Virtual PBX (from the English Hosted PBX ) is a service for companies that replaces a physical office PBX and even a call center . The essence of the service is that the client (company) receives an IP-PBX for physical use, physically located at the provider (hence the word virtual) and pays a one-time cost of connecting the service or subscription / rental for use on an ongoing basis.
The virtual PBX service is provided by Internet service providers, IP telephony , as well as various telecom operators, often as part of a universal service package .
Virtual PBX provides all the standard features of IP-PBX: multi-channel number, call recording, voice greetings, call transfer - all this and much more is available through the Internet without purchasing specialized switching equipment. End users use VoIP phones or IP telephony software applications.
Many companies offer minimal features in the basic configuration (for example, 1 city number and 2-5 end-user accounts without any advanced PBX functions ). The expansion of the number of employees and additional features in this case are activated for an additional fee.
Technical Features
From a technological point of view, the Virtual PBX service can be presented in different ways. Each approach has its own characteristics - advantages and disadvantages (from the point of view of the owner), but most often the choice of one or another method is due to the fact that the organization itself is used - the landlord as a technological platform.
Some representatives of the Virtual PBX market offer several options to choose from or combine methods.
- Equipment provision - an organization is provided with a subscriber VoIP gateway or server with software that is installed at the landlord’s premises, and on the client’s side, hardware IP phones, software telephony applications (softphones) or specialized programs that are focused on the business tasks of the corporate client are configured ( CRM client, etc.)
- Providing the platform - to the corporate client is allocated a separate virtual machine with the required operating system and software - softswitch (for example Asterisk or Elastix ) or a similar communication application (for example Microsoft Lync , or as it is now called Skype for Business )
- Provision of a domain (IP Centrex) - a separate logical entity is allocated for the organization of a company owner in a softswitch - a domain that is a virtual representation of a PBX with its own settings. Similar possibilities are in softswitches Communigate Pro and RTU
- Combining regular switch users into a common tariff plan with a common short numbering plan and additional specific features - voice menus - autoinformer - IVR , direct employee landline or mobile number ( DID ), virtual conference room, automatic distribution of calls to internal corporate client numbers (mini call center). Thus, mobile operators usually work; I offer corporate customers a virtual PBX service under the term FMC .
The management of a virtual PBX can be available to the representatives of the tenant’s company (usually via a web-based graphical interface or a special application for a PC or mobile device) and / or performed exclusively by the landlord’s specialists at the request of customers.
Virtual PBXs in Russia
The virtual PBX market in Russia numbers 72,000 companies at the end of 2014 (according to analysts at J'son & Partners Consulting).
See also
- Office PBX
- Centrex
- Fixed Mobile Convergence
- Virtual office
- IP telephony