elect Trump supports a conservative policy overhaul via a single large bill, three sources told Fox News Digital.

Trump wants both the House and Senate to have such a bill on his desk by May, the sources said. The president-elect's buy-in will likely end the growing intraparty friction on how to pass Republican goals next year via a process known as "reconciliation," which lawmakers plan to use to pass conservative policy and budget changes.

House Republicans met behind closed doors in Washington's Fort McNair on Saturday to discuss the plan.

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Reconciliation allows the Senate to bypass its traditional 60-vote threshold in favor of a simple majority, provided the legislation is focused on budgetary and other fiscal matters.

Both parties have traditionally used reconciliation to pass broad policy changes in a single bill. But the legislation also goes through a strict assessment where the Senate parliamentarian is tasked with deciding what is and is not relevant to U.S. fiscal matters. 

Notably, Democrats previously tried to use reconciliation to pass mass amnesty measures, but they were blocked.

Republicans might face similar issues with their push to add border security provisions to the bill. They're also aiming to use it to extend Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, as well as to pass measures on energy and defense.

The apparent decision by Johnson on Saturday comes after Congressional Republicans were at odds over whether to pass one or two reconciliation bills.

It is a process normally used once per year, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., floated a plan last month to split Republicans' priorities into two bills – one dealing with the border and defense and a second aimed at preserving Trump's tax policy. 

REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE'S MUSK, RAMASWAMY

The plan was also backed by top Trump adviser Stephen Miller.

But that push angered Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, who warned that two reconciliation bills could be too big a lift, and putting taxes second could imperil remaining GOP tax provisions that are set to expire at the end of this year.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., pointed out on Fox Business Network's' "Mornings With Maria" that Congress has not passed two reconciliation bills into law in one year since 1997.

"I am saying we need a reconciliation bill that has border, energy, permitting and tax. You put all four of those things together, we can deliver on that," Smith said.

Ways and Means Committee member Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., did not go into specifics about what was said at the meeting but called it "an informative and productive day where we exchanged ideas, priorities and procedure to accomplish our legislative goals of securing our borders, deporting cartels and criminals, saving trafficked children, restoring energy dominance, reducing bureaucracy and wasteful spending and building upon President Trump’s historic tax cuts."

"We are united and ready to deliver for Americans in what will be a momentous year for Congress and the country," Malliotakis told Fox News Digital.

The panel put out a memo last month warning that everyday Americans could see their taxes rise by 22% if Trump's tax policies expire.

But other lawmakers bristled at the idea that two bills were impossible.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital last month, "I think we need to prove to the American people that we can actually defend our borders. The bottom line is, I think they need to be on almost parallel tracks. But I do believe that taxes are much more complicated."

Fox News Digital reached out to Thune and Smith's offices for comment. Thune's office responded and declined to comment, and Smith's office did not immediately respond.

Choosing the right VoIP for your small business is no small take. A voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) system is a software solution that enables businesses to make voice calls online. Compared to traditional landline systems, it’s more scalable and affordable, eliminating the high costs and disruptive downtimes when a business expands its communication operations. Different businesses benefit from VoIP systems, including telecommunications companies providing customer assistance and healthcare organizations offering telemedicine services. 

The best VoIP for small businesses features tools for supporting different call volumes, integrates with a wide range of third-party solutions, and offers high uptime guarantees. In this article, we listed the top software solutions to help you decide which one is best for your communication needs:

• RingCentral: Best for scalability
• Nextiva: Best for toll-free calling
• Google Voice: Best for solopreneur communications
• Acefone: Best for call center operations
• Ooma: Best for brick-and-mortar communications
• Phone.com: Best for fluctuating call volumes

Our top VoIP picks for small businesses

Expert score

Best for

Key Features

RingCentral

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4.37

Best for scalability

• Call monitoring
• Advanced call queue rules and routing
• Up to 8-digit extensions

Nextiva

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4.36

Best for toll-free calling

• Toll-free minutes
• Call group
• Unlimited internet fax

Google Voice

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3.93

Best for solopreneur communications

• Ring groups
• eDiscovery for calls, voicemails, and text messages
• Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) link

Acefone

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3.9

Best for call center operations

• Automatic call distribution (ACD)
• Sticky agent
• Scheduled callbacks

Ooma

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3.87

Best for brick-and-mortar communications

• Intercom
• Overhead paging support
• IP phone paging

Phone.com

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3.82

Best for fluctuating call volumes

• Pooled and unlimited calling minutes
• International calling
• Live receptionist

RingCentral: Best for scalability

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Pros

• Offers 99.999% uptime service level agreement (SLA)
• Integrates with over 300 third-party solutions
• Accommodates up to 500 video meeting participants
• Provides a maximum of 10,000 toll-free minutes
• Allows access to communication application programming interfaces (APIs)

Cons

• Doesn’t offer unlimited texting
• Unlimited internet fax isn’t available in the entry-level plan

Our Rating: 4.37/5

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Key Features

• Interactive voice response (IVR): Create up to 250 IVR menus for different company departments or representatives. 
• Call delegation: Assign up to 10 assistants to an executive and up to 10 executives to an assistant to efficiently manage phone calls.
• Conference call: Set up a call for multiple individuals, whether it be internal or external stakeholders. RingCentral accommodates up to 1,000 conference call participants.
• Hot desking: Access your own extension, user profile, and voicemails in any phone registered in the system.
• Vanity numbers: Customize your phone numbers to make them memorable and increase brand recognition.

Pricing

The pricing below is for one to five users on a monthly billing arrangement. Save up to 33% by paying annually.

Core plan: $30/user/month

Includes:

• Unlimited domestic calling 
• Toll-free numbers 
• 100 toll-free minutes 
• 25 business texts 
• Basic call queues 
• Unlimited audio conferencing 
• Video conferencing for up to 100 participants

Advanced: $35/user/month

Includes:

• 1,000 toll-free minutes 
• 100 business texts
• Advanced call queue rules and routing 
• Automatic and on-demand call recording 
• Advanced call monitoring, namely whisper, barge, and monitor 
• Hot desking 
• Video conferencing for up to 100 participants

Ultra: $45/user/month

Includes:

• 10,000 toll-free minutes 
• 200 business texts 
• Unlimited file storage for files, messaging, and recordings 
• Device analytics and alerts

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Why We Chose RingCentral

RingCentral is the best VoIP services for small businesses wanting to grow operations quickly without the high expansion costs. Its feature-rich tiered subscription plans provide options suitable for different stages of scaling communications. Since it’s a hosted private branch exchange (PBX) system, you can add users to your account as the team grows and not worry about the hefty installation and maintenance expenses. 

Compared to vendors mentioned here, RingCentral has the most third-party integrations, further supporting scaling operations. It works with over 300 apps. Companies that see spikes in inbound calls will benefit from connecting customer relationship management (CRM) tools to the platform, allowing agents to see customer profiles, understand the context of concerns, and resolve queries faster. RingCentral integrates with popular CRM solutions like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics. 

Aside from CRM, the platform features analytics, collaboration, customer support, marketing automation, and productivity apps in its integration catalog. Moreover, it offers access to APIs, allowing you to add communication capabilities to your business platforms.

RingCentral is a unified communications platform that allows users to make phone calls, chat with colleagues, send and receive text and fax messages, and facilitate video meetings. It supports local public switched telephone networks (PSTN) in 46 countries and offers international virtual numbers in 100 locations, enabling businesses to easily expand overseas.

Aside from the robust VoIP system, the company has a contact center platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI). It automatically records interaction summaries, notes, and follow-ups in a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, tracks keywords and phrases, like competitor names and product features, and generates call scoring.

For its robust small business VoIP phone system, RingCentral was recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s 2023 Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) Worldwide report.

Nextiva: Best for toll-free calling

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Pros

• Free local and toll-free number
• No-cost number porting
• Unlimited internet fax in all subscription plans
• Unlimited conference call participants
• Supports Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Cons

• Voicemail transcription is an add-on feature before reaching the highest-tier subscription package
• Only directly integrates with 19 third-party apps

Our Rating: 4.36/5

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Key Features

• Call analytics: Track call center metrics to gauge how productive and efficient your team is. Nextiva displays the total number of inbound, outbound, answered, and missed calls for a specific period. You may also refer to the inbound and outbound talk times and the average talk time.
• Call park: Place an active call in a communal parking spot and enable other team members to retrieve a call. This allows more qualified agents to handle the call and resolve a customer’s concern.
• Call notify: Receive an email notification about an important call. Configure the conditions for call notification.
• Priority alerts: Set the phone system to ring differently when specific callers come through the system. Nextiva allows users to list up to 12 phone numbers for each priority alert entry.
• Conversational AI: Let callers discuss their concerns when interacting with the interactive voice response (IVR), as they would discuss with a live human agent. The powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool can understand human language and enable the IVR to direct the customer to the appropriate team or agent handling their concern.

Pricing

The pricing below is for 1–4 users on a monthly billing arrangement.

Core: $35/user/month

Includes:

• Unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada 
• Free local and toll-free number 
• Up to 1,500 toll-free minutes 
• Voicemail-to-email notifications 
• Unlimited internet fax 
• Video calling and video meeting for up to 45 minutes

Engage: $50/user/month

Includes:

• Multi-level auto-attendant
• Conference call for up to 40 participants 
• Up to 3,000 toll-free minutes 
• Up to 1,000 messages sent and received per user 
• Voicemail-to-SMS notifications
• Advanced integrations with CRM tools

Power Suite: $75/user/month

Includes:

• Call recording
• Conference call for unlimited participants 
• Up to 12,500 toll-free minutes 
• Up to 2,000 messages sent and received per user
• Voicemail transcription
• Enterprise integrations with CRM tools
• Single sign-on

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Why we chose Nextiva

Nextiva is the best VoIP for small businesses with a country-wide clientele, offering a generous toll-free minute allowance. When you subscribe to the highest-tier plan, you can use up to 12,500 toll-free minutes, translating to communication cost savings in the long run. Compared to other vendors on this list, Nextiva is the one that has the biggest offering for toll-free minutes. 

By providing toll-free calling, companies allow clients to easily connect and get assistance for their concerns without any cost on their end. On top of the toll-free minute allowance, Nextiva’s unified communication system helps businesses serve customers more efficiently. Team members consult each other via chat conveniently and can jump into a video meeting to discuss matters in depth.

Since 2006, Nextiva has offered various communications solutions packed with excellent sales and customer service tools. When subscribed to its small business phone system, VoIP features like unlimited domestic calling, conference calls, free number porting and enterprise integrations are accessible. The platform features call pop, a native CRM system, and customizable sales pipelines, which allow agents to streamline lead generation and nurturing processes.

Meanwhile, the provider’s contact center provides access to robust proactive outreach features, such as the auto-dialer and dynamic scripting. It supports various communication channels, including voice, SMS, chat, email, social, and web forms. In 2023, Nextiva was recognized as a Customers’ Choice in the Gartner Peer Insights “Voice of the Customer” report for UCaaS.

Google Voice: Best for solopreneur communications

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Pros

• Affordable subscription plan
• Seamless integration with other Google products
• Easy to navigate thanks to its simple, clean interface
• Unlimited text messaging

Cons

• Doesn’t have advanced call management features
• Lacks toll-free numbers

Our Rating: 3.93/5

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Key Features

• Multi-level auto-attendant: Welcome callers with customized, professional greetings and messages from the auto-attendant system. Let customers choose among phone directory options to be connected to the right team or agent. 
• Ring groups: Alert multiple devices and users in your phone system to ensure you don’t miss any important calls. Assign specific users as ring group managers who configure ring duration settings and call routing rules.
• eDiscovery: If you need to revisit conversation details, Google Voice allows you to search for specific voice calls, voicemails, transcripts, and text messages easily. The search results only show the call and messaging participants’ phone numbers, not their names or email addresses.
• Call recording: Record phone calls to accurately document customer conversations. Use the recordings for training agents and ensuring compliance with quality standards.
• Integration with Google products: Google Voice connects with Google Meet and Calendar. This offers a convenient platform for moving to a video meeting to discuss issues at length.

Pricing

Starter: $10/user/month

Includes:

• Unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada
• Unlimited calling to most European countries from within Europe 
• Unlimited text messaging
• Call forwarding 
• Voicemail transcription 
• Integration with Google Calendar and Meet 
• Usage and activity reporting 

Standard: $20/user/month

Includes:

• Multi-level auto-attendant 
• Ring groups 
• Ad-hoc user call recording
• SIP link 
• eDiscovery for calls, voicemails, and text messages 

Premier: $30/user/month

Includes:

• Unlimited international locations 
• Advanced reporting 
• Automatic call recording

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Why We Chose Google Voice

Among the providers listed in this article, Google Voice is the ideal small business VoIP system for solopreneurs, as it’s the only one offering a free plan for one user. At no cost, you can use unlimited domestic calling and text messaging. Voicemail transcription is likewise included, enabling you to read voicemails and avoid the hassle of repeatedly playing audio files to get the message details.

While the free VoIP phone service is ideal for solopreneurs, the paid packages still suit solopreneurs’ budgets as they are more affordable than other VoIP providers. The entry-level plan only costs $10 per user per month. Its most expensive plan is $30 per user monthly, offering valuable call management tools such as multi-level auto-attendant, automatic call recording, and advanced reporting.

Google Voice is a VoIP phone service launched in 2009 after tech giant Google acquired the phone service GrandCentral. It allows users to forward calls to a phone number linked to the account. Those subscribed to the paid plan can secure phone numbers in over 10 countries and regions.

Aside from the U.S. and Canada, the platform is available in various international locations, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In 2023, the small business phone system VoIP introduced spam warning functionality for texts, labeling suspicious texts as “suspected spam.”

Acefone: Best for call center operations

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Pros

• Entry-level plan includes almost all VoIP features
• Unlimited inbound and outbound minutes
• Unlimited texting
• 24/7 customer support and assisted onboarding

Cons

• Integrates with fewer than 20 third-party apps
• Number porting costs $10
• Additional monthly fee of $5 per user for call recording when you choose the entry-level plan

Our Rating: 3.9/5

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Key Features

• Warm transfer: Before moving a live call to another service representative, speak to the agent first and tell them about the customer’s concern. The customer will be put on hold while you’re on a call with the agent. 
• Call twinning: Ring multiple devices when an incoming call comes through. Simply link the devices to the same agent account.
• Call detail reports: Managers can check call reports to see customer interaction details. This helps create strategies for improving first call resolution and shortening average handling time.
• Text-to-speech: Record welcome greetings and announcements without the hassle. Select the accent and voice you want from the text-to-speech tool.
• View contact profile: See a comprehensive profile of the customer you’re talking to. Acefone’s contact profile displays purchase and query history.

Pricing

The pricing below is for teams with a minimum of 3 users on a monthly billing arrangement.*

Basic: £4.99($6.31)/user/month

Includes:

• Unlimited inbound minutes
• Call Detail Record analysis
• Support for Android, iOS, Desktop, and Chrome
• Call conferencing
• HD voice calls
• 24/7 customer support

Business: £9.99($12.63)/user/month

Includes:

• 1000 outbound minutes
• Multi-level auto-attendant 
• Call queue
• Real-time call monitoring 
• Analytics and reporting 
• Ring groups

Premium: £14.99($18.95)/user/month

Includes:

• Unlimited outbound minutes
• Unlimited ring groups 
• Call recording  
• IP desk phone compatibility 
• Integration with premium apps like Salesforce 
• Custom integrations, APIs, and webhooks

*Currency conversion rates subject to change without notice.

Gallery

Why We Chose Acefone

Acefone is a small business VoIP platform ideal for companies running call centers. It features advanced call management capabilities that support large volumes of calls. The automatic call distribution (ACD) automatically receives and assigns phone calls to available service representatives. Scheduled callbacks help shorten long queues and prevent customer frustration. 

Compared to other providers in this list, Acefone is the only one offering the sticky agent tool, allowing you to assign certain agents to callers. This enables representatives to build rapport with clients and become more familiar with specific concerns. The phone system is equipped with call monitoring tools, including whisper and barge. These features let managers observe live conversations, evaluate the agent’s performance, and help resolve customer queries.

Founded in 2019, U.K.-based company Acefone offers various cloud-based communication platforms, including VoIP systems and inbound and outbound contact centers. It provides 99.99% uptime, translating to only four minutes of monthly downtime. Its round-the-clock support helps businesses troubleshoot issues quickly, enabling uninterrupted customer service.

Aside from VoIP for small businesses, Acefone has a broad catalog of toll-free and vanity numbers. Through custom digits, companies can reflect brand identity in their contact information. Acefone earned Capterra’s “Best Ease of Use” badge in 2022 for its highly intuitive interface.

Ooma: Best for brick & mortar communications

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Pros

• Free plan for homepreneurs
• Discounts for hardware phones for sale
• Unlimited calling in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico
• Offers analog fax machine support

Cons

• Limited third-party integrations
• Desktop app isn’t available in the entry-level plan

Our Rating: 3.87/5

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Key Features

• Digital call deflection: Customers can switch from a voice call to an SMS to reduce wait times and shorten the long call queues.
• Enhanced call blocking: Prevent scammers and telemarketers from reaching your phone line. Ooma automatically blocks these calls or sends them to voicemail.
• Analytics user leaderboard: See specific user’s calling trends and refer to call center metrics to measure your team’s performance.
• Video conferencing: Host up to 100 participants in a video meeting. Use the in-meeting chat to share ideas with colleagues.
• Call flip: Switch between devices while in an ongoing call. This removes the need to hang up and resume the call on a different device, as the phone system seamlessly moves the call from one device to another.

Pricing

Essentials: $19.95/user/month

Includes:

• Unlimited calling within the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico
• Virtual receptionist 
• Call park 
• Call logs 
• Intercom 
• Overhead paging 
• IP phone paging

Pro: $24.95/user/month

Includes:

• Call recording 
• Dynamic caller ID 
• Enhanced call blocking 
• Voicemail transcription
• Text messaging 
• Video conferencing for up to 25 participants

Pro Plus: $29.95/user/month

Includes:

• Call queues 
• Hot desking 
• Digital call deflection 
• Find me, follow me 
• Integration with customer relationship management (CRM) tools 
• Team chat
• Video conferencing for up to 100 participants

Gallery

Three smartphones displaying the Ooma mobile app interface for messaging, call screen, and call recording.

Why we chose Ooma

Ooma is the best VoIP for small businesses for companies needing efficient communications within their offices or stores since it’s the only provider in this list that supports intercom calling and overhead paging. Intercom calling lets you discuss important matters with people working in different locations.

Meanwhile, the overhead and IP phone paging makes announcements in key office areas easier. For instance, in the reception room, the system allows the front desk staff to call individuals waiting to be attended to. Ooma allows linking 10 compatible IP phones in a single paging group. In addition, the phone solution features hot desking, letting employees log into any phone in the system and access their calls, messages, and unique profile settings.

Phone service vendor Ooma provides home and office plans, catering to households, homepreneurs, and small and large companies. Ooma Residential features the analog telephone adapter Ooma Telo, which offers a VoIP phone service without a monthly charge, only a one-time fee for the device. 

Meanwhile, Ooma Office caters to small teams regularly receiving customer service calls. Ooma Enterprise is for large organizations, providing access to a call center platform with intelligent routing capabilities and open APIs.

Phone.com: Best for fluctuating call volumes

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Pros

• Unlimited video meeting duration
• Live receptionist services
• Complies with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards
• Local phone numbers in over 40 countries
• Discounts for bulk phone numbers

Cons

• Native integrations are limited to four apps only
• Doesn’t offer team messaging

Our Rating: 3.82/5

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Key Features

• Click-to-call: Launch a phone call with a single click. When agents select the click-to-call button, the phone system automatically dials the phone number and connects the agent to the call recipient.
• Follow me: Route calls to different devices according to a predetermined schedule or sequence.
• International calling: Connect to contacts overseas and pay per minute. Take advantage of U.S. local rates when calling landline numbers in Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Puerto Rico, and the U.K.
• Dial-by-name directory: Allow callers to search for the name of the agent they’re looking for on their keypad. This improves customer experience, as they are sent directly to the person they want to speak to. 
• Breakout rooms: Put meeting participants in smaller discussion groups so they can interact and listen actively to insights discussed.

Pricing

The pricing below is for a maximum of four users on a monthly billing arrangement. Save more as you add more users and choose the annual billing option.

Basic: $14.99/user/month 

Includes:

• One phone number per account 
• 500 calling minutes
• Auto-attendant
• Scheduled greetings 
• Dial-by-name directory 
• Call logs 
• Video conferencing for up to 10 participants

Plus: $21.99/user/month 

Includes:

• One phone number per user
• Unlimited calling minutes
• IP desk phone compatibility
• Voicemail transcription 
• Video conferencing for up to 25 participants
• Video meeting recording 
• Whiteboard

Pro: $31.99/user/month

Includes:

• Call analytics
• Call recording 
• Video conferencing for up to 100 participants
• Live video streaming 
• Breakout rooms
• Integrations with third-party solutions

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Why We Chose Phone.com

Phone.com is the best VoIP small businesses as it offers the flexibility of metered and unlimited call plans. Choose the entry-level subscription package with 500 pooled minutes when you have low call volumes. Switch to the higher-tier plans that provide unlimited minutes when the number of calls increases.

Among the vendors on this list, Phone.com is the only one that allows mixing and matching of users, so you only get the features you need for current call volume demands for a specific period. The best part about Phone.com is that you can access almost all the standard VoIP features, whichever subscription plan you choose. Access tools like call forwarding, call transfer, caller ID, call waiting, greetings, and call screening.

Phone.com, a communications software company founded in 2007, offers a business phone system with more than 50 standard VoIP features, including auto-attendant, hold music, call handling rules, and call logs. It features an artificial intelligence (AI)- powered intelligent answer bot that automatically connects callers to the right service representatives and screens spam calls. To help clients handle calls more efficiently, Phone.com offers live receptionist services.

Aside from call management, the provider supports other types of communications, such as video conferencing, accommodating a maximum of 100 participants. Attendees can use collaboration tools, like chat and whiteboards, while in the session. On top of that, Phone.com enables users to send and receive text and fax messages.

Key components of VoIP systems

VoIP for small businesses facilitates efficient communications with customers and among team members thanks to its various capabilities. These are the features included in cloud-based phone systems:

• Unlimited calling: VoIP solutions offer unlimited domestic calling within the U.S. and Canada, with some extending the coverage to overseas territories, like Mexico. Others offer unlimited international calling, benefiting companies with clients abroad. When you compare VoIP and cellular services, the former offers more significant money savings since it doesn’t come with roaming charges that apply to the latter.
• Call management: These tools include call forwarding, call transfer, hold music, call waiting, and call queues, which enable teams to handle incoming calls in an orderly manner.
• Mobility: A softphone app compatible with iOS and Android systems helps users place and accept calls outside the office. Voicemail transcription makes referring to message details easier, especially when traveling. Virtual fax lets you send and receive fax messages wherever you are.
• Phone numbers: Most VoIP systems offer local phone numbers, while others offer toll-free and vanity numbers. Still, some provide local numbers in overseas locations.
• Analytics: A customizable analytics dashboard shows various performance metrics in real-time. Some VoIP solutions feature robust historical reporting tools, wherein you can generate custom reports based on the performance areas you want to track and evaluate.

Benefits of using VoIP systems

Businesses will find VoIP platforms valuable in streamlining communications. The advanced call management features — designed to direct customers to the right agents and create a pleasant call experience — contribute to customer loyalty in the long run. Aside from customer communications, VoIP systems improve team collaboration as they offer access to instant messaging and video conferencing.

Similarly, VoIP systems help lower communication costs. You won’t have to spend on installing and maintaining phone lines and hardware equipment, as in landline systems. The money savings are greater in the long run, especially when you add more users to the phone system since there’s no need to install extra physical phone lines.

When you choose a hosted VoIP solution, you only pay a fixed monthly fee per user. The maintenance of the infrastructure is already included in your subscription.

Considering all the ways this service can be leveraged, it’s important to find the right VoIP providers for your small business. After all, not all businesses have the same exact needs.

Choosing the best VoIP system for your small business

VoIP platforms help small businesses boost customer satisfaction, facilitate team collaboration, and reduce communication costs. As you consider adopting cloud-based phone systems, consider your communication needs to find the best VoIP providers for small business that match your requirements. 

If your company plans to grow its operations soon, choose RingCentral as its robust third-party integrations support scalability. Go for Nextiva and maximize its generous toll-free minute allowance if you serve a national clientele. Google Voice is the ideal solution for solopreneurs since it offers a free plan and basic calling features. 

Acefone is an excellent VoIP choice for companies running call center operations, as it’s packed with advanced call management tools. For brick-and-mortar communications, choose Ooma, the phone system that supports intercom calling and overhead paging. Finally, Phone.com should be your top option for fluctuating call volumes since you can choose between metered and unlimited calling plans.

Check out our VoIP software guide to browse other solutions if you have other communication requirements.

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