VirtualPBX Announces New 2021 Business Phone Plans
Posted on July 29, 2021 by Casey Houser
VirtualPBX announced today the updates to its 2021 Business Phone Plans. The phone system developer’s lineup, for businesses of all sizes, now includes a new unlimited users plan called Spark and adds more high-level features to its set of unlimited minutes plans.
“We’re better set than ever to address the needs of companies large and small,” said VirtualPBX COO Lon Baker.
“Spark looks at the needs of small businesses with low call volumes and combines that with important team features like Audio and Video Conferencing.
“Our Unlimited Minutes Plans, across that entire set, reach from entrepreneurs to enterprises that need more calling minutes and more advanced features as they grow their subscriber bases and number of team members.
“Whether they’re working at an office, staying fully remote, or trying a hybrid work approach, we have something for the business that wants to stay connected and have room to grow.”
Unlimited Users on Spark
VirtualPBX’s offering of an unlimited users plan is now displayed entirely within the new Spark Plan. It includes the powerful team features of Audio Conferencing and Video Conferencing that can be used on a range of devices, including the VirtualPBX Softphone for mobile and desktop.
Spark gives businesses 1000 calling minutes to start that can be used with three included phone numbers – applied to any combination of local and toll-free numbers. This allows businesses to reach out to customers and stakeholders, and receive calls to their offices.
In addition, Spark allows for unlimited calling between system users, so teams can use conferencing to its fullest throughout their workdays.
Spark reaches a niche of customer that only makes occasional calls but still needs the power of a fully-developed phone system. It provides an Auto Attendant for a business’s main number, Ring Groups for organization of departments, and integration with Zapier for automation of phone system tasks and notifications.
Small business, entrepreneurs, online shops supported by a live chat platform, and modest non-profits make a good fit for the new plan.
Unlimited Minutes Plans for Growth
Each of the VirtualPBX Unlimited Minutes Plans remain the same in their titles but have been updated with new features and layouts. They all allow for unlimited inbound and outbound voice calling, video conferences, and SMS texting.
VirtualPBX offers the Flex, Essentials, Advanced, and Enterprise Plans for businesses with higher call volumes and which are looking for room to grow their customer bases and their employee counts.
Flex now starts with three phone numbers (a combination of local and toll-free) and now includes the features of Digital Faxing and ACD Queues. These upgrades give customers more control over how they manage documents and handle inbound calls to their sales and support agents.
Essentials has been upgraded with Call Recording that starts with 125 GB of storage. Amazon AWS External Storage is now available to store recordings, and the VirtualPBX API has been made available for businesses that wish to build custom applications that link to their phone systems.
Advanced and Enterprise remain the top tiers of service that are applicable to larger business and international enterprises. They each provide Advanced Call Reporting, and Enterprise comes with Priority Support for a direct line to a dedicated VirtualPBX account expert.
Pricing Tiers
For all Unlimited Minutes Plans, pricing tiers have also been adjusted to better fit the needs of customers. VirtualPBX’s recent look at its existing customer base has revealed more about the preferences of businesses at all levels.
VirtualPBX, therefore, has changed its pricing tiers to include 1-10 Users, 11-50 Users, 51-100 Users, and 100+ Users categories to match the ways in which businesses grow and seek higher tiers of service.
All VirtualPBX accounts receive 24/7 Support and accounts with 10 or more devices or users receive full 30-Day Rollout Support from a dedicated onboarding team to ensure that multiple sites and potentially hundreds of user devices are configured from the first day of operation.
VirtualPBX is excited to offer its new 2021 business phone plans to all future customers. Its sales team is ready to speak to prospective customers, encourage them to get started with a new plan, and prepare a customized Free Demo for businesses that have unique situations and want a detailed look at the VirtualPBX platform.
VirtualPBX Announces Addition of Send SMS Action in Zapier
Posted on July 20, 2021 by Casey Houser
VirtualPBX, developer of business phone plans that offer voice, video, and texting, announced today that its Zapier Integration now supports the Send SMS action so businesses can deliver text messages through Zapier to their customers and colleagues.
How Zapier Automation Works
Zapier helps businesses transfer digital information from one online application to another by using workflows called zaps. Zaps work by waiting for a trigger event and reacting to the event with one or multiple actions. VirtualPBX customers can use the VirtualPBX Zapier Integration as a trigger for events such as Call Received and New Voicemail, and as a result of this latest announcement, customers can also use the integration as an action with Send SMS.
Sending an SMS message from a VirtualPBX account takes place in a zap by linking the Business SMS feature of a customer’s Business Phone Plan to the automation capabilities of Zapier. All customers able to use the Business SMS feature can send an unlimited number of text messages to their contacts; their zaps allow them to send messages in a programmatic way.
Usage of the VirtualPBX Zapier Integration
Inbound call data can be automatically logged in a spreadsheet, appended to a chat channel, or synced with a CRM by using the appropriate zap. For example, information about a recently-recorded voicemail can be transferred to a Slack channel created specifically to notify a sales team. Using the VirtualPBX Integration in this way – as a trigger for a zap – helps businesses stay abreast of activity that needs immediate attention.
Using the VirtualPBX Integration as an action can help a business become aware of changes that take place throughout a workday. As an example, when a customer account is created in its Salesforce CRM, a business could have that event trigger a zap that sends a text to the members of the account. Congratulations may be in order, or the text could act as a method of keeping remote teams abreast of team members’ activities.
Linked to the VirtualPBX API
Behind the scenes, the VirtualPBX API drives the connections between its Zapier app and the information in a customer’s account. VirtualPBX’s Dash platform that runs its phone plans is extensible through the API. Therefore customers can expect further additions to come to the Zapier app as new features are released in phone plans.
Interested businesses can speak to the VirtualPBX team to learn more about the Business SMS feature and the automation capabilities of Zapier. Support lines are open 24/7, and a Free Demo can be scheduled with a member of the VirtualPBX sales team to gain a personalized look at the phone system in action.
VirtualPBX Features 1st Classic Transportation in Case Study Video
Posted on June 22, 2021 by Casey Houser
1st Classic Transportation Tells How It Weathered the Pandemic While Lowering Its Expenses
Business phone system developer VirtualPBX recently completed a video feature of one of its newest customers, 1st Classic Transportation, where owner Chris Fagbolu talks about his limousine service and how his staff have made it through the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of a new virtual phone plan.
In the middle of 2020 where lockdown measures were active in California, Fagbolu began looking for a new phone service for his company. He and his drivers needed to save money, gain the ability to work remotely, and find the ability to expand through new features like text messaging. Ultimately he chose VirtualPBX Business Phone, and he has been thrilled with the service since day 1.
“The Most Important Reason Why We Chose VirtualPBX…”
Fagbolu has talked many times about the potential that our Business SMS feature offers his staff.
“The most important reason why we chose VirtualPBX,” Fagbolu said in his interview for our video, “I always keep going back to their texting.”
“Customers that arrive at the airport can text us immediately,” he continued, and noted that this feature works primarily for them through the VirtualPBX Mobile Softphone. The VirtualPBX Softphone helps many customers, including 1st Classic Transportation, complete business calls and text on their personal smartphones, all while keeping their personal and business communications separate.
For 1st Classic Transportation, it has also helped Fagbolu and his staff work from multiple locations. They have made it through the toughest times of the COVID-19 pandemic by adjusting their workplace habits and using their new phone features as an advantage.
“The Pandemic Has Hit Us Really Hard”
Of course, the transportation industry was one of the hardest hit by COVID-related restrictions because people have been afraid to travel and, at times, have been restricted in their ability to resume normal travel practices.
It has been encumbent upon all members of 1st Classic Transportation to find a way through public discomfort and mandated travel restrictions. In part, this has meant cutting expenses.
“Being in the transportation industry, the pandemic has hit us really hard,” Fagbolu continued in his video testimonial. “With VirtualPBX, it enables us, when you stay at home, to answer calls. And it has cut down our expenses.”
In the meantime of adapting to new norms, the staff of 1st Classic Transportation also intend to use their new-found savings and phone system features to improve business operations when society returns to a more normal state of function.
“What we’re doing with the lockdown in place,” Fagbolu said, “we realize we can do that when we come back after COVID.”
This recognition shows that Fagbolu is ready to stay with VirtualPBX through the coming months and years as his transportation agency conquers new challenges.
“They Are Always There to Answer Us”
VirtualPBX is ready to help 1st Classic Transportation in any way it needs.
At present, this means assisting Fagbolu with any technical matters related to day-to-day business functions. VirtualPBX 24-hour customer support is also a way that VirtualPBX sets its business model apart from competitors.
Fagbolu can also be heard in the video speaking about this issue:
“They are always there to answer us. [It’s a service] which other phone company providers do not have.”
1st Classic Transportation will have the opportunity to grow with VirtualPBX as new features and plan functions are rolled out.
VirtualPBX is excited to continue working with 1st Classic Transportation and having the opportunity to feature it in video. Its thanks go out to Chris Fagbolu and all the staff at 1st Classic Transportation who made the video shoot possible.
VirtualPBX Honored With 2021 TMC Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award
Posted on May 26, 2021 by Casey Houser
VirtualPBX, a leader in business communications, announced today that it has been awarded the 2021 TMC Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award. The VirtualPBX Business Phone Plans have been selected for the honor because of their impact on remote work and innovation in the telecommunications market.
TMC CEO Rich Tehrani commented on the 2021 award and its identification of products and services that have taken the extra step to address remote work as an important subset of all business operations.
“Congratulations to the 2021 TMCnet Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award winners,” Tehrani said. “The recipients of this award are recognized providers and developers of software, applications, devices, and other solutions that empower remote team members to flourish.”
VirtualPBX has stepped forward with a number of new VoIP features in the past year. As a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it focused on the release of Business SMS to give remote workers greater access to quick messages in a manner most people are comfortable using in their personal lives. Texting through SMS is easy to use and available on a number of devices usable in VirtualPBX Plans.
In addition, release of the Video Conferencing feature has provided businesses with an alternative to other video products already on the market. VirtualPBX conferences can host as many as 200 people in a single conference. Its delivery of high-definition audio and video makes sure messages are sent and received clearly between team members.
There is no doubt that everyone has seen an effect of the global pandemic in their personal and professional lives. The way businesses have responded to the crisis shows the changing landscape of work and the changing needs of customers. VirtualPBX COO, Lon Baker, explains how VirtualPBX has addressed both those wide-reaching aspects of work in his reaction to this award win.
“As a company, what we take away from this award is a sense of accomplishment as it relates to the way businesses have evolved over the past year,” Baker said.
“The pandemic has affected us all. For our business customers, we know many of them were urged into remote work situations, so we responded with new features like Business SMS and Video Conferencing ahead of schedule. We wanted to make it possible for our existing customers to make the transition to remote work and for future customers to find our VoIP plans accessible for that reason.”
“It’s great to see, from the 2021 Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award, that we have responded well and can continue to offer these features as more companies adopt work-from-home policies.”
VirtualPBX looks forward to continuing on this path with its phone plans. It will develop new features for businesses of all sizes, helping them use voice, video, and texting to address challenges in the years ahead. The 2021 TMC Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award win shows these phone plans and features are on the right path to continue to make an impact as the world moves beyond the pandemic and into a new face of work and business communication.
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Video Calling, Business SMS, Call Recording, AWS External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices in all its phone plan features. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
About TMC
Through education, industry news, live events and social influence, global buyers rely on TMC’s content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. Leading vendors turn to TMC for unparalleled branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities.
VirtualPBX Announces Extension of Local Calling to Canada and Mexico
Posted on April 21, 2021 by Casey Houser
VirtualPBX, a leader in business communications, has announced that its range of local calling for customers will now include Canada, Mexico, and Alaska and Hawaii. This expansion of service allows businesses to complete calls to and from all 50 states in the U.S., all provinces and territories in Canada, and all states in Mexico without additional per-minute fees.
This opportunity for businesses is unique among many phone plans on the market. For VirtualPBX, this announcement has a direct effect on all its Unlimited Minutes Plans by giving clients the opportunity to call as much as they need to any of the aforementioned international locations. VirtualPBX Unlimited Users Plans, which offer local calling for blocks of minutes, now let all users in those plans work across international boundaries.
VirtualPBX COO Lon Baker spoke about the immediate impact this can have for customers:
“This expansion of service lets our existing customers have more freedom in the way that they do business. Our international rates are low, but until now, companies would have had to consider additional per-minute costs when dialing Canada, Mexico, or even outside the contiguous U.S. That’s no longer a hurdle for businesses to offer excellent sales and customer support to their own clientele.
“Moreover, we have stepped one level above many competitors by extending our reach in this way. Our VoIP plans come packed with features, and now we can say that our ‘local’ minutes are truly ‘international’ minutes because they let businesses have their headquarters in one country but call often to another, or let them broaden their customer base by advertising to groups of individuals who may live outside their current market.”
Baker’s quote outlines the primary benefits that current and future customers will see with this change. Although the concept of local calling is often understood to comprise the primary areas in which a business will operate, this isn’t always the case for businesses that conduct international business regularly.
VirtualPBX has made this change to break down barriers between the North American countries as much as possible. As a communications provider, it is often the link between multiple headquarters of international businesses, such as with Persistent Systems, and also the direct link between businesses and their customers, as is the case with 1st Classic Limos.
These customers and others can benefit from an increased range of their local calling status. Local phone numbers can be used in a greater number of situations, so marketing efforts can become more personalized. Moreover, use of phone numbers within any VirtualPBX Business Phone Plan can become more flexible, such as using new local numbers for Direct Inward Dialing to create direct lines to users in an office or in remote work situations.
The expansion of local calling impacts all areas of a business’s phone plan. Experienced VirtualPBX sales team members are available by online chat, phone, or email for further questions and to begin new plan signups.
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Video Calling, Business SMS, Call Recording, AWS External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices in all its phone plan features. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
VirtualPBX Announces Referral Partner Program Updates
Posted on April 6, 2021 by Casey Houser
Communications market leader VirtualPBX has announced an update to its Referral Partner Program that makes it easier for partners to represent and promote VirtualPBX Business Phone Plans.
The new Partner Portal offered to all partners provides access to materials like datasheets and whitepapers, training videos and guides, banners for use on third-party websites, and testimonial graphics. These assets, and others, give partners quick access to the tools they need to learn about the VirtualPBX brand and accurately show its products on their own webpages.
Partners are assigned a dedicated account representative when entering the program. This information is also easily accessible in the Partner Portal and is an element of the program that Kevin Peyton, VirtualPBX’s vice president of sales, commented as being a standout strength of the program as a whole.
“We want our partners to have the best tools available for learning about our company and representing us well. They will start on the right foot with texts and videos – in addition to their dedicated account representative – that give them all the information they need to succeed.
“From their first days forward, they can showcase our products and services in a way that’s professional and accurate, which reflects well on everyone involved. Partners will have the flexibility to display VirtualPBX tools as they wish, and we can be confident those displays will look great in their hands.”
Custom Partner Portal
The Partner Portal shows all assets available to partners in distinct categories. Then those categories are split into descriptions, notes, and attachments that may add more information to the materials. A Custom Voice Solutions whitepaper, for example, may be shown with an attached document and a brief description of the program itself. The material in question, the whitepaper, is enough to give potential customers a look at what VirtualPBX offers in building custom phone plan setups.
Partners may also want to display our external review sites like Capterra and Sourceforge alongside more concrete materials like whitepapers. Review sites are also shown with a description and attached screenshot, and of course offer links to those sites so they can be further explored by partners and shown as updated representations of VirtualPBX performance as a company.
The Partner Portal also contains a section for lead tracking where partners can easily enter a client’s name, phone, and email and see them represented within a graphical display. A card is created for each client in columns for Under Review, Order Processing, Deal Won, and Deal Lost statuses. Partners can manipulate each card and adjust each client’s status depending on their progress.
Payouts for Referrals
VirtualPBX Referral Partner Program updates also include payouts that are competitive in the communications industry and occur when clients have remained a customer with VirtualPBX for at least three months.
Partners receive 100 percent of service fees for a company’s signup. Therefore, a company’s signup of 50 users on an annual VirtualPBX Advanced Plan would earn a partner $999. There is no limit for how many signups a partner can refer.
Dedicated Account Representative
Dedicated account representatives remain assigned to all partners throughout their tenure as part of the VirtualPBX team. Partners can reach their account reps at any time through email and phone for training, questions about their accounts and new product releases, and inquiries about any other information they need to help prospective customers learn about VirtualPBX products.
Getting started is easy and can be done by filling out a brief form. A VirtualPBX sales representative will reach out following a form submission to ask any follow-up questions and get partners registered for immediate access to company materials.
Full registration can be completed in less than a day. The VirtualPBX sales team is excited to begin working with new partners and help them establish a working relationship.
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Video Calling, Business SMS, Call Recording, AWS External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices in all its phone plan features. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
VirtualPBX Wins 2021 Internet Telephony Product of the Year
Posted on March 18, 2021 by Casey Houser
In what marks its eighth consecutive win of the yearly honor, VirtualPBX has announced its receipt of the 2021 Internet Telephony Product of the Year Award.
Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC, the publisher of Internet Telephony Magazine which hosts this annual award session, commented on the win as one deserving of efforts that push forward the telecommunications market.
“Recipients represent leaders within the VoIP and IP Communications industries and have demonstrated innovation and excellence,” Tehrani said. “Winners represent prominent players in the market who consistently demonstrate the advancement of technologies. Each recipient is a verifiable leader in the marketplace.”
VirtualPBX has demonstrated its excellence with the continual updating and improvement of its Business Phone Plans. In the past year, through the struggle of a global pandemic and a recession that has hit hard many businesses, VirtualPBX has molded its plan offerings to better cater to remote workers and the changing face of work for companies large and small.
New features, including Business SMS and Video Conferencing have found prominence in new plans like Flex that directly address remote work and the needs of distributed workforces.
As of mid-March 2021, VirtualPBX has also updated all its Unlimited Minutes Plans to include both Business SMS and Video Conferencing. Storage for Call Recording has also been increased substantially across the board — as much as 100x its original allotment for the Enterprise Plan.
Lon Baker, COO of VirtualPBX, expressed his excitement for win of 2021 Internet Telephony Product of the Year Award and commented briefly on what makes VirtualPBX a leader in the field:
“What we have achieved, how far we have advanced through this decade, it’s amazing to see how our phone system has grown,” he said.
“The Product of the Year awards expect continued innovation and market-changing aspects of your product. With our Business Phone Plans, we have reached that goal in many ways. This past year of effort has brought us the power of Business SMS, the connective ability of Video Conferencing, and so many other new features that not only lead the pack but also have changed the face of what we offer as a telecom.”
Many more changes are expected throughout the rest of 2021. We often release new ideas to a small circle before they’re public. If you enjoy exploring what’s next, we’d be glad to include you. Further integrations with third-party services are expected to take the forefront of the company’s effort, and new additions to its service will arise as the year presents the unique challenges to business it always does.
VirtualPBX Receives 2020 TMCnet Video Conferencing Excellence Award
Posted on December 8, 2020 by Casey Houser
Business phone system developer VirtualPBX announced today that it has been awarded the 2020 TMCnet Video Conferencing Excellence Award for the innovation of its online Video Conferencing service.
VirtualPBX Video Conferencing runs on the company’s established VoIP Business Phone Plans and works with a range of devices, including the mobile and desktop VirtualPBX Softphone and on desktop VoIP phones that support video calls.
“The release of Video Conferencing is one we’ve eagerly awaited,” said VirtualPBX COO Lon Baker. “More and more, businesses look to a single service provider for all their communications needs, and now that remote work is expanding globally, our addition of video capability helps our customers get everything they need in a single package.”
“Our development team put in months of hard work to bring Video Conferencing into beta in the spring. Come summer, a lengthy beta test with some key customers refined our service for production use. Now it’s available on several of our plans for any business to use, permitting unlimited video calls between team members and from business associates to their customers and stakeholders.”
Video Conferencing comes included with the VirtualPBX Advanced and Enterprise Plans. These plans also arrive with a number of enterprise features like Business SMS, which was also released in 2020, and access to the VirtualPBX API. Priority Support is also included in these plans to help businesses get established no matter their number of employees or uniqueness of phone system use.
Business customers can complete unlimited one-to-one calls and hold conferences with up to 100 people. This allows entire departments to meet from a variety of locations. Team members can speak to each other through high-definition video and audio whether they’re in the office or working from home. With all types of calls, participants with video capability can speak to other video callers or with audio-only callers.
The ceiling on conferencing participants will soon be increased, and support for video calling inside the VirtualPBX Web Phone is expected shortly. Video Conferencing is also compatible with other elements of the VirtualPBX Phone System, including its Zapier Integration for automation of tasks. Users registered in a compatible phone plan who already complete audio calls through their VirtualPBX Softphones can begin using video with the latest version of that app.
The variety of device support, clarity of calls, ability to mix video and audio calls, and complimentary features sets VirtualPBX among a select few who are able to display the banner of a 2020 TMCnet Video Conferencing Excellence Award winner. Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC, commented on how the VirtualPBX Video Conferencing feature pushes the boundaries of the VoIP industry and extends the possibilities for remote work.
“The TMCnet Video Conferencing Excellence Award recognizes innovative video conferencing platforms,” Tehrani said. “These companies have shown a commitment to driving and improving the video conferencing industry through their solutions.”
“VirtualPBX has proven their commitment to quality and the further development of video conferencing industry,” he continued. “Congratulations to the entire team at VirtualPBX for earning this great honor. I look forward to seeing more innovative solutions from them as they continue to contribute to the future of teleworking.”
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Video Calling, Business SMS, Call Recording, AWS External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices in all its phone plan features. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
About TMC
Through education, industry news, live events and social influence, global buyers rely on TMC’s content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. Leading vendors turn to TMC for unparalleled branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities.
VirtualPBX Has Released Business SMS on Advanced and Enterprise Plans
Posted on November 5, 2020 by Casey Houser
Business phone system developer VirtualPBX announced today that it has launched the Business SMS feature for its Advanced and Enterprise Plans that are geared toward midsize and enterprise-level companies.
The release of Business SMS arrives alongside several other important feature releases that comprise new plans for the VoIP provider. Upgrades in its lineup of features are better aligned to match the needs of businesses of all sizes. The sending and receipt of SMS text messages, in particular, will allow VirtualPBX clients to better reach their own customers and automate the process of responding to sales and service inquiries.
Business SMS on a Range of Devices
VirtualPBX has long provided its customers with multiple options for phone use on its Business Phone Plans. Among those, the VirtualPBX Softphone available on both mobile and desktop stands as the go-to option for companies that wish to immediately take advantage of Business SMS.
The mobile version of the VirtualPBX Softphone runs on Android and iOS devices. Its desktop counterpart has versions for Mac and Windows. These two options allow users to send and receive text messages from work computers or their personal smartphones. Important customer connections can be made from any location since the Business SMS feature can be utilized on all manner of devices.
In addition, hardware phones equipped with an SMS feature are able to accept and reply to customer messages. Compatibility is specific to the make and model of desk phones a clients uses. However, this functionality can be found on entry-level phones like the Yealink T23G and more advanced models like the Yealink T46S.
Automation With VirtualPBX Webhooks and API
VirtualPBX Phone Plans process text messages in a similar way to phone calls: All call information is seen as units of data that can be interpreted throughout the system. Therefore it’s possible to attach Business SMS data to other features like Webhooks and automate the transmission of that information to third-party services like Zapier.
A common use of Webhooks is to receive data in Zapier and then transmit that information to other web applications. For automation of the Business SMS feature, a webhook can be created in Zapier, configured in the VirtualPBX Dashboard, and linked to a workflow that logs messages in a Google Sheet or alerts teams of inbound messages through a Slack channel. All members of a sales, services, or marketing team can be alerted the second that a customer needs attention.
This process can also be initiated with use of the VirtualPBX API that is now available to Advanced and Enterprise customers. The VirtualPBX API lets businesses grab information about their accounts and make changes quickly outside the stock phone system dashboard. A new webhook may be created and then attached to a third-party service like Airtable where automated listing of inbound messages can proceed. Creation of a new webhook takes only seconds, and its link to an outside service can help entire teams track their Business SMS messages inside web-based platforms they are comfortable using. Scripting within Airtable and similar platforms can also reach the API and give teams a method of sending individual replies to their customers’ inbound texts.
New VirtualPBX Plans
Business SMS has been launched alongside several other features that fill the feature sets of the VirtualPBX Phone Plans available to entrepreneurs through multi-national businesses.
Multiple Auto Attendants gives business the ability to create automated phone trees for all their phone numbers. Essentials, Advanced, and Enterprise Plans include 5, 10, and 15 phone numbers, respectively, and Multiple Auto Attendants gives users a chance to create unique greetings and contact options for each one. An attendant can be applied to a business’s primary number and all additional phone numbers, including Direct Inward Dial (DID) that are assigned to individuals and Ring Groups within a phone plan.
Dynamic Caller ID allows for more precise outbound dialing by displaying a Caller ID phone number based on a set of rules. Outbound dials can be matched to an Area Code, a VirtualPBX Feature Code used during a call, and by regular expression for partial and full number recognition. Sales teams can, for example, match their calls to local phone numbers they own, and then display local numbers to customers when locations are the same.
Video Calling is also being released from its beta test and will be available for all Advanced and Enterprise Plan customers. One-to-one calls and video conferences are supported, and participants can mix audio and video capability depending on their devices. The VirtualPBX Softphone (mobile and desktop), hardware phones like the Yealink T58V and VP59, and the VirtualPBX Web Phone (support coming soon) are set to take advantage of this feature.
Assistance in setting up Business SMS, custom interactions with the VirtualPBX API, Video Calling, Dynamic Caller ID, and Multiple Auto Attendants is always available through 24/7 Support and through included Priority Support for all Advanced and Enterprise customers.
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Call Recording, External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices in all its phone plan features. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
VirtualPBX Wins TMC 2020 Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award
Posted on May 5, 2020 by Casey Houser
VirtualPBX announced today that it has been awarded a 2020 Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award from global media company TMC.
The award recognizes the product developments from communications companies in subfields such as conferencing, networking and connectivity, and communications-as-a-service. VirtualPBX took home the 2020 Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award for its collection of Dash Business Phone Plans, which include a number of professional features for businesses of all sizes.
“If you’re a business that needs voice communications for your on-premise or remote team, we have a plan that will meet your needs. This award win encapsulates that ideal,” said VirtualPBX CEO Paul Hammond in response to the TMC announcement. “Our Unlimited User Plans are great for businesses with low call volume; Unlimited Minute Plans cater to larger businesses that see a lot of voice communication with customers; and clients in specific niches can benefit from our Voicemail Only and Call Forwarding Plans.
“Our Plans lead the market with included features – notably use of our full-featured Web Phone for making calls on any device and Ring Groups to route calls to employee groups and departments. Call Forwarding keeps employees connected to all inbound calls, and Audio Conferencing lets distributed teams meet at a moment’s notice.”
VirtualPBX has long adapted its VoIP phone plans to the needs of its customers. The past few months have been trying for us all, and although some businesses have remained open and operating normally, most have seen drastic change in their daily functions. Some businesses have adopted remote work policies and moved their entire staff off-site while others survive now only with a minimal crew. Every business’s changes require a unique response from its communications providers.
Businesses can shift their workforce to an entirely remote setup, or a combination of remote and on-site work, without losing efficiency or their contact with customers. Remote workers can expect to access the same VirtualPBX features in their homes as they do normally from the company office, whether they use the Web Phone on a laptop or a VoIP desk phone from a home workspace.
Employees can reach their VirtualPBX Phone Plan from any location with an internet connection. Managers can rely on routine and advanced phone system usage, such as with the features of Whisper and Barge in VirtualPBX ACD Queues Pro, to work as well in a distributed setup as it has historically in their brick-and-mortar locations.
The 2020 Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award underlines one of the greatest struggles of our time. Humanity has seen itself upended and calling for teleworking products like never before. VirtualPBX has found its place in that fray by stepping forward with its existing Dash Phone Plans – Unlimited Minutes and Unlimited Users – and reaching out to special circumstances with the new creations of Voicemail Only and Call Forwarding Plans.
TMC CEO Rich Tehrani commented that the 2020 Teleworking Solutions Excellence Award honors “the best and the most innovative products this industry has to offer” and commenting further that the award winners “have proven their commitment to quality and ongoing development.” VirtualPBX is always thrilled to see its products recognized in this manner and to know that its hard work is seen positively by the industry as a whole.
VirtualPBX’s commitment to its customers has always been a top priority. The accolade this time around simply happens to arrive at a time when that commitment is being tested in new ways. With the whole industry working hard to make remote working a reality for all business, the collective hope is that the test will be passed and work can return to normal as quickly as possible.
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Call Recording, External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices in all its phone plan features. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
About TMC
Through education, industry news, live events and social influence, global buyers rely on TMC’s content-driven marketplaces to make purchase decisions and navigate markets. Leading vendors turn to TMC for unparalleled branding, thought leadership and lead generation opportunities.
VirtualPBX Zapier Integration Now Public for Use in All Phone Plans
Posted on April 21, 2020 by Casey Houser
Business Phone System developer VirtualPBX announced today that its Zapier Integration is live and ready for public use.
The Zapier Integration allows businesses to streamline their workflows by connecting web applications through Zapier’s task automation platform. VirtualPBX customers can now use the VirtualPBX Integration to capture inbound and outbound calls from their phone plans and link them to popular services like Google Sheets, Trello, Hubspot, and hundreds of others.
“VirtualPBX uses the Zapier platform every day to link its web apps,” VirtualPBX COO Lon Baker commented about his company’s Zapier use. “It connects us more deeply to our phone system and the processes that work throughout our business. Our departments rely on these connections to provide excellent customer service and effective sales.
“We’re proud to see our own Zapier Integration be released to the public. Now all our customers can capture phone system events quickly and reliably, integrating their own phone system data with hundreds of other available apps.”
All VirtualPBX Phone Plans work with Zapier. A small business that prefers to use Call Forwarding can get started with an Unlimited Users plan; a midsize company or enterprise can begin with an Unlimited Minutes plan for heavier phone system use. Either style of plan can link the company’s calls to its web apps.
This means that a startup can easily create notifications of its inbound calls to a Slack channel. Similarly, a larger business can filter calls from multiple DID numbers across multiple marketing campaigns, potentially tracking activity in a Trello board.
The links between web apps are what give businesses the opportunity to create smooth customer interactions. VirtualPBX’s COO commented further on this point:
“Our customers don’t see all the automation that happens behind the scenes,” Baker said. “But there’s certainly a lot that takes place the instant that a customer calls our business. It’s those invisible, streamlined effects that make our customer interactions a step above. That’s what we hope to help our customers provide for their own clients.”
The VirtualPBX Zapier feature page provides a list of pre-built templates to help customers get started. These include basic outlines like logging an inbound call within a Google Sheet or a Trello card. They exist for both inspiration and convenience, giving newcomers a head start and experienced users a quick nudge to more advanced zaps.
VirtualPBX also offers multiple tutorials on its feature page. These include instructions about keeping a running count of weekly calls through Gmail reports and using conditional logic when creating Trello cards for multiple teams.
There are thousands of combinations possible between the VirtualPBX Zapier Integration and the numerous other web apps listed on Zapier’s website. Prospective customers are encouraged to schedule a Free Demo of a VirtualPBX Phone Plan to see how the system works and how Zapier can help automate its daily processes.
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Call Recording, External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices, including business smartphones in its nation-wide 4G LTE network. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
VirtualPBX Releases ACD Queues Pro Feature for Management of Large Call Teams
Posted on April 9, 2020 by Casey Houser
VirtualPBX has announced the release of ACD Queues Pro, a new feature of the VirtualPBX Business Phone System designed to help expansive businesses manage large teams both on-site and remotely.
ACD Queues Pro builds upon the functionality of the existing ACD Queues feature by offering capabilities like Whisper and Barge, Hold Treatment options for inbound callers, advanced Call Routing to agents, Call Recording within queues, Performance Reports, and Activity Logging with downloadable reports.
“ACD Queues Pro drives advancements in our Business Phone System that will assist businesses with large call volumes,” said VirtualPBX COO Lon Baker. “We’re all excited to see this feature put into place. It’s one more step in the direction of giving our clients greater control over their inbound calls.
“Now clients have the options of Ring Groups, ACD Queues, and the new ACD Queues Pro for various levels of call routing complexity. It’s fantastic to see this put into place when so many companies are looking for full-featured, powerful call routing options that work directly alongside their base phone plans.”
Whisper and Barge features in ACD Queues Pro allow managers to coach agents and join active calls. When Whispering, managers can speak to an agent who is currently live in a call, but without the inbound caller able to hear the conversation. Barging gives managers the ability create a full 3-way call where both the agent and inbound caller can hear all other members of the conversation.
Hold Treatment options for queues lets administrators design the experience that inbound callers will enter when they’re waiting for an agent to answer the call. A queue could be set to announce the caller’s expected wait time and queue position before playing a few minutes of hold music. It can then repeat those actions to keep callers informed throughout their wait.
Advanced Call Routing options include the strategies Most Idle, Least Calls Handled, Least Offers Made, and Round Robin to suit the needs of any business. A random assignment of calls can be more fair while a prescribed assignment can target specific agents, for example, for training purposes.
Available Call Recording within queues can further enhance training methods for businesses that use ACD Queues Pro. Call Recording can be assigned to automatically capture inbound and outbound traffic on a per-agent level.
Performance Reports let you see the live activity for a session, including information about an agent’s time set as Ready, Away, In a Call, and in Recovery. Managers can quickly view agent performance in separate queues and display the performance of multiple agents side by side.
Activity Logging is also active for every user in each queue. The dashboard of the Activity Log can filter by agent, type of activity, and phone number to get an accurate picture of recent queue actions. Logs are also downloadable for viewing in external software. This makes an excellent compliment to the Call Reports feature that offers VirtualPBX Phone System users access to a complete history of calls and can filter reports by dozens of criteria.
ACD Queues Pro will make a perfect fit at larger organizations that process many inbound and outbound calls. Call centers, campaign headquarters, and distributed customer support teams, just to name a few, will find the power of this new feature a perfect fit for their goals.
About VirtualPBX
VirtualPBX develops a powerful, affordable VoIP Phone System for businesses of all sizes. Enjoy professional features like Auto Attendant, Ring Groups, Zapier Integration, and full-featured Web Phone with every plan. Upgrade to Call Recording, External Storage, and more as needed. VirtualPBX supports office phones and personal devices, including business smartphones in its nation-wide 4G LTE network. Award-winning SIP Trunking and networking services are also available from this San Jose-based business of more than 20 years market experience.
VirtualPBX Contact:
Rachel Anderson, Vice President of Design & Marketing
888.825.0800 Ext. 339
Rachel.Anderson [at] VirtualPBX.com
