Softphone

There is no good reason to have a desk phone anymore.

That’s a strong statement, but consider what a desk phone actually is: a piece of hardware bolted to one location, incapable of taking your business calls when you leave the building, requiring physical installation, and costing $100-500 per unit before you’ve even considered a service plan.

A softphone does everything a desk phone does, plus things a desk phone never could, from any device you own, anywhere you have internet.

For remote teams, distributed agencies, and businesses that have accepted that work happens everywhere rather than only in an office, softphones aren’t a novelty. They’re the obvious choice.

What Is a Softphone?

A softphone is software that lets you make and receive phone calls over the internet using your computer, smartphone, or tablet. The name is a contraction of “software telephone”: it performs the function of a physical (hardware) telephone entirely in an application.

You speak through your device’s microphone or a headset. You hear through your speakers or headset. The call travels as digital data over your internet connection rather than through dedicated telephone wires.

From the perspective of whoever you’re calling, nothing about the call feels different. They hear your voice. You hear theirs. It’s a phone call. The only difference is what’s happening on your end: instead of a handset connected to a wall jack, you’re using an app on your computer.

How a Softphone Works

Softphones use the SIP protocol (Session Initiation Protocol) to establish, manage, and end calls. SIP is the technical standard that governs how VoIP devices communicate with each other and with phone systems.

When you make a call from your softphone:

Your softphone connects to your business phone system (a Cloud PBX or SIP server) using your credentials. You dial a number. Your softphone sends a SIP request to the phone system. The system routes the call through a SIP trunk to the public telephone network. The call connects. Voice travels as data packets in both directions simultaneously.

When you receive a call, the process reverses: the call comes in, your phone system routes it to your extension, your softphone app receives the SIP request and rings.

All of this happens in under a second. The technical complexity is invisible. You tap the green button and talk.

Softphone vs. Desk Phone vs. Mobile Phone

Understanding how softphones compare to the alternatives clarifies exactly when and why to use them.

The desk phone loses almost every column except familiarity. It’s not better than a softphone at any task a modern business actually does. It’s just what people used before softphones existed.

The mobile phone comparison is more nuanced. Mobile phones are excellent softphone alternatives for field workers and on-the-go calls. But using your personal mobile number for business calls creates problems: clients have your personal number, personal and professional calls blend together, and there’s no call recording or analytics. A softphone app on your mobile phone solves this: calls come through the app using your business number, keeping your personal number private and your work calls trackable.

What Softphones Can Do That Desk Phones Cannot

The feature advantage of softphones over traditional hardware goes beyond convenience.

Call recording: Most softphone apps record calls with one click or automatically. Recordings are stored in the cloud, searchable by date, caller, or duration. For agencies reviewing client calls, training new staff, or maintaining compliance records, this is a fundamental requirement.

Real-time transcription: Modern softphone platforms transcribe calls as they happen. Review what was said without listening to recordings. Search transcripts for specific mentions. Get AI-generated call summaries.

CRM integration: Softphone apps connect directly to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and similar platforms. When you answer a call, the CRM record for that contact opens automatically. After the call, notes and recordings sync to the contact record without manual data entry.

Team visibility: See which team members are on calls, available, or away. Transfer calls to available colleagues with one click. Manage shared queues for inbound calls.

Analytics: Call volume by day and hour, average call duration, hold times, missed call rates. Data that tells you how your team is performing on the phone, which no desk phone can provide.

Works from anywhere: Home office, coffee shop, client site, airport. The same business number, the same features, the same experience. A distributed team on softphones has the same phone infrastructure as a co-located team.

Common Softphone Applications

Zoiper: Free tier available. Works with virtually any SIP-based PBX or VoIP provider. Popular choice for businesses wanting a softphone that integrates with their existing phone system rather than a bundled provider.

Bria (CounterPath): Enterprise-grade softphone widely deployed in corporate environments. Strong security features and management options for IT teams managing many users.

3CX: Combined PBX system and softphone. Companies running 3CX get the desktop and mobile apps as part of their subscription.

Dialpad: AI-native business phone platform where the softphone app includes real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, and call coaching. Popular with modern sales and support teams.

RingCentral: One of the most widely used business phone platforms. Softphone app included with all plans.

Vonage Business: Strong SMB-focused platform with a clean mobile and desktop softphone app.

Microsoft Teams: For organizations in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Teams Phone adds full PSTN calling capability to the Teams app, effectively turning it into a softphone with deep Microsoft integration.

Zoom Phone: Similar to Teams Phone, extends Zoom’s video platform with PSTN calling capability.

Softphones for Social Media Agencies and Marketing Teams

For agencies managing multiple clients, the softphone’s value compounds.

Dedicated business number per team role: Account managers have extensions. Clients call the agency’s main number and route to their specific account manager. No client ever has a personal mobile number for a team member who might leave.

Call recording for client calls: Every client call is automatically recorded and accessible. When a client says “we agreed on X” and you said Y, the recording settles it. This is account management protection.

Onboarding simplicity: New team member joins. Create their extension in the Cloud PBX. They download the softphone app. Done. No hardware shipping, no IT visit, no waiting.

Remote collaboration: Your team is everywhere. Your phone system behaves like they’re all in one building because the softphone makes location irrelevant.

Client communication isolation: Pair dedicated virtual phone numbers per client with your softphone setup, and every client’s calls route through their own number to the right team member. Clean, organized, and professional.

For agencies also managing multiple social media accounts for clients, the softphone is one layer of a broader communication infrastructure that keeps client work properly separated and documented.

Setting Up a Softphone

Getting a softphone running takes under an hour in most cases.

Step 1: Choose your platform. If you already have a Cloud PBX (RingCentral, Vonage, Dialpad, etc.), download their included softphone app. If you want a standalone softphone that works with any SIP system, Zoiper is the most widely compatible free option.

Step 2: Get your SIP credentials. From your VoIP provider or PBX system, retrieve your SIP username, password, and server address. These tell your softphone where to register.

Step 3: Configure the softphone. Enter your SIP credentials in the app’s settings. The softphone registers with your phone system.

Step 4: Test calls. Make a test call to your extension or dial a known number. Confirm audio works in both directions.

Step 5: Set up a headset. While your device’s built-in microphone and speakers work, a dedicated headset significantly improves call quality and eliminates background noise. USB or Bluetooth headsets from Jabra, Plantronics, or Logitech are standard choices for business use.