When You Should Graduate to Hosted PBX: Knowing the Difference Between Hosted and Virtual PBX Systems

For small business owners, finding a scaleable phone system that matches their needs is crucial: The right features, reliability, and price tag can mean a difference of thousands in income each month. Solopreneurs and companies with a few employees tend to choose virtual PBX systems to field incoming calls without too many bells and whistles weighting down their phone bill every month, but how is a business to know when to make the move to a more comprehensive hosted PBXsystem? And what’s the difference, anyway?

What is PBX Anyway?

Traditionally, “PBX” stands for “Public Branch Exchange”, referring to an in-house operator system that connects calls to employees from a single number – think the switchboard room in Mad Men. In the wake of online technology, though, PBX came to encompass an entirely different spectrum of capabilities and features. No longer a simple call operator, online PBX systems began to include services like auto-attendants, automatic call-forwarding and routing, conference calling, incoming and outgoing faxing, and voicemail to email services – all run through cloud-based systems. With this shift in service came a new tiering system to help distinguish the level of circuit-switching services a business might need, namely hosted and virtual PBX.

What’s the Difference Between Hosted and Virtual PBX?

Hosted PBX is a popular option for small to mid-sized businesses, offering robust inbound and outbound calling, a wide array of other business features, and essentially replacing the need for any other phone operating system (leading to big savings). Because Hosted PBX “hosts” all calls and transmits them through the cloud, businesses with multiple offices or multiple employees on the move can enjoy the freedom of calling and receiving calls from anywhere – all under the same provider.

Businesses can connect their mobile, landline, VoIP, and IP phones to their Hosted PBX service. Hardware installation depends on the Hosted PBX provider like «Hot Telecom»: some require businesses to purchase or rent an IP phone, while others provide apps and software for smart phone integration and video conferencing.

  • Who should use Hosted PBX? Hosted PBX works best for small businesses with upwards of 5 or 6 employees, and for businesses with small to mid-sized offices in several different locations. Because Hosted PBX tends to include monthly long-distance calling, businesses that conduct a lot of business overseas or cross-country will benefit from huge savings.
  • What to consider before signing up for Hosted PBX: First and foremost, Hosted PBX systems need a stable Internet connection that can support multiple extensions. While there are plenty of providers to choose from, it’s important to consider the needs of your business. For example: If your business predominantly operates in an office setting, it might be best to choose a Hosted PBX provider that relies on IP Phones more than their smartphone apps.
  • Virtual PBX , meanwhile, is an automated answering service, transferring incoming calls to existing phone lines (landline and mobile) through a cloud-based third-party provider. With no hardware to install, solopreneurs can take calls from anywhere they happen to be working from, allowing them to maintain an air of professionalism even when they’re not working from a traditional office environment. Virtual PBX providers most often offer a toll-free, 800, and sometimes even vanity numbers, thereby streamlining customer service and increasing conversions without making a big dent in overhead costs.
  • Who should use Virtual PBX? Virtual PBX systems are designed to make businesses seem bigger than they really are, and work best for one or two-person companies that need a bit more than traditional VoIP services like Skype and a bit less than a full Hosted PBX. Virtual PBX is perfect for home offices and for freelancers who travel frequently.
  • What to consider before signing up for Virtual PBX: Because Virtual PBX services are routed through a third-party, they tend to be more reliable than standard VoIP systems; however, they still require a fast internet connection at the office and on the go. For businesses that need more than a few extensions, Virtual PBX may become overloaded, in which case it’s better to take the next step to a hosted provider.

When To Switch to Hosted PBX

For businesses that are just starting out or working on a shoestring, it can be hard to know when to dive into the “deep end” of Hosted PBX. Still, there are a few telltale signs that you’re ready for the next step:

  1. The features your Virtual PBX provider offers just aren’t enough : There’s a limit to the features most Virtual PBX providers offer, which can hinder the professional appearance that a growing business needs to maintain. Hosted PBX services offer a range of business amenities that some Virtual PBX providers don’t, especially when it comes to integrations with other sales tools, such as SalesForce.
  2. You’re consistently going over your monthly outbound minutes: Since most Virtual PBX providers offer incoming call routing only, billing has a tendancy to mount quickly. Hosted PBX services provide both incoming and outgoing calling at a fixed price per month (excluding overage charges, of course). This is especially useful for businesses that make and receive plenty of long-distance calls/month: Most Hosted PBX providers offer attractive deals on overseas calling, with some even offering foreign numbers for a fixed monthly or one-time price.
  3. You need more than 5 extensions: Virtual PBX services tend to be able to support one or two extensions with little effect on call quality, but may become unreliable once an office grows to require 5 to 15 extensions. In this case, a Hosted PBX system is what’s needed. Hosted PBX is especially useful for businesses with small to mid-sized call centers, as they offer added call reliability without the investment of an on-premise PBX system.