What is a cloud PBX and who needs one? How it differs from an office PBX, choosing one and switching
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
A cloud PBX is a phone system that runs on the provider’s server instead of a box in the office. It gives you extensions, call transfers, ring groups, working-hours rules, recording and an app for staff. You buy no equipment; you pay monthly per user. It suits companies with branches, remote staff or fast growth. When choosing, ask: will they connect your current number, how long are recordings kept, does it work with your CRM, and what does one user cost.
How a cloud PBX works
It’s the same mini-PBX, only on the provider’s server instead of in your office. A call to your number reaches the server, which routes it by your rules: to a desk IP phone, a softphone on a computer or an employee’s mobile.
You change the rules yourself in a browser panel: add a new person, change hours for a holiday, send evening calls elsewhere. Even if the office internet goes down, the server keeps taking calls and can pass them to mobiles.
Office PBX vs cloud PBX
| What | Mini-PBX in the office | Cloud PBX |
|---|---|---|
| At the start | Pay for equipment and installation | Usually little or nothing |
| Every month | Little, but it needs maintenance | A fee per user |
| Where you work from | Mostly the office | Anywhere with internet |
| Setup | Needs a specialist | In a browser panel, often by yourself |
| Office loses internet or power | May stop | Calls can go to mobiles |
| Branches | A device each or complex setup | All in one system |
Who it suits
- Two or three branches: all in one system, and calls pass from one branch to another.
- Staff working from home or on the road.
- A fast-growing team: a new person gets an extension quickly.
- A company planning to move offices soon.
- One person with a few calls a day may not need it: a mobile and call forwarding will do.
Questions to ask when choosing
- Will you connect our current number, or give us a new one?
- What does one user cost per month, and are channels extra?
- How long are recordings kept, and how do we download them?
- Is there an app for smartphones and computers?
- Does it work with Bitrix24 or another CRM?
- Can an outside service connect over SIP, for example an AI operator?
- In what language, and at what hours, does support work?
How to switch
- Draw the call flow: who answers, what happens with no answer, where calls go at night. How to draw it: about the mini-PBX.
- Prepare a list of staff and extensions.
- Install the apps and make a test call with each person.
- Move the number, if possible on a day with few calls.
- In the first week, check unanswered calls every day and adjust the rules.
A cloud PBX and an AI operator
A cloud PBX routes calls but doesn’t answer them: if staff are busy or the day is over, the call still goes unanswered. That’s where an AI operator comes in. Sado’s operator answers every call at once, speaks Uzbek and Russian, asks your questions and transfers to a staff member by your rule.
For example, “Nur Optika”, with three branches, sends calls to the branches during working hours and to the AI operator after 20:00: the operator answers questions and books eye tests for the next day.
You decide which calls go to the operator, all of them or only evenings and weekends, and we work out the route with your provider. More: AI operator for incoming calls, questions about Sado, call recording in telephony. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
What internet does a cloud PBX need?
A stable connection for each person: a call doesn’t need high speed, but it mustn’t drop. If several people talk from the office, a cable is more reliable than Wi-Fi.
Will our number change when we move to a cloud PBX?
Not necessarily: many providers connect your current number. Ask clearly before signing the contract.
How much does a cloud PBX cost?
There’s usually a monthly fee per user, with call minutes charged separately. The exact price depends on the provider and the features you need, so ask two or three providers using the same list of questions.
Is a cloud PBX secure?
Security mostly comes down to passwords: a separate account for each person, strong passwords, and deleting a leaver’s account at once. Give admin panel access to one or two people only.