Tuesday, June 21, 2011
VoiceAxis PBX
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
PBX in a Flash
Virtual PBX Provides Winning Service for New York International Spirits Competition
When you are hosting the world’s foremost spirits and wine competition, it is crucial to have a phone system that can back you up all the way. Luckily, Adam Levy, the host and founder of the New York International Spirits Competition (NYISC), was well prepared to recognize and award the best spirits and wines in the world.
Levy easily and efficiently ran the NYISC with the Virtual PBX® business-class phone system. Already familiar with the best, he knew VirtualPBX would be the perfect system to keep him in contact with a multitude of judges and vintners, and manage numerous calls from any location. In addition, receiving all the award submissions was no problem with the built-in faxing capabilities offered by VirtualPBX.
With Virtual PBX, Levy was able to significantly reduce overall costs and have access to vital features including follow-me calling and inbound fax. He estimates the new system saves the company around $980 a year on phone charges.
“After using Virtual PBX at a previous company, I knew that they offered a great service that would be easy for us to implement,” said Levy. “Today, our team relies on Virtual PBX to retrieve all of our voicemails and faxes, even when we are in completely different locations. In particular, we value the ease-of-use and varied feature set, which allows us to work out of our home offices and on-the-go when we’re at tasting events.”
The industry’s leading spirit experts are a huge part of NYISC’s overwhelming success. To compare and select the winning spirits, they had to be in constant contact with buyers, sommeliers, restaurant owners, distributers and importers. They never missed a call or fax as the virtual PBX system effortlessly routed the hundreds of entry forms as well as numerous calls to the appropriate line.
“A majority of our customers are on-the-go and require flexible resources to help them keep up with the needs of their clients, regardless of their location,” said Paul Hammond, president and CEO of Virtual PBX. “With the industry’s strongest set of features included in our standard plans, we give customers like the New York International Spirits Competition a cost-effective and powerful business phone system that delivers peace of mind.”
Our congratulations to Adam Levy and the New York International Spirits Competition. We’re proud to be involved with such a prestigious event!
Filed under: follow-me calling, general telephony, phone systemVirtual PBX Adds VoIP Phones and New Flat-Rate Plans!
Virtual PBX Adds Hardware VoIP Phone SupportThe time has come — Virtual PBX, provider of the no-compromise business phone system, announced support for hardware VoIP Phones along with new flat-rate plans, fortifying their lineup of industry-leading plans and services. With this, Virtual PBX now controls the phone call from the inbound phone number ALL the way down to the phone on the desktop. You can now have a truly complete phone system integrating phone numbers, free long distance and IP phones into one cost-effective solution.
We now offer two award winning plans from which you, the customer, can choose: the new flat-rate plans and the original usage-based plans. Even better, you don’t have to be on the flat-rate plans to use the VoIP phones – we’ve set up the system to support the phones on either plan. So feel free to pick the plan that works best for you and your business, and also decide how you would like the system to reach you. You can be contacted through the VoIP phone(s) and/or contact phone numbers via a landline or cell phone. The freedom to choose is in your hands.
We also offer you the freedom to save! With Virtual PBX you can simplify your life and your budget by cutting the ties with your landline carrier. There is really no need for a landline anymore seeing as how you can make and receive phone calls using a VoIP phone and your Virtual PBX service. So go on ahead and save that money each month with Virtual PBX Complete. With our phone service you can enjoy a savings of anywhere from 40-80% in traditional phone system and landline costs – that is a huge savings! Given that telecom costs are a major expense in everyday business, Virtual PBX provides business communication that is affordable, easy and accessible from wherever you need to be with a low monthly fee and no contracts or setup costs!
Please see the plan details below and save money with the plan suited for you:
Flat-Rate Plans:
These are your traditional “unlimited” plans that so many companies try to market. However, Virtual PBX does it right as there is a fair-use policy in place (much like every other VoIP phone service out there) that allows 5,000 minutes of inbound minutes per extension, aggregated at the account level. So a 5-user system would include upwards of 25,000 inbound local minutes. That’s amazing. Most companies won’t touch that. Yet, they can have this system for around $150 per month, and that already includes the e911 fees, Federal and FCC taxes. The flat-rate plans are as follows:
1-User: $39.99/mo4-User: $23.99/mo/ext10-User: $21.99/mo/ext20-User: $19.99/mo/ext50-User: $19.99/mo/extExtra Extensions: $24.99/moUsage-Based Plans:
These plans are what Virtual PBX used to pioneer the hosted phone service market. On these original plans you only pay for the minutes used each month. As the plans go up, you receive a larger block of free minutes and the price for additional minutes becomes cheaper. These plans come with unlimited users and all the same features as the flat-rate plans. Virtual PBX has the following usage-based plans:
VPBX-5: $9.99/mo (300 minutes, extra minutes are 6.5 cents/min)VPBX-10: $24.99/mo (600 minutes, extra minutes are 5.8 cents/min)VPBX-20: $44.99/mo (1,000 minutes, extra minutes are 4.7 cents/min)VPBX-50: $94.99/mo (2,500 minutes, extra minutes are 4.4 cents/minVoIP Phones
Virtual PBX now supports hardware VoIP phones connected to the service. This is a superb addition as now you can make phone calls and show your Virtual PBX caller ID on every outbound call. And you don’t have to use a cellphone or landline to make that outbound call. All you need is an Internet connection. Virtual PBX sells the following phones that arrive pre-configured and ready for use:
Polycom SoundPoint IP 321: $99.99 (single ethernet port)Polycom SoundPoint IP 335: $139.99 (ethernet pass-through port; backlit display)Polycom SoundStation IP 5000: $599.99 (conference phone)With Virtual PBX there is no need to get phones from one provider, calling plans from another, and features from somewhere else. Get it all in one place. If you are looking for a complete, no-compromise business VoIP solution for your business, Virtual PBX is the answer.
Filed under: ACD queue, auto-attendant, call recording, Call tracking, Call transfers, Call whisper, CallerID, conferencing, follow-me calling, hunt group, mail only extension, music on hold, phone system, virtual receptionist, VoIP Tagged: | caller id, extensions, features, hosted pbx, hosted phone system, IP PBX, IP phones, pbx, phone system, phones, Polycom, SIP VoIP, small business, small business phone system, virtual pbx, Virtual PBX Complete, virtual phone system, virtualpbx, VoIP phonesSunday, June 12, 2011
Hosted VoIP Phone Systems vs. TDM: Who Really Wins on Cost?
The cost savings of a hosted VoIP phone system often comes under scrutiny from some of the remaining providers of TDM, or “traditional”, phone systems. You know the kind, those broom closet phone boxes of yore. Through the use of a narrow lens, they push out misinformation that may lead small business owners to think that a TDM solution will somehow save them money over VoIP.
This is, however, an act of desperation on their part – not a reflection of reality. By choosing the scope of their argument, they can stack Apples v. Oranges and shine a deceptively attractive light on their systems. Zoom the camera out a bit, get the whole picture, and you’ll see why smart businesses have been abandoning TDM solutions in droves for the advantages of hosted VoIP.
The Classic TDM Cost Savings Argument
Let’s start with the argument for a TDM phone system. In a nutshell, these providers cite the benefit of their systems as being the fixed cost to own, e.g. pay for the PBX equipment and the installation, and it’s yours to own for life. They then compare that high fixed cost to a month-to-month hosted VoIP service like FreedomIQ over some extended period, say, 24 months, to say the TDM phone system carries a smaller price tag in the long run. Conversation over, right?
Not even close.
Where the TDM Argument Falls Apart
Hosted VoIP is a managed service, and much of the cost savings is abstract from the direct cost of equipment and ongoing service. Any savvy business owner knows that the price tag they should care about, the real price tag, is one that includes both direct and indirect costs to get the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). With that in mind, here’s what you’re not seeing with a direct business VoIP vs. TDM cost-of-service comparison:
1. Deprecation of Hardware
TDM PBX equipment, like a car, loses value the minute you deploy it. The notion that you’re going to “own” your PBX isn’t exactly exciting if it doesn’t hold any value 6 – 12 months down the road and you’re back in the market. Worse still, if it breaks down while you “own” it, that means it’s your responsibility to pay to have it fixed or to buy a replacement. Even if you’re covered by a hardware warranty you’ve purchased, that cost needs to be a part of their big picture comparison.
With a hosted VoIP phone system, you’re not dropping capital into hardware that’s going to become obsolete. There’s no buying replacement parts for your wall switch and no risk that a year from now you’re going to be stuck with a 5-figure paperweight. Not to mention the fact that the equipment delivering your hosted service from remote is enterprise-grade and fully-redundant, something you’re not going to get from a comparable TDM solution.
2. Scaling Up Your Business
TDM phone systems are notoriously inflexible to the growing needs of your business. With this kind of phone solution, you’re likely to fall into one of two camps: the over-paying, or the under-provisioning. That is, you either buy a PBX that is too big for you right now, thinking that you’ll eventually grow into it, or you buy a PBX that meets your short-term needs, understanding that you’ll have to figure something else out should your needs change. Result? You’re paying more than advertised, either right now for the privilege of future expansion, or down the road when the necessity to upgrade your PBX hits you like a ton of bricks.
Hosted VoIP phone systems are scalability machines. By taking your hardware off-premise and having phones interconnect and transmit calls via the Internet, you’re removing the limitation on what size of PBX you can have. You won’t need to overpay for more phones and capacity than you need or buy a brand new PBX within a year because your staff size has grown by 20%. With hosted VoIP, you can add phones to your system at any time and from anywhere with no extra costs to scale.
3. Paying IT Staff / Maintenance
The coup de grâce. Owning your own TDM PBX again brings the responsibility of management, maintenance, and configuration in-house. That means some percentage of your IT staff budget is getting allocated to making sure your phones are always up-to-date and in working order. Even if you’re talking a tiny fraction (5%) of just one IT employee’s time, you’re talking about thousands of dollars each year to manage your own PBX.
Part of what you’re paying for with a hosted VoIP PBX is, essentially, the outsourcing of this responsibility. We maintain the equipment that provides you with service. We keep your phones updated to the latest firmware. We help you configure your service and troubleshoot your setup with free U.S. technical support. Meanwhile, your IT staff gets to focus on issues more critical to advancing your business, and the money you save (or make) by keeping them on task all but pays for your hosted VoIP phone system.
Be sure to do plenty of research and look at the big picture when considering what type of phone system is right for your business. Look beyond the price tag to what a system provides in flexibility and time saved, as those ultimately lead to keeping dollars in your pocket.
Hosted VoIP Lite: Getting Your Feet Wet
Making the move to a new business phone system can be downright scary. The communications technology that a company chooses has become so critical to business efficiency, that one IT misstep can easily set you back weeks in terms of productivity.
This is just one of the many reasons we’ve seen businesses turn to a hosted VoIP phone system. With hosted VoIP, there’s no big upfront commitment. No massive equipment or servers to finance, no infrastructure changes, no heavy wiring. You are free to try out the system with as small of an initial deployment as you’re comfortable taking on – even just a single phone – before deciding if it’s right for your business.
The Way It Used to Be (Traditional PBX)
Before the days of hosted VoIP, your IT decision maker’s best friend was research. They’d spend hours reading white papers, watching presentations, or attending webinars on why they should choose one PBX vendor over another. The prospect of trying out a phone system live on your premise with little to no commitment was laughable. There was simply too much that needed to be done to get it to work, and no vendors that would do that work without expecting to be paid in full.
It’s not the vendor’s fault, really, but a problem in on-premise technology itself. All premise-based PBX systems require equipment and wiring that takes a solid investment of time and money. If things don’t work out, whether the technology simply isn’t a good fit, the service isn’t reliable, or the customer support is lacking — it’s too late. You’ve already signed on the dotted line and there’s no going back.
But over the past few years, hosted VoIP has changed the game. Speculative research and sales fluff has given way to live on-site demonstrations, demo phones, and the advent of the phased-in VoIP phone system.
The Phased-In VoIP Phone System
As businesses become more savvy about VoIP phone system technology, we’re seeing more and more opting to get started with a small set of VoIP phones (or even just one). These phones use your business’s existing data connection, requiring no invasive wiring, no premise hardware, and can be up and running in the course of a single visit.
This way, your key players like the head of IT, the CEO, or even a small department can serve as guinea pigs without impacting the day-to-day operation of the entire business. These limited roll-outs can often be fully integrated with your existing business phone system for a seamless phasing-in of phones over time.
And it doesn’t take long. As you experience important factors such as call quality, reliability, potency of features, and ease of use, the decision largely makes itself. If you’re not happy with the technology, it’s easy enough to pull the plug. If you’re confident in the technology, the ability to add new phones anywhere at any time helps you ramp up your deployment to include additional departments and even additional locations.
Are you ready to try hosted VoIP for yourself? Give our consultants a call at 888-955-3520 to have a risk-free, no-obligation conversation about how you can test out FreedomIQ for yourself with a small deployment.
How to Convince Your Boss to Try Hosted VoIP
IT managers working for an SMB have a tough gig: maximizing the return on every IT dollar spent. With tech budgets shrinking across the nation, there’s an urgent need for every IT product or service a company chooses to deliver higher value at a lower price. Fortunately, this need has resulted in the emergence of a host of cost-effective, productivity-enhancing technologies. Among them, the hosted VoIP phone system leads the charge for smart business communications.
But, if you’re an IT manager, you already knew that. You’ve done your homework. Now it’s time to convince your boss, who may be coming from a different perspective and have different priorities. Here are some tips on how to present a hosted VoIP solution that will get the C-level to sign on the line that is dotted.
1. Easy on Cash Flow
Why not lead with the knock-out punch? Hold the pretty explanations and come out of the gate with the fact that the upfront capital expense of a hosted VoIP PBX is tiny compared to any other professional phone system. For equipment, you’re paying for the cost of your VoIP phones and maybe a couple VoIP routers. There’s no $10k+ box-in-the-wall or clunky on-site server to worry about financing. Hosted VoIP is the professional phone system your boss can afford even if he or she can’t afford a professional phone system.
2. Conserve Your IT Staff Resources
With a managed service like FreedomIQ, you don’t need to squander your precious time wondering what the blinking light on your PBX means. You don’t have to thumb through manuals or search for tech guides online should a phone go on the fritz. Your boss can keep you and your IT staff on business-critical development full-time because you have a hosted VoIP service provider to take care of these things (or prevent them from happening in the first place).
3. No Investment Risk
Remember when we were talking about the minimal investment required (#1) to get hosted VoIP service? Well, not buying that wall switch or server in the first place means you and your boss don’t have to worry about what to do with it a year or two down the road. You know, the time just after its hardware warranty has run out and it’s either a) quickly turning into a steaming pile of junk or b) you’ve outgrown it to the point where it’s practically tinkertoys relative to the needs of your business. Hosted VoIP’s equipment-free nature provides an ease of scalability that saves your boss from the embarrassment of a 4- or 5-figure PBX paperweight.
4. Strong Productivity ROI
Saving money is great, but what about your employees? Won’t somebody think of the employees? Enhanced productivity is where you’ll find that hosted VoIP is no slouch. Even though you’re paying a fraction of the price, you’re getting all of the advanced features and functionality of an enterprise phone system.
You get unlimited local and long distance calling, a professional auto attendant, call forwarding with ACD routing, voicemail service, Internet faxing, web-based settings and call reports – the list goes on. But the real productivity kicker is when you show your boss how FreedomIQ integrates into the programs his or her employees already using, like Outlook and Salesforce CRM. With this feature, FreedomIQ works seamlessly with your existing business environment, helping employees be as efficient as possible.
Virtual PBX Honored to Receive its Seventh Award for Open VoIP Peering
Virtual PBX, the pioneers and market leader of the virtual phone system, was honored to received their seventh award from Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) for their innovative Open VoIP Peering service. This particular award was presented by TMC’s NGN Magazine, the leading resource for communications service providers.
The NGN Leadership Award recognizes the growth and evolution of applications and services designed for next-generation networks and the enabling technologies that make them possible. Virtual PBX was recognized in the Services category.
“This recognition of Virtual PBX’s Open VoIP Peering service is a testament to the company’s continued commitment to providing customers with innovative solutions that meet their demanding business needs,” said Paul Hammond, CEO of Virtual PBX. “Being selected as an NGN Leadership Award winner is truly a mark of distinction and further validates Virtual PBX’s leadership in the VoIP market.”
So far Virtual PBX has received 3 product of the year awards, 2 leadership awards, 1 Product Innovation award and 1 telephony excellence award for the Open VoIP Peering solution they released in November of 2008. No stranger to winning awards, Virtual PBX’s 7th win comes on the heels of their impressive ‘2010 Best Telecommunications Services in San Jose’ award.
The many accolades that Open VoIP Peering has received truly are a testament not only to the company’s strength and dedication in bringing to market the most innovative product conceivable, but also the products immense popularity with Virtual PBX Customers everywhere.
The Open VoIP Peering Solution stands out from the masses, being the only VoIP solution to allow users to choose which option they like on a call-by-call basis to meet their individual needs. In addition, unlike competitors who charge extra for proprietary digital-enabled phone extensions, with Virtual PBX there is no additional cost for accessing soft phones.
“Virtual PBX was recognized for its exceptional work in advancing NGN services and technologies. Open VoIP Peering has proven exceptional and its innovation has contributed to the transformation of the industry,” stated Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. “Congratulations to the entire team at Virtual PBX, and I look forward to more innovations in the coming year.”
The 2010 NGN Leadership Award winners can be found in the May/June 2010 issue of NGN Magazine.
Virtual PBX Adds Call Recording – For Free!
We are excited to announce every Virtual PBX system now includes call recording in all standard plans at no added cost for customers.
“This is the latest in a series of enhancements that Virtual PBX has rolled out this year,” said Greg Brashier, COO of Virtual PBX. “We’ve had requests for call recording from our client base and felt it was something a majority of our SMB clients could use. Since we innovated the entire hosted PBX space, we feel it is necessary to lead by example and continue to enhance the service.”
With the newest Virtual PBX call recording feature, any or all calls can be recorded, saved, and played back later. There are infinite ways companies of all sizes can utilize this tool to enhance their business such as capturing calls for later review, assisting in employee training, monitoring customer service agents, as well as meeting legal requirements. Greg adds, “we’ve found that many call centers love this feature since it’s a free and effective tool that allows them to improve company performance.”
In addition, the call recording feature is greatly customizable and easy to use. Every user with a Virtual PBX extension can record all calls automatically or select calls to record manually by simply pushing #9 during a call. Furthermore, the built-in selective recording architecture allows calls to be recorded for pre-selected extensions and/or departments.
The recordings can be sorted by date/time, length, caller ID, user name, or extension number so they are easy to locate when needed. Recordings can be played back or deleted at the convenience of the extension owner, or downloaded them to a computer for future playback.
Administrators can also decide to control call recording for all users or give each user the ability to manage his or her recordings.
“With the addition of call recording, Virtual PBX extends our leadership in providing clients with the most diverse set of features at the lowest cost,” continues Brashier. “This announcement gives users the ability to improve their own customer satisfaction and ensure that high priority calls are properly managed.”
This announcement adds to a long list of service enhancements that have been provided by Virtual PBX during 2010. Previous upgrades have included unlimited extensions and more free usage, open VoIP peering, free conferencing, and international numbers. The company promises more to come.