UniTel Voice Review: Is It a Good Business Phone System?

If you’re looking for a simple business phone system without the complexity and cost of a traditional PBX, Unitel Voice is worth considering.

Unitel Voice is a cloud-based virtual phone system designed primarily for small businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, and teams that need a professional business number without building a complicated phone infrastructure.

In this Unitel Voice review, we’ll look at its features, pricing structure, advantages, limitations, and the types of businesses we think are the best fit.

What Is Unitel Voice?

Unitel Voice is a virtual business phone system that allows companies to manage calls through smartphones, computers, IP desk phones, and existing phone numbers.

Instead of installing a traditional PBX at your office, your phone system is hosted in the cloud.

Businesses can choose a local or toll-free number, transfer an existing number, create extensions, configure call routing, set business hours, set up voicemail, and build an auto attendant to professionally answer incoming calls.

For a small company, this can provide many of the functions associated with a traditional business telephone system without requiring a dedicated phone server.

Unitel Voice Features

Unitel Voice includes many of the core features a small business needs to manage incoming calls professionally.

Some of the available features include:

• Local and toll-free business numbers
• Number porting
• Auto attendant
• Employee extensions
• Call forwarding
• Business hours and call scheduling
• Voicemail
• Call logs
• Mobile app
• Softphone support
• IP desk phone support
• Call transfers
• Online management dashboard
• Conference calling
• Team presence and messaging

One of the biggest advantages is device flexibility.

Employees can use the Unitel mobile app to handle business calls from a smartphone while keeping their personal phone number private. Businesses that prefer a more traditional setup can also use compatible IP desk phones or softphones.

That makes Unitel particularly interesting for contractors, service businesses, startups, sales teams, and other companies with employees working from multiple locations.

Unitel Voice Pricing

Unitel takes a somewhat different approach to pricing than many cloud phone providers.

See Current UniTel Pricing

Rather than requiring every business to purchase an expensive per-user package, Unitel offers entry-level virtual phone plans based around calling usage. Unitel currently advertises plans starting at $9.99 per month. (⁠Unitel)

Businesses that need a more complete office-phone configuration can add users and devices depending on the plan selected.

Unitel states that its Office plan includes three users for $29.99 per month, with additional users available for $9.99 per month each. (⁠Unitel)

Because plans and pricing can change, businesses should verify current pricing directly with Unitel before purchasing.

What We Like About Unitel Voice

Simple Setup

Unitel is clearly targeting businesses that don’t have a dedicated IT or telecommunications department.

You can choose a number, configure your call flow and start handling calls without installing an on-premise PBX.

For a startup trying to establish a professional phone presence quickly, that’s a major advantage.

Mobile-Friendly

The mobile app is one of the more important features for small businesses.

Instead of publishing an owner’s personal cell phone number everywhere, the business can advertise its company number while calls are handled through the Unitel system.

This creates separation between personal and business communications while allowing employees to work from almost anywhere.

Professional Call Routing

A small company can sound much larger when incoming calls are handled correctly.

For example:

“Thank you for calling ABC Company. For sales, press 1. For service, press 2. For accounting, press 3.”

Those calls can then be routed to the appropriate employee or department.

Unitel provides auto-attendant, extension and scheduling capabilities that make this type of configuration possible.

No Long-Term Contract

Unitel states that its plans are month-to-month and include a 30-day money-back guarantee. (⁠Unitel)

That’s attractive for startups and smaller businesses that don’t want to immediately commit to a long telecommunications contract.

U.S.-Based Support

Unitel also emphasizes its U.S.-based customer support. (⁠Unitel)

That can be particularly valuable for small businesses without an internal IT department.

Where Unitel Voice May Fall Short

Unitel isn’t necessarily the right phone system for every company.

Its simplicity is one of its strengths, but it can also become a limitation.

A larger organization may require advanced contact-center functionality, sophisticated integrations, detailed analytics, complex multi-location routing, advanced AI capabilities, or other enterprise UCaaS features.

There is also some mixed anecdotal feedback regarding call reliability. A small number of users discussing Unitel online have reported dropped calls or calls that didn’t ring, while others specifically praise its pricing and customer support. These reports shouldn’t be treated as controlled reliability testing, but they’re worth considering when evaluating any hosted phone provider. (⁠Reddit)

For mission-critical applications, businesses should test call quality on their actual internet and mobile connections before completing a full migration – WHICH MAY BE WHAT CAUSED THESE ISSUES.

Who Is Unitel Voice Best For?

We think Unitel Voice makes the most sense for:

• Startups
• Small businesses
• Contractors and trades
• Consultants
• Real estate businesses
• Remote businesses
• Sales professionals
• Service companies
• Businesses currently using personal cell phones
• Companies needing a professional main business number

Imagine a small HVAC contractor with five employees.

Instead of putting the owner’s cell phone number on every truck, website and Google listing, the company could establish one main business number.

Customers call that number and hear:

“Thank you for calling ABC Heating & Cooling. For service, press 1. For sales, press 2. For emergency service, press 8.”

Those calls can then be routed to the appropriate employees.

That’s exactly the type of environment where a straightforward virtual phone system can make sense.

Unitel Voice vs. a Traditional Business Phone System

The biggest difference is infrastructure.

Traditional business phone systems commonly involve a PBX or communications platform, desk phones, network configuration and sometimes dedicated telecommunications circuits.

Cloud systems move much of that intelligence off-site.

For a small organization, cloud phone service can dramatically simplify deployment.

However, larger offices may still benefit from professionally designed VoIP or hybrid phone environments with managed switching, dedicated voice networks, QoS configuration, redundancy and properly deployed IP phones.

The right answer depends on the business.

Is Unitel Voice Worth It?

For the right company, yes.

Unitel Voice appears particularly compelling for small businesses that want to stop using personal cell phone numbers and establish a professional business phone presence without purchasing a complicated enterprise communications platform.

Its combination of a business number, extensions, auto attendant, call routing, mobile applications and optional desk-phone support covers many of the requirements of a typical small business.

Companies requiring advanced contact-center functionality or highly customized enterprise communications should compare Unitel against more comprehensive UCaaS platforms before making a decision.

Kommvia Verdict: 9.2/10

Best for: Small businesses, startups, contractors and mobile teams.

Biggest advantage: A relatively simple way to give a small business a professional phone system.

Potential drawback: Businesses with complex enterprise communications requirements may eventually need a more advanced platform.

Need Help Choosing a Business Phone System?

Choosing a phone provider is only part of building a reliable business communications system.

Kommvia Inc. specializes in business phone systems, structured cabling, network infrastructure, and commercial telecommunications solutions for businesses throughout Indiana and the Chicago area.

Whether you’re starting a new company, replacing an aging phone system, adding extensions, installing IP phones, or trying to determine which cloud phone platform makes sense for your operation, Kommvia can help you build the right solution.

Kommvia Inc. | Business Phone Systems & Telecommunications

Serving Indiana & Chicago

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