3CX Adds Another Reason Why Businesses Should Switch to an IP PBX

In a constantly changing business environment, the ability to stay ahead of market trends and rising technologies is important. One particular area of business that is constantly evolving is business communications and how employees stay connected to each other and their customer base. For decades, enterprises relied on traditional Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems for their business communication needs. But today, a majority of companies have moved away from complicated, traditional PBX systems in favor of faster and more advanced IP PBX solutions.

IP PBX systems use Internet Protocol (IP) data networks to enable phone calls instead of the analog technology used by traditional PBX systems. Switching to an IP PBX system brings tremendous benefits to companies, primarily savings on communication costs. But that’s not all that an IP PBX can offer your business.

Why Choose an IP PBX System

An IP PBX system is a powerful and important system that can do everything a traditional PBX does--and more. Besides the associated cost-saving benefits, choosing an IP PBX also offers several other invaluable features that make it an attractive option for enterprises:

• Ease of Installation and Configuration - Unlike traditional PBX systems that tend to be more complex (and usually require the expertise of a qualified installer or technician), IP PBX systems can easily be installed and configured by anyone proficient in networking and computers. This is because IP PBX systems are software-based solutions that often come with an easy-to-follow installation and configuration process.
• Ease of Management - An IP PBX is also simpler to manage, as most systems provide a web-based configuration interface that allows system administrators to maintain and make changes to the system whenever necessary. With a traditional solution, interfaces are often difficult to use and to navigate. This means that once the system has been installed, it will stay as is until a technician comes on site to inspect, fine-tune, or update the system.
• Scalability - Traditional PBX systems can bring a lot of headaches to businesses, especially as they hire more employees and need to scale the phone service. Adding phone lines or extensions often means that businesses have to buy additional hardware modules or upgrade to an entirely new system. An IP PBX, by contrast, provides businesses with tremendous flexibility when it comes to expanding or removing any number of lines, users, or extensions.
• Rich Set of Features - As today’s consumers and the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, simply being able to make or receive phone calls isn’t enough. IP PBX systems integrate a wide range of features that go beyond simple business calling, enabling users to become more efficient and productive across all of their activities. These include unified communications, video conferencing, instant messaging, call recording, mobile accessibility, presence, and so much more.
• Improved Productivity - With an IP PBX, enterprises can expect improved productivity from their teams since the system can easily be integrated with other business applications, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. Syncing a business PBX system with CRM tools allow teams to manage calls more effectively since inbound calls and customer records are automatically linked and logged.

Maximizing the Benefits of an IP PBX

Sophisticated phone systems used to be the domain of big businesses, but with the advent and easy access to new communication technologies such as IP PBX systems, even the smallest business can have a top-of-the-line phone service with a small business budget. And one provider is adding even more incentive for businesses to choose an IP PBX.

3CX, a developer of next generation software-based Unified Communications solutions, recently announced the release of PBX Express, a web-based wizard that enables users and resellers to easily setup a complete cloud PBX system within minutes. Amy Elliott, a Marketing Executive at 3CX, had this to say about their latest product development:

“Aside from being incredibly easy to use, and cutting down the deployment time to mere minutes, PBX Express allows users to install the PBX in their own cloud account, meaning that they can keep control of their PBX or their customers’ PBXs. Additionally, users can make use of the 3CX PBX Edition, which is free and includes 8 simultaneous calls, 5 video conferencing participants, 1 SIP and free DNS hosting for one year. No cloud account? Trial a demo with 3CX for free.”

PBX Express lets users complete the setup of their cloud PBX system in as easy as 8 steps. “Even a novice can have their PBX up and running in no time,” said Elliott. Users are first required to answer essential questions. These include their preferences for their system, such as hostname, extension length, timezone, and cloud provider. Once the installation is complete, users can access more advanced configuration in the management console of the phone system.

What Users Can Expect from 3CX PBX Express

PBX Express is suitable for small businesses that seek a full-featured PBX system that runs in the cloud at a fraction of the cost of other cloud solutions. Aside from a quick and easy installation process, here’s what users can expect from the 3CX PBX Express tool:

• Flexibility - Users have complete control over their choice of SIP trunks and devices, including softphones and smartphone clients for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
• Features - With PBX Express, users can also take advantage of a wide range of productivity-boosting features. Features include presence, chat, and integrated video conferencing as well as unlimited extensions, 8 simultaneous calls and 5 web conferencing participants for free.
• Free - According to Elliott, “PBX Express is not actually the solution, however, businesses should definitely try it out and it costs nothing and takes just a few minutes to use and have the PBX up and running.” Elliott also said that PBX Express offers a great opportunity for smaller businesses to get enterprise level communications, and for larger businesses to test what 3CX has to offer. When it comes to resellers, Elliott said it’s an excellent tool for quickly setting up customer’s PBX whilst retaining control. “We’ve ensured that every partner is assigned their customer’s PBX installation by allowing them to enter their Partner ID during the setup process,” she explained.

For more information on 3CX or to try out the PBX Express tool, please visit 3CX website.

About 3CX

A 100% channel company, 3CX helps businesses cut telco costs while improving productivity with their affordable software-based and open standards IP PBX solution. 3CX includes integrated WebRTC web conferencing, softphones for Mac and Windows and smartphone clients for Android, iOS and Windows phones to offer clients a complete Unified Communications package out of the box.