Lesser Known IP PBX Features That Providers Should Promote

Numerous IP PBX solutions satisfy advanced call functionalities like Interactive Voice Response (IVR); flexible forwarding and routing logic; call barging, whispering, listening and parking; and more. That said, the best IP PBX systems provide more than just a phone service—they offer a unified communications platform. As such, they bring new tools to the table, some of which deserve more attention.

Virtualization Capabilities

Various IP PBXs are compatible with virtualization software like VMware for disaster recovery and scalability. Virtualizing a PBX allows the phone system to escape hardware limitations and lets administrators tweak its resources and performance on demand.

Through virtualization, PBX systems can replicate themselves remotely, providing instant failover solutions should something unexpectedly fail. This protects against downtime, data loss and more.

Plug-and-Play Provisioning

Some IP PBX systems rely on local administrators for device provisioning. While hardware configuration is not difficult, providers that support non-local customers may feel pain in this regard. Thankfully, there are solutions that solve this problem with remote configuration tools and automatic provisioning (plug-and-play).

Third-Party Integrations

IP PBX software can connect with other clients to unify cloud services and tools. For example, many PBXs integrate with CRM solutions, allowing PBX users to pull or push contact data to an external platform. Note that open-source PBX solutions are endlessly configurable whereas proprietary PBX solutions integrate only with authorized third parties.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Alerting

Advanced IP PBX solutions alert administrators of potential SLA violations like downtime, channel overcapacity, routing complications and more. All alerts get logged so that administrators can view the history of SLA-related problems and respond appropriately.

Direct Inward System Access (DISA)

Known also as mobile access calling, DISA enables users to call into a PBX from an external network and access the phone system with a PIN number. Once authorized, the system forwards the call to its preferred destination, running any minutes or tolls through the PBX. DISA also lets external users display the primary caller ID with a non-provisioned device.