PBX Phone System Guide: Quick Intro

Invented in 1876, the telephone, and the technology related to it, has significantly advanced over the past 145 years. Telephones, and now cell phones, are among the most important elements of communications.

All businesses, regardless of industry, must efficiently direct incoming and outgoing calls. Fortunately, technical advancements such as the PBX phone system can accomplish precisely that—effective direction of all calls.

In this PBX phone system guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about what it is and why businesses need a PBX phone system in the sections below.

What is A PBX Phone System?

When researching phone options, one of the most prevalent terms organizations come across is PBX. With so many telecommunication abbreviations, learning about a new one might be difficult.

The PBX phone system has changed the way companies and industries manage incoming and outgoing calls, providing a significant improvement over many prior restrictions.

The primary purpose of a PBX phone system is to link individuals at work. This service is not suitable for home phone lines or mobile services.

PBX provides the important voice functions organizations require for day-to-day operations. Business hours and extension dialing to music on hold are among the features available, as are phone conferencing, call routing after hours, and client waiting for queues.

Ideally, a PBX is a private telephone network owned, utilized, and controlled by a company rather than a telecommunications company. It is not used for exchanges to link individuals for public usage.

PBX phone systems historically employed analog technology. However, with most businesses using the internet to exchange video and voice communications, PBX systems have also gone the digital route.

Why Businesses Need A PBX Phone System

PBX systems make it possible for businesses to offer individual extensions to their employees. This implies that a firm requires fewer phone lines from its phone carrier, which saves money. As a result, PBX is now one of the most popular types of corporate phone services available.

The type of PBX system and how it is implemented determines the way the service works. For example, older PBX systems were fully on-site, meaning that all the components required were physically installed in your business.

Advances in voice-over-internet (VoIP) technology, however, allow modern enterprises to take advantage of host PBX, a cloud-based solution that minimizes infrastructure.

Different Types of PBX Systems

Three types of PBX systems are used by businesses: traditional landline systems make use of hardware-intensive landline PBX boxes, whereas internet-based systems make use of IP, hosted, or virtual PBX systems.

Traditional Analog PBX Phones

The analog PBX phone system is a conventional approach that is familiar to nearly everyone and has been used for a long time. The public switch telephone system connects to POT connection (Plain Old Telephones) analog lines (PSTN)

By physically connecting fax and phone equipment via copper cabling, PBX manages calls between them. The PBX moves call between corporate phones; incoming and outgoing calls are routed via the system.

The essential component of an analog system is that it connects to a POTs line that predates the internet, limiting the system’s ability to offer high-definition voice conversations. Furthermore, older PBX systems are incapable of handling many current phone services such as voicemail-to-email.

Calls received are physically routed to the PBX and then forwarded to other phones via copper wire. The analog PBX gear is fairly large and is usually housed in a telecom closet in an office. Due to its age, this technology does not support the vast majority of functions desired and required in workplace settings.

IP PBX

IP PBX systems (also called VoIP PBX) require a physical box, but instead of analog signals they deliver calls and receive them over the internet. Ethernet cables connect your IP PBX box to the internet instead of traditional fixed lines.

While Internet calls might save you money in the long term, your firm must still buy an expensive hardware box. If your company already has desk phones, IP boxes are a wonderful way to use VoIP technology without having to replace your complete phone infrastructure.

With an IP PBX system, your company can employ sophisticated call capabilities such as callout routing, voicemail, and automated attendants.

Calls are routed through a regular phone provider or over VoIP through SIP trunking. A SIP trunk can be configured for use with an Internet service provider. Your provider may already offer this service (ISTP).

Hosted PBX

A hosted VoIP, hosted PBX or virtual PBX is a system in which the telecom provider is in charge of housing the IP PBX and managing the technology required to deliver services to the telecom system.

It moves the system from your closet to the “cloud,” which is managed by the telecom operator, and allows the company to connect to it over the public Internet.

From a company standpoint, this is a more convenient option because it eliminates PBX maintenance expenses, service outages, and the inconvenience of software upgrades. The service provider takes charge of all of these duties.

Bottom Line

The reason companies make and receive telephone calls has transformed PBX systems forever. When combined with VoIP technology, you can carry your company with you wherever you go, whether on a hard phone, desktop, tablet, or mobile device.

Each choice has advantages and disadvantages. Understanding what works best for a specific type of organization is critical in determining whether or not the PBX system is the appropriate decision.

The importance of efficient communications systems in business is widely recognized. Using a dependable PBX, you could get far more service from your telephone system.

You do not need to be a telecommunications expert, but it is important to consult with one to ensure that your business has the system and configurations that are best for your business.