There are tens of thousands of small and medium sized businesses that could benefit from using a PBX. Many decide against the idea simply because they cannot justify the cost in equipment needed to employ one. What many business owners do not realize however is how far hosted PBX solutions have come in the last few years.
What is a Hosted PBX?
A hosted PBX system delivers PBX functionality as a service to the end user by an established telecom carrier. The PBX equipment is housed on the premises of the carrier rather than the customer location.
It relieves the business owner of the cost of purchasing and installing PBX equipment. The carrier can (in some configurations) use the same switching equipment to service multiple PBX hosting accounts. Users typically contract PBX services through a lease agreement with the carrier.
The first service of this kind was very feature-rich compared to most premise-based systems of the time. Some features such as follow-me calling were available from hosted services before they became available in hardware PBX equipment.
Hosted PBX systems can handle far more capacity than customer premise equipment – and it can change as the customer’s needs change as well.
The most obvious advantage could be the fact that a hosted PBX eliminates the need for companies to manage or pay for on-site hardware maintenance. No large capital outlay is required. Extensions can be added (or deleted) as the business grows. In short, hosted PBX customers pay only for what they need. This can be a huge economical advantage for a small, fast-growing company.
When phone traffic is high, on-site PBX systems can ring busy. A hosted PBX, however, generally has a lot more available lines and can handle a much higher number of simultaneous calls.
Today, it is possible to get far more PBX features than were available from the first systems of this class.
The following are just a few of the features that make this choice attractive to a small or medium sized business:
1) It can allow for a single number to be presented for an entire company even if the company is geographically distributed. A company could even and have no central location at all. A hosted PBX can be set up so that home workers are connected using their domestic telephones and still take advantage of the same features as any PBX user.
2) It allows for multi-modal access. Employees have the ability to access the network via a variety of telecommunications systems, including POTS, ISDN, cellular phones, and VOIP. This allows one extension to ring in multiple locations (either concurrently or sequentially).
3) It supports integration with custom toll plans (that allow intra company calls, even from private premises, to be dialed at a cheaper rate) and integrated billing and accounting (where calls made on a private line but on the company’s behalf are billed centrally to the company).
4) A hosted PBX can evenly distribute calls to a department among available employees through Automatic Call Distribution (ACD). A menu of options can be set up for directing the call. The possibilities are endless.
5) It can provide detailed call records and real-time system management. This ability is not only convenient but can help cut costs with the proper monitoring and management of calls and traffic.
Keep in mind that all features are not available with every hosted PBX service. It is up to the customer to determine the features they need and choose a carrier based on those specific needs.
Next time your company considers a telecom system upgrade or change, be sure you check into hosted PBX solutions.
Karen Thatcher is President and CEO of TelCon Associates, Inc., a 35 year old telecom consulting and telecom bill management company. For more information on how you can gain more control and reduce corporate telecom spending, visit http://www.telconassociates.com
Author: Karen Thatcher
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital TV, HDTV, Satellite TV
Related Posts -
PBX VoIP Telephone System For Small Business A PBX VoIP telephone system for your small business enterprise will take your business to new horizons. With such a phone system implemented, you can manage your business telecommunication in a cost-effective manner. The service effectively meets the challenges faced by small and medium sized business enterprises. With this...... - The Advantages of the Asterisk Phone System For Businesses The day has come in which Asterisk-driven systems have become available for the technological savvy business. Being that the telephone and the internet have become very important for any business, it was just a matter of time before the two found themselves joined together in a lifelong union. It......
- 5 Key Resources For Buying Hosted VoIP Phone Systems 1. Internet Speed Test How ready is your broadband for VoIP? An Internet speed test can simulate the placing of voice over IP phone calls to provide detailed information about what you can expect from pairing your existing Internet connection with a hosted VoIP PBX. While conducting this test......
- Hosted PBX Solution Offers State-of-the-Art Features For small business establishments, implementing a standard PBX telephone system in their offices might prove rather expensive. So, as a solution such organizations depend mainly on PBX phone systems. A hosted PBX solution offers state-of-the-art features which help to maintain a well-organized telephone communication system in your organization.High-tech Features......
- PBX Phone Systems - Stay Connected Anywhere To achieve your specific business goals, it is essential to provide excellent customer services. With the support of advanced PBX phone systems, you can stay connected anywhere and thus generate a flourishing business image.No Connection Busy SignalsPBX phone systems are integrated with user-friendly call management functions such as auto......
Related Websites - Hosting Companies and Spam I normally write about comment spam over on my marketing blog but in recent times I seem to be getting more and more that emanates from web hosting companies on this site so I thought I would make a quick educational post for these SEO lost causes and free ad......
- Features of Web Hosting You may have just decided to start up a personal or business website, or you may have been thinking about it for a long time. Either way, it is extremely important to understand what each web hosting company has to offer. Make a list of the different products and......
- Need a Security System For Your Home or Business? Checkout ADT We live in a very broken world. There's crime, poverty, and a number of other problems that we face, and in some areas of the country, personal safety is sometimes at a premium. You never know when you'll be the victim of a home robbery, someone breaking into your business......
-
Los Lagos Golf Course Los Lagos Golf Course is located in: San Jose, CA Phone: 408-361-0250 Website: http://www.playloslagos.com/ Course History: The course was designed by Brian Costello of the JMP Golf Design Group. It is a par 68 that stretches over 5,300 yards. The course was built around the natural habit near Coyote Creek...... - Important Web Hosting Plan Features Important Hosting Plan Features by Linda Miller - Most Web hosts offer a range of features to attract potential customers to their hosting plans. These features may include disk space, free bandwidth, e-mail boxes, auto responders, FTP access, templates, and more. The customer must then decide which of the......
Related posts:
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by goalliant: I just post Advantages Of a Hosted PBX Solution on http://ping.fm/pe0SR...
[...] Read more: Advantages Of a Hosted PBX Solution [...]