Unlike a traditional PBX, or Private Branch Exchange, which requires a large investment and ongoing maintenance and training, a hosted PBX is a cloud-based PBX system accessible via an IP network. Rather than being responsible for hardware, software, training, maintenance, and more, a hosted PBX provider takes care of it all. In addition to being completely managed off-site, resulting in no IT or installation costs, a hosted PBX system also provides businesses with the ability to manage their phone systems via a user-friendly control panel. For these reasons and more, hosted PBX systems are becoming increasingly popular solutions for today’s growing small to medium-sized business owners.
Features and Benefits of Hosted PBX
If you own a business with fewer than 300 lines, hosted PBX can provide you with a multitude of features and benefits. For starters, a hosted PBX system is much less expensive than a traditional on-site system. While less costly than standard on-site PBX systems, hosted PBX solutions are teeming with valuable features which can be deployed immediately where traditional PBX need additional hardware or third party applications.
A hosted PBX can also be deployed immediately. In fact, most business owners are able to have their hosted PBX setup and running in under a week. Best of all, newer and more flexible hosted PBX applications are being deployed as well. Adding these applications and features can typically be done with a simple download or click of the mouse. The ability to add new features as they roll out is just one example of the scalability of hosted PBX. Additional lines, phones, and even an entire new department can effortlessly be added, which would be much more complex with a traditional on-site PBX.
When you opt for a hosted PBX and outsource all the techie stuff, you will find your stress levels lowering as well. With a hosted PBX, a mountain of responsibility will be taken off your shoulders, allowing you to focus your attention on more important matters, like improving your bottom line.
Most Common Features Included in your Plan
- Auto Attendant
- Find Me/Follow Me
- Ring Group
- Call Queues/Call Center
- Time Based Routing
- Conferencing
- Voicemail
- Voicemail to E-mail or Fax
- High Definition Calling
- Unlimited Extensions
- Call Logs
- Call Recording
- Number Portability
- No Setup or Activation Fees
- and SO much more