Considerations before Installing a Virtual PABX

Considerations before Installing a Virtual PABX

In our article, How to Choose the Right PABX we listed all the aspects you need to consider when deciding on which type of PABX you are needing for your business, be it a Virtual, Hybrid or Conventional PABX system. Below however we go into more intricate detail as to which questions to ask when deciding on the size and complexity of a Virtual PABX system to use for your business.

1. How many users, and what kind of users will the Virtual PABX need to support?

This step is not as simple as counting the number of people in your office. There will be some lines that don’t get used very often such as a warehouse or server room and others that get used more frequently such as in a call centre. Similarly if many people work from home, you will more than likely need a solution that is easy to set up and administer from home. Determine these and calculate the number and type of extensions you need.

2. Estimate how many concurrent calls the Virtual PABX needs to support

The general rule here is that your virtual PABX may need to handle anywhere from three to five simultaneous calls per every 10 employees for ordinary businesses or nine to 10 calls per 10 employees for call centres. This will determine whether you need PSTN or SIP (VoIP) circuits, or a combination of both. SIP (VoIP) trunks for example run over your broadband Internet connection in the exact numbers you need.

3. Decide what type of phones your Virtual PABX system will need

Those extensions that don’t get used very often such as in a warehouse will only need a very simple phone. Some of your users may only need a simple dial tone, voicemail and transfer button while others may need very complex systems such as Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) capability, multiple lines and/or speakerphones.

4. What are the options for remote sites on the Virtual PABX?

Ask questions such as; can your branches share voicemail? Are you needing to transfer calls between branches? Do all calls need to be directly routed to branches or can they go through head office?

5. Analyse how much you currently pay on long distance calls.

In this step you will need to understand how much you currently pay for a PSTN phone service. Add your long-distance charges for calls such as those between branches and overseas.

6. Determine what each of these would cost on various options

Determine what the above calls would cost on various combinations of PSTN lines and SIP (VoIP) trunks that are possible with premise or hybrid-hosted IP Virtual PABXs. Or perhaps it is cheapest to use only SIP (VoIP) trunks, in which case you are able to consider VoIP for all your businesses long distance calls.

Once you have taken into account the above considerations, you are well on your way to understanding which PABX will work best for your business.

For the best advice as to which one is right for your business, the best deals and service on all PBX and Virtual PABX systems that suit your business needs. Contact ECN today.

ECN is a leading player in the delivery of affordable and accessible converged voice and data solutions that are at the forefront of the next generation network. Contact ECN today
for all your business communication needs.

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