Cloud PBX
A business phone system, hosted for you.
Cloud PBX moves call control off your premises. Extensions, menus, queues and voicemail are managed online, and your team can answer from the office, from home or on the move.
At a glance
- What it is
- A hosted phone system (PBX)
- Core features
- Extensions, IVR, queues, voicemail
- Works from
- Office, home or mobile
- On-site hardware
- No PBX to maintain
Advanced features depend on the package agreed.
What it is
Your PBX, without the box in the cupboard.
A PBX (private branch exchange) is the system that gives a business its extensions, transfers, menus and voicemail. Traditionally it is a piece of equipment on your premises that someone has to install, maintain and eventually replace.
With Cloud PBX, that call control runs in a hosted environment instead. Your phones and apps connect to it over the internet, and you manage users and call routing through an online interface rather than on a box in the office.
The problem it solves
An on-site PBX ties your phone system to one building and one piece of hardware. As teams spread across offices and homes, and hardware ages, that becomes harder to manage. A hosted system keeps everyone on the same phone system wherever they work, and changes can be made without a site visit.
Core capabilities
The building blocks of the service.
These are the standard functions of the phone system.
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Extensions and users
Give each person or device an extension. Add, move and remove users from one place as your team changes.
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IVR menus
Greet callers and let them choose a department ("press 1 for sales"), so calls reach the right team first time.
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Call routing
Decide where each call goes, in what order, and what happens when nobody answers: another person, a queue or voicemail.
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Ring groups
Ring several phones at once or in sequence, so a shared line is answered by whoever is free.
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Call queues
Hold callers in order when everyone is busy, and connect them to the next available person.
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Voicemail
Personal and shared mailboxes for the calls that cannot be answered straight away.
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Business hours
Route calls differently during open hours, after hours and on holidays, without changing settings by hand.
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Remote access
Use the same extension from the office, from home or on the move, on supported desk phones, softphones or apps.
Confirmed with your quotation
These depend on the final package and configuration. We confirm exactly what is included before you commit.
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Call recording
Whether calls can be recorded, how recordings are stored and for how long.
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Integrations
Connections to CRM, helpdesk or other business software, where available.
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Reporting
Call logs and queue statistics, and the level of detail included.
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Redundancy and security controls
Failover options, access controls and other protections included in your package.
Use cases
When a hosted phone system makes sense.
Cloud PBX suits businesses that would rather manage calls than equipment.
- 01
Replacing an ageing on-site PBX
Move call handling to a hosted system and retire hardware that needs maintenance, space and specialist support.
- 02
Teams spread across locations
Offices, home workers and mobile staff share one phone system, with internal calls and transfers between them.
- 03
A front desk that never misses a call
Menus, ring groups and queues spread calls across the team, with voicemail and after-hours routing as a back-up.
- 04
A new business setting up its phones
Start with a full phone system and business numbers without buying or installing a PBX.
How it works
From call plan to working phones.
The time this takes depends on the size of your team, your devices and any number porting, so we agree a plan with you.
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Step 1: Map how your calls should flow
Who answers which calls, during which hours, and what happens when they cannot.
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Step 2: Choose users, devices and numbers
Agree extensions, the devices or apps each person will use, and new or ported numbers.
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Step 3: Configure the system
Menus, ring groups, queues, voicemail and business-hours rules are set up to match your plan.
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Step 4: Test and go live
Calls are tested from inside and outside the business before your numbers are switched over.
Technical considerations
What a hosted phone system needs.
Most of these are straightforward, but they are worth checking before you move your calls.
- Internet connection
- Every location needs a stable connection with enough capacity for its simultaneous calls, plus headroom for other traffic.
- Devices
- IP desk phones, softphones on computers and mobile apps can all be used, depending on the package. Existing phones may work if they are supported.
- Network settings
- Router features such as SIP ALG can interfere with calls and may need to be disabled. Firewalls must allow voice traffic.
- Numbers
- Existing numbers can often be ported, and new numbers added where available. Requirements differ by country.
- Emergency calling
- Calls to emergency services depend on your connection and power, and caller location may need to be registered. Limitations are explained before go-live.
- Features by package
- Availability, integrations, redundancy and security controls depend on the service offering agreed, and are confirmed in writing.
Works with
How Cloud PBX fits with our other services.
Cloud PBX is the phone system. Numbers bring calls into it, and SIP trunking covers sites that keep their own PBX.
What is the difference between Cloud PBX and SIP trunking?
SIP trunking supplies the connection between a phone system you already run and the telephone network. You keep managing the PBX itself.
Cloud PBX is the phone system, hosted for you. Extensions, call routing, IVR menus, queues and voicemail are configured online, and staff use desk phones, softphones or apps without an on-site PBX to maintain.
If you have a PBX you want to keep, SIP trunking is usually the starting point. If you would rather not run one, Cloud PBX is usually the better fit.
What do I need technically to get started?
For any of the services you need a stable internet connection with enough bandwidth for your expected number of simultaneous calls, and a network that does not interfere with SIP or voice traffic. Some routers apply a feature called SIP ALG that can disrupt calls and may need to be disabled.
For SIP trunking you also need a compatible IP PBX. For Cloud PBX you need supported devices: IP desk phones, softphones on computers, or mobile apps, depending on the package. We will go through the specifics for your setup.
Can I make emergency calls?
Emergency calling over IP-based services has limitations that differ by country. It can be affected by power or internet outages, and the location passed to emergency services may need to be registered in advance and kept up to date, particularly for remote or mobile users.
We will explain the emergency calling arrangements and limitations that apply to your service and location before it goes live. Please keep an alternative way to reach emergency services where required.
Does Cloud PBX work for remote and hybrid teams?
Yes, that is one of its main uses. Because the phone system is hosted, staff can use their extension from the office, from home or on the move with a supported device and an internet connection, and calls can be routed between them as if they shared an office.
Call quality depends on each location having a suitable internet connection.
Which Cloud PBX features are included?
Core phone system functions such as extensions, call routing, IVR menus, ring groups, queues, voicemail and business-hours rules are the building blocks of the service. Advanced items, including call recording, integrations with other software, reporting and redundancy options, depend on the package and configuration agreed.
We will confirm the exact feature set in writing as part of your quotation.
Plan your phone system with us.
Tell us how many people need phones, where they work and how calls should be handled. We'll suggest a setup and prepare a quotation.