Comparing PBX Phone Systems to other systems
 “Telephones are basic to your productivity, and buying the wrong business phone system or office phone system can cripple your entire operation for years.”
This quote demonstrates the importance of choosing the right phone system. The type of system any office chooses will depend on how many stations (extensions) are needed, what features are required, and available prices. The following information may help you better understand your choices.
Types of office phone systems on the market today include these main four systems:
- Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems
- Key systems
- KSU-less phones
- Voice over IP (VoIP
PBX office phone systems (also called Private Branch eXchange, or Private Business eXchange, or PABX for Private Automatic Branch eXchange) :
Historically, a PBX was any company’s switchboard, operated manually. Technology has, of course, changed, first to automated electromechanical, and then to electronic switching systems, then to solid state and digital components. By now, a powerful PBX for a small company can sit unobtrusively on a desk The name PBX, however, has been used so long for office phone systems in general that it is now being applied liberally to systems even if they are not technically PBX systems.
PBX office systems now come standard with most of the features you might want. In addition, they are expandable and programmable, so they can support complex implementations any office system might require.
Purchasers of PBX systems will almost always be able to use existing phone wiring. It is important to determine that your phone handsets will be compatible with the central unit.
The cost economy of PBX systems differs with size of office. Smaller offices benefit most from the adaptability and expandability of the PBX system, because if other, cheaper systems are purchased to save money, and then those systems must be upgraded, the savings you thought you had achieved will vanish.
Lee Phones offers a very affordable and high quality phone system for your small business. View our phone systems.
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Alternatives to the PBX Systems include:
KSU-less systems:
KSU-less systems, sometimes referred to as 2- or 4-line phones, usually serves offices with less than ten extensions or users. These systems are not permanently wired into your office. They're more susceptible to "crosstalk," in which separate conversations bleed into each other. Call transfers can be difficult or undependable based on your office wiring. KSU-less systems lack features such as automated attendants, voicemail, and automatic fax recognition. These phones can easily be unplugged and moved to a new location or sold, but they are not expandable, and that is a serious drawback. You cannot add phone lines as your business grows. So if you purchase KSU-less systems to save money, and then find that you have to upgrade your system again, the savings you thought you had achieved will vanish. In fact the cost of a single phone is usually higher than a system phone for a PBX or KSU based system.
Key systems:
This type of system typically serves from 5-40 stations or users and often has many of the features of the PBX, but their drawback is that in many cases they are not customizable. Key systems use a central control device called the key system unit (KSU) to route calls to another in-office extension, preventing other users from accidentally picking up a line that is being used.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
VoIP sends regular voice calls over a computer network instead of traditional phone lines. In its simplest form, VoIP requires a regular phone, an adapter, broadband Internet service, and a subscription to a VIP service. When you place a call, it is sent over the Internet as data until it nears the recipient’s destination. Then the call is translated back into a more traditional format and completes the trip over standard phone lines. VIP service can be hosted by phone companies, computer operations, or even hardware manufacturers. These IP systems offer essentially the same service as a PBX, but they have moved so far from the original concept of the PBX that the term hardly applies at all. Even though VIP gets a great deal of press, the PBX's are very competitive in services with modern hosted IP systems, and offer voice quality that is consistently superior to the often choppy sound of a VoIP conversation.
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