What are the different types of PBX phone systems?

The phone call is still the first mode of contact between a business and a potential customer in many cases. This means that having a reliable and state-of-the-art PBX system is a crucial and vital decision for any organization. As technology has advanced, we have moved from analog exchanges to digital and virtual systems, which means that choosing the ideal phone system solution is becoming more difficult.

What is a PBX phone system?

PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange, which is a private telephone network used within a company. The users of this PBX share a series of external lines capable of making external telephone calls; these phone calls are made from the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

PBX phone systems used to be reserved for large businesses only, but over the years the prices to install and run have dropped significantly; which means that any business can now invest in an office phone system.

The features of PBX phone systems include; greeting messages, call hold, call conference, automatic call distribution, a directory of extension numbers and archiving of call logs. There are many other features available depending on the type of system you invest in and whether you need third-party plugins.

There are three main types of PBX phone systems

• Traditional PBX/Analog PBX

Traditional PBX or analog phone systems exist as a physical switchboard on your business premises. The overall costs of this type of PBX system may seem higher than other systems, but due to the scale and calculated costs per employee, the price actually decreases with the number of ports required.

Here, a phone booth is used that connects all the phone lines on the site (ISDN lines), the costs are usually higher due to installation, downtime and maintenance and support. As traditional PBX systems tend to be more complex and customized, a certified engineer is required to fix any issues.

Many companies prefer to operate traditional PBX phone systems with their own internal overhead. This is usually in the form of a communication room that is run by your IT team, it also gives you full ownership of the hardware unlike other PBX solutions. For businesses that operate out of a building, the PBX phone system can be just as beneficial as a virtual system.

• Hosted PBX

Since telephony has come a long way in recent years, the problem with installing a traditional or analog PBX system is that it starts to lose value as soon as it’s attached to the wall.

Adding new features to PBX systems requires significant engineering on the central on-site PBX, this can often mean that if you are growing rapidly and require urgent applications, this could be timely and cost-effective for your organization. With a hosted PBX, adding new features is as easy as downloading a new plugin for your web browser.

You can still have all the same benefits of a PBX, but your exchange box is virtually located and serviced by the telecom provider. Hosted PBX phone systems are the best small business phone systems as they do not require an in-house IT team to manage or maintain any hardware.

• VoIP/IP PBX

An IP PBX system is what is also known as a VOIP (Voice over IP) system and offers voice or video over a data connection. It can also interoperate with the traditional PSTN.

The IP PBX will convert voice to data and transfer it over the network as packets. Using data networks for voice can significantly reduce the cost of long distance and international phone calls; and significantly reduce the overhead of traditional line leases.

An IP PBX solution can also switch calls between VoIP and traditional phones while offering the same functionality of your traditional PBX phone system. It is different from a hosted or cloud-based solution, as the IP PBX is owned by the company, just like with a traditional PBX.

It can exist as a hardware-only or software-only solution.

costs

The cost of a PBX phone system will depend on the type of system, the features you require, and the number of extensions your business needs. To get an accurate idea of ​​the cost for your small business, you’ll need to contact a telecommunications company like Elite Telecom for a quote.