What is Hosted PBX?
Hosted PBX is a cloud-based telephone switching system hosted on your trusted VOIP service provider’s server. Unlike an on-premise PBX that requires your company to be responsible for maintenance or upkeep costs.
Since a hosted PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is cloud-based its also known as a cloud PBX. Here the phone lines and calls happen entirely over the internet, cutting down on hardware and labor costs. Plus, it allows your employees to work remotely and use their business phone numbers from anywhere, rather than being tied to a landline in the office.
How Does a Hosted PBX work?
A hosted PBX shifts your phone and communications infrastructure over to a trusted VoIP provider. Instead of individual phone extensions, each phone is replaced with a VoIP desk phone.
The diagram below illustrates how a hosted PBX system works:
With the implementation of the hosted PBX, your voice communications use the existing data network. Business broadband can easily support the unified communications needs of the entire office. All the top PBX features like call routing, call recording, and conferencing are provided by the VoIP service.
Instead of using a proprietary phone with your PBX, hosted platforms let you use any SIP phone for the greatest compatibility. Calls are established securely over the same network your computers use.
The information travels over IP networks to the cloud PBX, which reaches scalable data centers. Those servers route calls to other VoIP providers, including the publicly switched telephone known as a PSTN.
To manage how your calls are handled, including advanced call features, you just need to access an online voice portal in your browser to adjust your settings. Once you click save, the changes are applied in an instant.
This process works the same for small businesses as it does for larger offices—just plug your phones in and get back to work.
There are two types of hosted PBX phone systems. Let’s compare them to see how they benefit companies like yours.
The fundamental difference between a traditional and a hosted PBX is that with the latter, VoIP technology is used to send voice traffic via the internet utilizing a broadband connection for incoming and outgoing calls. While a traditional analog PBX connects to a PSTN [Public Switched Telephone Network] via copper wire allowing for dependable but basic voice calls.
A traditional Analog PBX often described as a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) is becoming somewhat of a rarity these days.
With an analog PBX, you are provided with simple functionality; for instance options such as speed dial, hold, and mute as well as being able to transfer incoming calls to other extensions. A hosted PBX is designed to offer all the advanced features that a business might need including auto attendants, blacklist and allow list, call queuing, conference calls, and voicemail to name but a few.
The basic functionality is just one of the limitations of analog, we will discuss some of the further issues with traditional PBX systems next.
There are plenty of benefits to setting up a hosted PBX, but the most significant advantage over traditional PBX is the savings made for the initial configuration and set up as well as recurring and maintenance costs.
Some of the main benefits of Hosted PBX include:
- The ability to quickly scale up or down depending on demand
- On-demand Access to toll-free and local phone numbers
- Improved capability in dealing with inbound call spike
- Removes the extra costs such as setup, maintenance, and upgrades associated with a traditional PBX
- New features are added, and existing features are upgraded without additional costs
- Increased security and reliability
- Advanced infrastructure with dedicated servers ensures business continuity with no downtime.
Remote Working Is Not A Problem
As the COVID-19 pandemic has proven, enterprises prepared for remote working allowed their employees to work from home seamlessly, ensuring that business was carried out as usual without a hitch. A hosted PBX allows your employees to access your phone system anywhere on the planet as long as they have an internet connection. Calls can be forwarded to their phones or laptops without the cost of any additional software or equipment.
Set Up Quickly, Low-level Maintenance
It only takes a few days at the most, usually sooner, to set up hosted PBX with no disruption to the business. Unlike a traditional PBX, there is no on-site infrastructure to implement, and once you are set up, all the maintenance and updates will be provided by your service provider. As discussed earlier, this negates the costs of employing someone full-time to manage an on-site PBX and pay for ongoing operational costs.
Flexibility More Than Imagined
Hosted PBX offers unparalleled flexibility, with businesses being able to change call settings in an instant. Cloud PBX allows you to change settings such as voicemail to email effortlessly, call forwarding and call transfer, and switch them on and off whenever you choose. You no longer have to wait for your telecom provider or incur costs to implement the call setting you require. Instead, hosting PBX puts you in the control seat.
Reliability with Highly-Performing
Another considerable benefit a hosted PBX will offer to your business is an increase in reliability and security. As it doesn’t rely on a landline, it reduces many potential issues. Business continuity is guaranteed as your service provider will have a network of redundant data servers located all across the country. If, for some reason, your business is impacted by some type of physical setback, be it a technological fault or natural disaster, you can be safely assured that your telephone system will still be up and running on-site or if need be remote.
- Features List
Announcements
Setup a recording for the auto attendant that provides announcement to callers.
Authentication
Extendable with plugin support. Web interface authentication by default authenticates against the Database. LDAP is one and has also been tested with Microsoft Active Directory an OpenLDAP.
Call Barge / Eavesdrop / Intercept
Listen into an active call from another extension.
Call Block
Block inbound calls by the caller id.
Call Broadcast
Create a recording and select one or more groups to have the system call and play the recording.
Call Center
Creates a robust call center environment with agent tiers.
Call Detail Records
Various reporting capabilities to see who called, when, call length, export to a csv file, and call detail statistics.
Call Flows (Day Night Mode)
Typically used with day night mode. To direct calls between two destinations. Can work with BLF on phone to show which direction call will be directed to.
Call Forward
Forward to another extension or to any phone number.
Call Monitoring
View which extensions are currently in a call.
Call Pickup
For a particular extension or any extension that is currently ringing.
Queues
Load calls into queues so they can be answered in the order they came into the queue.
Call Recordings
Record all or some calls or parts of the call.
Call Routing
Send the call different directions or perform actions based on reading the caller id info or other call information.
Call Announced Transfer
Transfer the active call to another internal or external call. Also known as a warm transfer.
Call Blind Transfer
Transfer a call like the call was going into a call queue or from an ivr.
Call Transfer
Transfer a call.
Call Waiting
A beep while on a call and to toggle between two different calls.
Caller ID
Support for customization and supporting providers.
Conference
Set up voice and video conference calls, is optionally secure with a PIN number, and can transfer current calls to a conference. Interactive conference control provides ability to see the list of callers in the conference and manage the volume, see who is talking, kick, mute, unmute, deaf, undeaf, profiles and controls.
Conference Center
Unlimited conference rooms with moderator and paticipants, pin numbers, call recording, mute all, caller announce and more…
Contacts
Manage your contacts. Import contacts from Outlook CSV files. Export contacts to your cell phone with QR Codes. It is also possible to add additional features like time cards and invoices that can be related to the contacts.
Command
Area to execute commands from the gui. Merged with SQL Query tool with a clip library.
Dialplan Manager
The dialplan is used to setup call destinations based on conditions and context. You can use the dialplan to send calls to gateways, auto attendants, external numbers, to scripts, or any destination.
Direct Inward System Access (DISA)
Gives ability to call into the system, put in a pin code, and then call back outbound.
Device Provisioning
From Advanced > Default Settings you can enable provisioning for devices. Contacts used as Directory for the phones, vendor list and functions can be enabled or disabled. Support for memory, expansion (side cars), and programmable keys. Configure SIP endpoints for Yealink, Polycom, Cisco, Aastra and several other brands.
Do Not Disturb (DND)
Direct calls to voicemail by default however there is an option when using do not disturb to send the call to an alternative destination.
Extensions
Create extensions for phones to register to and an option to receive emails on missed calls.
Extension Summary
Summary of extension activity per domain such as misssed calls, answered calls, no answer, inbound duration, outbound duration, number of outboud calls, number of inbound calls and Average length of Conversation (ALOC). The summarized information can be downloaded as a CSV file.
Editor
File editor for PHP, XML, and Provisioning files.
Fax Server
A virtual fax machine that can send and receive faxes with advanced features.
Follow Me
Allows calling multiple extensions or external numbers.
Gateways
Gateways provide access into other voice networks. These can be voice providers or other systems that require SIP registration.
Hot Desking
A way to login to another phone device and temporarily or permanently become another extension. This is sometimes known as ‘hoteling’ and ‘extension mobility’
Inbound and Outbound Call Routing
Routes used to receive or send calls in or out of FusionPBX.
IVR Menus (Auto Attendant)
Create a structured interactive voice prompt for callers to use. Uses IVR and delivered from Database on Demand. Cached to memcache with IVR Menu Options all editable at once. Also works with Text to Speech.
Music on Hold
Allows multiple categories of music on hold that can be set globally or per domain. Can inject additional audio on intervals such as ‘Your call is very important to us please stand by’.
Multi-Tenant
Domain based multi-tenant using subdomains such as red.pbxhosting.tld green.pbxhosting.tld blue.pbxhosting.tld
Operator Panel
A virtual panel that agents can drag and drop transfer calls. Adjust call state from available, on break, do not disturb and logged out.
Paging
Page another extension with or without password
Parking
Send a call to an unused “park” extension. The caller listens to music on hold until another extension connects to the call.
Phrases
Using xml handler and xml from file system you can string together multiple voice files.
Provider Setup
Recordings
Create and manage personalized recordings.
Ring Groups
Make one extension ring several extensions and an option to receive emails on missed calls.
Time Conditions
A extension that can be timed to route calls based on domain select, global option, move to other domains, and holiday presets.
User and Group Management
Edit, change or add users of all permission levels.
Voicemail
Has ability to copy voicemails for other voicemail boxes when receiving a voicemail. Additional features include voicemail to email and voicemail IVR. Forward add intro, check box for multi-delete.
Voicemail to Email
Have voicemails sent to email.
Voicemail Transcription
Converts voicemails to text.
WebRTC
Make and receive video calls with a web browser.