Talkroute is a feature-rich virtual phone system allowing businesses to manage calls from their desktop, browser, and mobile phones. Aside from voice calls, it has unified communications features, including team chat and video conferencing. In this Talkroute review, we evaluate its pricing, features, ease of use, and customer service to help you decide if it’s the right communications platform for your business.
Talkroute earned an overall score of 4.31 out of 5, getting a perfect score on ease of use and customer service. However, it had a median expert score and pricing rating mainly because it lacks a free version and standout features.
Talkroute Review: At a Glance
What We Liked
- Unlimited multi-digit extensions are available, which benefit companies requiring several lines for different departments or team members
- Call stacking ensures no caller will get a busy tone
- Multi-level auto attendant promotes self-service among callers
- Works across different devices: macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, and browsers
What’s Missing
- Lacks virtual fax feature
- Does not provide an open API or API access
- Meeting participant capacity is limited to 100, unlike other providers that accommodate more
- When you need local, toll-free, or vanity numbers: Talkroute offers a wide range of business phone numbers, making it one of our top picks for the best virtual phone number providers. It also allows number porting across all subscription plans.
- Businesses with small-scale contact centers: Take advantage of Talkroute’s call forwarding features, which direct calls to single or multiple phones. Ring them simultaneously, in sequence, or according to set dates and times.
- Companies needing reliable documentation for important deals: Talkroute features excellent recording capabilities for incoming and outgoing calls. It comes with unlimited storage to keep recordings as long as needed.
- Teams with employees in remote areas: Talkroute uses the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) to connect calls, which ensures great quality and 99.98% uptime, regardless of where team members are.
- When you have a global audience to connect to: Talkroute doesn’t offer international numbers. It doesn’t support international calling, either. If these features are essential to your customer service, it’s best to go for these voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) international calling providers.
- Companies with high call volume: According to Talkroute’s reasonable use policy, businesses are prohibited from using the service for bulk call-in lines. Explore these best call center systems instead when accommodating a high number of calls.
- Remote teams requiring advanced unified communication tools: Although Talkroute has meeting and team chat features, other providers have better collaboration features. RingCentral, for instance, accommodates up to 200 participants and hosts task management tools. Learn about the best unified communications platforms for remote teams.
Talkroute Deciding Factors
Best For | Small businesses needing an affordable virtual phone system to manage low call volume, send bulk texts to customers, and collaborate with colleagues remotely |
Standout Features |
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Pricing Plans | $19 to $59; customized pricing is also available |
Annual or Volume Discounts Available | Annual billing option and volume discounts are not offered |
Platform Compatibility | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and web browser |
Customer Service |
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Talkroute Alternatives
Talkroute boasts excellent call management features but lacks international calling capabilities, integrations with third-party platforms, and a large meeting capacity. If these factors are essential for team collaboration and customer service, it’s best to go for Talkroute alternatives.
Cloud-based phone system Ooma allows international calling at affordable rates, starting at 2.5 cents. If you’re a solopreneur with a home office, opt for the provider’s residential package, which lets you access an unlimited calling plan to landlines in over 70 countries and to mobile phones in over 40 countries for only $25.99 a month.
Nextiva, on the other hand, is the ideal solution if you want a phone system equipped with robust unified communication features, including task management, team presence, and file sharing. It has audio and video conferencing, accommodating unlimited and 250 participants, respectively.
Meanwhile, RingCentral allows you to connect with over 200 popular apps. These are tools for customer relationship management (CRM), analytics, collaboration, customer support, and short messaging service (SMS).
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Best For | Small businesses that frequently make international calls | Companies requiring a complete, feature-rich unified communications platform with a large meeting capacity | Organizations wanting to integrate their business phone system with third-party apps |
Monthly Starting Price (Billed Monthly) | $14.99 | $30.95 | $30 per user |
Read Review | or |
Talkroute pricing got a score of 3.75 out of 5 since it’s relatively more affordable than leading competitors like Grasshopper and Aircall. Unlike Nextiva, it doesn’t offer volume discounts. It doesn’t have an annual billing option, either. The subscription costs $19 to $59, but a customized Talkroute pricing is available for businesses needing 20+ users.
Talkroute Plans | Basic | Plus | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Solopreneurs who need a professional phone number | Solopreneurs requiring basic call handling and meeting capabilities | Small businesses that need enhanced call management features | Small-scale contact centers that need multiple phone numbers for customer service |
Monthly Pricing | $19 | $39 | $59 | Customized quote |
Account Users | 1 | 3 | 10 | 20+ |
Local & toll-free numbers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
Voicemail boxes | 1 | 3 | 10 | 20+ |
Auto attendant and interactive voice response | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Single-digit extensions | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Call recording | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Whiteboard and file sharing in meetings | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Click on the options below to know more about Talkroute’s plans and inclusions:
Talkroute’s Basic plan includes one local or toll-free number and unlimited calling minutes in the United States and Canada. It has a range of call management features, including forwarding and routing, stacking, caller ID name, and custom greetings. With this plan, send up to 500 text messages per month. Regarding meeting features, you can host up to 100 participants and use the team chat.
For Plus, Talkroute adds one more local and toll-free number to the basic plan offering. It expands messaging capabilities to unlimited texts. Aside from the ones included in the Basic package, this plan’s call management features include auto attendant and IVR, single-digit extensions, simultaneous ring, live call transfer, and hours of operation. It also provides screen sharing in its conferencing capabilities.
Talkroute’s Pro plan comes with three local and toll-free numbers. The call management features include everything in the Plus plan, along with a multi-level auto attendant, unlimited multi-digit extensions, company directory, call recording, scheduled call forwarding, reporting, and voice studio. The package also has more advanced collaboration meeting tools: whiteboard and file sharing.
The provider’s highest-tier plan offers more than 10 local and toll-free numbers. It comes with all the advanced call management and conferencing features in the Pro package. On top of these features, subscribers get service-level agreements and a dedicated account manager.
Talkroute Features
A complete virtual phone system, Talkroute lets businesses route and forward calls, create phone extensions, manage voicemails, and send texts. It also comes with video conferencing capabilities, supporting a 100-participant capacity across all plans. Included in the meeting features are the collaboration tools, namely whiteboards and file sharing.
In this Talkroute review, the general features of the provider earned a score of 5 out of 5 since it has the essential capabilities businesses consider in a virtual phone system. For one, it offers local and toll-free numbers, unlimited calling minutes within the US and Canada, and SMS and MMS messaging. Here are some more Talkroute general features:
- Call forwarding and routing
- Live call transfer
- Call stacking
- Custom greetings
- Caller ID name
- Voicemail
- Dial-by name directories
- Hours of operation
- Single-digit extensions
- SMS and MMS messaging
Talkroute allows users to set call routing rules to manage inbound calls. (Source: Talkroute)
For niche features, Talkroute got a 4 out of 5 score because the provider offers vanity numbers and voicemail transcription, among other advanced capabilities businesses look for in phone systems. However, it lacks international numbers leading phone systems RingCentral and Phone.com provide. Nonetheless, Talkroute has valuable features:
Send live calls to another forwarding phone number, menu option, extension, or voicemail box. Talkroute has two options for this feature: blind live call transfer, where you connect the call to a specific destination right away without talking to the person at the other end of the line, and attended live call transfer, where you speak to the other person before dialing the transfer code.
Those transfer codes are available in Talkroute’s Settings. With the live call transfer feature, it’s easy to direct team members and customers to the proper departments that best accommodate their concerns.
The transfer codes allow Talkroute users to connect a live call to a specific virtual phone number, a menu option, or a voicemail box. (Source: Talkroute)
Professionalize the audio prompts in your phone system to improve your brand image. Talkroute’s voiceover services apply to welcome and voicemail greetings, call menu options, announcements, and dial-by-name directories. Once your script is accepted, you’ll receive the professional voice recording within three business days.
Talkroute’s voice studio submission form requires creating a 50-word script. (Source: Talkroute)
Video meetings on Talkroute host up to 100 participants. When you click on the Meetings tab on the platform, you’ll see two panels: one for a list of scheduled meetings and the other containing the icons for starting a new meeting, joining one, and scheduling. During a live conference call, you’ll see on top the collaboration tools, such as file sharing and chat.
Talkroute provides video conferencing, helping remote team members stay connected. (Source: Talkroute)
Message meeting organizers and participants while on a live video conference call through Talkroute’s built-in chat. Offer quick feedback to presenters without necessarily interrupting their flow or engage with fellow listeners and provide more depth to the discussion at hand.
Send messages to organizers or participants via Talkroute’s in-meeting chat. (Source: Talkroute)
Improve communications while in the meeting by sharing an entire screen, a window, or a tab on your computer. With a visual aid, it’s easy for participants to follow the conversation and keep them engaged. This is especially beneficial during training sessions for using a new tool, for example, a CRM system. Screen sharing makes it easy to point out features and demonstrate how to navigate the interface.
Talkroute’s screen sharing feature lets users present ideas and processes without a hassle. (Source: Talkroute)
Given Talkroute’s wide range of support channels, we gave the provider a perfect score in the aspect of customer service. It offers phone and chat support on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Email support is open at all times every day. Talkroute also has a help center, a centralized hub for all the how-to guides.
If you don’t want to wait by the phone for assistance, the provider offers a scheduled set-up call, an exclusive consultation that lasts 30 minutes to an hour. Another customer support option is a live demo, where a Talkroute representative will take you through the platform’s features.
In this Talkroute review, we rated the provider a perfect score on ease of use because the platform is relatively straightforward to set up and operate. After downloading the software and signing in, you can use the tool right away. The interface is simple and easy to navigate. The main menu on the left side of the interface contains all the communication tools you need, avoiding confusion: keypad, history, messages, voicemail, and meetings.
Talkroute has a simple, intuitive interface. (Source: Talkroute)
As for finding business phone numbers, Talkroute’s website hosts the number search portal. Choose from the extensive catalog of phone numbers in all of the major toll-free area codes. If you prefer a vanity number, simply key in the word you want, and the system will provide options.
We gave Talkroute an expert score of 3.75 because we didn’t find several standout features that give the platform a competitive edge over other providers. However, many users noted on third-party review sites that the platform is easy to use. Its simplicity benefits new users and small teams. As of writing, here are the user ratings based on Talkroute reviews from third-party sites:
- G2: 4.4 out of 5 based on 20 reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.5 out of 5 based on 15 reviews
- GetApp: 4.4 out of 5 based on 16 reviews
How We Evaluated Talkroute
To assess Talkroute and see how it stacks up against the best business phone systems in the market, we listed criteria points we deemed most crucial in choosing a communication tool. We also referred to third-party review platforms to learn about existing users’ experience with the phone system.
Learn how we evaluated Talkroute by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
We primarily considered how accessible the platform’s price point is, checking the cost of the cheapest plan available. We usually give more points to providers with cheaper annual pricing, free trial, and free version.
20% of Overall Score
For general features, we focused on the availability of local numbers and 800 numbers, as well as the range of call management features. We gave the provider more points for offering voicemail.
25% of Overall Score
The availability of international and vanity numbers was part of our consideration for niche features. Other advanced phone system capabilities like voicemail transcription, call recording, and hold music were included in our evaluation.
10% of Overall Score
We examined the types of support channels the provider offers and gave more points as it has a live chat, phone, and email. We also evaluated its customer service hours.
10% of Overall Score
We determined ease of use by evaluating how simple and intuitive the interface is. We also considered the level of expertise needed to set up and operate the software.
15% of Overall Score
The platform’s standout features were part of our expert score. We weighed in on its value for money, popularity, and ease of use by looking through Talkroute.com reviews on third-party sites.
Bottom Line
Talkroute is a robust business phone system allowing businesses to manage calls more efficiently, organize text messages, and collaborate remotely via video conferencing. The easy-to-use platform and the provider’s responsive customer service particularly benefit teams transitioning from landline systems to virtual phone services. Sign up for Talkroute’s free trial or the basic plan for only $19 a month.
