The What And How Of PABX
With, PABX and IT merging, the new technology can seem quite overwhelming at times. Many IT technicians and salespeople do not always understand PABX and in turn PABX technicians and salespeople are having difficultly understanding IT. If they are confused, how frustrated are the clients?
Main purpose of a PABX
The main purpose is to connect people to each other, within an organization and to the rest of the outside world. Cost reduction, by sharing resources, greater mobility and control. Telkom lines are a scarce resource, and as a result, companies have fewer incoming telephone lines, than internal extensions.
Working on ratios, very small businesses, less than seven office staff, often has as many incoming telephone lines, as they have staff. As they grow larger, the incoming telephone lines become dependent on the type of organization. Telemarketing companies will typically have, one incoming telephone line, for every 2 internal telephones. Banks and administration companies work on approximately, one incoming line for 4 internal telephones.
Mobility and control
With call forwarding, or having a cell phone, which acts as an office extension, one can be reached anywhere at any time, producing more productivity and control. You can run your office on the move. That’s what they call mobility, but you can still add SMS, e-mails, voice mail, fax, and video messaging, and now you have unified messaging. These last features mentioned are mainly used by big organizations and also in improving health-care and education.
Cost saving through control has always played a part in the decision to acquire a PABX, barring or restricting staff from making unnecessary and costly calls. This simple feature can save money in indirect ways. An example would be an emergency telephone in a 24 hour workshop, which can only call emergency numbers, such as, ambulances, police, security and directors.
Internal or extension uses
The internal side is for the use of each staff member, within the organization to communicate with other staff members, or to the rest of the outside world, via the incoming telephone lines. Instruments or devices that can be used on the extension side are fax machines, cordless telephones, modems and the switchboard operator’s console.
A micro processor manages the functions and the operation of both the incoming telephone lines and extensions. This allows management, to make decisions about control and cost. The most common of these decisions are, where telephones should ring, during the day, and what plan, should be made for after hour calls. Which employees should have access to outgoing telephone lines, and who requires the facilities to make national and international calls?
A little history
The term PABX was first applied, when switchboard operators ran company switchboards by hand. As automated electromechanical and then electronic switching systems, gradually began to replace the manual systems, the terms PABX and PMBX, were used to differentiate them.
Today, the term PBX is by far the most widely recognized acronym and is now applied to all types of complex, in-house telephony switching systems, even if they are not private, branches, or exchanging anything.
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