The virtual PBX market is dead

The market of Virtual PBXs died before it appeared. SMEs did not use the VATS, despite their availability. An attempt to expand the market to a small business, which does not have the funds to purchase traditional PBX, has not justified itself. Small and microbusiness have no valid reason to pay for the VATS.



Who really needs PBX?

Who really gets physical PBX? These are companies with long-term plans. They have a vision, there are guaranteed resources for at least a year, there is a development strategy. They are willing to pay and understand why they need PBX. These are the so-called companies with a “high management culture”.
Thus, PBX has always been the lot of the "right" companies. The fact that they bought PBXs, investing in CAPEX, simply separated them from other "temporary-project" companies. CAPEX was a filter for the adequacy of the company: the company is ready to invest in what it really needs and will be used in the future for a long time.
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It seemed to us that it was possible to simplify everything, remove CAPEX and IMB to buy. No, do not buy. And that's why.

Microbusiness has the main question - how to make money, and not how to spend money now on a hazy future then:

• why analyze and save records of conversations;
• why make all sorts of call rescue schemes;
• Why care about the service provided and the quality of service;
• Why call back the numbers of missed calls, including those accumulated during the night time and weekends.

As an exception, confirming the rule, many micro-businesses are buying a Virtual PBX as a business pill for another tablet in the form of CRM. In all other cases, they do not need it.

The reasons why IMB does not need a PBX and, accordingly, Virtual PBX.

1. Mobile connection. Mobile operators offer very cheap rates with included minutes. For example, Tele2 for 400 rubles gives 600 minutes in Russia. No PBX and Virtual PBX will provide such low rates.
   
   
2. IP-telephony and cheap calls. Calls via IP-telephony are no longer cheaper than mobile operators with enabled minutes. Nevertheless, IP telephony is still cheaper than obsolete analog and digital channels due to the fact that the supplying operators do not index prices.
   
   
3. Chats. Chats on the site decide the question of contact with the client. The client can calmly set out his task and solve it in a chat, without resorting to using a call to the company.
   
   
4. Task managers. Close communication within the team. Instead of internal calls, the issue is solved in the service interface.
   
   
5. Forms of capture on the site and baskets. Another way to interact with customers. Thanks to the site, the company makes it so that the client places orders on his own and fills out the necessary forms without the need for a call. Often, online stores tend to do everything that the client switched to self-service.
   
   
6. Skype and Zoom. Fully closes the issue of interaction within the company between employees, as well as audio and video conferencing. Now there is no need to know the internal number of the employee in the PBX to talk with him. Communication with partners also closes automatically. Skype is already at all.
   
   
7. Messengers (Telegram, Slack, etc.). Also close the question of communication within the company. In some cases, even allow you to take orders, for example, Whatsapp, Viber.
   
   
8. Email. There is a long time, but it has become even more convenient due to the transition to smartphones. Solves the issue of internal communication and interaction with customers.
   
   
9. Means of corporate work (Bitrix24). Excellent close the interaction within the company by setting and discussing tasks without calling each other.
   
   
10. Numbers 800. Supposedly increase the number of calls and, as a result, customers. In fact, it is not. Perhaps such numbers look more solid, but they do not lead to an increase in conversion. And there are such numbers and minutes of calls to them rather expensive.
    
    
11. Direct numbers. In fact, the number for a small business is not important. First, the mobile is always used, then another mobile, then perhaps urban multi-channel. In any case, all numbers are placed on Internet sites and the client will always be able to update it. In the case of changing the number from the old to the new, you can always set forwarding.
    
    
12. Redirecting off-hours to managers. It is no secret that managers work 8 hours and no more. Answer calls after hours they will not. They have a thousand reasons not to answer: from the noise in the subway to the silent mode on the phone. We specifically conducted research on small customers and called them after hours. Despite the customized redirects, no one answered us. And moreover, I didn’t call back during working hours.
    
    
13. Employee control. All employees in the MB and so under control. No need for additional tools. It can be seen who is calling, who is not calling, who says what, who says wrong. These are small companies that fight for survival.

Why is the cost of a virtual PBX so low and constantly decreasing?

Microbusiness and small business as described above doesn’t need a PBX and they are reluctant to pay for this service, but they would probably use it for free! This is indirectly confirmed by the constantly decreasing cost of Virtual PBX solutions from market participants.

Medium and large businesses PBX goes to the appendage to all other infrastructure "as it were" free to maintain. The equipment is either already installed, or free-of-charge solutions like Asterisk are used and are supported by internal technical staff without interruption from the main tasks.
Therefore, in both cases, the ATC solution tends to 0! At zero cost, a small business will start using the WATS with an eye to the future, and large business will be able to abandon its cumbersome decisions during the next expansion or increase in capacity in favor of a solution with zero (!) Cost in the cloud.

What should be the real value of VATS?

Usually when calculating the price of the cloud and the SaaS solution, the loss between the local solution and the solution in the cloud begins after the first year of use. Those. The cost of maintenance for the first year is equal to the cost of buying your equipment. But if the cost of ownership of a virtual PBX tends to 0, then there will be no such difference. In fact, the VATS may be paid in a completely different way, namely, by minutes of conversation. After all, the minute most reflects the essence of the approach of any saas - pay as you go. The more you say, the more you pay! And vice versa! Those. A virtual PBX can be paid only by the cost of traffic.

So is there a market for Virtual PBX?

The Virtual PBX market has to focus on companies that can afford the cost of iron and indoor software solutions. Those. these companies should have a smooth replacement of iron internal solutions for clouds.

The main advantages of Virtual PBX for this market are the ability to SAVE:

• on capital expenditures on the purchase of the station and programs;
• on capital expenditures for the purchase of ports, channels, licenses;
• on the costs of installation, implementation and maintenance;
• on the costs of laying and renting channels;
• on the cost of paying lines for multi-channel;
• and, finally, on the maintenance costs, because paying for the traffic is enough to pay for the VATS service!

For example:

1. Digital stream E1 on 30 lines costs 15 thousand rubles a month, and installation of 30 thousand rubles.
2. Many operators still limit the client in the channels for outgoing calls! A minute brings money to the operator, and the client cannot make it due to the lack of lines and hears a “busy” signal.

Why is it not possible for the VATS to be placed in the cloud or localized?

Iron PBX in the company is always connected by a thread of the channel to the telecom operator. If we denote that the “thread” is a channel, and the “knot” is a PBX on it, then nothing will change much from moving the node. Why?
Any carrier has SORM and a permanent connection to the FSB with the ability to listen to conversations. Those. even if you have an indoor solution, all of your conversations still “leave” the company in order to reach the subscriber can be controlled by a third party.

Who will sell Virtual PBX?

It is VATS that will become an obligatory OTT service of a telecom operator. Now the call processing logic will be located not at the client, but at the operator. At the same time, the channel to the operator will remain, but “routed” calls will already go through it.
Modern virtualization tools allow you to store data of each client in isolation and in encrypted form and serve a large number of end devices. Therefore, the choice of a Virtual PBX by the client will be made according to the level of the provided solution and service.

What parts of VATS will remain in demand for microbusiness?

1. Multichannel numbers and their quick connection.
2. Recording and storage of conversations.
3. Ready integration with popular products - 1C, amoCRM, Bitrix24, Advantshop.

Finally

A virtual PBX will gradually force out iron PBX from medium and large companies, as well as allow small but promising companies to quickly shoot and become real big businesses, retaining the entire “loop” of customer interaction history. If you are a small business with ambitions - we are ready to take you "on board."

Register now at Sipuni.com and get 30 days of testing and 500 rubles to the account for the Growth promo code.