Today’s business environment relies upon constant connectivity. Your business can have the most advanced facilities or production equipment in the world, but without a telecommunications network to provide connectivity to the world around it, your business may struggle. A telecommunication network makes it possible for your employees to access business emails on a mobile phone while traveling for business, enable video conferencing in the office with clients around the world, while providing telephone service in your local area.
Telecommunications systems are easily taken for granted. Every day your employees come and go from the office with the assumption that when they want to make a call, access email or conduct research online, they’ll be able to do so.
The difference between a PBX and PABX is quite simple. A PBX is a “ private branch exchange,” while a PABX is a “ private automatic branch exchange.” The only difference is the word “automatic.”
The difference goes back to the history of telephone systems. Originally, a PBX required switchboard operators to connect internal callers to other lines. Operators did this manually by literally unplugging lines and plugging them into the right extension.
The PBX was already an advancement over the original “plain old telephone system” (POTS) which required individual lines for each desk in an office. To dial another desk was just like making an outbound call. Outside callers had to know which number to call directly. No call transfer capabilities, conference calls or voicemail. The ability to connect two office extensions, transfer a caller to a colleague or share a single access number for a business was already a big deal, even if it was manual.
When electronic switching became available, the automatic telephone system was born - the PABX. Users were able to dial an extension number to make an internal call without the need for an operator. It would be rare to find telephone systems without this feature. So, the reality is that every PBX today is actually a PABX.
The question is: Is there any real difference in the terms?
Many people observe that since non-automatic PBXs really don’t exist anymore, the terms are interchangeable. While this is true, in practice it’s good for businesses to keep paying attention to new automatic features available for phone systems.
Scalability
Because there is no up front purchase of fixed or limited size PBX equipment, the users VBX system is able to grow as the business grows. VBX allows you to expand or contract as your business changes without having to be burdened by existing equipment. Voice Lift's VBX system also allows for more time and cost efficient addition of incoming lines and/or extensions.
Lower Front End Costs
The VBX Virtual Branch Exchange is an economical alternative to purchasing costly PBX equipment that requires constant maintenance. Our pricing structure is very simple. There is a one-time setup charge, and there is a monthly charge for the number of seats you require in excess of the number of lines you have.
Continuous Upgrades
The VBX system is constantly upgraded to provide the latest features and functionality. Voice Lift's VBX customers receive these upgrades FREE of charge, so you know that you are always on the cutting edge of telecommunications technology.