Modern PABX telephone systems and cloud PBX

A PABX telephone system is your company’s private phone exchange. It connects your internal extensions to each other and to the outside world, so every call reaches the right person. Most businesses now run their PABX in the cloud instead of in a cabinet in the server room. So what does a modern phone system actually do for you? And is it time to retire the old one?

Picture a Monday morning. A customer calls your main number. It rings and rings. Two colleagues are working from home, one is with a client and the receptionist is on another call. Your old PABX system has no idea. The call goes to voicemail and the customer tries someone else instead.

What is a PABX?

PABX stands for private automatic branch exchange. It is the system that routes calls inside your business. You’ll also see it written as PBAX, which is a common mix of the same letters.

You will come across PBX and EPBX too. PBX means private branch exchange, the general term for a business phone exchange. EPBX stands for electronic PBX, the step up from the old manual switchboards where an operator plugged in cables by hand. Today, people use PABX and PBX for the same thing: the system that decides where your calls go.

From the cupboard to PABX IP

The traditional PABX was a physical box on site, connected to copper phone lines. It worked, but every change meant a call to an engineer. Adding a user, moving a desk or changing opening hours took time and money.

A PABX IP system sends calls over your internet connection instead. You might know this as VoIP. That matters right now, because the UK’s old analogue phone network is being switched off. If your business still relies on copper lines, you will need to move.

A cloud PABX goes one step further. There is no hardware in your office. Xelion runs the system in secure data centres, takes care of updates and keeps everything running. You simply log in and manage your settings.

What a cloud PABX from Xelion does for you

Xelion is a cloud phone system built for businesses that want to be easy to reach. Here is what that looks like in practice.

Calls go to the right person. You set up call queues and hunt groups, so a call to sales rings the sales team. Is nobody free? The caller waits in a queue, or the call moves to the next group.

You decide what happens when. An auto attendant greets callers and lets them choose a department. Outside opening hours, calls go to voicemail or to a colleague on call. You change these settings yourself, in minutes.

You see who is available. Presence shows you who is on a call, in a meeting or free. You transfer a call without guessing.

You work from anywhere. Use Xelion on your desk phone, desktop app, browser or smartphone. Customers always see the same business number, whether you are at the office, at home or on the road.

You know who is calling. Xelion links with your CRM, so the caller’s details pop up before you answer. No more “Can I take your name again?”

You see what is happening. Reports and a live wallboard show how many calls come in, how long people wait and how many calls you miss. That makes it easier to plan your team.

It works with Microsoft Teams. Call from Teams with your Xelion number, so your team does not have to switch between apps.

One licence covers it all. Call queues, reports, call recording and the apps are all included. No extra modules to buy later.

Is it time to replace your PABX system?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Does your PABX still depend on copper lines?
• Do you need an engineer for simple changes?
• Do calls get lost when people work from home?
• Do you have no idea how many calls you miss?

If you answered yes to one or more, a cloud phone system is worth a look.

Xelion works with accredited partners across the UK. Your partner helps you choose, sets everything up and stays your first point of contact. With 38 years of experience and more than 20,000 businesses using Xelion, you are in good hands.