PBX Phone System Basics
A PBX (private branch exchange) phone system is the hardware that creates the communication network in a business. The PBX phone system operates as the switchboard and intelligently routes and connects all calls. In addition to this, businesses administering PBX phone system in the workplace receive a wealth of call management features.
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A PBX phone system also shares and divides the phone lines into extensions between employees. Thus, each employee is able to have a phone without the high cost of numerous dedicated phone lines.
PBX Phone Hardware
The term PBX phone is a misnomer for the phones used in a PBX phone system. The telephone hardware is actually called an IP Phone (or VOIP Phones), not a PBX phone. Business VoIP and IP phones are configured to handle the features offered by the PBX. Many service providers partner with third-party VoIP and IP phone providers, like Cisco or Polycom, to offer models at discounted rates.
PBX Phone System Hardware
The PBX phone system hardware tends to be quite large and is usually put in a closet or back room. Fortunately, newer PBX phone systems are smaller, but the size doesn’t matter much in terms of cost. Buying PBX phone system hardware is an expensive investment.
The hardware will then need to be configured to your office. You will also need to update and maintain the hardware for the PBX phone system to keep it functioning smoothly.
Hosted PBX and IP PBX Systems
IP PBX Phone Systems
There is a more affordable alternative to purchasing a traditional PBX phone system. Harnessing the power of VoIP service, an IP PBX phone system delivers the functionality of the PBX over the Internet. An IP PBX still has a small amount of hardware that needs to be configured to your office, but it is primarily software based.
IP PBX phone systems can have fuller feature sets and are more flexible than a traditional PBX because they are software based. A traditional PBX would require a hardware upgrade for new features. And adding new employees means adding new wires and configuring them into the current system. An IP PBX phone system supplies a web interface that lets you easily adjust and maintain your PBX phone system.
Hosted PBX Phone Systems
A hosted PBX phone system is another affordable alternative. A hosted PBX resides in a separate location and is completely managed by the service provider. You have no set up costs involved with a hosted PBX. You activate service with the provider and they will configure the system for you.
IP PBX phone systems can also be hosted. Using a hosted IP PBX phone system with business VoIP service will produce the lowest monthly rates and virtually no start up costs.
3CX is a software PBX solution that can be deployed both on-premise on Windows or Linux and in the cloud with popular cloud providers such as Google, Amazon and Azure. It offers a flexible and easy to scale solution which includes a range of unified communications features, CRM integration and plug and play compatibility with popular IP phones, gateways and SIP trunks.
Why Use a PBX Phone System?
One of the primary reason businesses find PBX phone systems useful is the robust call management. Calls can be answered, directed, and transferred automatically with a PBX phone system. Additional features, like call recording, are intended to make the employee more efficient.
Another huge benefit to using a PBX phone system is the reduced costs. A business will save considerable money on monthly phone costs by using a PBX phone system in the workplace.
A PBX phone system also:
- Unifies the business from the customer’s perspective
- Gives businesses a solid professional image
- Integrates with other communication software to increase employee productivity and customer support
Call Management Features Provided by PBX Phone Systems
Robust call features are available to businesses with a PBX implemented. There are both standard and advanced features of PBX phone systems, and the hosted PBX phone systems provide the advanced features at no additional cost. Small businesses can easily project a big business image with the features of a PBX phone system.
The PBX phone system:
- Can answer calls with a conditional greeting
- Processes high call volumes efficiently and quickly
- Routes calls to relevant departments and employees
- Takes messages
- Transfers calls
- Records calls
- Provides music on hold
- Provides toll-free numbers
- And much more
April 7, 2023
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