Cloud Hosted PBX in South Africa: Work from Anywhere

Cloud Hosted PBX in South Africa: Work from Anywhere

Have you been dreaming about having that freedom of working from anywhere you want and not confined to your office desk here in South Africa?

Well, today, you are in for a treat.

I am talking about a cloud hosted PBX system in South Africa.

In a nutshell, a PBX system is a network of office telephone lines that you normally use within the company to communicate both within and of course with the outside world.

In this article, I will take you from the basics of what a cloud hosted PBX system entails in South Africa, to that crucial point of revealing one of the best cloud hosting companies ever founded in Africa.

For this reason, you should stick around because everything will be worth it in the end.

What is a PBX system?

A PBX system is perhaps what you know as the Private Branch Exchange, which doesn’t deviate at all because actually, PBX is an acronym.

You might be accustomed to calling it back in the office, ‘the PBX.’

What it does is, allow routing of calls to multiple destinations (telephone lines) within the company. It doesn’t stop there.

A PBX system can transfer calls to a voicemail box of multiple recipients, ACD queues, ring groups and much more.

Basically, a PBX is a telephone system within the company that facilitates the transfer of calls to multiple extension points (handsets) without the need for each handset having its own landline from the organization.

Looking at it this way, you can tell right away that PBX is going to save you money.

But actually, that would be an understatement.

Why?

Because as we will see later, a PBX system like cloud hosted PBX in South Africa, has so much to offer and you can turn a blind eye.

Continue reading to find out more.

How does a PBX phone system work in South Africa?

It is safe to assume that in most companies here in South Africa, there are more than a dozen employees.

As such, having a PBX phone system makes so much sense in terms of productivity and delivering the promise.

In most cases, the company has installed one main phone extension on the receptionist’s desk. Here, he/she answer all the incoming calls and direct them to the specific offices or departments as per the caller’s needs.

And that is how a PBX practically works.

But within this complex system lies a simple principle.

Do you still remember back in the day when you had to make a call using a general switchboard managed by a team of tired operators?

Well, maybe you don’t. But I bet you have seen it in movies.

So, this was the scenario back then:

Whenever there was an incoming call, the operator in charge would have to manually plug in the telephone line so that the call can be directed to its destination.

That’s how routing calls worked back then.

Fast forward to several years and technological groundbreaking transformations we have today, yet the PBX phone system in South Africa still works with the same principle but with one big difference.

Instead of manually plugging and unplugging of telephone lines, we have huge computers doing that now.

As such, a PBX requires a computer to manage the incoming and outgoing calls switching.

Additionally, it includes a network of lines within the system. Though the presence of a computer to handle the switching tasks, there is a dashboard for the human operator.

What you just read is commonly known as the in-house PBX system.

What is the in-house PBX system?

Well, as you will see in a second, there are several types of PBX systems.

But the major difference comes when you are actually installing the system within your company.

An in-house PBX system is the one you have to have physical phone system hardware installed within the company.

That is why you might find other people calling it the onsite-PBX phone system. While this system may sound fancy, it comes with a lot of drawbacks and among them is huge expenses.

You see, since you have to install it physically, it means you will need to acquire the necessary hardware, additional gadgets, and not to forget the installation fees.

Enter the cloud-hosted PBX system in South Africa.

Companies have been rushing to acquire hosted phone systems and for a good reason.

What is a cloud hosted PBX system and why should you pay attention to it?

As we have seen, an on-site PBX phone system needs to be physically installed within the premises of your company. Not with cloud hosted PBX system in South Africa.

How?

Forget about investing in hardware, installation fees, software and of course the most dreaded maintenance procedures as you would with in-house phone systems.

Remember the phone lines crisscrossing the floor back at your office? That is a thing of the past now.

PBX system has now been moved to a cloud where the bulky hardware is located offshore and managed by a third-party company like Truehost South Africa.

First, a cloud is a technical term referring to a network of servers hosted and accessed through the internet. What you should know is that cloud hosting is made up of more than one servers located in different locations around the world. 

As s result, you can be sure that in case one server fails, there won’t be any downtime in your end because the other servers will kick in. actually, cloud hosting in South Africa is a cool and crucial subject, but unfortunately, it is outside the scope of this guide on cloud hosted PBX system in South Africa.

Now that the PBX systems have moved to the cloud, how then can you access it?

This is how this will work out:

I had mentioned that the hosted phone system is run by a 3^rd party hosting provider, right?

Well, all you have to do access it is pay a small monthly fee to access the software and hardware and get rid of everything that needs to be installed onsite.

With such an arrangement, besides the subscription fee, the only expense here is the handsets and the router.

Now, make no mistake, since your PBX system has been moved online doesn’t mean that some services and features will no longer be available.

In fact, with a cloud hosted phone system, you can still access your fax, voicemail, have automated attendants, host conference calls, etc.

The only change here is that the complex system has been lifted off your hands and is now hosted and managed by a hosting company from a remote location. This way, you can now concentrate on scaling your business operations and delivering on your promise to the customers.

What you get when you acquire hosted PBX in South Africa

Having said all that about cloud based pbx system in South Africa, here are some of the top reasons why should make that shift now:

Hosted PBX is reliable

As you may have already experienced, traditional PBX systems were very unreliable, thanks to frequent breakdowns and maintenance issues. this is a thing of the past with a cloud based PBX system.

Your systems are hosted on the cloud which offers 99.99% reliability. And in case things go south, we have a team of experts in standby to attend to your needs 24/07 through phone, email, or chat.

Additionally, you can count on a hosted PBX system to deliver quality calls without lapses, delays, and clear reception. Remember this is one of the best web hosting companies in South Africa we are talking about.

Cloud PBX saves you money

Hosted PBX phone systems is humble when it comes to digging into your hard-earned money. You don’t need repairs and maintenance costs as you would with a traditional PBX. Instead, cloud PBX is hosted by a third-party vendor that handles everything. Additionally, you save a lot of money in setting up the infrastructure since it leverages the internet to deliver your messages.

Cloud based PBX gives you mobility and portability

In today’s business world, most companies and organizations are turning to remote working lifestyle. You and your employees can travel all over the world and still be able to discharge your responsibilities, thanks to cloud PBX.

Sadly, this isn’t possible with on-site PBX because you are tied to your telephone desk line.

Also, since this is hosted on the cloud, it means you can access communication tools anywhere as long as there is a reliable internet connection. Therefore, you can carry your communication devices across the world and be sure to stay on the loop.

Hosted PBX is simple and easy to use

Before, it would take several months to acquire and install the PBX system because of many boxes you had to first check before moving ahead. And you had to have the know-how to operate it which wasn’t easy.

But now with cloud based PBX system in South Africa, you can be up and running in a span of one day. It is made of a few uncomplicated components your employees can easily wrap their heads around.

What to do next

You now know about cloud hosted PBX in South Africa, what it is and why you should get it.

But if there are any questions you feel hasn’t been answered, like the hosted PBX pricing, VoIP calling rates in South Africa, among others, follow this link to learn more.