All the changes can be made via the cloud from anywhere even though the PBX phone system is physically on-premise.

A PBX can connect to traditional phone lines or IP services commonly referred to as SIP or VOIP. Either way your users and callers will experience one good call after another whether making calls between phones in the office or a world away. The only real risk to call quality is bad cabling in a facility or a poor internet connection. Bad cabling can and should be fixed. If you have a poor internet connection then simply connecting the PBX to traditional copper phone lines is going to be the correct approach and really is going to steer you towards a PBX as the other options available are highly dependent on quality internet broadband.

Modern PBX’s are very low maintenance. The hardware is simple with no moving parts and typically have a mean time between failure of over 12 years. Said differently the hardware is tough stuff that keeps on ticking.

The software is updated with feature releases and patches remotely via a cloud service. Not a lot for a local administrator to due assuming the organization maintains their rights to software updates with their vendor of choice. Maintaining these rights and services is usually low cost and is oftentimes built into the overall fees versus a separate charge.

PBX’s have kind of gotten a bad rap on this front but its really not deserved. Here is why. Most PBX’s organizations purchase or lease with a buyout at the end. Its become a little out of fashion to buy a phone system because buyers are concerned the technology they are buying will become out of date in 3-5 years and they’ll have to start all over again. That may be true but its unlikely. Most organizations with less than 150 employees aren’t changing radically over a 5-10 year period. Their growth is 8-10% per year and PBX’s are actually staying quite current with technology trends (other than video) without having to go through replacements. So, when you pencil out a PBX over a 5-7 year period (which is still conservative) they actually end up costing you less than other options.

Generally an organization should budget $400-$700 per handset for a turnkey solution with maintenance for 5 years when considering a PBX. The more handsets involved the lower the per handset cost will be as labor and centralized hardware is spread out.

First Call sells and delivers PBX’s as well as other options. We are always happy to “do the math” for our clients across our solutions to insure they are not only getting the right technology but also that the dollars are optimized for their needs.

Organizations big and small should consider Microsoft 365 Business Voice as their phone system of choice if a couple of factors are true:

– Already are using Microsoft 365 for email, Microsoft Office Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and like Microsoft Teams for meetings, chat and collaboration and video.

– Want to make and take calls using the Microsoft Teams application to any one in the world versus via a 3rd party local app or browser based soft phone.

– The organization has clarity on the traditional phone system features it requires and has reviewed the capabilities with a qualified consultant to determine any gaps in Microsoft Business Voice.

These solutions can cover small intimate spaces or large ones. They can be as simple as a conference room phone to touch panels, dynamic cameras and multiple microphones and audio speakers placed strategically in the room.

Another nice thing is these solutions will work with other meeting platforms so if you need to connect into a Zoom, GoToMeeting or WebEx they work just like traditional voice and video solutions.

Small businesses can also just use their cell phones or get a key system to share a few lines within a single facility.

The best thing to do is get some advice from a qualified and trusted vendor. Be honest with them about what your needs are now and how your needs might change in the future to avoid getting married to something that isn’t a long term fit.

Also be wary of any long term telephone line / carrier contracts. If you do need traditional phone lines or SIP trunks try and keep the contract short and flexible so you don’t end up stuck with the wrong technology or service for a long period of time.

By choosing a national vendor does this mean there is no local relationship or support?

It depends. There are companies that work directly with the customer. There are other companies that work with partners.

First Call recommends providers like 8×8 or Nextiva because they are heavy hitters nationally and internationally but also because they leverage local partners to ensure they deliver the best of both worlds to their clients.