A hosted phone system in Florida is a phone setup that works by connecting to the internet.
Either of these hosted PBX platforms will work for you. Both of these setups could work for your business, but they are done in different ways.
1) Cloud-hosted phone system: All phones connect to an outside VoIP data centre. The phones are set up with a unique login and are already programmed to connect to a SIP server.
A cloud PBX has all the features your modern workforce needs to do its job. Voicemail to email, auto attendants, video conferencing — you name it. From a management point of view, this is the PBX platform that is easiest to manage.
2) PBX SIP Trunking: You can keep your current PBX, but all of your outside lines will be connected through a VoIP trunk. If there is a problem with the PBX, you can send phone calls to any real or virtual office.
How does a hosted VoIP solution work?
A cloud PBX lets you take calls through a hosted phone system in Florida. This online server manages incoming and outgoing calls with a SIP trunk and a VoIP connection.
Here’s how it works:
- Your company finds a hosted phone service with a cloud PBX.
- Then, you are connected to their data centres that are not on site.
- Someone calls you, and the call goes to your hosted PBX system.
- The hosted PBX system turns this call information into digital packets that can be sent over the internet.
- This is where your hosted phone system’s VoIP comes in.
- The PBX sends the call to the desk phone in your office.
- When your desk phone rings, you answer it. The voice messages are turned back into digital packets, and a connection is made. With the hosted PBX as a go-between, you can talk to your caller.
Any device with an internet connection and a full cloud phone system can make and receive calls. You can use your cell phone, laptop, desktop computer, and landline as your business phone.
The Benefits of a Hosted Phone System in Florida
Here are some key advantages of a cloud-based phone system that you can’t get with a traditional setup:
Easy installation
The setup process for a traditional phone system can be long, complicated, and expensive. But a hosted phone system in Florida doesn’t have any of these problems.
The installation and setup of a cloud-based system are done online, so you don’t need anyone to come to your office to get started. This also makes it cheaper, which is great for small businesses or companies with remote teams.
Cost savings
Traditional phone systems cost more than hosted phone system in Florida for two reasons. The first is that you don’t need to buy a whole new set of tools. You can use the equipment you already have with a cloud phone system. Those things are:
- Softphones
- Desk phones
- Mobile devices and cell phones (including iOS or Android smartphones)
- VoIP handsets
A hosted phone system in Florida that is based in the cloud saves money on maintenance costs as well. You don’t have to call an engineer to come to fix the problem at the office. Most VoIP problems can be fixed by your IT staff without calling your service provider.
It’s a unified communications platform
Unified communication platforms let you talk to people inside and outside of your company using the same tool.
With one, different teams, like sales or customer support, can build their whole strategies around their hosted VoIP solution. Along with being able to make calls, the right provider also gives you access to other features. Through the same hosted phone system, you can send instant messages to team members, hold video conferences, and call your customers.
Flexibility for remote teams
Do you have a team that works from far away? You can take calls on your hosted phone system in Florida whether you’re on a business trip or working from home. You don’t have to be in the office to use a desk phone that is wired to the wall.
This is because most companies that host phone systems give their users software. Your team that works from home can get their business phone software on their devices by downloading it. The PBX provider just sets up the connection and sends calls to or from your device. Your callers won’t notice any difference, especially if your service provider offers masked caller IDs.
Better scalability
A phone system that can grow with your business is important. When you add a new team member, it’s frustrating to get a call from your old phone system. It’s also expensive.
Because of this, scalability is one of the biggest benefits of a hosted phone system. Adding a new person to the team? Just log in to the cloud platform of your service provider and let them in.
It’s more secure
It’s not surprising that businesses worry about the security of their phone system, since the average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million.
Social engineering is one of the most common ways that data is stolen. It happens when hackers pretend to be your phone provider and ask them to hand over information. They can use that info to take over your system.
But hosted phone systems have an extra layer of protection against social engineering. Most reputable VoIP providers have strong identity management tools. You will never be tricked by a hacker into giving them information.
And there’s strong encryption to make sure hackers can never listen in on business calls.
7 Hosted Phone System in Florida Features to Look For
You can choose from many hosted phone system in Florida providers. They don’t all have the features your business needs.
When choosing a VoIP service provider, here are a few advanced features to look for:
1) Voicemail to email transcription
It won’t come as a surprise to hear that voicemail is a key feature your phone system should have. Without it, you risk people not calling back if you miss their call, which could mean losing a customer.
But it can be hard to find time to go through those voicemails. With this feature, you can have your voicemail messages transcribed and sent straight to your inbox. You don’t have to listen to the message to respond. Just listen to the voicemail transcription and you’ll have a permanent record of what the incoming call was about.
2) Video conferencing features
Workplaces are more open than ever to people working from home. This means that businesses should look for the hosted phone system in Florida providers who include video conferencing in their packages.
Your team can use your virtual PBX as a way to hold a meeting. No more add-ons for Google Meet, Skype, or Zoom video conferencing! Just make sure that this feature is part of the package you’ve chosen.
3) Security and reliability
Many businesses that are new to cloud technology are worried about the reliability of hosted phone systems. But don’t worry: VoIP connections are just as safe as traditional wired connections, if not safer.
The key is to choose a safe VoIP provider like Nextiva. Our network is always on, and connections are made through carrier-grade data centres. In other words, someone almost can’t break into the connection and listen in on your phone calls.
4) Call recording
Call recording can help you keep track of how customers talk to you, whether it’s for training or a one-on-one review of progress. You might notice, for example, that one salesperson has a lower close rate than others.
Find out why that might be happening by listening to their call recordings. You may find that they aren’t explaining one of your USPs, which is hurting their ability to close deals.
5) Real-time call analytics
If you ask most businesses how good their teams are, they won’t be able to tell you. The only thing that traditional phone systems do is match calls to a desk phone when they come in. There are no extra statistics.
Some hosted phone systems, on the other hand, offer call analytics in real time. This means you can use real data to show how well your teams are doing, such as:
- Inbound calls
- Total calls
- Answered calls
- Missed calls
- Toll-free calls
- Internal/external calls
- Talk time
- International calls
- Voicemail calls
- Calls in queue
6) Auto attendants
If your hosted phone provider has auto attendants, you don’t need a receptionist to screen and route calls. This automated message asks callers what they need help with and then puts them in touch with the best person to help them.
This call routing system, which is also called an Interactive Voice Response (IVR), saves everyone time. You can set up the system’s rules online. So, if someone calls your business number and presses 2 to talk to a customer service agent, you already know whose line will ring.
(If you have a call centre, you can even choose to have the phones of a group of agents ring. The hosted phone system in Florida routes them to the next available agent.)
7) Superb call quality
Call quality is a common worry for businesses that want to switch to a VoIP phone system. They think that the quality will be bad because the connections aren’t wired, and internet connections can be shaky.
That’s not right. In fact, hosted VoIP calls are much clearer than regular phone calls. You’ll need at least 100 Kbps for a good internet connection, but most ISPs give at least a hundred times that (10 Mb). That means you’re probably already set up to use a virtual phone system to make and receive high-quality calls, even if you’re calling long distance.
Ready to switch to a hosted phone system?
A hosted phone system is without a doubt the way to go. Copper wires that made your office look like a maze and old tech that had to be replaced every few months are long gone.
But don’t forget to make sure your new phone service has the advanced features you need. So, your whole business won’t have to deal with old phone systems that cost a lot of money and take over the whole office.