Every call to your business is an opportunity. It could be a new lead, an urgent request, or an important conversation that keeps things moving. But when calls go unanswered, those opportunities slip away. That’s where features like simultaneous ring come in: ringing multiple team members at once helps ensure someone is always available to pick up the phone.
Verizon One Talk offers a simultaneous ring feature, but does it actually work the way you need it to? Whether you’re already using One Talk or just considering it, understanding how this feature works and where it falls short can help you decide if it’s the right fit for your business. Let’s break it down.
Does Verizon offer simultaneous ring?
Verizon One Talk, a VoIP add-on for Verizon customers in the US, includes a simultaneous ring feature that rings multiple devices at the same time. But there are a few things to keep in mind.
You can only have up to 10 devices ringing at once for an incoming call. Plus, even if multiple reps are available, Verizon caps active calls at three per number, making it difficult for teams to juggle multiple conversations.
There are also limits on which devices can receive calls. Each number can only have one cell phone using the native One Talk dialer, two desk phones, and up to five users on the One Talk mobile or desktop apps. If your team needs more flexibility, you’ll either have to purchase additional numbers or look for a different VoIP provider.
10 Verizon limitations that can hurt your business
Beyond simultaneous ring, Verizon One Talk has other limitations that can make it harder for your team to handle calls. Here’s what you should keep in mind:
1. Customer support can be unhelpful
Some Verizon One Talk users have struggled to get the help they need. Long wait times and unhelpful responses can make it difficult to resolve billing issues, service disruptions, or technical problems.
One frustrated customer shared this experience:
“Your customer service department has to be the worst of any company. I’ve been on 6 different chats, hung up on twice, and promised my issue would be resolved 4 times. You’re trying to charge me $631.64 after promising it wouldn’t be charged 4 times. I am beyond unsatisfied. I regret ever being a customer to Verizon.”
Your business runs on your customer conversations, so if your business phone doesn’t have reliable customer support, you risk losing customers.
2. Pricing isn’t transparent
Verizon One Talk’s pricing is hidden, which makes comparison shopping a challenge. Although Verizon says that pricing starts at $25 per line per month, we were able to find a few of Verizon’s hidden fees you should know upfront as you consider whether to sign up for One Talk, including early termination fees, activation fees, and voicemail transcription fees.
If you want more information about One Talk’s pricing, you’ll have to contact its sales team, but not knowing how much you’ll be paying for your business phone can be stressful as you evaluate different options.
3. Verizon is only available in the US
Verizon One Talk only works in the United States. If your team has members in other countries or you need to connect with international customers, they won’t be able to use it.
Instead of managing all your calls and messages in one place, you’ll need separate tools for international calls and messages. That can lead to missed conversations, extra costs, and a more frustrating experience for everyone involved.
4. You must already be a Verizon customer to buy a One Talk plan
Here’s the catch with Verizon One Talk: it’s only available to existing Verizon customers. If your business uses a different carrier, you’ll have to switch to Verizon.
For many companies, this extra step isn’t worth the hassle. Instead of choosing the best phone system for your team, you’re forced to change providers just to access One Talk.
5. Users have cited call reliability problems
If calls keep dropping or the audio is poor, it can lead to confusion and frustration for your team, customers, and vendors.
Several Verizon One Talk users have reported issues with call reliability. One user shared their experience:
“There are times when connection won’t allow you to use [the] app — even with full bars & connected to WiFi. There are other times that calls drop as soon as the call starts. There are other times when our voices sound like chipmunks on speed or a slow-talking creeper robot.”
6. Your devices won’t be in sync
With Verizon One Talk, each device operates separately. Your smartphones, desktop app, and desk phone don’t automatically sync with each other.
If you change user settings on one device, it won’t update on the others. You’ll have to manually adjust each one, which takes time and is easy to forget.
To make things even more frustrating, some features only work on certain devices. A call transfer option on your desk phone might not exist in the mobile app. This creates more work and confusion, especially if you switch between devices throughout the day.
7. Users have said the Verizon One Talk app is clunky
A good business phone system should be simple to use. However, users have cited the Verizon One Talk app as being difficult to navigate and not very user-friendly:
“The portal for management is very clunky. It is not very admin-friendly. The hardware is cool, and the app is okay, but I did not move forward with it because it wasn’t easy to manage.”
When you’re busy running your business, the last thing you need is to waste time figuring out how to use a complicated app.
8. Voicemail transcription requires a paid add-on
Verizon One Talk doesn’t include voicemail transcriptions in its base plan. If you want to read your business voicemail messages instead of listening to them, you’ll need to pay an extra $2.99 per number per month. Keep in mind transcriptions only cover the first 45 seconds, so longer messages might not get fully transcribed, and you might miss out on important customer information.
That’s not the only drawback. If you’re using One Talk on an iPhone, the premium visual voicemail add-on isn’t available at all.
9. Phone menus are only available as a paid add-on
A phone menu is a standard feature many businesses use to let customers route themselves to the right rep or department. But with Verizon One Talk, it’s not included in the base plan — you have to pay extra for it.
The tricky part? Verizon doesn’t list the price upfront. You’ll have to contact their sales team to find out how much it costs, making it harder to know if One Talk fits your budget.
10. Hunt group members can’t send new texts
If you’re using Verizon One Talk’s hunt groups to distribute calls, you’ll face a major texting limitation. Members of a hunt group can only reply to incoming text messages – they can’t send new ones. This means your team can’t be proactive when reaching out to customers via text.
To make matters worse, hunt group messaging is only available on the mobile app, not on the desktop version. So team members who primarily work from computers will need to constantly switch to their phones to handle text conversations, which wastes time and disrupts workflow.
How to set up simultaneous ring in OpenPhone
OpenPhone is a VoIP provider built for small and growing businesses that offers simultaneous ring, allowing incoming calls to ring multiple devices at the same time. Whether you’re using your computer, cell phone, home phone, or other device with the OpenPhone app, you can answer calls from wherever you are without worrying about missing them.
OpenPhone also gives you flexibility in how calls are routed. You can set up ring order to prioritize specific colleagues to receive incoming first and a phone menu to route to teams, departments, or audio recordings for general information. Plus, if you have an external answering service, you can specify OpenPhone to forward calls to that number in case no one picks up or a caller reaches out after hours. Any of these options can be added when you set up the call flow builder in OpenPhone, a visual way to map out your call flows.
Keep in mind OpenPhone offers more than just call routing options. Here are a few other ways it stands out from Verizon One Talk:
- Free calls and texts to the US and Canada on all plans. No extra charges for staying in touch with customers and teammates who live in these two countries.
- Shared phone numbers so teams can work together. Multiple team members can call and text from the same phone number.
- Free number porting. Unlike some providers that charge fees to port your number in and out of their platform, OpenPhone makes it simple and cost-free.
- Manual and automatic call recording. Save important conversations for training, reference, or compliance without paying extra.
- Text automations like auto-replies and scheduled messages. Automatically respond to messages after business hours or schedule appointment reminder texts in advance.
- A unified inbox that keeps all calls, texts, and voicemails for each contact in one thread. No more switching between folders or losing track of conversations.
- Integrations with tools like Zapier and Make. Connect OpenPhone with your CRM, help desk, or other apps to automatically log calls, create support tickets, and trigger follow-ups.
- AI features that save you time. Access call tags that automatically label calls at the end of each conversation, helping your team quickly find important calls and stay on top of follow-ups. You’ll have access to AI-suggested text responses that automatically generate replies, so you don’t have to write a response from scratch. OpenPhone also provides AI call summaries and transcripts, making it easy to review conversations without listening to entire recordings.
- Cross-device compatibility. Use OpenPhone on your phone or your computer. Everything stays in sync across your devices — you don’t have to change call settings on each device.
OpenPhone: The best way to set up simultaneous ring
At first glance, Verizon’s add-ons like One Talk and the Verizon Second Number plan might seem like a good fit. But the reality is different — customer support frustrations, confusing pricing, clunky apps, and device sync issues can slow your business down. While Verizon does offer simultaneous ring, its limitations make it difficult to grow and adapt as your team expands.
With OpenPhone, you can make and receive calls on any device without worrying about syncing, devices, or call handling limitations. Plus, you’ll get access to a complete business phone system that includes free calling and unlimited texting to the US and Canada, call forwarding so you don’t miss calls when there’s no internet, shared phone numbers for better teamwork, and powerful automations that save you time.
Unlike Verizon, OpenPhone offers transparent pricing, with plans starting at just $15 per user per month — no hidden fees, no confusing add-ons, and no need to call sales just to find out what you’ll pay.
Ready to try a business phone system that actually meets your needs? Sign up for a seven-day free trial of OpenPhone and experience the difference today.
FAQs
Here’s how you can enable simultaneous ring on Verizon One Talk:
1. Log in to the One Talk Admin Portal.
2. Navigate to Manage Features and select Simultaneous Ring Service.
3. Add numbers by clicking the plus icon and entering up to 10 phone numbers.
4. Save your settings to apply the changes.
Yes, but it depends on your phone system. Some providers, like Verizon One Talk, allow multiple phones to ring simultaneously, but with restrictions on the number of active calls.
If you want true flexibility, OpenPhone lets multiple team members receive and answer calls on the same number without limitations. Plus, all calls, texts, and voicemails stay synced across devices, making it easier for reps to work together and stay up to date on any changes made.
Most business phone systems that offer simultaneous ring require a paid subscription. While some providers have free tiers, they often come with limitations like a lack of call routing features, unreliable service, or hidden fees.
If you’re looking for a way to ring multiple devices at once without any extra hassle, OpenPhone offers a seven-day free trial so you can test it before committing.
Simultaneous ring and call forwarding help ensure calls don’t go unanswered, but they work differently:
– Simultaneous ring rings multiple devices at the same time
– Call forwarding redirects calls to another number, whether that’s a landline, office phone, or another device
If you want to keep your team’s response time fast, simultaneous ring is usually the better option. OpenPhone lets you set up simultaneous ring and call forwarding so you can handle calls however you prefer.
