There are so many different types of telephone system on the market today, that it can be a challenge to know which one is right for your doctors surgery.
This guide will help you break down the different types of telephone systems and the features, benefits and drawbacks of each.
1. Hosted PBX Telephone System
A hosted telephone system is often the solution of choice for many doctors surgeries and GP practices. These hosted telephone systems use cloud-technology and Voice over IP (VoIP) to delivery high quality voice calls.
A great example of a hosted telephone system is 3CX. Using the cloud, 3CX controls your surgeries telephone calls and traffic—with little to no on-site hardware. This reduces implementation and maintenance costs for your doctors practice.
3CX also comes with lots of great features, designed to help your doctors surgery continue running as smoothly and efficiently, this includes CRM integration, with click to dial and patient record popping, which allows reception staff to manage incoming calls without even picking up the handset. CRM integration helps reduce administration time by showing the patient record right when they call, rather than searching your database.
Hosted telephone systems also move your doctors surgeries away from ISDN, which will be switched off in 2025—making existing ISDN systems redundant.
Pros of a Hosted PBX
- Low monthly running costs
- No on-site hardware to maintain
- No lease agreements
- CRM integration
Cons of a Hosted PBX
- Less reliable than an on-premise solution
2. On-Premise Telephone System
Considered the grandad of the telecoms world, the on-premise PBX telephone system has been the go-to solution for many doctors surgeries for several decades. However, over the last few years, there has been a drastic move away from these outdated pieces of equipment.
That isn’t to say that the PBX doesn’t have it’s place—it does—however almost all new on-premise solution use a variation of a hosted solution, which is known as a ‘hybrid telephone system’.
Pros of an On-Premise Phone System
- Highly reliable
- Easier migration from existing PBX
Cons of an On-Premise Phone System
- Very expensive
- Not future proof
3. Hybrid Telephone System
A hybrid telephone system provides the best of both world for doctors surgeries, with the increased reliability of an on-premise solution and the versatility and feature set of a hosted phone system.
Hybrid telephone systems do require some on-premise hardware, but still utilise VoIP for calls. This means that you move your surgery away from ISDN (ready for the switch off), but don’t have to rely on the cloud.
Many hybrid telephone systems use a server-based approach, where a PC or server runs your phone system. This can be fully customised to your exact specification requirements, and built to meet your surgeries current, and every growing requirements.
Pros of a Hybrid Phone System
- Highly reliable
- Enterprise level features
- Ready for ISDN switch off
Cons of a Hybrid Phone System
- More expensive than hosted
How to choose the right telephone system for your GP surgery.
A great way to decide which telephone system is right for your doctors surgery is to make note of the features you require most. Consider things like call recording, wallboards, CRM integration, cordless handsets etc…
By making a feature list, our team can choose the best option for you. Our team utilise custom built tools that take your surgeries requirements, and put together a solution that meets these needs within your set budget.
Speak to a member of our team today to learn more about how your doctors surgery can upgrade to a new telephone system.
