8 Reasons Why You Should Switch to IP PBX
IP PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange) is a telephone communication system that sends voice as data packets over the internet to connect the various ends of a business. Instead of the traditional telephone lines, it relies on the internet and escapes the geographical limitations. It allows access to advanced communication features while also enabling scalability and robustness.
In the recent years, it has been witnessed that increasing number of enterprises all around the world are discarding their traditional phone systems in favor of IP PBX to avail its various features. Following are some of the reasons for switching to IP PBX:
1. Much Easier To Setup
IP PBX works as software on a computer instead of being a brand new hardware setup. The high processing powers and easy interfacing that today’s computers provide make their installation and setup a piece of cake. Moreover, unlike traditional wired PBX, they don’t require trained professionals to come and set up the connection. Anyone with basic computer knowledge can handle the setup.
2. Easily Manageable
Because of the fact that they run as software, IP PBX can be managed easily via a web-based interface or a GUI for its entire configuration. Most of the management procedures are easy to learn and can be handled even by new users. The need for a trained IT technician is eradicated because there are no wired and complicated interfaces involved.
3. Highly Cost Effective
IP PBX is a great booster for cost effectiveness. It allows integration of VoIP services that cut down on long distance and international calls by a huge margin. The monthly savings on the bills are also substantial. Moreover, IP PBX allows the connection of phone systems in branch offices thus allowing free calling between the employees at different branches.
Besides the lower call rates, the software-based nature of IP PBX allows for the addition of more feature sets. Most of these VoIP phones include auto attendant, voicemail, ring groups, advanced reporting and a lot more. Buying them via proprietary systems is very expensive.
4. Say No to Wiring
IP PBX allows telephone systems to connect directly to standard computer network port which it can easily share with nearby computers. As these software phones are used with the computer, the need for telephone lines is almost zero.
With the elimination of phone wiring, adding or moving extension becomes much easier. This is a significant benefit in the case of relocations of offices as there are no phone wires that can hinder with relocation.
5. No More Vendor Locks
The open SIP standard allows the mixing and matching of any SIP-based phones with any SIP based IP-PBX, PSTN gateway or 3rd party VoIP providers. This eliminates the constraint vendors providing telephony services put on PBX.
If you are not satisfied with the services provided with your current vendor you can opt to leave them and choose a different and better service provider. As most of these service providers allow payment on a monthly basis there are no binding contract chains to restrict the switch from one to another.
6. Easily Scalable
A major issue that most businesses, especially small and medium ones, face is the need to expand their phone system. With traditional phone services, this costs a lot. However, IP PBX service providers mostly run on a pay-as-you-go plan. This means that you only pay for the amount of services you want. This allows for choosing the plans that best fit both your work needs as well as financial constraints.
However, if there is a need for changing the plan, that is to say, if you want more phones or conversely fewer phones, the switch can be made easily and with no added cost. Change the monthly plan you are subscribed to and select the one you think is the best.
7. Much Higher Productivity
IP PBX phones are not your basic telephones that only let you make calls. They are connectivity solutions that have the full power of the internet backing them up. Being computer-based, IP phones can be integrated with business applications.
The various extra features that these business applications provide give a boost to customer service as well as productivity. For an example, on receiving a customer’s call his pre-recorded data can instantly come up which raises the level of customer service as well as cuts down on the overall calling time as the customer no longer needs to give his details again.
8. Employees Find It Easier To Use
Advanced features on phones is a really great asset, but it often becomes confusing for employees, more so for newer ones. Setting up conference calls or transferring a call to another extension requires detailed and explicit instruction when using traditional PBX.
However, IP PBX is very easy to handle. Working from a simple and user-friendly GUI, all actions can be performed easily and quickly even by not-so-experienced workers. Besides the ease of accessibility, the user also gets a detailed view of the status of other extensions, the calling queues, inbound calls and other important factors for efficiency.
Conclusion
IP PBX is now a common practice in the industry and for the good reasons too. For companies already using a traditional PBX or for newer startups who are still thinking of getting one, the needs for using IP PBX are many. With the impressive savings in management, maintenance as well as calling IP PBX is the ideal choice for everyone.