You might have heard the terms hosted VoIP or hosted PBX from your VoIP service provider in Singapore, but what do these mean and what benefits can your business get from this type of service?
What is a VoIP System and What Does It Do?
VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol has all the benefits of traditional telephony, but it does more by harnessing the potential of new technology. Its most basic definition is the transmission of voice over a digital network, but a lot of things happen in the process. Using VoIP doesn’t necessarily mean your company will solely be relying on the Internet, but you will be relying on the same protocols that the Internet uses. The protocol in VoIP Singapore refers to the set of rules used to communicate.
The IP or Internet Protocol is the basis of IP networking used in most public, private, corporate, cable, and wireless networks by uniting a company’s various locations into one communications network. Unlike traditional telephony, however, VoIP has more support and features.
One type of VoIP service cannot be used by companies of all sizes in Singapore, that is why some services are designed for the specific needs of a business. For example, some companies are able to host VoIP and PBX within the premises in an arrangement called on-site or on-premises PBX systems; while others prefer to have a hosted PBX system or hire a third-party to provide the hardware and software.
What Does Hosted VoIP Mean?
Hosted VoIP system is just another name for hosted PBX, in which hosted means that the hardware and the PBX are hosted at another location (or off-site location) away from where the service is used, such as in your office premises. The terms could also mean that the business has its own VoIP Singapore system, but hosted PABX is hosted by a VoIP data provider center.
• PBX Phone System
PBX means private branch exchange, or the internal switching of an office’s telephone system made up of different telephone system branches that are linked together. For a medium or large-scale business enterprises that have a lot of phones, it is impractical to get a separate phone line for each one, but a hosted PABX can link all the internal phones. These in turn will be linked to the external world, so that clients, customers, and employees outside the office can make and receive calls from the company. This is why most companies have one or two phone numbers you can connect to.
A PBX phone system has the following roles: create connections by functioning as a switch for different phone users; ensure that the connections are clear by keeping all the resources in proper order; terminate calls correctly if the user has hung up the phone; and to record all the data regarding each call.
• Hosted PBX
Keeping that in mind, hosted PBX or virtual PBX means that all the features of a traditional PBX phone system is included, but the switching is located at another site and only the phones are found in the office premises. A PBX, however, is not similar to a traditional phone, because you can use extensions to make calls within the network.
A hosted PBX in VoIP Singapore has the same benefits as the traditional PBX phone system; specifically, it has the following functions: provide the business with one phone number that individuals will use to contact the company; allow internal calls between different stations in the company; include automated and customizable greetings; use of an automatic call distribution; include different management features; include custom music for callers on hold; record voice messages; and provide automated call answers and menu options for different extensions.
• IP PBX Phone System
An IP PBX telephone system combines the benefits of both the PBX phone system and the power of VoIP technology. IP PBX, therefore, stands for Internet Protocol private branch exchange. It’s an option that companies of any size should seriously consider if they want to have all the benefits of a PBX phone system. For small-scale companies, the extra features can help companies expand their market and make the business look more professional and attractive to clients.
Whether it’s a hosted VoIP system or an on-site VoIP system, an IP PBX telephone system has scalability, better management option, and more enhanced features than other VoIP services for businesses. Some experts consider hosted PABX telephone system as a full PBX system because of the following additional benefits: mobility, voice messaging, conferencing, measurement of important phone data, and supports both IP trunks and IP stations. The last benefit of VoIP Singapore, however, is only possible if your company is using the standard SIP (or session initiation protocol) to signal and control communication sessions.
Like cloud VoIP, which is also another option for small to medium-scale businesses, the IP PBX telephone system will not require the office to buy or upgrade its hardware, because it’s software-based. If you’re looking to improve your services in the future, the IP PBX telephone system is also easier to upgrade than other PBX systems.
What are the Benefits of a Hosted PBX Phone System?
A hosted PBS phone system will allow a company to save more for its information technology solutions, because there is no need to install, upgrade, troubleshoot, and operate the hardware and software needed. Whether it’s cloud VoIP for small businesses or an IP PBX telephone system for larger companies, there is no longer a need to plan and invest on PBX technology that have short replacement cycles as technology advances at a faster rate than ever.
What if you are planning to expand your business in Singapore? No worries there, because both the cloud VoIP and the hosted IP PBX telephone systems are easy to upgrade. You will only be paying for what your company needs at the moment and there will be no problems with blocking as the hosted PBX system grows along with your business.
