A PBX (private branch exchange) is the switch that connects a company's phones to each other and to the public network. It gives each user an extension, routes incoming calls, and handles transfers, voicemail and menus. Older PBXs were boxes in a server room. An IP PBX does the same job over internet protocol, and a cloud PBX is an IP PBX that a provider runs for you, used over the internet.
A cloud PBX typically covers:
- Numbers: local, national, mobile or toll-free numbers, routed to users, teams or menus.
- Routing: IVR menus, call queues, business hours and voicemail.
- Phones: a softphone on the computer, desk phones or a mobile app.
Compared with an on-site PBX, there is no hardware to buy or maintain, a new user can be added in minutes, and teams can work from anywhere with an internet connection. The trade-off is that call quality depends on the network, so the connection has to be stable.
OVOKY includes the phone system in the same platform as the CRM and the other channels: phone numbers of seven types, an IVR with eight node types, call queues and a browser softphone in the agent workspace. Companies that keep their own PBX can route OVOKY numbers to it or connect it through a SIP trunk.