Here’s Why Your Business Needs Cloud-based PBX

A little over 140 years ago, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell picked up his new machine and called his assistant, Thomas Watson. He asked him to “come here, I want to see you.” This was the world’s first telephone call, a historic event that forever changed the way in which we communicate. We’ve come a long way since then, and yet the basic mechanics behind terrestrial telephone technology haven’t changed all that much. The demands we place on this vital form of communication have, however, changed completely. This is why more and more businesses are discovering the benefits of moving from traditional PBX systems to hosted, or cloud-based, PBX.

Traditional PBX (private branch exchange) systems are still popular with some businesses, and there are valid reasons for this. Having your own PBX on site gives you more control, as your company is the only one managing your line and its various extensions. In addition, because you own the system, you are also free to modify it as often, and whatever way, you like. This is often an attractive benefit for organisations with particularly dynamic or complicated phone requirements.

In-house PBX systems are usually designed and configured to work in harmony with all the tech tools your company uses for CRM (customer relationship management), so this helps to enhance overall functionality.

However, most people find that the main drawbacks of traditional PBX – such as cost of maintenance, difficulty to scale or relocate, high set up costs and initial charges, and cost of annual upgrades – significantly overshadow any benefits of the system.

Advantages Of Cloud-Based PBX

Cloud-based, or hosted, PBX is an excellent choice for most businesses, particularly SMEs and those who have a large percentage of their workforce working remotely, or who travel frequently. You are then able to consolidate everyone’s phone extensions into one system, and no one has to miss a call just because they’re not in the office.

Even for businesses without remote employees, a hosted system offers tempting flexibility when it comes to either adding or removing extensions as new employees arrive, or current ones leave. This kind of flexibility also makes initial set-up, or scaling much easier. Most cloud-based providers offer a host of native integrations out of the box, making setting up your systems a matter of minutes, not days. And if you’re moving offices, having a hosted system makes the relocation of your communications systems completely hassle-free.

Remember that traditional PBX is a product-oriented business – you’re buying hardware. Cloud-based providers are service-oriented, focused on offering the best service and solutions for your particular needs.

Of course, probably one of the most attractive features of cloud-based PBX is that it is incredibly pocket-friendly. Cost savings of between 40 and 70 percent can be realised in some cases when compared to setting up an in-house PPX system. This is due to several factors:

• The service provider owns and maintains most of the hardware and support infrastructure.
• You’re not logged in to long-term, costly contracts where you pay for phones and phone lines you no longer need or use.
• No paying for software upgrades or maintenance – and when you do need an upgrade, it can be done remotely by your service provider. No waiting for engineers to visit your offices, no inconvenience and, most importantly, no downtime.
• Minimal outlay for hardware.
• Unlimited calls – local and long distance.
• No need for dedicated telephony circuits.
• Cost-effective packages for international calls.

As with anything cloud-related, a good internet connection is essential, but with more and more areas able to access fibre connectivity, it makes more sense than ever to move away from terrestrial phone lines and use a converged data link for both voice and data.

And while we’re on the subject of good connectivity, a Huge benefit of having Cloud-based PBX is that if your network goes down, there is an automatic failover in place, so there’s no interruption to your communication.

Huge Connect Voice and TELVIVA® offer Cloud telephony and SIP solutions, meaning you can get on with your business while trusting us to look after your telephony.  You can even keep your existing landline telephone number! Our systems offer outstanding value for money, giving you significant savings on call costs, with only a small initial capital outlay.

You also save on IT costs, as you don’t need expensive, in-house technical expertise that you’d normally have for complex traditional PBX or legacy systems.

At Huge Connect, we offer a range of Cloud-based services that have one key purpose – to simplify your life and boost your business. Talk to us today.