Best Hosted PBX System

Are you sick and weary of dealing with the prices and restrictions of conventional phone systems? Do you wish to improve productivity and streamline company communication? Choose a hosted PBX system instead!

A cloud-based phone system known as a hosted PBX(Private Branch Exchange) system enables you to place and receive calls online.

But how do you pick the ideal hosted PBX phone system for your company when there are so many options? We can help with that! To present you with the best choices, our staff did a thorough analysis of the different hosted PBX systems.

The main aspects to think about when selecting a hosted PBX phone system, including cost, functionality, scalability, and customer service, will be covered in this blog. We'll also examine some of the top-rated hosted PBX systems available right now, giving you all the details you need to make a wise choice.

What Is A Hosted PBX System?

Knowing what a PBX is is useful for understanding hosted PBX. A private telephone network operated only within a company or organization is known as a private branch exchange or PBX. 

Using various communication methods, such as VoIP, a PBX enables you to connect with individuals inside and outside the company. "on-premise" refers to a type of PBX that remains in the organization's physical location.

A hosted system is installed slightly differently than an on-premise PBX but offers the same functionality and services. Because it is cloud-based, there is no need for a physical system at the office, which lowers installation and maintenance.

Most phone calls and lines are operated online in this location, saving money on equipment and staff. Also, it allows your team to work remotely and utilize their corporate phone numbers from anywhere, releasing them from the restrictions of being bound to an office landline.

Even while it appears like a lot of labor, setting up a virtual PBX is really rather simple and easy. Legacy PBX systems are much more difficult to run because of their limited functionality and lack of documentation.

How Does A Hosted PBX System Work?

Three essential elements make up a virtual PBX: a VOIP phone, the internet, and the hosted PBX provider, to keep things straightforward. Once everything is configured, your phones will connect to the PBX server through the internet, and the connection will always be open for outgoing and incoming calls.

By using the hosted PBX, your voice communications make use of the present data network. The needs of the rest of the office for unified communications can be easily supported by business broadband. All of the key PBX features, such as call routing, recording, and conferencing, are available through the VoIP service.

Hosted systems let you utilize any SIP phone in place of a customized phone with your PBX for the best level of compatibility. Calls are established securely via the identical network that your computer uses.

The data is first sent over IP networks to the cloud PBX, which connects to expandable data centers. These servers route calls to PSTN (public switched telephone network) and other VoIP phone service companies.

To modify how your calls are managed, including enhanced call features, you only require the use of an online voice channel in your browser. Once you click "save," the changes are applied right away. The process is the same for smaller businesses and larger organizations. Plug your phones in and carry on working.

Who Uses Hosted PBX System?

Firms of all sizes are increasingly utilizing hosted PBX solutions. A hosted PBX system has various advantages for your business, regardless of whether you run a small business or a large corporation. Here, we'll see the different business models that employ hosted PBX systems and the perks they can provide.

1. Startups

   For startups, hosted PBX phone systems are the best option because it is cost-effective, adaptable, and expandable. They may enjoy all the perks of a traditional phone system without the high expenses and difficulty of using a hosted PBX solution. These may include functions facilitating communication and improving customer service, like call routing, voicemail, auto-attendants, etc.

2. Call Centers

   At call centers, productivity and effectiveness are everything. By offering capabilities like call recording, call monitoring, and queue management, a hosted PBX system can assist call centers in achieving both of these objectives. As a result, agents working at call centers can manage more calls, give better customer service, and address problems faster.

3. Remote Employees

   Many businesses now encourage remote work, and a hosted PBX solution can help these workers stay connected. Remote workers can place and receive calls utilizing a hosted PBX system from any location with an internet connection. As a result, they are still reachable by their coworkers and clients whether they work from their house, a coffee shop, or even another nation.

4. Multiple Offices

   If your company has many offices, a hosted PBX system can simplify communication and lower costs. A hosted PBX system can link all of your offices under a single unified phone system instead of having several phone systems in each location. This can facilitate voicemail management, conference call setup, call transfer between locations, and other services.

Benefits Of Hosted PBX Solutions

By providing cutting-edge capabilities, higher scalability, and lower prices, hosted PBX solutions have changed company communication. The following are some advantages of utilizing a hosted PBX system for your company:

1. Low Setup Costs

   The fact that a hosted PBX system requires less upfront investment is one of its main benefits. To set up the system, you don't need to buy pricy gear or pay IT personnel. All you require is a subscription to the service and an internet connection. In the long run, this can save your company a ton of money.

2. Low Operational Costs

   As compared to conventional phone systems, hosted PBX services provide lower operating costs. There are no hidden or upgrade costs. There are no costly repairs to worry about. Also, you can save money on long-distance and international calls by using PBX hosted solutions, as it has far cheaper call costs than conventional phone systems.

3. No Maintenance or Upkeep

   You don't have to worry about managing or upgrading your phone system once you choose a hosted PBX service. All the maintenance, like security patches, software updates, and hardware upgrades are managed by the supplier. This guarantees that your phone system is always current and operating at its best.

4. No Downtime

   Because of the potential for missed productivity and income, downtime may be a serious issue for businesses. A hosted PBX solution is made to be dependable and accessible all the time. Even if there is a problem with the system, the provider will fix it right away so that your company can keep running smoothly.

5. Advanced Telephony Features

   Many cutting-edge telecommunication services, such as call forwarding, voicemail, auto-attendants, call queuing, and conference calling, are available with hosted PBX solutions. These features can increase internal communication and teamwork in your business as well as client service.

6. High Scalability

   While using a hosted PBX service, you can effortlessly add or delete lines in accordance with the expansion or transformation of your company. This makes sure that you only pay for the services that you really use. Also, it makes it simple to modify your phone system to suit your company's needs.

7. Accessibility

   Remote workers can access the phone system using a hosted PBX system from any place, provided an internet connection is there. By doing this, they can access any phone functions they require and remain in contact with the rest of the team.

8. Increased Flexibility

   A hosted PBX solution is quite adaptable. So you may change it to suit the particular requirements of your company. You can pick the features you require, change the system settings, and set up call forwarding and routing as necessary.

Features Of Hosted PBX system

It is really significant it is to have a reliable and stable communication system in your firm. That's where a hosted PBX system comes in. It is a cloud-based phone system that offers a range of features to help you manage your business communication needs. In this part, we'll see the top features of hosted PBX systems.

1. Video Conferencing

   Video conferencing is one of the best advantages of a hosted PBX system. No matter where they are, you can hold face-to-face meetings with clients, partners, and coworkers via video conferencing. In addition to helping you save time and money on trip expenses, video conferencing can also help you forge closer bonds with your clients.

2. SMS/MMS Texting

   SMS/MMS texting is yet another fantastic feature of a hosted PBX system. With SMS/MMS, you can send and receive text messages on your business phone line. This might help you stay on top of essential communications and reach out to customers who prefer texting to phone calls.

3. Unlimited Calling

   You can make unlimited calls with a hosted PBX system. You won't have to worry about running out of minutes on your plan because of this when calling other people. Particularly if your company makes a lot of calls, this might be a great method to reduce your phone bills.

4. Call Routing & Recording

   Call routing and recording are added features of a hosted PBX system. Call routing allows you to route calls to certain staff or departments in accordance with the demands of the caller. Making sure all calls are routed to the correct party and enhancing customer service are both benefits of doing this. Another fantastic feature that can help you keep track of crucial talks and enhance employee training is call recording.

5. Voicemail To Email

   A terrific function of a hosted PBX system is voicemail to email. By using it, you can receive your voicemails as emails. This can be a quicker way to remain on top of vital information whether you're in the office or not.

6. Call Waiting

   Call waiting is another feature of a hosted PBX system. You can keep a caller on hold while you answer a different call by using call waiting. This might be an excellent technique to handle several calls at once and guarantee that your clients are looked after.

7. Faxing Support

   Important documents are still regularly faxed to many companies. You can gain from faxing support with a hosted PBX system. Thus, you can easily send and receive faxes using your company's phone number without a separate fax machine.

8. Direct Number & Toll-Free Options

   Direct numbers and toll-free number are also available with a hosted PBX system. You can provide customers, partners, and other contacts with a direct number to contact you or your staff. Another subtle strategy to make it simple for clients to contact you without paying any fees is to offer toll-free choices.

9. Local Phone Numbers

   This feature provides nearby phone numbers. Without the requirement for a physical office, you can now build a presence in several areas or cities by using local phone numbers. This may be a subtle method to grow your company and target new clients.

10. Analytics & Reporting

    You may also take benefit of analytics and reporting with a hosted PBX solution. Thus, you can keep tabs on crucial indicators like call volume, call duration, and more. Making data-driven decisions and identifying opportunities for improvement can be accomplished in this way.

11. API Integrations

    The system also provides API integrations. It indicates that you can interconnect your phone system with other business-related software packages. It will indeed be a really useful system for streamlining your process and helping you and your team manage your communication requirements.

Tips For Choosing The Right Hosted PBX Solutions

You must pick a hosted PBX provider, whether you are switching from a conventional PBX system or starting with a hosted PBX configuration. Here are the top 5 things to look out for when you choose a service provider that offers a variety of capabilities and is less expensive than conventional PBX solutions:

1. Initial and Recurring Costs

   Although VoIP phones and/or software are required to get started, setup fees for hosted PBX are frequently minimal. To avoid unforeseen charges during setup, make sure your phones and other devices are compatible with the hosted PBX provider you've chosen. Check their ongoing prices and costs after that, such as their rates and monthly fee.

2. Additional Cloud Phone System Features

   Nevertheless, not all hosted PBX and VoIP suppliers provide the same capabilities and advantages. Systems for hosted PBXs may include several features. Check to see if your prospective supplier offers the functionality you need.

3. Security & Protection

   It's crucial that your hosted PBX supplier has robust security policies and controls because they will be in charge of managing the security of your communications. Verify the security certificates your prospective supplier possesses, like FISMA, PCI, and HIPAA.

4. Ease Of Use

   To manage your corporate communications, many applications and software are available from cloud PBX providers. You want to be sure that you and your staff should be able to use the new system without any hindrances once you switch from conventional to hosted PBX and cloud communications.

5. Quality Of Support

   It's a good idea to delegate repairs and upkeep to your hosted PBX provider, but you should make sure you'll receive the help you require. You may learn a lot about a hosted PBX provider's level of service from their customer evaluations.

Top 5 Hosted PBX systems

Name	Free Trial	Demo	Starting Price
CallHippo	Yes, 7 days	Yes	$15/user/month
Nextiva	Yes, 14 days	Yes	$19.95/user/month
RingCentral	Yes, 15 days	Yes	$19.99/user/month
Zoom	Yes, unlimited	Yes	$14.99/user/month
Vonage	Yes, 14 days	Yes	$19.99/user/month

Firms of all sizes are increasingly utilizing hosted PBX solutions. A hosted PBX system has various advantages for your business, regardless of whether you run a small business or a large corporation. The top 5 PBX systems are-

1. CallHippo

CallHippo is a demand-based provider of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Startups and companies may purchase local support numbers from more than 50 different countries through CallHippo. Any firm may set up its call center in less than three minutes because of its user-friendly interface and reliable backend infrastructure. Their platform integrates cloud computing into the telephone industry. With their technology, a customizable telecommunications network may be set up everywhere an internet connection is available.

Features

• Power dialer
• Automatic call distribution
• Call tracking
• Voice broadcasting
• Whatsapp business
• Call barging

Pros

• Well-managed call management
• Marketing ROI insights
• Easy To use
• Offers many local numbers

Cons

• It is challenging to terminate your subscription
• The mobile app frequently crashes
• Not very efficient customer support

Pricing

• Pricing is $ 39.04 per user per month for the Platinum pack.  

2. Nextiva

Cloud-based business phone system company NextivaONE offers Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Nextiva offers simple-to-use CRM software to assist in maximizing every customer engagement across all communication channels in complement to unified communications with secure audio, video, and messaging. 

Its Threaded Conversations feature combines consumer interaction with teamwork such that emails, texts, phone conversations, and instant chats may all be viewed on a single central screen.

Features

• Threaded conversations
• Call pop
• Voice analytics
• NextOS admin portal
• Nextiva CRM

Pros

• To guarantee 99.999% uptime, it uses a data center with a wide geographic distribution
• All programs offer round-the-clock phone, chat, and email customer service
• All service plans are professionally implemented by the business

Cons

• The only plan that offers visual voicemail is the Enterprise one
• At most 250 people can join in video conferencing

Pricing

• Pricing starts from $18.95 per user per month.

3. RingCentral

The cloud-based communication and collaboration platform RingCentral offers a wide range of tools and services. It helps firms of all kinds in enhancing their productivity and communication. 

The program delivers phone, chat, video, and team collaboration tools on a single integrated platform. Also, it has an intuitive user interface. Firms may enhance productivity, lower costs, and streamline their communication operations using RingCentral. The platform delivers top-notch security and dependability and allows organizations to customize it to meet their unique needs.

Features

• Call recording
• Call management
• Call monitoring
• IVR / Voice Recognition
• Call logging
• Mobile access
• Call list management

Pros

• Excellent interface and is very user-friendly
• Starting takes very little time making it perfect for meetings
• Less internet bandwidth is required

Cons

• The application occasionally crashes
• Not all chat messages are received

Pricing

• Pricing begins from $19.99 per user per month.

4. Zoom

One of the top video conferencing software programs is Zoom. You can communicate with coworkers more effectively, while meetings are not an option. It has also been incredibly successful for social occasions. For all-sized teams who wish to communicate and do their daily duties with the least amount of disruption, Zoom is an essential tool. 

Zoom was apparently utilized by more than half of Fortune 500 organizations in 2019, and in 2020 it reached new heights, registering a 227 percent growth year over year.

Features

• Group Live Chat
• Audio Conferencing
• Video Conferencing
• Password Protection
• In-Browser Application
• Participant Permissions
• One-Click Join

Pros

• Advanced features available
• Zoom is available for free
• Support for Google Calendar
• Simple to use

Cons

• The baseline for video is not HD
• Variable cloud file sizes

Pricing 

• Pricing starts from $161.04 per host per year.

5. Vonage

Businesses may more easily integrate communication into their apps, thanks to Vonage. It is a complete communication platform that provides a variety of phone, message, and video APIs. The program offers premium voice and messaging services, worldwide coverage, and cutting-edge capabilities. It delivers dependable, secure, and scalable communication solutions that are simple to integrate with current systems. Also, Vonage is extremely customizable. 

Features

• Desktop & plug-ins
• Virtual Receptionist
• Personal Fax Service
• Paperless fax service
• Call park and visual call park

Pros

• Technical support and account management are very good
• Rates of deliverability are high
• Advanced reporting capabilities
• User-friendly interface

Cons

• Latency
• Written documentation should be much better

Pricing

• Pricing is based on individual quotes. 

Challenges In Hosted PBX Solutions

While a hosted PBX system offers many advantages for firms, some challenges need to be reckoned with. Here are some of their top challenges:

1. Interference

   Interference is one of the main issues with hosted PBX solutions. Because a hosted PBX system needs a connection to the internet, your calls' quality may be impacted by any connection interruption or disruption. Dropped calls, poor call quality, and other communication problems may result from this. A variety of issues with your internet service provider, such as network congestion, bandwidth restrictions, and other problems, might result in interference.

2. Restrictions Of Existent Networks

   Finally, existing networks can present a challenge when implementing a hosted PBX system. This is especially true if your network equipment is ancient or your phone system is older. In a few cases, you may require to upgrade your network infrastructure or invest in new equipment to support a hosted PBX system. This can add to the cost and complexity of implementing a new phone system.

Current Trends In Hosted PBX Systems

They are becoming increasingly popular, with sales up from 3.6% in 2010 to 18.1% of the total PBX market in 2019. Here are some current trends in hosted PBX systems:

1. Cloud-based solutions

   Cloud phone systems for enterprises are becoming more popular due to their advanced features and ease of use. A vast range of digital features, such as auto attendants, integrated video conferencing, and more, are available when switching from a traditional PBX to a cloud-based solution.

2. UCaaS

   Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is another trend in hosted PBX systems. UCaaS integrates various communication channels into one platform, including voice calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, email, and more.

3. AI integration

   The integration of artificial intelligence is also becoming more common in hosted PBX systems. AI can assist in enhancing call routing and customer service by analyzing data from previous customer interactions.

4. Mobile-first approach

   An increasing number of hosted PBX providers are focusing their solutions on mobile devices because more and more workers are working from home or while on the go. Offering mobile apps that let consumers use their cell phones to make calls and access other functions is an example of this.

5. Customization options

   Hosted PBX providers offer more customization options than ever before, allowing firms to tailor their phone systems to their individual needs. This includes custom greetings, call routing rules, and more.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is a variety of PBX software on the market, each with special characteristics and advantages. For companies of all sizes wishing to enhance their communication and collaboration processes, the products outlined above are excellent choices. Both programs provide complete, dependable, secure, and highly customizable solutions. The finest PBX software for a firm will depend largely on its unique requirements and objectives.