If your business phone system was set up more than five years ago, there's a good chance you're overpaying for it and getting less than you should.
Traditional PBX systems — the kind with a physical box in a closet and a contract with a phone company — made sense in a different era. They're built around the idea that your employees sit at desks in one location and take calls on physical handsets. That's not how most small businesses actually work anymore.
What's actually wrong with the old setup
The complaints we hear most often:
- Adding a line is a whole thing. You have to call your provider, wait for a technician, maybe get new hardware. It shouldn't be that hard.
- You're paying for capacity you don't use. Most traditional setups bill you for lines whether they're active or not.
- Remote work is an afterthought. Getting a forwarded call on your cell is fine, but it's not the same as having a real phone system that travels with you.
- No texting. Business SMS is increasingly expected by customers. Most old phone systems don't support it at all.
- Voicemails live in a black hole. Good luck finding that message from three weeks ago.
What cloud phone systems actually do differently
A cloud-based PBX runs over the internet instead of dedicated phone lines. That sounds simple, but the practical difference is significant.
Your phone number isn't tied to a physical location. Your team can take calls from a browser, a desk phone, or a mobile app — and to the customer, it all looks the same. Adding a user is a few clicks. Removing one is too.
More importantly, your phone system stops being a separate thing from everything else. You can text from your business number. Faxes come in as emails. Calls get transcribed automatically. It's all in one place.
What the switch actually looks like
Most businesses that make the move do it in stages. You port your existing number over (so nothing changes for your customers), set up your users, and start routing calls. The whole process usually takes a few days, not weeks.
The cost difference is real too. A traditional multi-line setup for a small team can run several hundred dollars a month. Cloud PBX plans for the same team typically run a fraction of that.
Is it right for every business?
If your internet connection is solid, yes — for most small businesses it makes sense. VoIP call quality has improved dramatically and is indistinguishable from a landline in most conditions.
If you're in an area with unreliable internet, that's worth thinking about. But most providers let you forward calls to a cell as a fallback, so it's not as risky as it used to be.
The short version: traditional phone systems were designed for a world that doesn't exist anymore. Cloud PBX is cheaper, more flexible, and does more. For most small businesses, it's not a question of whether to switch — it's a question of when.
ShoutDial offers cloud PBX starting at $50/month with VoIP, SMS, eFax, and transcriptions included. If you're curious whether it would work for your setup, reach out and we'll walk you through it.