Nothing is more important for law firms than communicating with clients and leads. You’ll need to answer questions, schedule consultations, communicate progress on cases, and more. Of course, your law firm also has many other communications needs, ranging from collaborating with peers to contacting expert witnesses and everything in between.
Traditional landlines can help you accomplish these goals, but they’re expensive, call quality is often low, and they’re slow. VoIP (voice-over Internet protocol) is a better option. Scalable, flexible, and fast, it also provides clearer calls and ensures that you have connectivity whether you’re in the office, on the road, or in the field.
The challenge, of course, is choosing between the various VoIP phone providers for law firms. Solo attorneys, small firms, and even growing legal offices must strike the right balance between features and affordability. And if you’ve never used a VoIP provider before, you probably have quite a few questions.
In this guide, we’ll look at 10 of the best VoIP providers for law firms specifically, and we’ll talk a little more about how to choose the best provider for your legal practice, no matter what you have in mind.
Before we dive too far into the comparison of the best VoIP phone providers for law firms, let’s consider the benefits the technology offers in the first place. With a VoIP phone provider, your law firm can enjoy:
However, all of the VoIP services out there have their own features and pros and cons to consider. Making an informed decision here is critical, which is why we’ve broken down our VoIP comparison to make it easier for you to make an informed choice.
GoToConnect offers affordable VoIP solutions without leaving out any of the necessary features. You’ll find everything from basic plans to customized all-inclusive plans. The service even gives you the option to keep your existing numbers, choose phones and devices that suit your needs, and more. You can enjoy free online faxing, too. Video conferencing is an option for upgraded plans.
The platform adjusts its bandwidth automatically, offering as many as 250 participants in every meeting. Upgrade your plan for just a few dollars more, and you’ll get unlimited attendants and queues, too. There’s a lot that your law firm can gain from this platform, no matter what level of plan you choose.
Don’t forget features like:
Dialpad starts with basic plans, but they offer a lot more integrations and upgraded features than you might expect. This is one of the best options today for inclusive VoIP solutions, and it comes with intelligent data collection to help you gather details from calls to improve communications and more. You can also sync contacts and integrate them with your other software, making it easy to get started.
Dialpad offers premium features on its higher-level plans, and all of the services come with the brand’s leading support and customer service. The platform also uses premium security to keep your lines of communication protected at all times.
Check out key features like:
Corvum is a platform that integrates with Clio Practice Management Software, offering business texting and calling solutions for attorneys of all kinds. The Internet-based VoIP service offers apps for Android and iOS, auto attendants, number porting, conference calling, voicemail customization, and so much more.
Corvum records calls, has an intercom system built-in, and makes call forwarding and call management easy. Custom call routing and AI-based customization ensure that you get the best solution. It also offers premium security features and includes the option to create custom rules.
Consider highlights like:
8x8 is an impressive platform for all kinds of SMBs, including law firms that are looking for flexible VoIP solutions. The Express platform includes plenty of features, and you’ll enjoy mobile and desktop apps for easy access to all your calls. This platform has ranked on many of the “best of” lists for VoIP providers for many reasons.
There are plans available to suit all kinds of needs, and you can even customize and scale features to fit your firm. You can integrate with other tools your law firm uses and security features to ensure that you get the peace of mind that your data and calls are protected.
Check out highlights like:
Vonage offers a lot of services and solutions for VoIP. For lawyers and law firms, the service and security features are what make this platform worth a look. They have several different kinds of plans to choose from, and they offer several different app integrations through their own App Center. They even have the option to book a demo and get a firsthand look at what you can get.
The plans include everything from unlimited calling and messaging to auto attendants and call routing, along with plenty of AI and automated intelligence. Premium plans include CRM integration, and you can get business numbers for more than 50 countries. Vonage also has premium security features in place with all of its plans, giving you peace of mind.
Consider highlights like:
RingCentral has been around since the early days of Internet communications. The brand started as the original in Internet faxing and quickly became a leader in that area. As the VoIP industry grew, RingCentral changed its offerings, and today, there are several different VoIP plans for calling, messaging, faxing, and everything else that law firms need.
Basic plans offer basic features, but of course, the modern law firm can upgrade to get a premium VoIP plan without breaking the bank. Plus, it offers a full-service cloud-hosted PBX where you can handle all your communications with the help of AI and automation. RingCentral has plans for firms and businesses of all sizes.
Check out key features:
Podium is technically a lead management platform, but the company does offer a robust VoIP solution that promises to help you “stop wasting time managing outdated phone systems. ”Podium Phones (the VoIP offering) is designed specifically for small businesses, which makes it a great choice for solo attorneys and small but growing firms. You can route all calls to the same inbox where you get social media messages, text and MMS messages, and other communications, so you keep messaging cohesive.
There are plenty of other services and features to love. Clear customer messaging history, consolidated calls and messages, and at-a-glance details make this a must-have for most law firms. However, there are more robust options out there, and because Podium is designed for small businesses, it’s not as scaleable as some, meaning that you may outgrow it at some point.
Features to consider with Podium Phones include:
Nextiva offers a full 30 days to try out their VoIP service, which includes unlimited Internet faxing and automated greetings, among other features. You can scale the plans to suit your needs, and you will find something at every level, no matter what your law firm has in mind. There are apps available so that you can use this service on any device that you choose, keeping your calls streamlined and your communications organized.
Nextiva comes with several tiers of service, and you can upgrade to get unlimited calling and messaging, along with other premium features. The brand also has leading customer service and support to ensure that you get the solutions that you need.
Key features include:
Ooma is changing the way that you think about VoIP services. They have made several of the “best” lists over the past few years for their plans and solutions, for which there is a lot to offer. They start with basic plans that offer simple features for an affordable price, and mobile and desktop apps are available.
We like that this platform integrates with Amazon Echo and Google Nest. Perhaps the best feature about this VoIP provider, though, is that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can choose an Ooma subscription, or you can buy an Ooma device and get basic access for free, but most law firms find subscription plans with their own devices more useful.
Check out key features like:
OpenPhone ranks as one of the best VoIP phone providers for law firms for a couple of reasons. One of those is unlimited SMS and MMS to US and Canadian numbers. You also get unlimited domestic calling, as well as shared phone numbers. And at $15 per month per user, it’s affordable enough that even solo attorneys can afford it.
There’s more to love about OpenPhone, too. You can have additional numbers if necessary for $5 per number per month, for instance. You can also store all your contacts and their associated information in one place. Finally, it integrates with the technology your law firm already uses, like Google, Zapier, and Pipedrive, to name just a few. That said, most law firms will want to upgrade to the Business tier to access the most features ($23 per month).
Consider highlights like:
Unfortunately, even VoIP platforms cannot guarantee that you’ll be able to answer every call. That means there’s always a chance that current clients and leads will go to voicemail, and that’s never a great solution. Partner with the dedicated receptionists at Smith.ai, and we’ll handle it all for you.
Our team of virtual receptionists can field calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, along with chats, SMS messages, and so much more. We can even handle things like lead intake and payment collection and help you create a plan to manage it all so you don’t have to worry.
To learn more, schedule a consultation to discuss what the 24/7 virtual receptionists can do for your law firm, from fielding calls and chats to handling scheduling, client intake, and more. You can also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 709-2947.