3CX and VoIP phone systems – Modern solutions for Australian SME

Phone calls are still an important part of Australian small business. Legacy and Digital systems can cost a small fortune and be cumbersome to use, configure and update. They also usually offer limited remote working capabilities. Modern SIP systems such as 3CX offer a vast range of features that can help streamline your business and simplify workflows for your Team. They are much more cost effective and can be paired with unlimited lines for easy budgeting. There is also no requirement to have 1 line per person. So, for example you could have 4 lines but 20 extensions / users.

Remote working

The benefit of 3CX either onsite or in the cloud is the remote working opportunities. Staff are able to work anywhere with the help of the mobile app. Staff are also able to use the desktop or web app from their laptop using a headset. This provides full functionality of the system without the need for physical hardware. Using the mobile app allows staff benefits such as:
– The ability to see when other staff are already on calls
– See contacts on their phone or a list of company contacts
– Allows them to call out using the business phone number
– Allows reception or other staff to transfer calls to another team member

Advanced Features

You also have the ability to integrate the system with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and a number of CRM systems. This allows you to sync users and company contacts to the system. This allows for a simplified onboarding and integration with current contacts and lists. You can import your teams individual contacts and also a list of company contacts. This way you are able to see who is calling through as it will match the contact on incoming calls. You are also able to easily dial out through the contact list.
Receptionists who have a desk phone are also able to use the company contact list to make calls out. Using a dashboard on their computer they select a contact to call, it will then initiate the call on their desk phone.
The dashboard is the central hub of the system. It allows staff the ability to monitor and use many aspects of the system, including:
– Checking who is on a call currently
– Chat and meeting functionality
– A log of all their calls and any recordings
– Contact lists
– If they are a manager of a queue they can monitor the live statistics
– Updating their desk phone buttons

Central Management

Management of the system is also greatly improved. Gone are the days of technicians having to come onsite to make any small change. Many if not all updated can be made remotely. This means that efficiency is greatly improved. Requests for changes and updates can be completed in a matter of minutes by your service provider.
This also allows your team to make small updates to their extension profile with out the need to put in a ticket.

Easy Maintenance and Updates

Using 3CX in the cloud also means that your service provider is able to more quickly and efficiently keep your system up to date. At FordhamIT we regularly save backups and snapshots of the system. We can then quickly run updates out of hours. If something was to go wrong, the system can easily be sectored from an existing backup.

Employee Empowerment and Job Satisfaction

Giving teams the flexibility to work from home allows for greater satisfaction, they are able to retain complete functionality of the system and keep in contact with the rest of the office.
The user friendly interface reduces the learning curve and allows staff to make individual changes and customise the system and preferences to their liking.

Cost Savings & a Predictable Cost

Traditional digital phone systems can be costly and require a large upfront cost to the business. VOIP based phone systems, be it onsite or cloud based offer a significantly lower investment for small businesses. Cloud based solutions allow you to run the system in the cloud, managed by a service provider.
There is also no need to have physical handsets, you can get the full functionality of the system from the mobile and desktop applications. Meaning the only initial cost would be the subscription and there would be no hardware costs.
Calls between users on the same system are also free, which can allow staff an easy option for internal communication. We further recommend unlimited call lines, this further allows you to control costs and know what you are paying each month.