Friday, May 4, 2012

How is Hosted PBX Different from a Conventional PBX

PBX or Public Branch Exchange is nothing new for large corporations that have many offices to connect. It is a telephone system that receives all incoming calls and routes them to their respective extensions. There were times when PBXs were operated manually but now we have telephone systems with automated attendants that route calls. A hosted PBX is similar to a conventional PBX but with a difference.

A conventional PBX is located somewhere in the office and the company invested money in the hardware. A hosted PBX is not located in the company premises nor does the company invest money in the hardware. Instead, it is ‘hosted’ by a service provider much like the way Internet Service Providers host websites. When someone calls your number, the call does not connect directly to your office. It first goes to the service provider who, in turn, routes the call to the first available person in the department. The service provider uses the internet to route calls to relevant extensions in your office through an internet connection. The service provider invests in hardware and whatever software that is required for providing the service.

The concept of hosted PBX holds great promise for businesses that do not have the wherewithal to invest in a full-blown PBX. The installation cost alone can be quite staggering for start-ups and small and medium sized businesses. Hosted PBXs have capabilities such as voicemails, automated greetings, call records and routing calls to the relevant department. The system can also handle calls that are not immediately picked up at your office.

The bets p[art is that hosted PBX means that you do not have to worry about maintenance and replacing obsolete systems as you do not own the PBX.

Avaya Phone System for Seamless Communications

If you are worried about the high cost of communicating with clients and employees in the field, you will have to pay attention to the equipment you are using. The phone system you are using has a bearing not only the cost but also on your calling experiences. If the system is down, then so are you; no network, no business. And downtime means revenue loss.

Avaya phone systems for small business communications use new cutting edge technology that ensures that your network is always running. Avaya is a brand that you can trust. With an Avaya phone System installed in your office, you are sure that your phones, fax machine and email are all working and you are constantly within reach of your clients.

Installing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) systems requires replacing the existing phone system in your office, which may sound a bit too much for a small business. However, the main idea behind shifting over to Avaya phone system is to reduce communication cost. Moreover, it incorporates more features than normal phone systems and VoIP systems use only one cable. As both data and voice are transmitted over the same cable and there is no need of a separate phone and T1 line.

The level of mobility that Avaya phone systems allow is unprecedented. Apart from your desktop and laptop, Avaya phone systems are compatible with a wide variety of PDAs and cell phones. This allows you to connect to the PBX even when you or your employees are not in office. If you plan to go out of office, you can configure the Avaya phone system to forward calls to your cell phone so that you do not miss important calls.