How Business Phone System Support Has Evolved

TeleDynamic has been in the Virtual & Switchvox Premise PBX business, providing telephone system support in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1979. Over the years, our customer’s PBX service needs have changed substantially.

Support Model Evolves

In the old days of the proprietary PBX, it was nearly impossible for a business to perform their own phone system maintenance and administration. The programming interfaces were computer command line and impossible for anyone except a manufacturer-trained technician to administer.  

However, that’s changed with the advent of the IP PBX, as now all systems have GUI’s, web-based portals and online help capabilities. Correspondingly, businesses are now doing more of their PBX service work in-house, calling their PBX service vendor only for more complex changes and maintenance.

PBX Manufacturer Support Changes 

PBX manufacturers have also made substantial changes in the way they support their dealers and end-users. In the past, companies such as TeleDynamic, provided support directly to businesses, and the manufacturer supported us in the background. That support model has changed and many manufacturers now provide support and software upgrades directly to their customers. 

The New Team PBX Support Approach

Customers now have a choice in which PBX service model works best for them.  We have found that most businesses need local PBX support, but they also want manufacturer support primarily for PBX software upgrades. TeleDynamic usually bundles a PBX support plan that includes both manufacturer and vendor support. We handle tier one and tier two support calls and on-premise work. The manufacturer then provides tier three support, assisting our Field Engineers on the tougher service issues.

Fonality Support

TeleDynamic also provides Fonality support, which works in a slightly different way. Fonality created a Hybrid Hosted PBX model where the PBX is on the customer premise, but system monitoring is done via an always-on internet connection to the Fonality service center. Fonality monitors the system as well as performs automatic software upgrades. While there are certain advantages (and some disadvantages) to the Fonality support model, customers still feel most comfortable with a local Fonality service provider. So, once again most customers choose to have manufacturer and local vendor support.

The Result- Saving Money and Time

The changes that have evolved in the service over the years have made it easier and less expensive for businesses to administer their own PBX. However, the customer still demands local phone system service to be provided by their vendor. Since the vendor sold and designed the system and have established a close working relationship with the customer, they are seen as the trusted PBX service provider.

What is your preferred method of business telephone system support?

We offer business-class communication solutions with responsive local support

To learn more, call us today at (510) 785-2480