| About PBX Telephone Systems |
| by Gabby Hyman, writer |
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| Private branch exchange (PBX) business telephone systems began with operators manually switching lines as they moved plugs at a company's switchboard. Today, PBX systems provide an outside line when users dial 9. |
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| Consumer PBX systems have grown over recent years to offer a wide array of affordable systems and telephone options to businesses everywhere. PBX telephone systems have a set of external phone lines, a computer system that handles switching, and a set of internal telephone lines and receivers. For any business owner, a practical PBX system allows the greatest number of extensions (including modems, fax machines, and merchant account terminals) using the most economical number of outside telephone lines. |
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Some Advantages of PBX
Cost-effective PBX systems allow businesses with 40 or more employees to handle a volume of calls, extensions, and switching procedures with a minimum of lines and resources. Options offered by system manufacturers and hosts are scalable and flexible enough to be programmed to meet most of your business needs. |
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| PBX systems are circuit-switched systems--as opposed to packet switched PBX alternative services like voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) systems. PBX options range from onsite PBX hardware systems to a hosted PBX solution that handles all your switching at your provider's location. |
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| Small businesses and startups often choose to host their own circuit-switched systems with a provider that offers add-on options like call waiting, auto-attendant, voice mail, call blocking and forwarding, conferencing, music on-hold, and automatic call distribution. |
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Selecting Hosted PBX and VOIP Options
When you choose to have the PBX system hosted by a remote provider, you also have plenty of service options. With hosted PBX systems, businesses bypass on-site maintenance and repair, as well as installation costs. No matter your location or number of offices, hosted PBX allows you a single contact number.
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| VOIP solutions lead the array of today's alternatives to PBX. With VOIP, small businesses can reduce the cost of calls, as well as provide remote access to the system from anywhere in the world. Regardless of which solution you choose, it's important to decide who will install and maintain the system, who will train your employees, and whether the system can be easily scaled to fit your long-term communications needs. |
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About the Author
Gabby Hyman has created online strategies and written content for Fortune 500 companies including eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Microsoft Encarta, Avaya, and Nissan UK. |
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