Hosted PBX services provider Virtual PBX announced the release of Complete, a hosted IP-PBX solution aimed at small to midsize businesses that doesn’t require a voice over IP infrastructure. Businesses need only an Internet connection.
It can be used as an inbound call router to existing phones, or users can select a complete phone system with VoIP lines and phones. Pricing plans for the complete service start at $9.99 per month, according to a company release.
With Virtual PBX Complete, a company can set up the service so it can run its business using only cell phones. Or a company could implement a Virtual PBX Complete solution using VoIP desk phones with direct extension dialing and all the other features associated with a traditional working environment. Virtual PNX said some companies will want to combine the use of VoIP phones where appropriate and cellular or landlines where needed.
Virtual PBX Complete is built around the company’s Open VoIP Peering concept, allowing clients to use VoIP hard phones and soft phones registered to Virtual PBX or other providers. Unlimited-minute plans are even available to users who have no VoIP phones at all. Users begin by connecting the phones to their broadband Internet connection, and the devices register and connect automatically.
“The migration to voice over IP continues to gain momentum as organizations look for additional ways to lower costs and improve services,” said Jonathan Spira, chief analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm. “Offerings such as Virtual PBX Complete provide compelling grounds for companies to make the move from analog and gain the enhanced functionality that was previously only available to larger entities.”
Key features of Virtual PBX Complete include dial-tone service, optional Polycom VoIP phones, auto-attendant with professional greetings and greetings library, customizable greetings and hold music for different departments, complete voicemail with retrieval online by phone or by e-mail, inbound and outbound faxing with no fax machine, automatic or manual call recording with optional admin and/or user control, free integrated conferencing, and automatic call distribution queues.
“Setup was incredibly easy,” says Philip Paulson, president of Genoa Business Forms, a participant in the beta program for Virtual PBX Complete. “It was like taking candy from a baby. Our employees using the phones simply won’t give them up.”
Additional features include skills-based routing; departmental load balancing; multiple-role administration and security; follow-me/find-me capabilities; call preview and smart caller ID to know who is calling and what they want; real-time voicemail monitor and interrupt; local, toll-free and international numbers; multi-business support; customizable music on hold; and Web management and real-time monitoring.
“Each business is unique, and at Virtual PBX we believe customers should have access to business phone services that can be optimally tailored to their needs,” says Paul Hammond, CEO of Virtual PBX. “Today, our customers range from entrepreneurs who are constantly on the go to enterprises with nationwide offices. Virtual PBX Complete allows our users to leverage the industry’s deepest feature set and the flexibility to use any phone, all at 40 to 80 percent savings over traditional phone services.”