Remember the days of the on-site PBX? Remember handsets at an office? Those days are over. Today, hosted PBX for your business takes plain old telephone service in a company and turns it into a cloud telephone tool that is accessible from anywhere there’s an internet connection. How does a virtual PBX work? What are the benefits of hosted PBX, and what are some of the most interesting characteristics of this service that have completely changed how your workforce communicates?
What is a Hosted PBX for Your Business?
Let’s start with the basics. What is a virtual PBX? PBX stands for “private branch exchange.” It’s the old way of connecting a telephone network in your business on an exchange network. The system was usually powered by a server that was physically installed in a computer equipment room or a phone closet.
Instead of your private branch exchange being made up of hardware and software somewhere in your business, which then connected to an external public switched telephone network, a virtual PBX is in the cloud. There is no equipment needed beyond having access to an internet connection. Your calls are routed through the internet and managed by a distant third-party vendor.
Sometimes called an IP PBX, a hosted cloud PBX uses voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to convert an analog voice transmission into a digital packet suitable to send over the internet. Instead of buying a phone system for your internal staff, you turn your telecommunications over to a trusted VoIP provider.
Your staff can take calls on any digital device, whether it’s a tablet, laptop, desktop computer, or cell phone. If they feel like they need a traditional desk handset, you can purchase a VoIP compatible desk phone. These systems literally plug and play; just plug in your desk phone to a router or simply use your computer. If you’re trying to understand how this works over traditional phones, this list of 10 interesting things about hosted cloud PBX will help you understand the service and the benefits of using it.
10 Interesting Benefits of Hosted PBX—What You Should Know
- You can use any network to access hosted PBX for your business. Any internet provider can provide the pipeline to your new VoIP virtual PBX. This service is available anywhere in the world where there’s internet.
- Hosted cloud PBX has many more features than your traditional on-premises phone system. These tools offer help desk and call center functionality and can integrate with your sales, marketing, or other company databases. There’s no on-site maintenance, either; everything is handled remotely without adding labor and overhead to your business.
- Hosted cloud PBX systems include significant cost reduction. This service saves your company money in a number of relevant ways. First, as mentioned, you can reduce the costs associated with maintaining on-site equipment. Second, you save money by reducing the costs of traditional phone service with the line charges and per call fees that often run these bills up. Hosted PBX for your business offers you a stable monthly bill that’s not only about half of what you used to pay, it’s a budget-friendly stable rate that you can plan for. With a traditional PBX, you often have unpredictable costs, like replacing a server or a handset that breaks or even adding new phone lines as your company grows.
- Even small companies can make use of enterprise-level features in a virtual PBX because of the affordability of the service. Things like auto-attendant features, email, call recording, video conferencing, and more are all available at a great rate that fits all budgets. The cloud is the great equalizer, allowing small companies big corporate features in a virtual PBX.
- Remote workers can easily use a hosted PBX service no matter where they’re located. Because the service is cloud-based, you don’t need to leave home to receive calls at your desk. Virtual PBX follows you wherever work gets done.
- Cloud backups ensure business continuity for your company. These days, disaster preparedness is a. A cloud PBX takes care of backing up your systems automatically. Upgrades happen at digital speeds in the cloud. A traditional PBX is dependent on a centralized physical device that’s located in your business. If the hardware fails or a natural disaster strikes, what happens to your business communications? A hosted cloud PBX ensures that your communications platforms remain uninterrupted so that your customers can be taken care of, no matter what’s happening at your corporate location.
- It’s very easy to get started with a hosted cloud PBX. All you need is fast and reliable internet, a VoIP-enabled device, and away you go. Your features can be managed by an easy-to-use dashboard on a browser window so it’s simple to add or subtract employees. Because the cloud is scalable, you won’t have to wait for your local phone company to install more phone jacks or phone lines, either. Remember the days of hard wiring, hardware configuration, system upgrades, and on-site equipment maintenance? None of this happens with hosted PBX for your business.
- A cloud PBX fuels your company productivity. These platforms can be integrated with many of your existing communications tools. Imagine taking a call from a customer and documenting the discussion directly in your customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Imagine opening a chat window with another department while you talk in real time to a customer. All of these efficiencies are possible with a cloud PBX.
- Hosted PBX has a very low cost of entry for a startup business. In addition to low monthly fees, training and support are typically included in the hosted VoIP service. This includes education in some of the powerful analytics that these platforms leverage to help companies work smarter.
- Hosted cloud PBX and VoIP services are rapidly expanding in popularity. In 2020, the VoIP market alone was worth more than $82 million. The hosted cloud PBX market segment is showing the fasted growth, with predictions showing another 15% of the overall market captured by 2025.
If you are curious whether the benefits of hosted PBX are real, maybe it’s time to consider a trial run. We offer hosted PBX for your business that will give you the flexibility, scalability, and low costs to improve your bottom line. What are you waiting for?