The benefits of cloud PBX for your businesses
As businesses continue to adapt to the changing landscape of communication technologies, the traditional on-premises phone system is becoming a thing of the past.
Enter the cloud PBX, or Private Branch Exchange. A cloud PBX system is a phone system that is delivered over the internet, providing businesses with a range of benefits, including cost savings, scalability, remote accessibility, easy management and maintenance, and advanced features.
Explore the benefits of using a cloud PBX for your business and how it can help improve communication and productivity.
What is cloud PBX?
Cloud PBX, also known as hosted PBX, is a phone system delivered in the cloud. With a cloud PBX, all of the hardware and software needed to run the phone system are hosted off-site by a third-party provider rather than being located on-site.
The provider manages and maintains the system, including upgrades, backups, and security. Users access the system via an internet connection and can make and receive calls using a range of devices, including desk phones, softphones, and mobile devices.
What are the benefits of using a cloud PBX?
There are several benefits of using a cloud PBX for your business, including:
Cost savings
Cloud PBX systems do not require the upfront investment in hardware, software, and infrastructure that traditional on-premises phone systems do. This makes them a more cost-effective option, especially for small to medium-sized businesses.
Scalability
Cloud PBX systems are easily scalable, allowing businesses to add or remove users and features as needed. This makes them a flexible option that can grow and adapt to your business.
Remote accessibility
Cloud PBX systems can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing employees to work remotely and still have access to the same phone system and features as in the office. This is especially useful in today's increasingly mobile and distributed workforce.
Easy management and maintenance
Cloud PBX systems are managed and maintained by the provider, which means businesses do not need to worry about updates, backups, and security. This frees up IT resources to focus on other areas of the company.
Advanced features
Cloud PBX systems often come with advanced features, such as call routing, auto-attendants, call recording, and analytics. These features can improve productivity, enhance customer service, and provide valuable insights into call volume and usage patterns.
Using a cloud PBX can provide businesses with cost savings, scalability, flexibility, remote accessibility, easy management and maintenance, and advanced features.
What are the different types of cloud PBX software?
RingCentral
RingCentral is a cloud PBX platform that enables businesses to connect with customers, partners, and teams from anywhere, on any device. RingCentral offers a comprehensive solution for remote work and unified communication with a range of features such as voice, video, messaging, and conferencing.
Its flexible and scalable platform allows businesses to adapt to changing communication needs and improve productivity while reducing costs. RingCentral's intuitive user interface and advanced security features provide a seamless and secure communication experience for businesses of all sizes, making it a reliable choice for modern communication needs.
Features
- Voice calls and messaging
- Video conferencing
- Team messaging
- Online faxing
- Contact center
- Integration with over 200 apps
- Mobile app
- Admin tools
- Security and compliance
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Designed for companies large and small
- Unlimited number of users without adding servers
- Available in more than 40 countries
Cons
- Essentials plan is limited to 20 users and 100 toll-free minutes
- No video conferencing capabilities, certain integrations, or 24/7 technical support at entry level
FreshDesk Contact Center
FreshDesk is a cloud-based call center and customer engagement software developed by Freshworks. This cloud PBX system provides businesses with a range of features to help them manage their customer communications, such as call routing, call forwarding, IVR, and more.
FreshDesk allows companies to set up and manage their call center operations easily. It includes call recording, real-time call monitoring, and call analytics to help businesses optimize their customer service.
It also integrates with other business tools, such as CRM software, messaging platforms, and helpdesk software, to provide a complete solution for customer engagement.
Features
- Buy local phone numbers
- Mask calls
- International phone numbers
- Shared line
- Multi-level IVR
- SIP phones
- Real-time dashboard
- Call notes
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Lots of features
- Reliable customer service
- Scalable tools
Cons
- Limited support for physical devices
- Not the cheapest option, can add up quickly
Zoom
Zoom Phone is a cloud-based phone system designed for modern businesses that need a flexible and scalable communication solution.
As part of the Zoom platform, Zoom Phone offers a range of communication features that can be accessed from desktop or mobile devices, including voice and video calls, messaging, voicemail, call routing and transfer, call recording, and analytics and reporting.
With its intuitive user interface and advanced security features, Zoom Phone makes it easy for businesses to communicate and collaborate from anywhere while also reducing costs and simplifying IT management. Zoom Phone is a reliable choice for businesses of all sizes looking to streamline their communication and improve productivity.
Features
- Video conferencing and team chat
- Make and receive phone calls
- Operates on 256-bit AES-GCM encryption
- Available in 40+ different countries
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy to implement
- Simple to add or remove users
Cons
- Not always the best signal
- Needs more integration capabilities
Nextiva
Nextiva is a cloud-based communication platform that provides businesses with a suite of tools for voice, video, and messaging. The cloud PBX platform is designed to streamline business communication and improve customer experience by providing advanced features such as VoIP phone systems, unified communications, video conferencing, team messaging, and more.
Nextiva simplifies communication and collaboration by offering a single, integrated platform that brings together all the tools a business needs to communicate with its customers and team members. It provides advanced call routing and management features, as well as real-time analytics and reporting to help companies to optimize their customer service operations.
Features
- Auto-attendant
- Call reporting and analytics
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- Free local and toll-free numbers
- Audio and video conferencing
- Call encryption
- Voicemail to email
- Advanced call routing
- Call recording
- Call forwarding
- Click to call
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Enterprise-grade reliability
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Responsive customer service
- Easy to use
- Stable signal
Cons
- Basic integrations
- Adding contacts is not clear
Vonage
Vonage is a cloud PBX platform with a suite of voice, video, and messaging tools. The platform offers features such as VoIP phone systems, unified communications, video conferencing, team messaging, and more.
Vonage's core product is its cloud-hosted business phone system, which includes features such as call recording, call forwarding, virtual receptionist, and voicemail transcription. The platform integrates with other business tools such as Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and G Suite, providing a comprehensive solution for business communication needs.
In addition to its business phone system, Vonage offers a range of communication tools such as video conferencing, team messaging, and contact center solutions. Its flexible pricing plans cater to the needs of different businesses, from small startups to large enterprises.
Vonage is known for its reliability and customer support, and its platform is designed to be user-friendly, allowing businesses to set up and manage their communication tools with ease.
Features
- Click-to-Dial
- Paperless Fax
- Call Monitoring
- Local or Geographic Number
- Call Flip
- Virtual Receptionist
- Available for desktop and mobile
- Offers voice and video collaboration, plus chat
- Schedule meetings on the fly, right from your calendar
- Up to 200 attendees for training and webinars
- Record and share meetings easily
- Bandwidth prioritization
- Encryption
- Firewall optimization
- Congestion prevention
- Performance statistics
- Microsoft Teams integration
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Integration with Microsoft Teams
- Lots of features
- Easy-to-use apps
Cons
- Limited basic plan
- Hard to reach customer service team
- Add-on features are pricey
Aircall
Aircall is a cloud-based phone system that allows companies of all sizes to make and receive calls from anywhere using their internet connection, making it a flexible and scalable solution for remote teams.
Aircall also offers various features such as call routing, voicemail, call queuing, and analytics to help businesses manage their phone communication more efficiently. It can integrate with other business tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack, making it a seamless part of a company's communication stack.
Features
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
- Call Queuing
- Call Monitoring
- Call Whispering
- Call Barging
- Call Recording
- Call Analytics
- Real-Time Supervision
- Voicemail
- Business Hours
- Warm Transfer
- Shared Contacts
- Call Tags
- Power Dialer
- Click-to-Dial
- Integrations with CRM and Helpdesk Tools
- Remote Work Capabilities
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Call recording is included in basic plan
- Available in over 100 countries
- Easy integrations
Cons
- Pricing not adapted for smaller companies
- Three users required
- Not always compatible with existing phones
JivoChat
JivoChat is a cloud PBX platform with a suite of tools for businesses of all sizes, including live chat, social media integration, email integration, and telephony—all accessible from a single app.
JivoChat helps businesses improve their customer experience by providing a seamless communication channel between businesses and their customers. Its live chat feature allows businesses to connect with their website visitors in real time, while its social media integration feature allows businesses to manage their social media accounts from a single dashboard.
JivoChat's pricing plans are flexible and cater to the needs of businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.
Features
- Live Chat
- Omni-Channel
- CRM Integration
- Visitor Monitoring
- Proactive Chats
- File Sharing
- Chatbots
- Team Collaboration
- Mobile App
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Quick implementation
- Chatbot integration
- Email integration
Cons
- Hard to reach customer service
CloudTalk
CloudTalk is a cloud PBX system that offers businesses a wide range of advanced call center features to help them streamline their customer communication.
Businesses can make and receive calls from anywhere using an internet connection, making it a flexible and scalable solution for remote teams. With CloudTalk, companies can set up automated call routing, call queuing, and voicemail, among other features. The system integrates seamlessly with various business tools, such as CRM and Helpdesk software, and provides analytics and real-time monitoring to help businesses improve their customer service.
With its simple and intuitive interface, CloudTalk is an excellent choice for businesses looking to improve communication channels and boost customer satisfaction.
Features
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
- Call queuing
- Real-time monitoring
- Call recording
- Call analytics
- Integrations
- International numbers
- Voicemail
- Remote work capabilities
Pros and Cons
Pros
- User-friendly
- Cost-effective
Cons
- Need a stable internet connection at all times
8×8
8x8's cloud PBX platform features tools including call recording, call forwarding, virtual receptionist, and voicemail transcription. It also offers video conferencing and team messaging tools, allowing businesses to collaborate and communicate with team members from anywhere.
You can manage your customer interactions more efficiently via easy integrations with other business tools such as Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and G Suite.
8x8's flexible pricing plans cater to the needs of businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Its reliability, customer support, and user-friendly interface.
Features
- Call routing
- Voicemail
- Conference calling
- Call recording
- Caller ID
- Mobile app
- Integration
- Analytics and reporting
- Customizable settings
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Cost-effective
- Great integrations
Cons
- Complicated implementation
RingOver
Ringover is a cloud PBX platform that promotes collaboration and helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and customer support and sales teams operate more efficiently by providing them with access to a professional phone system directly within their CRM and Helpdesk.
Users benefit from unlimited calls, 1-click calling, automatic data syncing, call supervision, statistics, and analysis. The system is fully flexible and designed to improve employee mobility and collaboration.
With Ringover, users can obtain multiple numbers in over 65 destinations and easily switch between numbers depending on the type of call. In less than 5 minutes, users can create an on-site or remote call center using IVR numbers to enable effective call routing and queue management.
Features
- Business phone system
- Call forwarding service
- Video conference services
- IVR system
- VoIP phone system
- Power dialer
- Virtual phone number
- Instant messaging
- Internet fax service
- Click to call
- Unlimited call plan
- SMS for business
- Voicemail drop software
- Call tags
- Statistics and reporting
- Call monitoring
- Call whisper
- Call logs
- Call recording software
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Responsive customer service
- Easy to use
Cons
- Unstable call quality
Your takeaways about cloud PBX
Cloud PBX systems are a great way to give your business the flexibility, scalability, and savings it needs to take its phone system to the next level.
With cloud PBX, businesses can manage their phone systems from a web-based portal, eliminating the need for complex and expensive hardware installations.
Cloud PBX providers offer features such as voicemail transcription, call routing, call recording, and more, allowing businesses to improve their customer experience and streamline their communication operations.
Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, cloud PBX can help you save time and money, while providing you with the flexibility and features you need to succeed in today's business landscape.