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A hosted PBX (private branch eXchange) system is a remote phone system hosted at a service provider's data center that is leased or rented on a monthly or annual basis and all calls are routed by a service provider that offers a variety of calling and reporting features. Set up is easy and cost savings significant based on the number of users and usage capacity when compared to an on-site hardware PBX. Specific benefits and cost-efficiencies for any size business include:
- Simplicity: One phone number can unify multiple business locations, including home offices, while providing the same calling features as a large PBX
- Flexibility: Calls are sent to employees at any valid phone number, including cell phones, VoIP phones (voice over IP), POTS phone lines (plain old telephone systems) such as found in homes
- Cost Control: Real-time reports can provide up to the minute call tracking to help improve productivity and profitability
- Maintenance Free: No need to buy, manage or maintain on-site hardware or software
Thanks to advances in technology, there are basic differences between a hosted PBX phone system solution and a more traditional, on-premise PBX solution that offer a small business significant cost savings, scalability options and other advantages as introduced below. For more information, visit PBX 101.
| Virtual PBX | Standard PBX | IP PBX | CENTREX | |
| Up-Front Costs | Very Low | Very High | Very High | Low |
| Ongoing Support Costs | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| Costs Per Minute on Incoming Calls | Moderate | Low to Very Low | Low to Very Low | Low |
| Multiple calls on one phone line | Yes | No | No | No |
| Route calls to any phone | Yes | No | No | No |
| Supports distributed employees | Yes | No | Yes, but expensive | No |
| Scalability | Very High | Limited | Limited | No |
| Call capacity | Very High | Limited | Limited | No |
| Full feature set | Included | Expensive | Expensive | No |
| Fault tolerant | Yes | No or Expensive | No or Expensive | No |
| ACD queuing | Included | Expensive | Expensive | No |
| Distributed administration | Yes | No | Yes, but limited and expensive | No |
A further benefit to using a hosted PBX phone system solution is that there are different solutions for different sizes of businesses. As your business grows, additional features may be added to support growth needs. Select from any one of the following options to learn more:
- SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) - For companies with 3 people or less, a hosted PBX phone system offers multiple calling features and low cost.
- Small Business - Save money, increase productivity, and improve your business image with a small business PBX solution for companies of 1 to 25 people.
- Medium-to-Large Business - For companies with over 25 employees, expand the number of extensions, ensure no busy signals and save money on capital and support costs.
There are many robust features offered by a hosted PBX phone system solution that can add to productivity, profitability and sustainability for a business, as introduced below. For more information, visit everything you need in a phone system.
Auto dialing
Automatic call distributor
Automated directory services
Automatic ring back
Busy Override
Call accounting
Call Center
Call forwarding
Call park
Call pick-up
Call transfer
Call waiting
Conference call
Custom greetings
Direct Inward System Access (DISA)
Do Not Disturb (DND)
Follow-me calling
Interactive voice response
Last call return
Music on hold
Night service
Shared message boxes
Speed Dialing
Virtual Call Center
Voice mail
Voice message broadcasting
Voice paging (PA system)
Welcome Message
Hosted PBX phone systems are generally priced based on the number of users and the volume of usage. Additional charges may apply for set-up and specific features. Visit which plan is right for your business to learn more.
As with any business service, quality and experience are key factors when choosing who to work with. In addition, below are 10 points to address when investigating who to choose for a hosted PBX phone service provider:
- Is a contract required?
- What is the termination policy?
- What's included with start-up costs and what isn't?
- What are the ongoing fees and what is not included?
- Are there any equipment interface issues; old-style dial up phones, fax machines, etc.?
- What types of reports are provided to support ROI?
- What costs are involved as my needs expand and I require additional features?
- What is the track record for service quality and reliability?
- Does the service provider offer business-class phone services like ACD queues, dial-by-name directory, conference bridge?
- How long have they been in business and how long do they plan to be in business?
To verify return on investment (ROI) when going with a hosted PBX phone system, use System Configuration and Management tools for real-time monitoring of sales and related customer service activities, such as level of call activity, volume of callers waiting, phone activity by employee and other performance parameters. With real-time knowledge, you may refine sales and customer service work flow and practices to support increased sales.
Review some of the basic terms used in hosted PBX phone system services to gain a better understanding of what is possible in terms of supporting your businesses' communication needs and interests.
To learn about taking full advantage of the myriad of robust calling features available by using a hosted phone system solution, visit quick answers to common questions or choose from any of the following topics:
- How are voice mail messages forwarded to an email account?
- How do I configure phone numbers for "follow-me" calling?
- What is "Direct Connect" and when should I use it?
- How do I block calls from certain numbers?
- How do I make myself available/unavailable to an ACD queue?
- How do I set up a conference call?
- Can I receive comprehensive logs regularly that detail my call traffic?
- How do I cancel my account?
- Other questions…?
Below are highlights of the numerous benefits that a hosted phone system solution can offer your business:
- Provides big-business presence without big-business cost
- Delivers a unified business image by integrating remote, home and main office communications
- Manages who receives what calls and when with true ACD queuing features
- Ensures voice and fax mail are received anywhere, anytime
- Supports portable employees with automatic re-routing call features
- Provides robust calling features that may be tailored to business size and needs over time
- Eliminates cost and manpower associated with maintaining system hardware or software
- Supports improved productivity by managing, tracking and reporting communication performance
- Connect incoming calls with an employee faster and more efficiently
- Offers significant cost savings based on usage and number of users
We encourage you to select any one of the links below to learn more about the options and benefits of selecting a hosted PBX phone system solution:
- Take a Virtual PBX Tour
- Access information tailored to your needs
- Have a professional PBX representative Contact Me
- Choose a plan to fit your needs and sign up today
- Call 1-888-825-0800 for a professional, free consultation about your needs
"Virtual PBX is the leading provider of hosted PBX phone services for the start-up, home-based, small, and large companies as well a provider of telephony disaster recovery and business continuity services for any size business. Customers receive Fortunate 500 phone system functionality and sound without the high cost of buying, installing, or maintaining hardware or software. Different pricing and plan options support the telephony needs of any size business, from a single-person startup to the enterprise."
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