We live in an age where 88% of mobile users say they regularly call a business after finding them via a mobile search.
For this reason, you must ensure your business line is stable and secure. One of the apps at the forefront of offering users a business line on their phone is Dialpad.
But where did this app come from? Is it actually any good, and are there Dialpad alternatives that supersede it on the market?
Keep reading to learn more!
Table of Contents
1. What Is Dialpad and How Does It Work?
4. Dialpad Alternatives for Small Businesses
5. What to Look For in Dialpad Alternatives
6. Best Dialpad Alternative: iPlum
7. How to Transfer and Port Your Number From Dialpad
What Is Dialpad and How Does It Work?
Dialpad released their app in late 2014 by a company that had already entered the market. Their first entry onto the market was with a conferencing tool named UberConference.
Dialpad aimed at the business market by producing a VoIP business telephone system. Their USP was to combine this with a cloud-based approach to connections.
Focusing on VoIP allowed DialPad to ignore the regular telephone infrastructure of a local area. Instead, their system relies on a user’s local internet connection for better or worse.
Originally, Dialpad focused on PC-to-phone calls which pushed adverts to the caller before the call itself. Dialpad did not see this revenue source as lucrative enough so decided to pivot instead.
These days, they focus on charging for calls instead. Dialpad offers a standard subscription package for Standard, Professional, and Enterprise users. Each one is more costly but offers more features.
The Pros of Dialpad
Dialpad offers several features that are useful to corporate systems more than any other area. For example, it includes integration with both Office 365 and Google Apps which may be useful for niche businesses.
Dialpad offers video-conferencing options, although some may balk at its price-point. At $14.99 for talking with over ten participants, the money can quickly add up.
One of the unique points of Dialpad is its ability to listen to phone calls and discern action points for later.
While some may be nervous at a phone company listening to their calls, it can sometimes be a useful feature. The AI is incorrect on occasion though, leading to strange action points appearing.
The Drawbacks of Dialpad
Despite the advantages of this cloud phone system, it has its negative points too. Many of them are borne from the fact that they do not aim for small businesses.
High Price Point
With a price of $15 per month per-use for the standard package, Dialpad is one of the most expensive services out there. Above and beyond this price, a Pro license costs $25 but this includes things such as 24/7 support. As other services offer such support at price points as low as $4.99, it becomes hard to justify.
The service’s sundry additional options also cost more. Should a user wish for a video chat with over ten people, for example, they will need to pay $14.99 for that privilege alone. This leads to an a-la-carte approach which will scare away many small businesses and startups.
Businesses Must “Qualify”
Dialpad’s signup process has an inherent lack of trust in its user base. As such, if you wish to apply for its startup price point, you must go through a test to “see if you qualify.”
This system prevents many startups from easily applying. It also puts the business’ future in the hands of a customer service representative.
Hard-to-Use Developer Platform
The tools available for developers are largely kept in-house at Dialpad. Various reviews online make comments that the developer platform is not as strong as others. This means that if you wish to customize your experience you may be in trouble.
Unreliable App
Many customer reviews available online discuss the Dialpad app as having regular problems. One of the more common complaints is about a failure to receive calls. Reviewers list audio issues, calls not redirecting, and regular crashes in the midst of conversations.
As the app is the primary way of using the Dialpad service, without it working well this is a major worry.
Poor Customer Service
Several reviewers discuss customer support as a major reason some they seek an alternative to Dialpad. Within the last year, many online reviews have discussed a lack of high-quality help. They even discuss the possibility that the support department is not aware of Dialpad’s processes.
Dialpad Alternatives for Small Businesses
When supporting a small business, every penny matters. For that reason, you need a low-cost solution to your communication concerns.
As every customer matters to a small business, you want to be sure that any service you use will respond quickly to problems. Having to put up with problems means that your customers are going to feel the brunt of any issue, pushing them away from you.
Startups require a basic system they can customize for their purposes. Starting small and growing. It is important that a startup can utilize developers to make use of available APIs to craft a business-specific solution to any issue.
What to Look For in Dialpad Alternatives
While Dialpad offers many features that are perfect for any business, many of them are behind paywalls. This means you will need to fork out significantly if you wish for your brand to appear professional to customers and clients.
Simple to Set Up
When first starting up your company, you want assurance that you can set up every utility fast. Any system you set up needs to be understandable by the few people who are in your company as it starts, and if this is only you then this is doubly-important.
Ubiquitous Support
When you are searching for a reliable virtual number, you cannot be without support at any time. If any level of a service does not provide you with assistance outside of core hours, this may cause a significant bottleneck. Tradespeople and other businesses that work outside of the “nine to five” will want to ensure any service they use includes this as standard.
Auto Text Reply
You always want to make sure you are providing the best customer service and client communication. For that reason, having the ability to send messages to customers when you are busy or away from the phone is imperative.
MMS Handling
In the modern world, the ability to send video, GIFs, and several other messages via MMS can be vital. For inter-department communication, sending a video or GIF of the issue may be very useful. This is especially true when discussing specific and detailed problems, or when engaging in MMS marketing.
Low Price
The biggest priority for a new startup or business is to make sure they are not spending more money than they have to. Any utility they buy cannot be too expensive, especially if they have many users who need to make use of it. Every extra dollar is a measurable drop in the budget for the company.
All costs should also be visible in the initial payment. There should never be extra or hidden charges further down the line. Such things suggest underhanded methods of attaining customers’ money.
Best Dialpad Alternative: iPlum
Now you understand what you should be looking for in an alternative to Dialpad. As such, you can look at the market and find something suitable for your business.
Plenty of other companies design services for situations such as yours, have features you need, and sit at a lower price point. iPlum is set up to offer all these and more, and we would recommend you try the system out.
Simple to Set Up
iPlum’s onboarding process is short, allowing you to set up your business line with ease. You are even able to add several employees to the system fast, adding them with minimal time taken out of your day. This means you can set up your business and carry on focusing on your USP without needing to contact support for more help.
Ubiquitous Support
The idea of service at all times is a cornerstone of iPlum’s interaction with customers. It is not only individuals who have high-level plans with them, but even the lowest-price agreement comes with customer service. Also, iPlum provides a detailed FAQ and troubleshooting guide that is permanently viewable.
Auto Text Reply
Responding to customer texts and calls automatically is available to all users of iPlum. This ensures that you can keep customers in the loop. This helps you communicate opening times, availability, or anything else. On iPlum, this is not held behind an additional payment or pro account and is available from the first day.
MMS Handling
Due to the need to communicate complex concepts, it is often useful to send MMS messages. These communications are imperative for many important business interactions.
Examples of when you may need such messages are to inform a colleague of the exact nature of a repair in the case of a tradesman’s callout. Alternatively, you might want to send an MMS to your customers informing them of a new sale. As MMS messages have a click-through rate of 10%, this can be incredibly lucrative to you and your business.
Low Price
While many other companies charge upwards of $10, $15, or even more for their service, iPlum’s $4.99 opening offer is a very good deal. Any company wishing to save money in their budget would do well to keep them in mind.
Also, iPlum has avoided adding extra services to its communications platform on an a-la-carte basis. This way, they avoid nickel-and-diming the companies they work with. Therefore they continue to show a fantastic level of care for their customers’ bottom line.
How to Transfer and Port Your Number From Dialpad
If you wish to transfer your number from Dialpad to another service, be aware that Dialpad is unable to contact the other service for you. You will need to perform these steps yourself.
Follow these instructions to port your number from Dialpad to another carrier:
- Log in to the Dialpad site
- Go to Dialpad’s port out page at dialpad.com/portout
- Follow the on-screen prompts to attain a unique PIN relevant to your Dialpad account.
- Head to the Dialpad billing page at dialpad.com/billing
- Open your latest invoice
- Copy down your account number under “Company ID”
- Contact your new carrier and inform them that you wish to port your old number to their service
Please be aware that there may be any number of reasons why a porting request fails. If you have any questions as to why it does not work, check the iPlum number transfer page to see if your questions are discoverable there. If not, check our help and FAQ sections for more information.
Where to Go Next
We hope we have helped you understand the best reasons why Dialpad may (or may not) be perfect for you as a new business or startup.
iPlum is happy to answer any further questions about Dialpad alternatives and begin the process of assisting you.
If you have any further questions on how iPlum can help you, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to enlighten you.
