No matter what business you are in, you need a telephone system. Your customers and your vendors need to reach you, and your workforce needs a platform from which to communicate. The problem is that your legacy PBX has been rendered virtually obsolete, partially by nature of its expense, but also in consideration of that crazy closet full of equipment and wiring you need to maintain to keep it running. This closet is the place where all your call features are administered, and through which all calls are routed. It’s a complex set up too, and one that requires a service call if you ever want to change anything, have it repaired or add a new feature.

Fortunately, there is now a better, more affordable way to maintain an office phone system, and better still, it offers a robust set of calling features that can take your workforce productivity to new heights. Enter hosted PBX, a VoIP phone system solution that is as easy to love as it is to get started with.

Business VoIP + hosting provider = Hosted PBX

PBX as we once knew it is not only prohibitively expensive for new businesses to install, but it lacks the features and functionality we have come to count on in today’s fast-paced business environment.

Hosted PBX vs. Virtual PBX

While hosted and virtual PBX share many of the same benefits and features, hosted PBX is probably more suitable for larger companies and enterprise needs. Small companies with fewer than a dozen employees or with a workforce that mostly works off-site would likely get more benefit from a virtual PBX as they would probably not need as many of the calling features that a hosted PBX system has to offer. Such a company would benefit from having a single number which was then routed to the appropriate employee, but might not need the conferencing or integrations that a hosted system offers. Virtual PBX only deals with inbound calls, so call centres or companies that have a large sales force would miss out on a lot of productivity features.

Hosted PBX, on the other hand, offers enterprise-level features and functionality that mimics a legacy PBX but without the equipment and maintenance costs or toll fees. Perfect for companies that have several locations, multinational enterprise, or have a need for a more robust set of communications features.

The many benefits of hosted PBX

With a hosted PBX system, you can eliminate all of your old telephone equipment and wiring, and reclaim some valuable real estate in the process. The phone system itself is hosted in the cloud, so you will no longer have to rely on service technicians to make changes. All of your calling features and add-ons can be managed from a simple computer-based dashboard, and you will now have access to a powerful suite of analytic, inventory control and compliance tools that can tell you more about your business than you have ever had access to before.

Advanced tools, applications and analytics

One of the most exciting things about switching to a VoIP system is having access to some amazing tools, applications and features that will help you and your workforce function more efficiently. Whereas before you had to rely on your employees to report to you about their progress and could only guess what your sales team was up to, your hosted PBX system can give you a snapshot of what is actually going on. It can tell you who your employees are calling and how long they stay on a call, and can even report on call quality, drop rates and more. This can help you to better manage your time, and reinforce compliance across your entire team. The more information you have about how your phone system is being used for both incoming and outgoing calls, the better you can manage your business overall and make changes when necessary.

Add or remove features anytime

Adding or removing features is as easy as a few clicks on your dashboard. Some of these advanced calling features include:

• Call queuing
  • Keep incoming calls ordered in a queue
  • Lets you know who is waiting on hold
• Call forwarding
  • Forward your business calls to any other phone
  • Gives you the freedom and convenience of a single number reach
• On demand call recording
  • One-touch record all calls for quality assurance or other purposes
• Call paging
  • Notify specific users or groups of a call on hold
  • Broadcast emergency alerts to your whole office or select users
• Call announce
  • Tags incoming calls so you know what the purpose is before you answer
  • Can be used in conjunction with call screening
  • calls forwarded to your mobile or personal line will be tagged as a business call
  • number tagging to track promotions from a specific ad campaign
• Call from your computer
  • Use your desktop or laptop to send and receive calls
• Video calling and conferencing
  • Integrates with your computer operating system and apps like Skype for Business to leverage visual and conferencing technologies
• Instant messaging
  • Fully integrated unified communications
• Customizable call routing
  • Rings all of your devices until the call finds you
  • Never miss another call
  • Multiple devices, one extension
• Fax to email
• Add local phone numbers in any geographic region or calling code
• Voicemail to text or email
• International calling with no toll charges

These are just some of the exciting features you can expect with a hosted PBX system. Depending on which provider you decide to go with, there may be even more.

High tech security features

Online security ranks high on every business’ ‘must-have’s’, and your communications network is no place to drop your guard. Your hosted PBX provider will provide you with the latest protection technologies to keep your data safe and secure. Deployed in the cloud, you won’t ever have to worry about whether you have the newest patches. Having the most up-to-date security measures pre-installed means that your company is much less likely to be affected by a virus, malware or DDoS attack.

Summing up

To summarize, the advantages to switching to a hosted PBX include:

• Savings of 50-90% over traditional landline providers
  • 50% less cost of maintaining traditional phone lines
  • 90% cost savings on equipment and installation
• All equipment is hosted offsite
• Predictable pricing:
  • Most services charge a flat per-user fee
  • Easy to add or remove users, scale or downsize
• Premium calling and productivity features
• Integrates with popular CRMs
• Work with one company as opposed to several
• Deploys over your existing ISP
• Get up and running in minutes

Mustard IT: answering all your questions about Hosted PBX

If you are getting ready to set up your new office, or are thinking about switching to hosted PBX from a virtual PBX or legacy PBX phone system, call Mustard IT today. Our technicians are standing by to answer any question you might have about hosted PBX, and help you decide if it is right for you.