Best Business VoIP Service – Ooma vs. Elevate UC

Ooma Office Business Phone Service

Ooma is a popular VoIP provider, expanding from the home market into business. Elevate UC is a VoIP provider focusing on Telecommunications Services for Businesses and Enterprises. VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol and is a fast-growing telecommunications service, offering business and home phone systems unlimited calling, video conferencing, audio conferencing, voicemail transcriptions, call forwarding, unlimited internet fax, unlimited domestic calling, team messaging, and more. VoIP comes with communication tools to allow business to streamline their inbound calls with efficient routing. VOIP replaces traditional phones with modern digital communications.

VoIP Cloud Service

As a cloud service, this internet communication device offers unlimited SMS, enabling users to maintain contact and provide updates on projects, sales and marketing efforts, and approaching deadlines. This internet telecom service offers local phone numbers, virtual phone numbers, and a dedicated phone line to facilitate customer relationship management. VoIP services easily integrate with desktop and mobile devices, providing for telephone calls, automatic call recording, and other business features. So, who is the best VoIP provider? This article thoroughly examines the Ooma VoIP technology offering and compares it with Elevate UC. Which company provides the best VoIP services and offers the best VoIP system?

Ooma Company Overview

• Company: Ooma
• US HQ: Sunnyvale, CA
• Company: Ooma
• Founded: 2003
• Employees: 1,192
• Revenue: $216.2M (8% YoY subscription and services revenue growth driven by 14% YoY growth in core business services revenue)
• Business Customers:  2+ million users
• Regions: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe
• Specialties: Voice over IP (VOIP) cloud-based telecommunications services offering Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), SIP Trunking, and virtual call centers so business customers can use voice and video communications via an online broadband Internet connection or cellular phone.

Targeting small businesses and enterprises, Ooma provides communication services, including Voice over IP (VoIP) phone solutions for business, home, and mobile users.

Ooma Telo

For personal use, Ooma offers the Ooma Telo home phone system. For business, Ooma designed a suite of phone solutions: Ooma Office Essentials, Ooma Office Pro, Ooma Office Pro Plus, and Ooma Enterprise.

Ooma Office Essentials

The Office Essentials product gives small businesses a cloud-based phone system with over 50 features. These include unlimited North American calling, virtual receptionist, call handling functions, conference calling, and more.

Ooma Office Pro

For extra capabilities, Ooma Office Pro supplies advanced features like a desktop app, text messaging, video conferencing for up to 25 participants, and call recording.

Ooma Office Pro Plus

Building further, Ooma Office Pro Plus adds premium features on top of Pro, such as call queues, hot desking, and meeting recordings.

Ooma Enterprise

As a customizable UCaaS solution, Ooma Enterprise enables robust voice quality, collaboration tools, Microsoft Teams integration, flexible pricing models, white-glove deployment, and 24/7 North American support.

Ooma Direct Routing

Direct Routing integrates Microsoft Teams for enhanced productivity. Ooma also provides the AirDial wireless solution to transition analog systems like alarms, emergency phones, building access, and faxes off outdated phone lines.

Ooma Business Partnerships

• Ooma Partner Program: Ooma offers various levels of partnership, including Channel Partners, Carriers, VAR Partners, and Resellers. Reseller partners have the option of full ownership of billing and support.
• Ooma acquired 2600Hz: Ooma acquired 2600Hz, a leader in modern and flexible business communications applications targeted at resellers and carriers, on 10/20/23 for $33M. This acquisition advances Ooma’s integrated business service by adding Call Center, CPaaS, and AI capabilities.
• IWG (International Workplace Group): IWG is the world’s leading provider of hybrid work solutions, with more than 8M customers worldwide and 3,500 locations in more than 120 companies. Ooma has partnered with IWG to offer two custom-designed phone plans to IWG customers: Business Phone, which has metered calling and no monthly fee, and Business Phone Pro, which provides a full suite of advanced features at an additional monthly charge. Customers can access their phone lines through mobile and desktop apps or by purchasing or renting desk phones.
• Prologis’ Strategic Alliance Program: Ooma partners with Prologis Inc., a global leader in logistics real estate. Ooma’s Office business phone services are available to Prologis’ customers operating in the US and Canada.

Ooma Business Marketing

Ooma’s advertising and marketing focuses on their key benefits for small business. Their marketing includes the following key messages:

• Sophisticated communication solutions made simple
• Crystal-clear call quality
• Finally, a phone system with businesses in mind
• Business phone solutions to fit your business size

Ooma Pros

#1  Ease of Use

Ooma’s interface is simple and easy to navigate for inexperienced users. The drop-down menus help even the most non-tech-savvy business owners get up and running quickly by making it easy to set up accurate call directions, receptionist greetings, and hours of operation.

#2  Cost-Effective Entry-Level Solution

Ooma offers 50+ features with their entry-level plan, including Find Me Follow Me, Caller Info Match, and Overhead paging.

#3  Unlimited Faxing

Ooma offers unlimited faxing with every Ooma office plan.

#4  30-Day Money Back Guarantee

While Ooma does not offer a Free Trial, they offer a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.

#5  Ooma Free Phone Offers

Customers can choose between three different phones:

1. Free Phone rental – Yealink T23 Restock.
2. Free Phone rental – Customer’s choice of Ooma 2602, 2602W, or 2603.
3. Phone BOGO – Buy one Ooma 2602 or 2603 and get one free phone.

Ooma Cons

#1  Limited Integrations

Compared with Elevate UC, Ooma integrations are limiting. Office 365 and Google integrations are only available at the Pro tier, including Microsoft 365 and Salesforce at the Pro Plus level. Ooma would not be the best solution for users looking for a more customized solution and APIs than Elevate UC’s App Marketplace.

#2  HIPAA Compliance

Ooma engineered its phone solutions for broad business use, but some functionality gaps remain. Healthcare organizations require HIPAA compliance to protect patient data, which Ooma systems currently do not offer. Additionally,

#3  Call Center with limited functionality

Ooma designed a Call Center specifically within the Ooma Enterprise plan but only included a restricted feature set. For healthcare entities and advanced call centers with specialized needs, Ooma phone solutions may not provide a full-scale replacement for legacy systems. Customers with concerns about regulatory compliance or sophisticated call routing should consult with Ooma representatives regarding limitations.

#4  No Desktop App on entry-level plan

Most business users will have to start at the mid-tier Pro plan because the Essentials package does not come with the Ooma desktop app. If you sign up for the entry-level package, you are limited to just using Ooma from your smartphone, which is not ideal for traditional office environments where most users are in front of a computer all day.

#5  Call Center product is not a Contact Center:

Ooma’s Call Center only supports the phone channel and is not a true omnichannel solution.

#6  Lack of AI technology

Ooma needs to focus on AI for their UCaaS platform. Elevate UC offers AI Assistant, automatic transcriptions of voicemail, video, customer call recordings, virtual backgrounds, and a Notes & Action Items feature.

#7  No Mix-and-Match Plans

Elevate UC is the best choice for customers who would like the flexibility to buy plans based on their employees’ needs rather than on the needs of only a subset of employees. Ooma does not allow you to mix and match plans, so if you have only a handful of employees who need advanced features, you would need to buy the higher-priced plan for all the employees.

#8  Ooma Essentials plan is missing key features

Desktop App, Video Conferencing, Call Recording, and Voice Mail Transcription are only available with the Office Pro plan and up.

Elevate UC Pros

#1   Exceptional Support

Independent research finds impressive customer support. This telecommunication system has an Award Winning JD Power Certified support for seven years.

#2   Contact Center

Omnichannel Contact Center service support includes voice, chat, and email queues.

#3   Integrations and APIs

The Extend API platform allows you to integrate the features of our award-winning voice, video, contact center, and analytics services into business applications to build custom solutions to meet business needs.

#4   Stay in Budget

Predictable cloud communication costs provides for easier business planning and budgeting. Clarity with features and cost by plan allow managers to stay within budget allocations.

#5   Virtual Meetings

Elevate UC offers robust, feature-rich video solution services up to 200 attendees, including transcription, polling, surveying, and whiteboarding.

#6   Complete Telecom Solution

Comprehensive suite of business solutions from one provider, including Cloud PBX, Contact Center, File Sharing, Exchange Email, Email Archiving, and Office 365 Business.

#7   Call Features

Elevate UC can bring more value to your business. Ooma has a low entry point with its Office Essentials plan, hoping customers will only compare pricing. Ooma falls short with call features compared to the solid Elevate UC features.

Ooma Shortfalls

1. Is AI and cutting-edge technology critical to the future of your business?
   Elevate UC continuously evolves its Spark AI technology to help boost workplace efficiency and productivity through communication enhancements.
2. Are you looking for a CCaaS solution rather than a Call Center?
   Elevate UC’s omni-channel Contact Center service allows customer interactions through different channels such as voice, SMS, webchat, and email, unlike Call Centers that only provide communication through one channel, voice.
3. How important are APIs and Integrations to customize your platform?
   Elevate UC’s APP Marketplace and Extend API Platform allow developers to integrate our award-winning voice, video, contact center, and analytics services into a custom solution to tailor the product to meet the needs of our customers.
4. Is it essential to fit a user’s needs into a specific telecommunications plan?
   Without mix-and-match plans, all users must migrate to a more expensive plan when only one or more users may need the more advanced features.

FAQs

Elevate UC is not well known to me. How do I know that I can trust them?

• Elevate UC has been offering cloud PBX services since 2013 with a voice service legacy that stretches over decades.
• JD Power recognizes Intermedia Elevate UC for Certified Excellence in Technical Support (7 yrs).
• Intermedia/Elevate UC received the PCMag Editors’ Choice award
• US News & World Report names Intermedia Best Business Phone System of 2023 and again in 2024 Best Business Phone System.
• PC Magazine bestows multiple Editor’s Choice Award for VoIP Services .
• INTERNET TELEPHONY Magazine 2023 Hosted VoIP Excellence Award.
• 4.6 Star Rating with 967 reviews on Trustpilot.
• List of Intermedia – Elevate UC Awards for service and telecommunications.

Does Elevate offer a complete CCaaS solution that includes omni-channel communication?

Elevate UC’s CCaaS solution allows customer interactions through different channels such as voice, SMS, webchat, and email.

Can you purchase Elevate plan types that vary based on customer needs?

Elevate UC lets you mix and match plans based on customer requirements.

Is it important to not be tied to a contract?

Elevate UC provides month-to-month service not tied to any annual contract. Elevate must earn your business each month.

Ooma Pricing Comparison Chart

Elevate Unified Communication Advantages

Compare Ooma with the robust Features of Intermedia’s Elevate UC with its detailed plans to choose from–Essentials, Pro, and Enterprise. Below is a summary of the advantages offered by Elevate UC.

1. Hight reliability
2. Easy to scale up or down
3. Crystal-clear voice
4. Prefigured phones
5. Collaboration
6. Flexibility
7. Cloud storage
8. File sharing
9. Robust corporate phone system
10. Apps for desktop and mobile
11. Video conferencing and screen sharing
12. File sharing

Elevate UC Vs. Ooma

Businesses and enterprises do not need cheap! Instead, they need a robust communications system rich in business features and proven for reliability. Telecommunications is the lifeblood of many organizations and critical for their sales functions. Elevate UC meets business and enterprise needs, while Ooma needs to catch up in many areas.

Les Olson IT Telecom Services

Les Olson IT partners with Intermedia, offering their business VoIP service called Elevate UC. Intermedia awarded Les Olson IT as a Partner Champion for 2023. Les Olson IT can install and maintain your VoIP business phone system anywhere in Utah and the Las Vegas area. Improve your business communications with Elevate UC.