PBX Vs VoIP: Making sense of today’s business phone systems
Over the last few years, VoIP has quickly become part of people’s vocabulary. It has been promoted as a convenient and cost-effective way to stay in touch with your company’s network and is used to optimize the flow of internal calls. However, before VoIP, analog PBX systems were the preferred business phone systems.
PBX relates more to the traditional analog phone system than connected in the presence of large equipment and complex cabling. It was also not that profitable as expenses would add up due to long distance and maintenance fees, and expansion was time consuming. PBX is still used for business communications today, but users are quickly realizing the disadvantages of this technology compared to VoIP.
reliability
Some will say that a PBX system is more reliable than a VoIP system because of the reliability of VoIP over an Internet connection. That may have been true a few years ago, but just as technology has evolved rapidly in recent years, VoIP has also evolved to prevent these emergency situations with simple call forwarding features.
In fact, VoIP uses your Internet connection to operate, but implementing a failover strategy that involves backup endpoints allows you to continue receiving calls to a mobile device with or without Internet or electricity so your customers can reach you when they need to. need it, regardless of their connectivity status. .
cost
If you’re running a business, you’ll want to take advantage of any opportunity to save on expenses, so investing in business phone systems that can lower your monthly phone bill should be a no-brainer. With traditional analog PBX business phone systems, the initial cost can be significant when you factor in equipment and installation costs, as well as long distance and maintenance fees, which can become significant over time.
Implementing a VoIP business phone system has been known to ease the strain on monthly bills because there is virtually no cost to set up the system. If your office already has business IP phones, all you need to do is have the provider deploy your system, which usually takes no more than a few minutes once all the documentation and ports are complete and you’re ready to make calls. soon.
Even if you don’t have the right phone hardware, you can find business phones for sale at great prices to fit most budgets. Other than hardware and service, there are no maintenance fees or expensive long-distance fees.
Expansion
Like most business owners, you probably intend to expand your business. Even if you don’t have immediate plans to expand your business locations, internal expansion is on every business owner’s mind. With a traditional PBX, expansion meant more cabling, hardware purchases, and additional maintenance costs.
With VoIP business phone systems, adding extensions is easy and affordable. With some providers, all you need to do is contact a preferred agent and notify them of the changes you want to make to your system. Some hardware may be required if you’re adding a physical phone, but it still won’t add up to the expense levels of a traditional PBX.
PBX phone system improvements over time
Before the technology we know today, companies hired receptionists and secretaries to physically connect communication lines to desired destinations using switches. In the 1990s, VoIP became more popular for its ability to exchange voice data on other devices, such as PCs. Fast forward to today’s communication methods and we are surrounded by endless ways to stay in touch with each other at our fingertips. In an effort to modernize business communications, the traditional analog PBX phone system is becoming more cloud-based, evolving into what is known as IP PBX and Hosted PBX. Now, there is no need for excess equipment as this communication technology is making its way to the cloud.
If you’re still not sure if VoIP is right for you and want to continue using your traditional PBX phone system, it’s possible to use VoIP with your traditional PBX phone system. This hybrid option can also lower your costs and ease the transition to a more modern communication system.
Ready to upgrade to a VoIP phone system?
If you are looking for a modernized VoIP phone system, keep in mind that VoIP and IP PBX have become similar technologies and getting the most out of these communication methods depends on the quality of the provider. With the rapid development of multi-channel communication tools and devices, it’s easy to get lost in the novelty and endless list of features, but always keep in mind the specific needs of your VoIP phone system and the value your new communication strategy can bring to your business. for longevity. and growth