In this review, I’m going to share my analysis and evaluation from my hands-on experience with Nextiva. But first, if you’re just beginning your search for the best customer communications management (CCM) tools, check out my picks for the best customer communications management software. You probably already know that Nextiva is among the most popular CCM tools out there, but you need to better understand what’s good (and not so good) about it.
This in-depth Nextiva review will walk you through the tool's pros and cons, features and functionality, and more to help guide you to better understand its capabilities and its suitability for your needs.
Nextiva Product Overview
Nextiva software is a robust VoIP business phone system, easily blending communication channels into a unified solution that enhances call quality, call flows, and team collaboration. It’s specifically designed for small businesses, providing an essential plan with a rich suite of features such as voicemail, call recording, call forwarding, voicemail to email notification, auto attendant, and advanced add-ons, prioritizing business owners’ and team members’ flexibility and accessibility across various platforms such as iOS and Android through its mobile and desktop app.
The Nextiva app ensures that users enjoy continuity of services such as SMS, uptime, text messages, unlimited calling, video calling, and video conferencing, solidifying its place as a comprehensive business VoIP service provider. Additionally, integrations like Microsoft and a focus on tech support make it a holistic phone service, addressing essential business communication needs like phone calls, and phone numbers, and business-specific functionalities like dialpad and screen sharing. It effectively eases the pain points related to disparate communication tools, limited advanced features, and interrupted call services, thus presenting itself as a pivotal business phone service for enhanced team collaboration and streamlined business operations.
Pros
- Unified Interface: Nextiva's interface brings together diverse communication tools, ensuring users have a singular, consolidated view.
- Advanced Help Desk: The software’s help desk capabilities stand out, allowing businesses to handle customer queries effectively and promptly.
- NextivaONE App: This feature ensures that call and contact centers run smoothly, enhancing the quality of customer interactions.
Cons
- Complex Setup: Initial setup can be a bit challenging for those unfamiliar with such platforms.
- Integration Limitations: While it integrates with several tools, it might not cover every third-party app businesses might be using.
- Learning Curve: Some users might find it takes time to fully understand and utilize all the features optimally.
Expert Opinion
When assessing Nextiva, especially its help desk and call center/contact center tools, including the NextivaONE App, I weigh in with some distinct observations. From a functionality perspective, Nextiva shines with its comprehensive help desk solution and unified communication interface. Yet, when comparing it to other customer experience software in the market, I judge its initial setup to be slightly more intricate.
Support is reliable, and its interface, while robust, does come with a learning curve. As for integrations, while sufficient for many, it might leave a few wanting. In determining its best fit, businesses that prioritize high-quality customer interactions and need a cohesive communication solution will find it particularly advantageous.
Nextiva: The Bottom Line
What sets Nextiva apart in a crowded market is its commitment to streamlining customer communication. While many platforms offer communication tools, the depth and breadth of Nextiva's help desk and NextivaONE App truly differentiate it. Its ability to centralize communication tools is particularly commendable. Its most noteworthy features like conference calls, international calling, voicemail transcription, and VoIP phone service, include the advanced help desk capabilities, and the integrated NextivaONE App, ensuring businesses can cater to their clients’ needs efficiently and promptly.
Nextiva Deep Dive
Product Specifications
- Multi-Channel Support - Yes
- Customer Self-Service Options - Yes
- Help Desk Automation - Yes
- Customizable Ticketing - Yes
- Customer Interaction Tracking - Yes
- Knowledge Base Management - Yes
- Live Chat - Yes
- Email Ticketing - Yes
- Social Media Integration - Yes
- Reporting and Analytics - Yes
- Mobile Support - Yes
- API Access - Yes
- Third-Party Integrations - Yes
- Customization - Yes
- Call Routing - Yes
- Predefined Ticket Responses - Yes
- Customer Feedback Collection - Yes
- Contact Management - Yes
- Real-Time Chat - Yes
- Agent Scheduling - Yes
- Skills-Based Routing - Yes
- Callback Scheduling - Yes
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) - Yes
- Queue Management - Yes
- Role-Based Access - Yes
Nextiva Feature Overview
- Multi-Channel Support: Nextiva offers support across various channels, facilitating a unified approach to managing customer interactions. It ensures that every customer touchpoint is accessible and manageable from a single platform.
- Help Desk Automation: Automation in Nextiva’s help desk streamlines processes, reducing repetitive tasks and enhancing agents' efficiency. It helps in managing tickets effectively, ensuring that customer queries never go unnoticed.
- Customer Interaction Tracking: Tracking customer interactions allows businesses to maintain a history of all customer communications. It ensures that customer conversations across various channels are not lost, enabling a more personalized customer approach.
- Knowledge Base Management: Nextiva's ability to manage and organize information effectively allows customers to find solutions independently, improving customer self-service.
- Live Chat: The live chat functionality ensures that customer queries are addressed in real time, improving customer satisfaction and resolution times.
- Reporting and Analytics: Detailed reporting and analytics provide insights into customer interactions and agent performance, enabling informed decision-making.
- Mobile Support: Nextiva provides robust cell phone support, ensuring that customer interactions can be managed effectively, even on the go.
- API Access: Having API access allows for greater flexibility and customization, enabling businesses to tailor the software to meet their specific needs.
- Customization: Nextiva stands out with its customization capabilities, allowing businesses to adjust the platform according to their operational needs and preferences.
- Call Routing: Effective call routing ensures that customer calls are directed to the most suitable agent, improving resolution times and customer satisfaction.
Standout Functionality
- Advanced Help Desk: Nextiva’s help desk is particularly robust, providing a comprehensive solution for managing customer queries effectively.
- Customization: The customization possibilities within Nextiva are substantial, allowing businesses to tailor the system intricately to meet their unique needs and workflows.
- API Access: API access in Nextiva offers enhanced flexibility, allowing for more profound integration and customization possibilities, ensuring that businesses can make the most out of the software.
Integrations
Nextiva offers out-of-the-box integrations with popular collaboration tools like Salesforce. It also provides an API, which allows businesses to create custom integrations and workflows to enhance system capabilities.
Nextiva Pricing
Nextiva offers a range of pricing plans to meet the needs—and budgets—of different businesses.
- Essential Plan: $23.95/user/month (billed annually). Perfect for small teams and startups, this tier offers just the basics, such as unlimited voice and video calling and toll-free numbers.
- Professional Plan: $27.95/user/month (billed annually). Building on the Essential plan, this tier includes unlimited conference calls with up to 40 participants, Salesforce and HubSpot integrations, and more.
- Enterprise Plan: $37.95/user/month. This tier provides more advanced features to suit larger teams, including call recording, voicemail transcription, unlimited call participants, and more.
Note that the price per user decreases as you add more users. User numbers are divided into the following tiers:
- 1-4 users
- 5-19 users
- 20-99 users
- 100+ users
Ease of Use
Nextiva’s interface is user-friendly, but there's a learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with customer experience software. Onboarding is straightforward, but some functionalities might take time to master fully.
Customer Support
Nextiva offers solid customer support with various channels like live chat and email. They provide ample resources like webinars and documentation. However, there could be slight improvements in response times to enhance the customer support experience further.
Nextiva Use Case
Who Would Be A Good Fit For Nextiva?
Businesses that prioritize customer communication and seek a unified solution for their customer service channels would find Nextiva highly beneficial. Industries such as retail, e-commerce, and hospitality, where customer interaction is frequent and diverse, can leverage Nextiva’s multi-channel support to streamline customer queries effectively.
Small to medium-sized businesses, particularly those with customer support teams ranging from 10 to 50 agents, are likely to make the most of what Nextiva offers due to its scalability and feature richness. Companies with a focus on utilizing analytics and reporting to improve customer interactions also stand to gain from the in-depth insights Nextiva provides.
Who Would Be A Bad Fit For Nextiva?
Businesses looking for a simple, no-frills communication tool might find Nextiva overwhelming or beyond their requirements. Large enterprises with highly specialized needs might feel constrained despite Nextiva’s extensive features and customization capabilities. Industries such as tech and IT, where customer queries can be highly specialized and technical, might find the system less conducive if it doesn’t align with their specific workflow nuances. Companies without a dedicated support team, or those looking for a more passive customer support solution, might find Nextiva’s broad scope unnecessary for their operations.
Nextiva FAQs
What kind of businesses is Nextiva best suited for?
Nextiva is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses that require a unified solution for multi-channel customer communication.
Is Nextiva easy to integrate with other tools and software?
Yes, Nextiva provides integrations with popular CRM and communication tools and offers an API for additional integrations.
Does Nextiva offer a mobile application?
Yes, Nextiva has a mobile app that allows access to its features on the go.
Can you customize the interface and functionality in Nextiva?
Yes, Nextiva offers various customization options to tailor the system according to business-specific needs.
What kind of customer support does Nextiva offer?
Nextiva offers customer support through various channels like email, live chat, and a detailed knowledge base.
Is there an option for a trial period to test out Nextiva?
Nextiva does offer a trial period for businesses to evaluate the software’s suitability for their needs.
Does Nextiva offer analytics and reporting features?
Yes, Nextiva provides detailed analytics and reporting features for a comprehensive overview of customer interactions and support performance.
Can Nextiva handle communication channels like live chat and social media?
Yes, Nextiva supports multi-channel communication, including live chat and social media.
Alternatives to Nextiva
- Zendesk: Suitable for businesses looking for strong ticketing and help desk features, allowing for efficient management of customer queries and issues.
- Freshdesk: A good option for companies that require robust multi-channel support with powerful automation features to streamline customer interactions.
- HubSpot Service Hub: Ideal for businesses seeking a customer service tool with robust CRM integration to enhance customer relationships and streamline communications.
Nextiva Company Overview & History
Nextiva is a technology company specializing in cloud-based communication. The company’s clientele is varied, including businesses from different sectors seeking unified communication solutions. Nextiva operates as a privately held company, with its headquarters located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Notable members of their team include CEO Tomas Gorny, a visionary in the technology and communication sector. The company’s mission revolves around improving business communications through powerful, accessible technology. Over the years, Nextiva has established itself as a significant player in the customer experience and communication technology industry.
Summary
Nextiva is one of the top (voice-over-internet-protocol) VoIP providers and emerges as a powerful contender in the customer experience technology landscape. Its suite of features, from multi-channel support, and sales team, to in-depth analytics, makes it a robust tool for businesses focused on enhancing customer communication and support. The system might come across as extensive for those looking for more straightforward solutions, but its scalability and customization offer adaptability to various business needs.
Evaluating Nextiva against your business’s specific requirements and workflows is essential to determine its suitability and potential impact on your customer service operations. Your experiences and insights regarding Nextiva are valuable, feel free to share them to facilitate others in making an informed decision.