Using a Hosted Virtual Switchboard and PBX

Outsourced Phone System

Business can benefit from substantial cost savings on infrastructure and maintenance by using a outsourced phone system, or Virtual PBX, which offers features usually available on in-house systems such as voicemail, queuing, call distribution, recording and management, but are instead hosted off-site and managed through a single web interface.

Virtual PBX can work with existing fixed and mobile phones on one or more company sites, adding additional features to an existing system, or to create a total telecom solution. This additionally allows migration to VoIP, where voice and data calls share the same network.

Call Handling

Calls can be handling via an existing phone number or a supplied single non-geographic national number. Timers can determine whether to answer callers with voice menus, automated attendant and voicemail options before forwarding to a user or group of users. Callers can be connected to a landline, DDI extension of a phone system, mobile or VoIP handset or softphone.

Users of the virtual phone system can be located anywhere and on various types of phone. As such calls can be connected to groups depending on requirements and expertise.

Web Management

Virtual PBXs are usually managed via a web interface, or mobile phone login, with administrators controlling call handling - timers, queuing, messages, alerts etc. - with reports covering all types of call activity.

Individual users can log in to change parameters such as which phone they are currently logged in on, to listen to voicemail messages and to send messages to other users.

VoIP Integration

Virtual PBX systems also allow calls to be made using VoIP technology i.e. calls made using the internet via a PC softphone or suitable VoIP handset, with the consequential cost savings.

Virtual PBX as DR Backup

Outsourced phone systems, as supplied by companies such as PhonePresence, are fully resilient with the system being hosted in multiple locations and switching between locations in the event of failure in any part of the service.

As an alternative to supplying an entire business phone system, a virtual PBX can be used to provide disaster recovery backup for an existing in-house phone system. In the event of an unforeseen outage with in-house business communications, a hosted DR service will replace some or all aspects of the existing system connecting callers with staff and mitigating or eliminating the effects of any downtime.