2019 Upward Trend: Hosted Small Business Phone System

2019 Upward Trend: Hosted Small Business Phone System

In recent years, hosted PBX service has been advancing by leaps and bounds and becoming the other highly welcome option for SMB. Eastern Management Group issued a report highlighting many positive trends seen by this market over the past year. This blog will provide you with insights into the SMB hosted PBX market in 2019.

According to the report, hosted PBX sales are 18.1% of the total PBX market, up from 3.6% in 2010. SMB, under 50 users, will remain, for the foreseeable future, the largest hosted PBX market.

2018 Hosted Phone System

2018 Is another eventful year for hosted PBX business. If you’re a hosted PBX provider or reseller, the stats means that right now is the optimal moment to capitalize on the soaring of the market.

6 Drivers of SMB Adopting Hosted Phone Systems

According to Eastern Management Group, cost is the number one driver of hosted PBX growth. SMBs want cheap seats and only basic voice features.

1. No Upfront Cost for Deployment

A primary motivator for SMB is to save them money and hassle. They are looking for using hosted VoIP services to slash their operational costs and capital expenditure on infrastructure and hardware, without compromising on the reliability and functionality of their phone service.

With the hosted voice solution, SMBs have access to a fully-functional business phone system without being charged an arm and a leg upfront. Some hosted PBX service can even let them start making calls as soon as they sign up, which is particularly good news for their cash flow in the short term.

2. More Flexible and Predictable Pricing Plan

Not only initial but also long-term savings come with hosted PBX. SMBs are particularly looking for a predictable month-to-month subscription price based on the number of seats and concurrent calls, which meets both their performance and budget requirements.

The best hosted PBX providers allow for line-by-line tailoring of service plans so that companies only pay for what they actually use. Costs for a hosted PBX are known in advance and will remain unchanged over the life of the contract with the service provider.

3. No In-house Staff to Manage the System

Hosted PBX is a perfect fit in particular for new and smaller SMBs with no dedicated IT personnel on hand to take care of their business phone system. With a hosted VoIP solution, just plug the phone and make the first call. It could be as simple as that.

Because the core phone system resides in the cloud and is managed by service providers, SMBs need not worry about having experts in-house to maintain the system and troubleshoot issues. Hosted PBX providers are directly responsible for its upkeep, including network equipment, system upgrades, and ongoing maintenance.

4. Ability to Scale Up and Down

According to Forbes, hosted phone service supports the frenetic growth that many small businesses face without a large upfront investment.

Month-to-month seasonal changes are normal for SMBs, especially start-ups experiencing rapid growth. That’s when one size does not fit all. A cloud-based hosted VoIP solution allows for adding new phone lines, new extensions, and new phones, and shrinking back down again as business need change.

Hosted PBX service can support from just one or a few users to several hundred, and even thousands, depending on the options offered by the service provider. SMB can thus avoid paying for more than they actually need at any given time.

5. Unified Communications Potential

According to Forbes, mobility is the largest or one of the largest catalysts for hosted PBX growth. 84% of IT managers say mobility is important to them.

Today’s workforce requires agile business communications. Many work from home, on the go, or as a full-time remote employee. The growing volume of work performed away from the office is pushing up the demand for hosted PBX and unified communications.

Unified communications enables employees to work across multiple devices. Employees can set up IP phones, plug in their laptops, or use their smartphones to make phone calls through the hosted phone system. UC features such as Presence, Instant Messaging, One Number Reach, CRM Integration, and more, make it easier to integrate a mobile workforce and reduce communication response time.

6. Built-in Multi-location Capability

Multi-location companies have found a convenient starting point for hosted PBX. A hosted voice solution allows them to unify distant offices and a handful of teleworkers spanning around within a single PBX system. Geographically dispersed employees can then enjoy the same features and communicate as if on the same floor of one office building and multi-location offices operate as one.

Most SMBs have less than 300 users and no more than a few locations. While a branch could be the first installation, this suggests a larger business and perhaps a networked location.

With the trend and statistics as these, have you considered adding hosted PBX service into your portfolio? Would like to try out hosted phone systems first? Free trial.

How You Can Make Money Reselling Hosted PBX Services

According to the Eastern Management Group, Hosted PBX offers good margins all the way down the distribution line. A model hosted PBX provider, and there are many, generates a 50-75% gross margin.

Given the increasing favor of cloud-based PBX, hundreds of service providers offer hosted PBX today, and there is still abundant room and ample business opportunities in this industry. If you are considering starting a hosted PBX business, here are some conclusions drew from the market analysis that might help you have a better understanding of the marketplace.

1. Some vertical markets are large users.

Word of mouth inside a specific niche is louder. Targeting certain vertical markets helps shrink the competitive field and doesn’t have to be expensive. Top vertical markets for hosted PBX are professional services, healthcare, education, and retail.

Vertical industry marketing is the fast lane to increase revenues for hosted PBX providers. For every targeted vertical market with distinctive needs, hosted PBX providers better offer solid use cases, market-specific feature packages, and customized bundled services.

2. Subscription-based pricing models generate recurring revenues.

The subscription-based pricing model gives hassle-free shopping and user experience, leading to sticker customers and a low customer churn rate. The monthly churn of hosted PBX services for SMBs is no more than 1.3%.

The cross-selling and up-selling greatly help in building recurring revenue. It’s a smart sales technique to pair hosted PBX service with 3rd party products, system integration, and other plus services. Many providers also up-sell upgrades and add-ons based on their deep understanding of customers’ challenges and goals.

Hosted Phone System Gross Margin

3. Some questions needed to be considered in advance.

There are proven ways to start a hosted PBX business without too many obstacles and with predictable success. To eliminate the potential risk and maximize the profits, you’d better consider some certain things before making an informed decision.

Which vendors should you turn to? What kind of customers should you target? What are your selling points? What do your customers expect from hosted PBX service? What is the most effective sales approach? The list can go on depending as the case may be.

Related: How to Start a Hosted PBX Business and Earn Big


Game on…

For service providers and telecom resellers, now is the time to offer hosted PBX service to your customer. The key is to find the right approach with minimum risk and maximum profit potential. Yeastar has developed a centralized hosted PBX service delivery platform, Yeastar Management Plane(YMP), for you to jump-start hosted PBX business fast and easily.

Learn more about Yeastar Management Plane Turnkey Solution.

If you would like to see for yourself and get solutions customized for your specific needs, schedule a free demo today. Your account manager will walk you through the whole system, introduce our different business models and work out the ROI for you.

Schedule A Free Ymp Demo

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User Login

Instantaneously receive user login credentials via email once the extension has been deployed by the adminstrator.

Log in conveniently via any web browser for access to the user portal.

Integrations

Integrate various CRM software for better customer service and satisfaction.

Enable transcription of audio messages into text with integration of third-party transcription service.

Enable API for integration with various third-party integrations for advanced performance such as call center and hotel reception services.

System

Provision email SMTP and template settings for event notifications to be sent out.

Manage storage allocation and duration of various types of data being stored on the PBX.

Determine the types of event notifications to be sent out, and the parties receiving them.

IVR

Add various audio voice prompts to be played according to different call scenarios.

Add voice prompts on multiple levels for more effecient and precise inbound call routing.

Voicemail

Customize default voicemail settings for each user extension.

Add various voicemail messages for allocation to different call scenarios and users.

Provision specific rules to how voicemail messages are played over the PBX system for better caller experience.

Reports and CDR

All call log activities are stored, with the option of having audio conversations recorded by default or for specific extensions.

Use intuitive visual call reports, to check various call statistics over extensions, trunks, queues, ring groups, and more.

Call reports can be viewed and downloaded directly from the PBX, or scheduled to be sent via email to respective parties.

Security

Restrict a general group or specific IP addresses to prevent unauthorized access to your PBX.

Limit the number of otbound calls users are allowed to make within a time period to protect against toll fraud.

Restrict certain country codes for outbound calls either company-wide or on certain extensions.

User Login

Determine extension ranges for different functions.

Define use of different voice prompts depending on call scenarios or intended function.

Provision basic and advanced SIP settings to be used on the PBX.

Recordings

Record all calls made on specified trunks, including inbound and outbound calls.

Recordings

Record all calls made on specified extensions, conferences, or call queues.

Paging and Intercom

Create different types of paging and intercom broadcast groups for selected extensions.

Set a time schedule to automatically start your broadcast.

Maintenance

Check for and download firmware upgrades to ensure that your PBX is always up-to-date.

Perform back-ups to prevent data and settings from getting lost.

Perform troubleshooting on your own to debug.

Conference

Pre-set conference settings and dial-in passwords for security, and allow internal users to send conference invites to external parties.

Speed Dial

Create multiple speed dial numbers to respective external numbers frequently used for outgoing calls.

Speed dial is activated when the set prefix (default or customized) is dialed.

Ring Group

Create multiple ring groups and determine custom ring strategies and failover settings for each.

Call Queue

Create different call queues with specific ring strategies and failover settings.

Static agents permanently answer calls in queue, while dynamic agents can log in and out. Allocate different extensions to each group.

Determine what actions are to be allowed for Mangers or Agents to manage on the Queue Panel.

Call Control

Have calls received on specific SIP trunks routed to designated extensions or destinations within the PBX.

Set-up dial patterns so that outbound calls are routed to their intended destinations.

Determine how calls are routed and received at different times of a day.

Contacts

Store, retrieve, and share company contact details easily on your PBX.

Organize company contacts into dedicated phonebooks and determine accessibility rights to extension groups for each.

Bulk import a list of contacts instead of having to key details in individually.

Role and Client Permission

Pre-defined user roles within the PBX are conveniently available for allocation, or create your own set of permissions.

Restrict users from viewing specific extensions, departments, or extension groups with Extension Visibility.

Allow or resrict specific users from managing or viewing certain company contacts

Auto Provision

Pre-defined setting parameters specific to respective IP phone models are conveniently available for easy set-up.

IP Phones can be quickly provisioned to your Yeastar PBX with just the pre-defined template and device MAC address.

Trunks

Register multiple SIP trunks on a single PBX as needed.

Different types of trunks can be created, Caller ID can be customized.

Extensions

View, deploy, add, and remove user extensions within your PBX system.

Configure default call and user settings for individual extensions.

Customize allocation of user extensions to specific ring groups.

Portal Login Page

Receive your administrator log-in credentials and set-up guide via email.

Log-in on any web-browser to get started with PBX set-up.

Installation Wizard will guide you through basic configurations.

User Login

Access all company contacts made available to you by the administrator.

Create your own personal contacts list for easy reference and dialing.

Bulk import contact details for convenient data entry.

User Login

Access and manage user settings for softphone application and voicemail.

Manage call routing and presence status for your individual extension.

Retrieve or download your personal call logs and recordings.

User Login

Receive your log-in credentials and set-up guide via email, sent by your admin.

Log-in on any web-browser to get started with PBX set-up.

Configure contacts and personal settings from the web portal.

Auto Provision

Add, remove, or modify IP phone settings from your web interface.

Upgrade IP phone firmware conveniently from your PBX.

Upload various default setting parameters specific to respective IP phone models for greater convenience during set-up.

Contacts

Store, retrieve, and share company contact details easily on your PBX.

Have detailed contact information for your vendors and clients conveniently stored .

Bulk add a list of contacts instead of having to key details in individually.

PBX Monitor

Monitor the status extensions, whether they aren idle, in use, or unavailable.

Know whether your SIP Trunk running properly, or experiencing problems.

Monitor the number of call conferences currently running on your PBX, and their individual durations.

Maintenance

Check for and download firmware upgrades to ensure that your PBX is always up-to-date.

Perform back-ups to prevent data and settings from getting lost.

Perform troubleshooting on your own to debug.

Call Detailed Report

All call log activities are stored, with the option of having audio conversations recorded by default or for specific extensions.

Filter by date, time, or extension number to retrieve specific call logs or recordings

Playback call recordings directly from the PBX or download to store externally.

Event Center

Determine what events and logs are to be recorded and/or have notifications sent.

Specify particular notifications to be sent to respective authorized personnel.

User Permission

Set up vaious groups of users for allocation to certain sets of access rules.

Determine what features a certain group of extensions can or cannot access.

Determine if users can access, play-back, or download call logs and recordings from the pbx.

Security

Restrict a general group or specific IP addresses to prevent unauthorized access to your PBX.

Determine specific the range of SIP ports for connection between your PBX and endpoints.

Restrict country codes for outbound calls either company-wide or on certain extensions.

Voice Prompt

Upload and designate customised audio recordings at multiple levels of a call journey.

Upload recorded music to fill the silence that would be heard by callers on hold.

Upload customised voice prompts to create a professional call experience.

General

Customize general call preferences either company-wide or for individual extensions.

Set-up feature dial codes for convenient user navigation to specific call features.

Determine how voicemails are retrieved, and also upload custom voicemail recordings.

Call Features

Add multiple automated responses to be played at different phases of a call journey.

Designate specific extensions to ring concurrently based on an external caller's dial pattern.

Customize messages and waiting times to keep external callers engaged when put on hold.

Call Control

Have calls received on specific SIP trunks routed to designated extensions within the PBX.

Set-up dial patterns so that outbound calls are routed to their intended destinations.

Determine how calls are routed and received at different times of a day.

Trunks

Register multiple SIP trunks on a single PBX as needed.

Provision SIP trunk settings and dedicate them to particular extensions.

Bulk add DDIs on each SIP trunk, for allocation to an individual or groups of extensions.

Extensions

View, deploy, add, and remove user extensions within your PBX system.

Allocate and deploy specific extension numbers to respective users via email.

Set-up default ring and presence status settings for individual users.

Deal One View

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

Deal One View

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

Deal One View

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

View cases created for a Deal in One View.

View cases created for a Deal in One View.