The Benefits of a Hosted Voice Solution for Non-Profits

The most common solution used for voice services are standard POTs Lines (Plain Old Telephone) combined with standard handsets or a PBX. This type of system is very simple, but difficult to manage and for medium to larger sized businesses very expensive. To make changes to your inetrnal configuration you will need to have a PBX tech onsite or refer to your phone vendor. And to make changes to your calling features or plans you will you need to contact the carrier.

 With a Hosted PBX, the carrier provides you with all the hardware, the service, and the support. A true one stop solution. You can also choose to have your internet service provided over the same line, which in many cases will be much less expensive and much more reliable.

 To start all you need to know is how many phones you will need, an estimate of how many simultaneous calls will be occuring at any given time, and the speed of internet you will require.

 For this example we will price out an office of 20 users, that will require a simultaneous call capacity of 8, with atleast 1Mbps of internet access.

Pricing through Broadview. 

1.5Mbps Circuit to be used for calling and internet access.  Rate: $300/ month

• Bandwidth is decreased at a rate of 64kbps for each call in progress. So, if 8 calls are in progress 512kbps will be used, leaving 1Mbps for internet use. If no calls are in progress, the full 1.5Mbps can be used for internet access.

18 Standard Phones at $20/ month each: $360   

2 Executive Phones at $30/ month each: $60

8 Simultaneous calls at $45/ month each: $360

Included calling plan:

•  Unlimited Local and Regional calling
• 150,000 minutes of Domestic LD/ month

Total Monthly Cost: $1080, less taxes/ fees

Here is how a similar system would price out with POTS lines, a data T1, and a leased phone system.

20 POTs lines at $37.35/ month each: $747, Verizon

1.5Mbps Data T1: $360, Covad

Mitel Phone System with PBX, Approx $10,000 financed over 3 years: $300/month

Included in calling plan

• Unlimited Local and Regional
• Domestic LD at $0.049/ min

Total Monthly Cost: $1407, less taxes/ fees

In this scenario the hosted system would cost over $300 LESS. Also, with the hosted system your maintence is included. So, if your phones malfunction they are fixed or replaced at no cost. Broadview also offers a web portal to manage your phone system at no cost. You have the ability to log in and change how your calls are routed, which phones specific people are using, and manage voicemail.