PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange and it is a private telephone network that a business uses in order to share phone numbers and phone lines for both making and receiving phone calls.
A PBX system allows your business to connect an internal telephone line or lines to a switch. Think of this switch as the main phone line your customers would call—such as a 1-800-BIZ-CALL number—and then they are routed to the right person.
You’ve probably called a PBX number. You’ll know this by having to hear a menu that you press a button to go through to get the right destination, either connecting to a department or to a person you reach by dialing part of their name.
What Does PBX Mean for Business?
PBX systems are used to give businesses a professional face and route calls without needing an assistant to answer all calls. This allows front desk workers to meet with your customers who come through the door and only field calls where someone needs a quick question answered.
In the past, these non-virtual PBX systems required you to install special phones and devices throughout your office. You even had to install wiring for all of your phones and units. The shift to an IP (Internet protocol) phone system, also called a Virtual PBX, reduces your workload and often involves no new hardware to install.
Virtual systems require an Internet connection but they can be expanded without running any additional wiring thanks to today’s current business setups.
What Does Virtual Add?
Your existing PBX system gets a lot of improvements by adopting a virtual system. Not only do you remove the need to install any hardware or wiring in your office, but you also get a series of virtual items that can help you run your business more effectively.
Let’s look at some of the features of the Virtual PBX and why it’s good to go digital.
PBX systems offer you the chance to set a custom greeting for your company. Virtual systems make this better because you can quickly change and adjust your greetings. You can also have someone else record the greeting for you and simply upload it to your Virtual PBX website to have it go live.
With a few clicks of a button you can set this message and also add or change new sections. When your sales department grows enough that you start your own customer service department, simply checking a box will add that customer service department and give it a brand new extension.
Virtual PBX systems put all of this on the Web, so it is something you can see and easily adjust. You no longer have to sit on the phone and listen to a menu in order to make changes.
When you use a Virtual PBX system as opposed to a traditional PBX, you reduce the number of vendors you need.
Traditional PBX systems required a PBX vendor, phone carrier, local service provider, and sometimes even an Internet service company. All of these would have different invoices and are required to get you from point A to B.
Virtual systems remove everyone except your Internet service provider and your PBX provider. That’s a big headache you don’t have to deal with.
Big Cost Savings
Virtual PBX systems don’t require any additional hardware or wiring, so you’re saving money instantly by not needing that installation.
You also save money on not needing to install new phone lines. Because these use your Internet connection you don’t have to have an individual phone line installed by a telephone company. You will need a faster Internet connection for your business, but this is typically much cheaper.
Another big savings is calling between your offices. Since these are done over the Internet, most Virtual PBX companies offer calls between offices and phone numbers for free. That’s true even if your offices are located in different states.
The most common thing you install with a Virtual PBX system is the software to run it. You’ll have to install this on any PCs you use as well as smartphones you want to connect to your system, but it has become very quick and easy in recent years.
The best thing about Virtual PBX systems is that it’s now a standard practice for the service provider to offer assistance over the phone or PC to walk you through every setup and installation step.
The only hardware companies ever need to install is broadband Internet if they don’t already have that type of connection. Most businesses use this already and your cost for this installation will be cheaper than adding in the number of landlines you’d need to manage all of your employees.
Grow As You Need
Physical systems are outgrown once you add a new person. Virtual systems, however, can be expanded at any time. You might have to pay a little more each month when you add a new employee and virtual number, but you’re still keeping those big cost savings without having to install anything new.
Your standard computer can also handle a lot of different phone lines, so you can even add an extra line for a new service department without needing to purchase more computing equipment.
One of the more popular services from a Virtual PBX system is the auto or virtual attendant. This feature greets your customers immediately and then helps to direct their call. This is not only a touchtone menu but many now all callers to ask for departments or individuals by speaking their name.
Essentially, you get a virtual receptionist that is smart enough to handle basic requests. It is also smart enough to send calls directly to voicemail if someone is on vacation or if the customer is calling after business hours.
The attendant service makes small businesses seem more sophisticated and puts a great initial reaction together for your company.
You can also program them to play music as people are put on hold and have it route customers to first available employee when your customer service department is handling a lot of calls.
If your employees are in the field or even work from home, you can still add them to your PBX system. By going virtual, you can forward their calls directly to cell phones and home landlines.
Your employees can always be reached and your customers will never know they’re not in the office because they call your main number and are automatically redirected to that smartphone or home phone.
For small businesses, this is about the best support you can ask for as you grow.
The Big Extras
You’ll also find a lot of great services to love with the Virtual PBX system. Some of the major extras that reviewers love include:
- Mobile apps: PBX services are now adding more apps to help you manage your account. This means you can add new lines of service or change your greeting directly from the app. Apps also allow employees to make outgoing calls and Caller ID systems will display your company number instead of their mobile phone number.
- Voicemail texts: Because everything is digital on the service, your voicemails will be saved to your server. Many PBX companies now have an option to run your voicemail through a text system that changes the voice to a message that can be emailed to you or texted to your smartphone
- Hold music: Hold music is standard on these systems and you can often change it. That means no customers sitting in silence or dreading the hold.
- Digital faxing: Virtual PBX systems use storage to hold your documents. This allows them to virtually fax content to a customer simply by selecting the document from an app or PC software and then inputting the phone number for faxing. New systems also allow customers to control this. So, if you have a common invoice sheet or other document, you can add it to your phone menu and customers can select the corresponding number to have the document faxed directly to them.
Is This Right for My Business?
Adopting a Virtual PBX makes a lot of sense for today’s businesses, even if you already have a PBX system in place. You’ll find great savings and a much easier use, so you don’t have to take time out of your busy day to manage phones. Virtual PBX systems allow you to set it and be done with quick adoption and expansion whenever you need to return.
If you’re in the mood for savings and improved support, then switching to a Virtual PBX system is probably right for you.