VirtualPBX Review
It is not often that you come across a pioneering company in an established industry that not only still exists, but one that vies for the ‘leader’ label in their field. Most companies in their respective businesses start strong, only to be outdone by financially backed competition who have the resources to tweak the product/service to a better degree. VirtualPBX is an anomaly in this regard, as they were the first hosted PBX provider (founded in 1997) while still considered to be a tier-one VoIP innovator. And, is this truly anything of a shocker? They are a relatively small company compared to some of their peers – particularly Skype, Nextiva and RingCentral. This allows VirtualPBX to customize their service to meet constantly changing customer demands faster than any other VoIP provider on the market.
Features
Between their Dash and Office (Business) plans, VirtualPBX offers over 25 features. Their features are among the most advanced and extensive out there – for both ‘individual’ and business use. In fact, after reviewing VirtualPBX, we found their VoIP service to be among the elites for business use. Tracking every call and routing them properly is a key component to virtually every business – VirtualPBX has this down to a science and is the best we have come across. Furthermore, their web based tool and features makes system configuration and overall management easy and flexible. In addition to this, you will find features such as TrueACD Queues, Conferencing, DNIS Numbers, Data Security, and many others among their business features. Their main ‘Dash’ features include:
- Follow me calling
- Multiple numbers
- Audio conferencing
- Call blasting
- Ring groups
- Email to fax
- Direct inward dialing
- Hot desking
- Advanced transfers
- Device manager
These are just some of the primary features of VirtualPBX’s Dash plan. We didn’t even scratch the surface – for example how every user can have multiple extensions, numbers and devices. We strongly recommend readers to visit VirtualPBX to receive a full picture on their remarkable features offering, including PBX Parachute which is a remote backup business telephone system. In fact, VirtualPBX offers personalized tours of their VoIP service.
Ease of Use
Just because VirtualPBX offers some of the most advanced features doesn’t mean it’s a complicated service to use. On the contrary. Though some level of technical experience is required, configuration and set up doesn’t require reading through pages of manuals. The reason for this is their highly intuitive dashboard, where you can add users, devices, assign numbers, groups and much more. We can’t possibly cover every aspect of VirtualPBX’s usability and functionality however we will provide an example of how simplified the software is. For example: adding a new device. Under the ‘Users’ field, you will see each user along with their extensions, numbers and devices. Click the icon within the ‘Devices’ column, hit ‘New Device’ on the pop up, and then you can add a cell phone, VoIP phone or soft phone. After choosing one, enter the device name and phone number and click ‘Create Device.’ That’s it. Additional features/settings for this new device are available, such as ring duration and ring sequence. Moreover, VirtualPBX offers several highly detailed training videos that will help you fully familiarize yourself with the interface.
Pricing
Apart from Phone Power, VirtualPBX offers the most competitive pricing out of all the other major VoIP providers. But, it’s not just about the actual dollar amount, but rather the value itself. Dollar for dollar, it is unlikely that you’ll find a tier-one VoIP service offering this many features at the price level on offer. Below is a breakdown of VirtualPBX plans:
Don’t forget that VirtualPBX also offer a full 30-day money back guarantee. The only catch is that the phone equipment must be returned in its original packaging.
Speed
So here is where things get interesting. VirtualPBX claims that they don’t make any compromises. How true was this statement overall? Regarding speed, it mostly dependant on with your personal internet connection. However, there are steps that companies can take to enhance reliability and security such as having multiple power sources, carrier class switching, and redundancies in their electrical and telecom providers – all of which VirtualPBX covers. Furthermore, there are no third parties involved. It’s just you and VirtualPBX. We can’t stress how important this is, as it eliminates multiple potential problems in the ‘pipeline.’ With 99.999% uptime, VirtualPBX makes a strong case for being the most reliable VoIP provider out there.
Support
There is no shortage of support options that VirtualPBX sports. From live chat and phone support to email and FAQs/tutorials/training videos, they have it all. Additionally, VirtualPBX has both a toll free and an international number, as they service many countries outside the USA. Support times are standard for the industry – Monday to Sunday (7 days per week) 7AM – 7PM PST. Due to the nature of their company (smaller sized), we found the service to be highly interpersonal, receptive and knowledgeable – essentially everything you’d expect to see out of a top VoIP provider.
