"Aircall is a first-rate VoIP provider."

Price

Ease Of Use

Features

Help And Support

Pros

Very easy to set up & no additional hardware needed
Comprehensive list of integrations with many popular software platforms
Flexibility and customization are excellent
Both VoIP enterprise telephony system and call center features are available

Cons

Cost is a little expensive compared to other providers
Does not support desk phones
Impossible to integrate with any existing enterprise PBXs (either conventional or VoIP)
No free version

Company Background

Since its creation in 2014 as a startup at eFounders in Paris, Aircall has a vision to make phone support as easy to manage as any other business workflow. This means making it accessible, transparent, and collaborative. The result of this vision is a telephone solution that is easy to set up, easy to use, and easy to scale. In addition to this, Aircall has made its platform easy to connect with a multitude of other business tools.

Plans & Pricing

Aircall has a simple pricing scheme. It has two fundamental packages named Essentials and Professional, each having a variety of features. Unlike other providers, however, Aircall offers a third option aptly named “Custom”, in which clients can customize their package with the features they want, paying only for what they need and for what they will actually use. This increases the granularity with which the plan can be aligned with real business needs.

Costs are on a per agent basis and can be billed either monthly or annually, but only annually billed rates are published. Outbound calling charges as well as inbound toll-free calling rates are not published, but can be further discussed with Aircall’s sales team. Packages include one phone number and each additional number has a monthly cost of $6.00.

Aircall is somewhat more expensive than similar competitors, however, there are no hardware costs since the Aircall clients are all software based, either as freely available apps on a smartphone, or as free software on a desktop computer.

Essentials

$30/mo

per user

Get Started

Professional

$50/mo

per user

Get Started

Custom

Request a Quote

Get Started

Essentials

The essentials plan is $30/user/mo. This plan includes all the necessary features like custom music and messages, instant dial numbers, ring groups, call distribution rules, shared contacts, call recording, tags, conference calls, voicemail to email, click-to-dial, parallel calls, etc. In addition, you get access to unlimited inbound calls (excluding toll-free calls) that are free via the app, smart queuing, and phone support. The minimum number of users is three. The maximum number of callers in the queue is five.

Professional

The professional plan is $50/user/mo. This plan includes all the features of the essentials package plus the following additional features: Salesforce integration, advanced analytics and reporting, live call monitoring, unlimited concurrent calls, and PowerDialer. The minimum number of required users is three. However, the number of callers in the queue is unlimited.

Custom

The custom plan’s price should be negotiated with the brand. This plan includes all the features of the professional package plus the following additional features: unlimited outbound calls, custom analytics, custom onboarding, access to API developer support, and service-level agreement. The minimum number of required users is also negotiable.

Featured prices can be updated and free offers may include additional terms.

Features & Functionality

General Features

Depending upon the package purchased, you get a different set of innovative features. These include fundamental phone features including conferencing, voicemail, and the versatile assigning of various extensions to devices. Some of the most useful features include:

Comprehensive interactive voice response (IVR) that guides callers to the correct team
Smart call routing that can be configured with customized distribution and ring rules
Use of both local and international numbers in over 100 countries to accommodate
both employees and customers that work abroad
Complete set of call center features including call queuing, ring groups, time-based and skills-based routing, and call recording
Call analysis tools to monitor and evaluate the performance of your call center
A whole slew of productivity tools including desktop notification, click to dial, and forward to phone

Features

Salesforce integration
Google integration
Office365 integration
Zendesk integration
Online Backup and Storage
Virtual phone numbers

International Telephone
Android APP Support
IOS App Support
Operator Services
Internet fax
Worldwide Service

Devices

Features

Use via computer
Use via cellphones

Use via phones
Use via mobile app

Calling

Features

Call holding
Call forwarding
Call Logs
Call Transfer
Call waiting

3-Way-Calling
Call Blocking
Call 911
Call Queuing (ACD)
Caller ID

Advanced Calling

Collaboration tools

The integration of collaboration tools in any modern VoIP system is of utmost importance. These tools increase productivity and enhance communication between colleagues and with customers. Some of the features that Aircall offers in this category include a shared call inbox. This is a virtual space in which information about a particular call and caller is stored. This allows multiple agents to serve a particular caller, having all the history of their specific request at the tips of their fingers. This inbox eliminates the need for the caller to retell their whole story from the beginning every time a new agent takes up their issue.

Features

SMS Messaging
Music on hold
Voicemail to email transcriptions
Follow me
Call Conferencing
Dial-by-name directory

Do Not Disturb (DND)
Push to Talk
Multiple Devices on One Extension
Mobile app calling
Virtual Receptionist
Multi-Line Hunt Groups

Ease of Use

Ease of use is always one of the most important aspects of any VoIP telephony system, and one that Aircall has been known to be very good at. A telephony system can be up and running within minutes and can be activated completely online. No hardware is needed and no IT guru is required. The software has been reported to be straightforward, in both the backend and the client side. There have been some users that have found the mobile app to be a little bit inelegant and non-intuitive, but that can vary from user to user. The IVR configuration is easy to set up, but, according to some users, its functionality and flow is somewhat limited for more complex requirements.

Overall, most users find it simple and straightforward to set up both the backend and the client devices.

Customer Support

Similarly, to other providers, the Aircall website includes a knowledge base that can help troubleshoot many of the most common problems faced by users. It also includes what is known as an “Onboarding Portal” which is kind of a quick start guide on steroids. Some additional features of help and support that Aircall provides include:

Additional Customer Support

Dedicated account manager for Professional and Custom plans

Detailed customer case studies

Videos of customer stories

Very comprehensive list of user guides

Company blog

24/7 Help & Support

24/7 dedicated online help center access for all plans

Phone Support

Business hours phone support for all plans

24/7 email support for all plans

Final Word

Aircall is a first-rate VoIP provider that is able to stand out in the crowded world of cloud-based VoIP system providers. With the flexibility that the Custom plan offers, along with their wide-ranging API integration capabilities and their R&D department continually finding ways to improve their products, it’s a great choice for almost any business.

Visit Aircall Site

Author: Lazaros Agapidis

Lazaros is a Telecommunications and Networking Specialist with over twenty years of professional experience, primarily with Voice over IP networks implementing both small and large scale telephony solutions with multiple vendors. He has worked with multiple multi-site organizations in Europe and North America, in both the public and private sector.