Before the Internet, only large corporations could afford professional business phone systems, and entrepreneurs were left in the cold. Now that the Internet has leveled the playing field, all businesses—big or small—can get in the game. With a virtual PBX, business telephony is now available via an Internet download. What this means for small businesses is that they too can boast a business telephone system with extensions, rerouting options, automatic greetings, and other features that used to be the domain of big business.
- Cost—A virtual PBX doesn’t have the same infrastructure as a legacy phone; the entire service is hosted on your providers’ offsite system. Most providers charge between $20 and $35 a month, which is a fantastic deal for businesses with international customers or remote workers. Even though your system is offsite, you still have complete access to all of your features. Another cost saving feature of a virtual PBX is you don’t have to dedicate a large IT staff to maintaining the system. Some maintenance and updates are actually done automatically through VoIP—since your system is constantly connected to their network, you will receive the newest features as soon as they are available.
- Custom Number—When you switch to a virtual PBX, you can keep the local number that clients already recognize. This is a huge advantage, especially if you have spent a lot of money on advertising your number.
- Efficiency—With a virtual PBX, your business phone system is available anytime, anywhere. With what feels like a nearly limitless amount of extensions, you can configure your landlines, mobiles, or international numbers to all ring from the same number without your clients knowing the difference.
- Integration—Your phone number doesn’t have to be for taking calls with a virtual PBX. You can also use it for receiving faxes and emails. It’s also easy to add an automated phone answering system to your number, as well as conference calling and transfers. When your business phone system is virtual, it means that remote workers can access all of the company’s communication tools with only an Internet connection.
- Room for Growth—One of the best things about a virtual PBX is how easily it can adapt to a growing business. As you add more employees, just purchase more phones and add them to your current plan. If you have to expand to a bigger office, there is no need to hire a moving company—just put your phones in a moving crate and take it over to the new location!
About The Author
