What Is Hosted VoIP? Definition, Options, & Advantages

You now not want cumbersome, conventional on-premises telephony infrastructure to make calls and handle enterprise communications. Hosted VoIP is the discuss of the city now, and rightly so.

On-premises PBX programs have gotten out of date and insufficient to fulfill right now’s enterprise wants. Hosted VoIP affords a extra dependable, feature-rich, reasonably priced, and built-in cloud-based various to conventional cellphone programs and VoIP servers.

Let’s discover out what precisely hosted VoIP is, the way it works, its fundamental options, and how one can profit from switching to a hosted VoIP supplier.

What Is Hosted VoIP?

Voice over Web Protocol (VoIP) is a telecommunications infrastructure that makes use of a high-speed web connection to transmit voice and knowledge.

Hosted VoIP is an internet-based telephony system that doesn’t want on-premises tools to make and obtain cellphone calls. As a substitute, communication is offered by a cellphone service supplier within the cloud. 

In contrast to a standard cellphone setup, all you want is an IP cellphone or a softphone (app) to entry enterprise VoIP providers. Any respectable broadband connection will do, reminiscent of DSL, cable, fiber, and 4G/5G mobile knowledge.

Hosted VoIP vs. on-premises VoIP

On-premises VoIP contains an in-house infrastructure. On the flip aspect, as an alternative of constructing and sustaining a bunch of servers, a hosted VoIP answer takes care of every part of their knowledge facilities. This implies you want far much less {hardware} on-site and get way more zero-maintenance calling capabilities. 

In contrast to on-premises VoIP servers, hosted VoIP provides your small business full cellphone service over the web from a trusted VoIP supplier.

How Does Hosted VoIP Work?

In analog cellphone programs, one cellphone connects to a different by way of the Public Switched Phone Community (PSTN). The cellphone makes use of electrical indicators to create audio indicators within the receiver’s speaker.

Cloud-hosted VoIP converts voice indicators into knowledge packets and transmits them over the web. If you subscribe to a hosted VoIP service and make a name, your voice is transformed into digital knowledge and despatched over the web to the VoIP service supplier’s servers. 

From there, the supplier connects the decision to the recipient’s cellphone supplier, whether or not a standard landline or one other VoIP system. This methodology lets you make and obtain calls utilizing your web connection with out conventional cellphone strains and inside seconds. It additionally affords extra flexibility, scalability, and price financial savings.

If you have already got a phone system, you possibly can nonetheless use the VoIP capabilities with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP Trunking).

How does hosted PBX work?

A PBX, or personal department alternate, is a enterprise cellphone system. PBX options embrace name queuing, extension numbers, voicemail, and extra. These options are supported by a posh {hardware} answer that IT professionals handle.

In contrast to a standard PBX, a cloud PBX service is completely completely different—in a great way.

You get all the identical options; simply the VoIP firm manages your {hardware} answer. 

Your telephones don’t join on to an inner server. They join by way of VoIP servers hosted securely within the cloud. So, on high of typical PBX performance, you too can combine top-notch cellphone service between places of work.

A digital PBX service provides you all the advantages of a PBX with none of the hassles. If you have already got one in place, you possibly can learn extra about hosted PBX vs. SIP Trunking.

Hosted VoIP Options

Hosted VoIP affords all of the important cellphone system options. From name queues to auto attendants, it gives every part your workforce wants:

• Auto attendant
• Convention calls
• Cell app (softphone app)
• CRM integration
• Superior name analytics
• HD name high quality
• Toll-free cellphone numbers
• Native cellphone numbers
• Discover me, comply with me
• Voicemail-to-email
• Limitless scalability

These are only some calling options included with Nextiva’s VoIP plans. You possibly can learn our full checklist of VoIP options right here. 

The checklist doesn’t finish there. Should you’re searching for a platform that mixes the capabilities of VoIP with different enterprise communication providers like video conferencing and enterprise SMS, give UCaaS a strive. Right here’s what it’s and a few of its key options.

UCaaS performance

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) takes VoIP telephony to a brand new degree. It integrates communication instruments reminiscent of instantaneous messaging, phone, video conferencing, and e-mail into one platform. 

Listed below are some contains a UCaaS like Nextiva’s platform affords:

• Crew chat and instantaneous messaging: Create notes, share information, and ship messages, hyperlinks, and attachments one-to-one or throughout groups in actual time.
• Video conferences: Conduct multi-participant or one-on-one video conferences throughout the firm and with clients. 
• Voice: Get superior voice calling options like name recording, name forwarding, superior name routing, and video and textual content.
• Collaboration: Use built-in instruments to collaborate on initiatives, ship messages, and schedule conferences from one platform.
• Cloud safety: Get extra management and safety with internet-based internet hosting in a non-public cloud or safe knowledge middle.

With Nextiva, your workers can simply swap from chat messages to cellphone conversations and video conferences on the identical platform. It will increase productiveness and affords you methods to attach by means of varied communication channels.

UCaaS vs. hosted VoIP: Which is best for you?

UCaaS is a bigger class with a spread of communication instruments and options (additionally VoIP) and isn’t a VoIP various. You’ll like it should you conduct in depth video conferences or have groups collaborating on initiatives. It’s meant for numerous and demanding communication wants. 

However, should you’re a small enterprise or talk primarily by way of PBX and voice calls (suppose a name middle), UCaaS could also be overkill. A hosted VoIP providing superior voice-calling options is a more sensible choice.

Advantages of Hosted VoIP

Hosted VoIP can certain sound complicated, however it isn’t. It merely means a VoIP hosted in a number of redundant knowledge facilities with 99.999% reliability and uptime. 

If you swap to hosted VoIP, you’re not simply “transferring” your bodily PBX to a digital one however gaining extra reliability and scalability, plus 24/7 assist and monitoring. 

Beneath are some key advantages of hosted VoIP that can assist you select.

1) Important price financial savings

Companies can scale back cellphone prices by as much as 50% with VoIP softphones. In truth, VoIP can assist small companies scale back startup prices by as much as a whopping 90%! 

Should you at present use a landline enterprise cellphone answer, it can save you huge by switching to hosted VoIP. Hosted VoIP provides you all of the options of a enterprise cellphone plan for much less with out putting in and continuously sustaining the on-site tools.

As an example, Nextiva’s fundamental plan begins at $18.95 per line per thirty days and contains limitless nationwide calling, free on-line faxing, name routing, and extra.

You can too save on different enterprise apps, as Nextiva gives a full suite of instruments, together with gross sales and customer support CRM, surveys, analytics, web site chat, and extra.

2) Worldwide calls begin at $0.01

Do you could have places of work, customers, and clients in different international locations? Hosted VoIP is the answer for you.

VoIP platforms like Nextiva supply worldwide calling charges beginning at $0.01. (No joke!)

Eager about utilizing an on-premises setup like a landline to make worldwide calls? You’ll rack up costly payments and want fixed upkeep to make high quality calls. Pricey, time-consuming, and disturbing.

A hosted VoIP can save quite a bit in your enterprise cellphone invoice. In comparison with conventional cellphone strains, hosted VoIP calls are sometimes of upper high quality. Whereas analog calls journey over native cellphone strains, VoIP calls are carried over the web, leading to higher-quality cellphone calls with extra bandwidth.

With a VoIP platform like Nextiva, home long-distance calls are free and included in your month-to-month plan.

3) Unified communications

Streamlining all communication channels right into a single platform drastically helps your groups.

Your groups sometimes break up their workday between inboxes and platforms. 

Think about how rather more productive they may very well be in a single feed. That’s the fact with a unified method. As a result of it’s so helpful for companies, the UC market is quickly rising, forecasted to achieve $167 billion by 2025.

4) Third-party integrations

You already use a number of completely different instruments for your small business to get issues carried out. Most firms have CRM, e-mail advertising and marketing instruments, and analytics software program of their tech stack. Connecting your current enterprise instruments with a hosted VoIP system is straightforward. 

Integrating calls with conventional cellphone programs is rather more complicated and time-consuming. You want additional {hardware} and specialised software program to bridge the hole.

Since Voice over IP is digital, integration is far less complicated. For instance, routinely sync name knowledge along with your current CRM software program utilizing Nextiva’s integrations with helpdesks like Zendesk and ServiceNow and CRMs like Zoho and HubSpot.

5) Superior contact middle instruments

Hosted VoIP has ushered in a new period of customer support. Clients count on firms to function across the clock. Sending clients to a voicemail now not cuts it. That is why companies, even small companies, use contact facilities as a service the place brokers reply to questions by way of e-mail, cellphone, or textual content.

Beforehand, companies needed to set up an workplace, run dozens of phone strains, and rent an IT particular person to remain on high of it. Now, a hosted VoIP platform can present end-to-end performance with out large prices. You possibly can ramp up brokers in document time with nothing greater than a VoIP softphone.

Take a look at Nextiva’s VoIP name middle options for a extra in-depth rationalization.

6) One VoIP cellphone quantity, extra mobility

A cloud VoIP cellphone system makes it simpler to keep up VIP buyer relationships. With the “discover me comply with me” function, incoming calls will attain the fitting particular person, regardless of the place they’re. The function routinely rings the workplace desk cellphone. If unanswered, it tries the enterprise cellphone. 

Lastly, it would ring the house quantity.

All of your clients have to recollect is your workplace cellphone quantity. You can too use a enterprise cellphone app to make calls on the go. NextivaONE app works on any system and integrates with the identical analytics and CRM as VoIP. The very best half is that you should utilize your workplace cellphone quantity out of your cell phone.

Migrating to Hosted VoIP? Select Nextiva

Should you’re simply beginning your hosted VoIP journey or have an current PBX you need to combine with VoIP however have to understand how, flip to Nextiva. You’ll get devoted onboarding and migration assist at each step.

Nextiva is a top-hosted VoIP supplier and unified communications options for companies. However don’t take our phrase for it!

• In Gartner’s latest Voice of the Buyer report, Nextiva was named Clients’ Alternative in 2 classes and rated 4.5 out of 5 for assist expertise and product capabilities. That’s not all.
• Greater than 9 of ten companies advocate Nextiva on GetVoIP from over 2,995 opinions – the best amongst key VoIP suppliers.
• A 99.999% uptime is enterprise-level system availability. Nextiva additionally affords HIPAA-compliant Hosted VoIP options so that you could deal with sufferers, not IP telephones.
• Nextiva conducts common safety testing and invests tens of millions to scale its community. We pair that with award-winning customer support so companies can deal with what issues: clients.

Whether or not organising the brand new VoIP system, transferring current knowledge, or coaching your workforce, Nextiva affords a easy transition to hosted VoIP so you should utilize it with out interruptions.

FAQs About Hosted VoIP