Establishing an efficient phone system inside your organization is a top priority. Whether you have a small, mid, or big-size company, your employees need to keep in touch at all times and also maintain relations with the outside world. Also, they need to stay updated about any changes and improvements you might come up with.
Modern businesses have largely discarded analog phone lines in favor of IP technology for phone calls. There are many reasons for this, accessibility and cost-effectiveness being the chief motivators. The traditional on-premises Private Branch Exchange, better known as PBX, involves installing special hardware in your location.
However, if your company includes remote work, you might find it difficult to establish stable communication with teams located at different places. That is why more and more business leaders turn to cloud PBX, another IP solution that offers even more flexibility than the on-prem variant. Of course, you’ll need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to see if it suits your needs. Learn more info on https://www.ringcentral.co.uk/gb/en/blog/what-is-cloud-pbx-benefits-pbx-to-cloud/.
The Concept Behind It
Cloud computing is hardly a novelty anymore. It has been around for around two decades now, and companies recognized its potential from the get-go. As a matter of fact, research shows that almost two-thirds of US businesses are using the technology in one way or another. Those dealing with ample data storage and many servers find it especially valuable for better overall work and increased profit margins.
Well, we could say the same thing about telephony, too. Statistics show that more than half the companies have already gone the VoIP route, and it’s only logical to assume the number will grow in the future. If you dislike the idea of adding additional equipment for your phone system, then cloud PBX could be the thing you’re after.
This option also goes by the name of hosted PBX, but they’re one the same. As we said, this phone system requires an internet connection to function and relieves you of the obligation to overcrowd your premises with extra hardware. Your VoIP provider takes care of it all, letting you focus on running your business.
If you’re unfamiliar with Internet telephony, you might wonder if it includes all the privileges you enjoy with a regular phone system. The short answer is: yes. Cloud PBX lets you make phone calls, forward them, leave a voicemail, etc. The best thing is that you need no server at all. This is great for companies that already have too much equipment on their hands.
For the more tech-savvy readers out there, here’s how it works: sound is converted to data packets in your handsets. From there, they go to your PBX provider, who enables the connection between the caller and the answerer. Then, the phone system turns these data packets into sound again. It’s a straightforward, swift process, and it’s all done online. The only requirement is a stable and secure broadband connection.
What Are the Benefits?
Cloud-based phone services are lauded for their versatility, and rightfully so. This means that you can use any IP phone equipment at your disposal: smartphones, conference phones, and the good old desk phones as well. Aside from not requiring special machinery, it also enables you to adapt the existing one, making it an ideal choice for any business.
One great advantage of a cloud PBX over on-prem is that it features more VoIP options. Placing and receiving calls alone is simply not enough anymore: remote working needs additional services to ensure the most precise and fluid communication possible. Hosted systems support mobile devices, automatic call recording, transcribing voicemail to email, auto attendants, video conferencing, etc. With so many options to choose from, misunderstanding is almost impossible. Click here to find out more.
Next, there’s the ever-present issue of maintenance. This is probably the most alluring quality of cloud PBX – you leave it all to the provider. It’s kind of like having a trustworthy car mechanic who fixes everything for you, leaving you to enjoy the ride. Expert technicians take care of your routing, updates, codec adjustment, and so on. There’s no need for fixing mechanical issues and replacing parts – the cloud saves you from all that hassle.
Old-school PBX demands that you stay at your desk so others can reach you. That is incredibly constricting and impractical, especially for employees who need to travel often. On the other hand, the hosted phone system is far more flexible: it lets you customize it and adjust it to your organization’s needs. Even if it lacks all other features, the mobile device support is highly convenient by itself – you can do your job anytime, anyplace.
Finding a reputable PBX provider is vital for your availability as a company. They need to provide you with high connectivity so that you’ll suffer as little downtime as possible. Actually, in a best-case scenario, you get almost a hundred percent uptime, a far cry from the old days where busy lines and phone system issues kept customers waiting and made them lose their nerves. The secret lies in separate data centers, making hosted PBX impervious to crashing.
Potential Drawbacks
While basing your phone system in the cloud is mainly advantageous, it helps to be aware of the cons and know how to remedy any issue that might stand in your way.
First and foremost, a slow and unstable Internet connection will not do. Hosted PBX needs it for data, and the more it gets, the better the audio will be. The download and upload speed should be at least 100 Kbps per phone if you want to handle multiple calls simultaneously. This idea was in the realm of science fiction when the static phone system was the only available option.
Some users might find it hard to adapt to cloud-based technology if they lack experience. Learning how to operate hosted BPX isn’t hard; it’s about abandoning old habits that lasted for years, which is a lot harder than it sounds in theory. It’s best to provide your employees with guidance and training about more advanced features. A video conference call is nothing special for a millennial, but it can be a daunting prospect for someone nearing retirement,
Although hardware is no issue with cloud PBX, your IT technicians will probably have to adjust the network routers for optimal work. For instance, they shouldn’t have two routers in a row before phones are connected. For PoE (Power over Ethernet) services, they might have to upgrade the network speech. These are all minor adjustments that even a rookie IT expert will hardly have a problem with.
Worth Your While
You can consider this last section more as a manual than a list of disadvantages. All the evidence above points out that it’s much more convenient to move their communications in the cloud. We see how more and more business operations are done online, so why not do your calling and messaging in the same way?
Without a doubt, your staff will appreciate the freedom and convenience they’ll get with a hosted PBX. Flexibility is everything nowadays; location is almost unimportant; the world is becoming smaller and smaller every day. This is a direct result of improved communication, and cloud BMX is the standard-bearer.