Everything you need to Know about Hosted VoIP & Phone Systems

Business phone systems are not just an option that every organization should consider when enhancing their communication system but a necessity for all. Whether you are yet to set up business telephony, get a US phone number or already have one, it’s time to modify your approach and head for better infrastructure.

One way to do so is by opting for a hosted phone system. The trend of VoIP has set in long before. However, yet now, it was a dedicated VoIP system, one where the organization would employ in office telephony and use it for communication purposes. The VoIP technology works in the sense that messages are encapsulated in the form of small data packets which are then transmitted over the server to the network.

A hosted phone system is a totally new concept. Unlike traditional systems, hosted VoIP doesn’t require the enterprise to set up separate hardware in the office to establish a healthy communication line. These are hosted over the cloud and initiates data transfer via the internet.

The notion of a hosted phone system starts with basic telephony extending to PBX and finally to the VoIP architecture. To begin with, we define the hosted telephony and use it to further detail you on the hosted VoIP architecture or the hosted VoIP system.

Hosted Telephony 

Hosted telephony, as mentioned earlier does not involve electrical signals for communication. Instead, it adopts the ideology of transferring data over the internet. Following a similar notion, hosted PBX are virtual servers that offer all the features of traditional PBX with the only difference being in the fact that it is not you who manages the operation but a third party agency who hosts the services and does all the back end tasks for you.

Hosted VoIP System 

Put simply, hosted VoIP systems have an IP phone which transforms the live communication in the form of data packets. These packets are routed via a central database that sends the package to the ideal user.

This solution is pretty fast and reliable enabling organizations to speed up the communication and save a considerable amount of time. Having an in-house VoIP system restricts the connectivity to LAN, hosted VoIP systems encompass stronger network thanks to the WAN connectivity.

Features of Hosted VoIP System

Moving on to the feature-set of the hosted system, here are some of the pointers that might convince you to migrate to hosted phones.

• Improves the efficiency and productivity of business operations.
  • Automated call rejection
  • A host of
    US phone numbers (for example, the ones starting with 239 or 305 for Florida, 808 for Hawaii, 406 for Montana, 701 for North Dakota, and so on.)
  • Call transfer/call notify/call pickup
  • Selective call acceptance/rejection

• Adds mobility to the everyday business activities
  • Customized rules for call forwarding.
  • Manage and monitor incoming calls with a maximum of five calls in series, preventing miss calls.
  • One-number calling device

• Enhanced collaboration
  • Simple and intuitive interface for hosting conferences.
  • Receive voicemail as attachments
  • Add as many as 13 numbers in a single call.

Other features include the support of the mobile app, CRM integration, auto-attendant, etc.

Advantages of Using Hosted VoIP System

• Cost-effective
  

One of the most important and significant benefits of using a hosted VoIP system as the core form of communication within and outside the enterprise is the ability to cut down unwanted costs.

Where conventional telephones sum to up greater costs, the evolution of a hosted system offers the same set of services, at a reduced price. Organizations no longer need to set up dedicated hardware to host the communication. Instead, they hand over the job to a company that would perform all the maintenance and back end tasks.

• Provision For International Calls
  

Even though the basic phone system allowed communicating with peers or customers overseas, the cost associated with it is not only high but extremely huge. On the other hand, a hosted phone system uses the internet to route the calls to international sites. As data is transmitted over the internet network, the bandwidth offered is high, improving the quality of the call. Some service providers even offer free domestic calls in the monthly plans.

• One-channel for All
  

Hosted infrastructure tends to unify all sorts of communication channels bringing them under the single roof. Meaning that data shared from all areas are stored in a single place and employees have access to the data that can be used further for sales and marketing. This eliminates the time spent in switching between channels, increasing productivity.

• One-number for all
  

A dedicated phone number is given along with the plan and the find me and follow me feature makes it easier to route calls to the end-user. Once connected, it automatically rings the phone device facilitating high-end communication.

The Final Word 

Wondering whether you should opt for a hosted phone system? There are, at present, more than 64 million VoIP systems installed across the US. The fact that it is affordable, easily available and scalable, more and more organizations are advancing towards the adoption of the same. It’s  high time that you too make a similar decision.