Best Phone Systems for Call Centres and Sales Teams

What separates the best phone system for call centers on this page?

Four services made the cut, and the scores sit close together: RingCentral at 8.6, Nextiva at 8.4, Dialpad at 8.3 and 8x8 Work at 7.8. The differences show up in specific places.

RingCentral took the highest blind call-quality score, including calls made while we loaded the network on purpose, and it commits to 99.999% uptime. Nextiva landed within a tenth of RingCentral on call quality, and its support answered in under two minutes every time, fixing a stuck number port the same day.

Dialpad costs $15 and its live transcript was accurate enough that our testers stopped taking notes; real-time coaching cards surface answers mid-call. 8x8 Work costs $24 and includes unlimited calling to 14 countries at the entry tier, with call recording included on X2 rather than upsold.

Watch the plan tiers. RingCentral needs the $25 Advanced plan for call recording and CRM integration, and taxes and fees added about 18% to our quote. Nextiva leaves call recording off the entry plan. Dialpad puts its uptime SLA on Pro and above. 8x8 Work runs $120 for five seats, the most expensive entry plan here, and its admin console is built for larger deployments.

What should you check before buying?

Our scoring puts call quality and reliability at 30 points, features at 25, setup and admin at 15, integrations at 10 and value at 20. Weigh your own mix against that.

• Call quality and reliability: RingCentral and Nextiva held up on loaded-network calls; Dialpad sat a step behind both.
• Features: recording, transcription, coaching and CRM tools land on different tiers, so read the plan you are actually buying.
• Setup and admin: RingCentral's auto-attendant and ring groups configured in under twenty minutes; 8x8 Work's console assumes a larger deployment.
• Integrations: RingCentral connects with Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, Google and Slack; Nextiva has fewer third-party integrations.
• Value: the sticker prices are $15, $20, $20 and $24, but fees and tier upgrades move the real number.

Which one for whom?

RingCentral suits teams that want the highest call-quality score in this test and integrations across Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, Google and Slack. Nextiva is for buyers who want near-RingCentral call quality plus support that answers in under two minutes. Dialpad fits sales and support teams that would rather read a live transcript and get coaching prompts during the call. 8x8 Work is the pick when the phone bill crosses borders, with unlimited calling to 14 countries at the entry tier.

RingCentral is the pick for the highest call-quality score and the widest integration list. Nextiva suits teams that want near-identical call quality with support that answers in under two minutes. Dialpad fits sales and support teams that want live transcription and coaching prompts, and 8x8 Work is the one for unlimited calling to 14 countries at the entry tier.