Get the Small Business Phone System that’s Right for you.

It’s 2023, so if you’re in the market for a new small business phone system, you will need to consider the best solution for your needs.

And one of the critical considerations is the timing of when to ditch out of your current PSTN based system and move to an IP-based phone system. NBN has changed the landscape here and pretty much forced you to make the switch from traditional landlines to VoIP.

So what are the types of IP-based phone systems available?

1. A Cloud PBX (or Virtual PBX) complete with compatible IP-based telephones.
2. An IP-based phone system with an on-premise PBX and IP-based handsets.
3. A complete Cloud-based PBX and softphone solution.

Here’s some guidance on what to look for and what to consider when choosing a small business phone system.

How do I know which solution is right for my business?

Before you buy your next phone system, there are several questions you need to consider first to ensure you get the solution that best fits your needs.

1. Do you need a complete phone system that includes physically putting telephones on desks? Or can you get by with a virtual phone solution that uses software on the desktop or mobile phones?
2. If you need desk phones, what kind of PBX system do you want to manage these? A physical PBX (on-premise) or a Cloud PBX (hosted by your service provider)?

Cloud or Virtual Phone Systems

A complete Virtual Phone System is beneficial with so many businesses currently working remotely. You won’t want to relocate your business telephones to everyone’s homes, so why not look at using a virtual phone system.

• Using a Cloud PBX (like SIPcity’s), your primary business phone number does not connect to a telephone but a call-forwarding feature instead and transfers your calls to your employee’s mobile phone or home phone in place of a desk phone.
• The Cloud PBX has a range of business-grade features such as Automated Attendant (IVR), voicemail, call forwarding, call queuing, call screening, toll-free numbers, virtual faxing and more.
• The set-up and management of your virtual phone system don’t require an engineer or technician. It is something that an administrator can do in your business, and the individual users can manage their phone numbers.

A virtual phone system is excellent for businesses with an offsite team as they can continue to present a professional image at all times, even when working from home. It gives your remote workers business features not found on mobile or home phones.

Best for: small businesses with remote workers or sole proprietorships.

Cloud PBX and IP-Based Phones

When you’re back at the office and remote work is a thing of the past, you can consider looking at IP-based desk phones in conjunction with a Cloud PBX. You get features not available on mobile phones or even softphone applications with IP-based phones.

• There are features like Multi-line visibility (Busy lamp field – BLF) for those busy offices.
• Like with the complete Virtual Phone System, you can manage your phones and numbers yourself from the Cloud PBX.
• You get a complete solution for your business at a lower cost than a complete on-premise IP-based PBX and telephone system.

Best for: growing businesses on a fixed budget that don’t have IT staff, to operate and maintain PBX hardware; businesses that want quick access to new phone system features or have multiple locations and want their system all on one platform.

On-Premise IP-PBX Systems

The complete on-premise PBX is quickly becoming a thing of the past, as more businesses want to be agile and self-sufficient in all aspects of managing their technology.

Typically, these on-premise solutions require a lot of expenditure, with significant upfront costs, and you’re like to find yourself locked into a three or five-year lease contract. And by the time the first year is through, the PBX will already require firmware or other updates only an engineer can do.

These on-premise systems can achieve just as much as a virtual or cloud-based phone system; we recommend staying away from these.

Best for: businesses that are not comfortable using the cloud and want total control over their system and access to the equipment at all times; businesses with big operational budgets.

SIPcity’s Small Business Phone System

For either a complete cloud-based or virtual phone system and a hybrid with IP-based handsets, SIPcity’s Cloud PBX is the perfect small business phone system.

SIPcity’s Cloud PBX contains all the features found in an on-premise system, and it is at no cost to our customers. The Cloud PBX is included free of charge with all our VoIP Calling Plans.

It takes only minutes to get set up, and as a result, you’ll start lowering your telecommunications costs immediately.

We offer a range of IP-based handsets and accessories that work seamlessly with our VoIP Calling and Cloud PBX small business phone system.