A cloud phone system gives your business its own numbers, in your country or abroad, that ring on laptops and mobiles instead of a desk phone. Calls, texts and voicemail are shared by the team, and every call is logged.
All four tools below do the basics well. They differ in focus: Quo is built around a simple shared number for small teams, CallHippo and KrispCall lean towards sales and support call centres, and Calilio keeps things lean for small businesses.
At a glance
CallHippo
Virtual phone numbers and a cloud call centre for sales and support teams.
Visit CallHippoKrispCall
Cloud phone system with virtual numbers in many countries.
Visit KrispCallCalilio
Virtual business phone for calls and SMS, priced per user.
Visit Calilio
What to look for
- Numbers you need. Local, toll-free or international numbers in the countries where your customers are.
- Team calling. Shared numbers, call routing, IVR menus and call transfer between team members.
- Texts and voicemail. Business SMS and voicemail transcription, if your customers text.
- Integrations. A link to your CRM or helpdesk so calls are logged against the customer automatically.
The tools in detail
Best for: Sales and support teams that run a small call centre.
CallHippo provides virtual numbers in many countries with call routing, IVR, call recording and analytics, plus a power dialer for outbound sales. It connects to common CRMs so calls are logged automatically.
Best for: Small teams that want one shared business number on every phone and laptop.
Quo, formerly OpenPhone, is a business phone app for calls and texts. Several people can share a number, see the same conversation history and leave internal notes, which keeps customer conversations from living on one person's mobile.
Best for: Growing teams that need numbers in several countries and call-centre features.
KrispCall is a cloud telephony system with local, mobile and toll-free numbers in many countries, shared numbers, call queues and an IVR builder, managed from one dashboard.
Best for: Small businesses that want a straightforward virtual phone for calls and SMS.
Calilio offers virtual business numbers for calls and SMS, with call recording, forwarding and voicemail, aimed at small teams that need a professional number without a complex setup.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual phone number?
A phone number that isn't tied to a SIM card or desk line. Calls ring in an app on your computer or mobile, so a team can share one number and work from anywhere.
Can I keep my existing number?
Usually yes. Most providers can port an existing business number in; check the provider's porting page for your country.
Which is best for a small team?
For a shared number with calls and texts that just works, Quo is the simplest. If you run sales or support calls at volume, look at CallHippo or KrispCall.
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