Hosted PBX Phone Systems – CLOUD BASED PHONE SYSTEMS FOR BUSINESS
NBN ready Hosted or Virtual PBX.
Untimed Local & national calls.
Low Cost Mobile Calls.
Business Grade VoIP Quality.
Australian based Sales & Support Staff.
The ideal SME Phone System.
Easy & cost effective to scale up or down.
A cost effective alternative to Telstra DOT.
No maintenance contracts.
Easy to relocate to your new site.
WHAT DO I GET WITH MY HOSTED PBX?
On each Standard Licence you get access to Line Hunt, Voice Mail to Email, Music/Messages on Hold, After hrs Messages, & Call Management, Auto Attendant
Things you need to know
1.In order to access the Hosted PBX Service, you will need a dedicated fixed line broadband Internet connection, such as ADSL 2+, NBN, SHDSL or Fibre and an IP Phone. You may need extra hardware depending on your set up e.g. router, switches.
2.We only supply a Hosted PBX Service accessed with hardware supplied or approved by us, using a broadband ADSL or SHDSL service supplied by us to our specifications. The Service is designed to allow users to bring their own device and self-configure their equipment, but we do not offer any guarantee or assurance that all devices will be compatible and function with the Service and support will be limited to providing system settings that can be entered on your BYO equipment.
3.The broadband speed required for the Service will depend largely on your network demands. Data transmission demands on your network may cause the bandwidth available for voice transmission to be limited if voice and data share the same connection. We require a minimum 67kbps bandwidth in both directions for good quality calls.
What is Hosted PBX and how is it different from my traditional PBX?
A Hosted PBX phone system is quite different from a traditional Phone System.
Traditional office phone systems are called PBXs (Private Branch Exchanges) or PABX (Private Automated Branch Exchange). They connect 2 or more users together as well as provide functions such as Voice Mail,
Music and Messages on Hold, After Hrs Messaging, Call Forwarding to make business communications very efficient.
A Traditional PBX is located in the business premises and connect to the outside world via PSTN or ISDN Phone lines. All the hardware including the PBX Switch and handsets are located at the customer’s site.
Hosted PBX Phone Systems use a “Hosted PBX” which is managed and paid for by the service provider. The PBX is in the Cloud and hosted offsite at a data centre and shared between many users. The only equipment at the customer’s site is the handsets, the LAN switch and any routers required. Hosted Phone system is also known as Virtual PBX and Cloud PBX.
Because the PBX is located offsite Hosted systems are cheaper to buy, easier to install and unlike Telstra phone lines, portable to other sites outside of your local exchange area.
As the Hosted PBX Phone System is hosted remotely, there is next to no requirement for onsite maintenance. Software and firmware upgrades all take place off site meaning the system is kept up to date at no cost to the users.
In contracts, a traditional PBX has the PBX unit on site and the business owner has to pay for maintenance, upgrades, and for technician to come to site for any moves, adds or changes.
Is a Hosted PBX the same as a Cloud PBX or Virtual PABX?
Yes they are the one and the same method of delivering voice services over a Phone System that is hosted off site at a data centre and with System hardware on site.
Can I rely on a Hosted PBX System for my Business?
Yes. The Hosted Phone System typically has significantly more resources allocated to it that an onsite PBX could ever be equipped with. The main point of failure for a Hosted PBX is the internet connection. A good quality Internet connection is critical.
Can I Customise my Call Flows with a Hosted PBX?
Using a Hosted PBX Phone System, We can make incoming calls flow in just about any manner you want. We can do pre announcements, Multiple Voice announcements, After hrs announcements, after hrs/weekend call routing, send certain calls to a queue or send calls when your busy to a Voice Mail to Email . There is myriad of call flows we can manage. If you send us a flow chart of how you want calls to be managed we can advise how it can be done.
What are the benefits of Hosted PBX?
The advantages of Hosted PBX over traditional systems are many.
Multi Site locations
If you think of a Hosted PBX as a single phone system (lest say 20 handsets) in a room in Sydney. You can hand over calls between operators etc. Then you take 5 of the handsets and plug them in at a site in Melbourne. Those handsets will continue to operate as if they were all in that same room in Sydney.
Distance between sites or being located at different exchanges is no longer a problem. Answer Sydney calls in Melbourne and transfer them to another site in Brisbane and there is no cost for calls between the sites.
Disaster Recovery
Because the PBX is Hosted in a data centre (which is backed up at sites in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) in the event of fire, cyclone, flood, emergencies or other building damage, your office calls can immediately be re routed to another number. Another office, mobiles or staff home phone lines can be used and they can be on any network. As far as disaster recovery solutions go, Hosted PBX offers a disaster recovery capability not matched by traditional Phone Systems.
If you need to move to a new site quickly, just pick up the phone and connect them at the new site or you can add a 4G connection to your compatible router and continue on over a 4G connection.
Business features
Many advanced features are built in as standard no extra cost on a Hosted PBX. Auto Attendant can save on Reception Hours, after hrs messaging can assist with after hrs emergency or sales management, Music and Messages on Hold can help with Sales campaign or educate your clients on other services and products you offer or simply keep them up to date with your latest news.
Keep Your numbers
Remember the hassle you had relocating last time. Getting numbers diverted and waiting around for the Telstra tech to turn up? It doesn’t matter what exchange you move to, with Hosted PBX you can take your numbers with you. Add Sydney numbers to give you a NSW presence, to your Melbourne office. Have a campaign running in Townsville? Add some local numbers for the duration of the campaign. Numbering flexibility on Hosted PBX is miles ahead of a traditional PBX with is tied to the local exchange.
Offsite and home based staff
You want to keep your workforce flexible and productive and may be save on expensive CBD office space. Have a temporary project office running in another state? Hosted PBX gives your staff the flexibility to work from home or other sites using other a handset or a Softphone.
User features
Individual users can control how their calls are handled using the phone graphical interface and shortcut buttons or using star codes. Call forwards, Do Not Disturb (sends call to Voice mail) Voice mail to email gives staff flexibility to manage their own calls.
Lower maintenance costs
Because the bulk of the “smart” PBX hardware is located with the carrier, the cost of the support of that equipment is shifted to the carrier. The management, monitoring and maintenance of the PBX Phone System is the service providers responsibility mean far less onsite technical support is required.
Changes are done remotely
If you need additional services added, or changes done to existing services, it’s all done remotely by the service provider using the Hosted PBX platform. New handsets are delivered pre-configured ready to plug and play.
No more licence upgrade charges
Traditional Phone systems tie the System owner up with ongoing licence updates. With Hosted PBX all software and firmware updates are done by the carrier at the data centre.
Low capital investment
Because the most expensive part of the PBX Phone System is the PBX unit itself and the licences that go with it, buying a Hosted PBX phone System can be up to 50% cheaper.
No Annual PBX maintenance costs
Unlike traditional Phone Systems there is no need for an ongoing maintenance agreement.
Scalable from day 1
With a Hosted PBX you don’t need to buy a bigger system in the hope you will grow into it. Just buy the number of handsets you need now and add extras as you grow.
Access and Line rental are lower
Well there’s no Line rental really. Just an Internet connection and an access fee for each handset. On some cases we have seen the phone bill cut in half.
Is a Hosted PBX Suitable for My Business?
Hosted PBX is suitable for most business types. The only over riding must have that we insist on is a decent quality internet connection using ADSL, NBN, Fibre or SHDSL. We will help you determine if your connection is suitable.
Hosted PBX is an Ideal Small Business VoIP Phone System. While suitable for all SMEs, a Hosted PBX is particularly suitable to Small Business with low operating and start up budgets.
New businesses
For new companies starting up Hosted PBX makes a lot of sense. They can be up and running quickly without a lot of capital outlay and expand as your business grows.
Our business is facing changes – The outlook is unclear!
Hosted Phone systems are ideal for businesses working in dynamic environments. I will you get that big project? You’re not sure so don’t want to commit to a long term contract or need the capacity to grow or shrink the system rapidly. You may have to move to larger or smaller premises. Hosted PBX is ideal for these circumstances.
Multi-Site locations
If you have several sits then Hosted PBX is ideal as calls can be handed over between sites and you can call your other sites for free.
I need phones at a temporary site
You have a job shed or a project that requires a short term office to be set up. Hosted PBX is perfect for this requirement.
What features are available?
Auto Attendant
Line Hunt
Music & Messages on Hold
Conference Calls
Fax to Email
Voice Mail to Email
Call Hold and Transfer
Call Forward
Call Pickup
Do Not Disturb
Speed Dial
3 way Calling
Call Waiting
Line ID restriction
Automatic call back
Last Number redial
Simultaneous/Sequential ring
Call Twinning to mobile
Find Me Follow Me
Shared Call Appearance
Busy Lamp Field
Selective Call Forward
Custom Call Flows
After Hrs messaging
Call recording – on specified handsets
What Does a Hosted Phone System Cost?
There are 2 main elements to a Hosted PBX price. Hardware and ongoing charges.
The hardware charges will be determined by the number and type of handset you choose. Allow around $300 – $350 per handset.
Other equipment required with be a Power Over Ethernet (POE) Switch with a port for each handset and the router on your data connection.
Ongoing charges are made up of the Monthly Hosted PBX handset access fee (around $17.50 ex GST per handset) and your calls. Hosted PBX calls rates are usually dramatically lower than the large carriers charge in Australia.
Are there any other start-up costs?
If you need a new internet connection there may be a cost involved in having that set up. Similarly if your site needs internal Cat5 or 6 Ethernet cabling then that would be an additional cost.
Where can I get onsite installation of my Hosted PBX Phone System?
We have installers in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and they can install in all Metro areas and most regional centres. Additional cost may apply for travel.
Is it easy to transfer calls between offices using a Hosted PBX?
Yes if you have a Hosted PBX at your Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane offices, you can easily transfer calls between sites. Inter office Calls and transferred calls are free.
Why are Hosted PBX systems cheaper to run?
Because the carriers in Australia charge a premium to use their networks, the cost of PSTN calls carried over the copper networks are usually a lot more expensive. One of Australia’s largest carriers has reported margins of around 70% on their copper network and because they have wanted to protect this margin, they have not been quick to adapt to VoIP services. Because of this, many smaller players have entered the Business Grade VoIP markets with dramatically lower overheads and margins and no out of date copper networks to maintain, meaning calls cost can be dramatically lower.
How do my Telstra numbers get ported to Hosted PBX?
Your existing Telstra or Optus landline numbers can be ported on to the Hosted PBX system
Is there a contract on Hosted PBX?
Most of our Hosted PBX services do not have a contract. The underlying Internet connection usually has a 12/24 or 36 month agreement.
Can I change my existing Phone System into a Hosted Phone System?
Not usually but there is a cost effective option to convert your existing system to use Virtual Phone lines called SIP trunks. This then allows you to remove your PSTN and ISDN lines. Hardware called an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) is connected to your traditional phone system and this then allows you to make calls over SIP Trunks.
Is a Virtual PBX the same as a Hosted PBX?
Yes they are the same type of Cloud based VoIP phone system.
If I need a Small Business Phone System is a Hosted PBX Suitable?
A Hosted PBX phone System is ideal for any size business but in particular a Hosted Phone System are suited to Small Business that don’t have a large operating or start up budget.
If I need service or support will I have to call an Overseas call centre?
No. QTelecom support is 100% Australian based. If you have your Hosted Phone System with us you can be assured of high level support from our Premium Products Support Team.
Can I run Hosted PBX on an ADSL 2 connection?
Yes but ideally it will be an ADSL service dedicated to the Hosted Phone Systems. ADSL with around 500Kbps upload speed should be able to manage around 5 simultaneous calls. If the service is shared and someone in the office is sending a large data file at the same time you may have call quality issues.
How much bandwidth do I need for each Hosted Phone call?
At a minimum we specify 70kbps in both upload and download speeds. To provide some head room on this ideally 100kbps is available for each phone call. That said if you have 8 handsets it’s unlikely all 8 handsets would be on the phone at once so you need to make and estimate of the bandwidth required based on your usage patterns.
You can find out approximately how much bandwidth you have available by going to speedtest.net and running a test. Ideally you do this across several time bands over several days.
Is there any other quality measure I should check before getting a Hosted Phone System?
Yes there is several measures you should check before installing a Hosted PBX. It’s one thing to have a fast connection with adequate bandwidth but if there is a quality issue on the line, you can still have call quality problems. Go to pingtest.net and check your score for Ping, Packet Loss ad Jitter. Ideally you will have ping less than 80ms, Packet Loss under 1% and jitter under 15ms. A Line score of B on pingtest.net is usually OK to run a Hosted Phone System.
