Discover the Power of UCaaS with Our Softphone Apps

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)
   • Definition of UCaaS
   • Components of UCaaS
3. PBXact Cloud
   • What is PBXact Cloud?
   • Key Benefits of PBXact Cloud
     • Support Entitlement
     • No PBX Hardware
     • Scalability
     • Reliability
     • Multi-Site Capability
     • Feature-Rich
     • SMS and MMS Support
     • Migration Tool
     • Endpoint Support
4. Sangoma Talk Mobile Application
   • Features of Sangoma Talk
     • Voice
     • SMS and MMS
     • Presence and BLF
     • Quick Dial and Call History
     • Contacts and Chat
     • Outlook and Browser Plugins (Coming Soon)
5. Sangoma Phone Desktop Application
   • Overview of Sangoma Phone
     • Voice
     • SMS and MMS
     • Presence and BLF
     • Chat
     • Call Pops
     • Call History and Visual Voicemail
     • Contacts and SMS/MMS
   • Coming Soon: Mobile Chat, Outlook and Browser Plugins
6. Pricing and Discounts
7. Partner Program
8. SIP Trunking with PBXact Cloud
9. Coming Soon: Outlook and Browser Plugins, SMS on Mobile
10. Conclusion

Introduction

Welcome to the world of unified communications! In this article, we will explore the concept of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Delve into Sangoma Technologies' solutions for UCaaS, specifically focusing on PBXact Cloud, Sangoma Talk mobile application, and Sangoma Phone desktop application. We will discuss the features, benefits, and pricing of these solutions, as well as provide insights into Sangoma's partner program and SIP trunking services. So, let's jump right in and explore the exciting world of UCaaS and Sangoma's offerings.

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)

Unified Communications as a Service, or UCaaS, is a term that refers to the integration of various communication components into a single unified system within an organization. UCaaS brings together voice, data, messaging, video, and mobility components to provide a seamless and comprehensive communication experience. With UCaaS, businesses can enhance productivity, improve collaboration, and streamline communication processes.

Components of UCaaS

UCaaS encompasses a wide range of communication components. Some of the key components include:

• Voice: UCaaS enables businesses to make and receive voice calls over IP networks, eliminating the need for traditional telephone lines.
• Data: UCaaS integrates data capabilities, allowing users to share and access files, documents, and other data securely.
• Messaging: UCaaS includes Instant messaging and chat functionalities, enabling real-time communication and collaboration.
• Video: UCaaS supports video conferencing and video collaboration, enabling face-to-face communication even at a distance.
• Mobility: UCaaS allows users to access communication tools and services from anywhere, using various devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Now that we have a basic understanding of UCaaS, let's explore Sangoma Technologies' solutions in more Detail.

PBXact Cloud

PBXact Cloud is Sangoma Technologies' commercial version of FreePBX, a popular open-source PBX software. PBXact Cloud is a fully supported, managed, and hosted UCaaS solution that brings together various communication components into a single, feature-rich system. Here are some key benefits of PBXact Cloud:

Support Entitlement

One of the significant advantages of PBXact Cloud is the comprehensive support entitlement provided by Sangoma. Unlike self-managed phone systems, where businesses are responsible for updates and troubleshooting, PBXact Cloud offers full support for managing and maintaining the system.

Pros:

• Allows businesses to focus on their Core operations without the burden of managing and supporting the phone system.
• Provides peace of mind, knowing that a dedicated support team is available to assist with any issues or changes required.

No PBX Hardware

With PBXact Cloud, businesses no longer need to invest in and maintain physical PBX hardware. The system is hosted and managed in Sangoma's robust cloud infrastructure, eliminating the need for on-premises equipment.

Pros:

• Reduces hardware costs and overhead associated with maintaining physical servers.
• Enhances scalability and flexibility, allowing businesses to expand without worrying about hardware limitations.

Scalability

PBXact Cloud offers scalability, allowing businesses to easily add or remove extensions, users, and trunks as needed. The system can grow with the organization, ensuring seamless communication even during periods of rapid expansion.

Pros:

• Enables businesses to Scale their communication system Based on their requirements, without the need for significant upfront investments.
• Provides the flexibility to add or remove extensions and users as the organization’s needs evolve.

Reliability

PBXact Cloud is hosted in Sangoma's reliable and monitored cloud infrastructure. The system undergoes constant monitoring and backups, ensuring high availability and reliability of communication services.

Pros:

• Provides greater uptime and reliability compared to on-premises systems that may be prone to hardware failures or network outages.
• Offers built-in disaster recovery capabilities to ensure continuity of communication services.

Multi-Site Capability

PBXact Cloud is perfect for businesses with multiple locations or distributed teams. It enables organizations to have a centrally managed phone system that can serve all locations and users seamlessly.

Pros:

• Simplifies phone system management by consolidating all locations and users under a single platform.
• Offers centralized reporting, billing, and administration for better visibility and control.

Feature-Rich

PBXact Cloud inherits all the features available in the FreePBX ecosystem. This means businesses have access to a wide range of unified communication features, including call queues, IVRs, call recording, paging, intercoms, call reporting, and more.

Pros:

• Provides extensive features designed to meet the communication needs of modern businesses.
• Enables businesses to customize their phone system to Align with their specific requirements.

SMS and MMS Support

PBXact Cloud includes support for SMS and MMS, allowing businesses to leverage text messaging and picture messaging as part of their communication strategies.

Pros:

• Provides a convenient way to communicate with customers and internal users via text messages.
• Enhances customer engagement and improves communication efficiency.

Migration Tool

Sangoma offers a migration tool for businesses transitioning from a premise-based FreePBX or PBXact system to PBXact Cloud. The migration tool simplifies the process of moving existing configurations to the cloud infrastructure, ensuring a smooth transition.

Pros:

• Facilitates a seamless migration from an on-premises system to PBXact Cloud.
• Saves time and effort by automating the migration process and preserving existing configurations.

Endpoint Support

PBXact Cloud supports a wide range of endpoints, including IP phones, IP speakers, and analog devices. Businesses can bring their existing hardware or choose from Sangoma's range of supported devices.

Pros:

• Allows businesses to leverage their existing hardware investment.
• Provides the flexibility to choose from a variety of supported endpoints, ensuring compatibility and ease of use.

Sangoma Talk Mobile Application

Sangoma Talk is Sangoma Technologies' mobile softphone application. It is designed to work seamlessly with PBXact Cloud, providing users with essential unified communication features on their mobile devices. Here are some key features of Sangoma Talk:

Voice

Sangoma Talk allows users to make and receive voice calls using their mobile devices. It leverages VoIP technology to enable high-quality voice communication over IP networks.

Pros:

• Enables users to stay connected and make calls from anywhere using their mobile devices.
• Provides cost savings, especially for international calls, by routing calls over the internet.

SMS and MMS

Sangoma Talk supports SMS and MMS capabilities, allowing users to send and receive text messages and picture messages within the application.

Pros:

• Enhances communication flexibility by offering text-based communication alongside voice calls.
• Enables businesses to streamline internal and external communication through text messaging.

Presence and BLF

Sangoma Talk displays real-time presence status and BLF (Busy Lamp Field) indicators for internal contacts. Users can see who is available, on a call, or in "do not disturb" mode.

Pros:

• Facilitates efficient communication by providing visibility into the availability of colleagues.
• Allows users to initiate calls or send messages to available contacts with a single click.

Quick Dial and Call History

Sangoma Talk offers a quick dial feature, providing users with easy access to their internal contacts. Users can quickly initiate calls to their colleagues without the need to manually enter phone numbers.

Pros:

• Streamlines communication by eliminating the need to remember or look up phone numbers.
• Provides a simple and efficient way to connect with colleagues.

Contacts and Chat

Sangoma Talk integrates with the native phone contacts, allowing users to manage and access their contacts seamlessly. Users can initiate chat conversations with colleagues within the application.

Pros:

• Enables users to access their business contacts alongside their personal contacts.
• Facilitates real-time collaboration and quick messaging between team members.

Outlook and Browser Plugins (Coming Soon)

Sangoma Talk will soon offer integration with Microsoft Outlook and popular web browsers. These plugins will allow users to initiate click-to-call actions directly from their email client or web browser, improving productivity and convenience.

Pros:

• Streamlines communication by eliminating the need to manually dial numbers.
• Enhances user experience and productivity with seamless integration into commonly used applications.

Sangoma Phone Desktop Application

Sangoma Phone is Sangoma Technologies' desktop softphone application. It offers the same features as Sangoma Talk, enabling users to communicate efficiently from their desktop computers. Here are some features of Sangoma Phone:

Voice

Sangoma Phone allows users to make and receive voice calls from their desktop computers. It delivers high-quality audio and supports advanced call handling features such as call transfer, call recording, and conferencing.

SMS and MMS

Similar to Sangoma Talk, Sangoma Phone supports SMS and MMS capabilities, enabling users to send and receive text messages and picture messages from their desktops.

Presence and BLF

Sangoma Phone provides real-time presence status and BLF indicators for internal contacts. Users can see the availability of their colleagues, making it easy to determine who is available to take calls or chat.

Chat

Sangoma Phone offers real-time chat functionality, allowing users to send instant messages to colleagues and collaborate more effectively.

Call Pops

Sangoma Phone supports call pop functionality, which can display Relevant caller information on the user's computer screen when a call is received.

Call History and Visual Voicemail

Sangoma Phone keeps a Record of call history, enabling users to view their inbound, outbound, and missed calls. It also integrates with visual voicemail, providing an efficient way to manage voicemail messages.

Contacts and SMS/MMS

Sangoma Phone integrates with the user's contact list, enabling easy access to contact information. It also supports SMS and MMS, allowing users to send and receive text messages and picture messages from their desktop.

Please note that Sangoma Phone will soon offer mobile chat functionality, as well as Outlook and browser plugins for convenient click-to-call actions.

Pricing and Discounts

PBXact Cloud offers competitive pricing for its UCaaS solutions. The standard pricing includes a minimum of four trunk plus users, with additional user licenses available as needed. Sangoma often runs promotional pricing and discounts for new customers or existing customers looking to upgrade their phone systems. It is best to contact the sales team to get accurate pricing and explore any available promotions based on your specific requirements.

Please note that while Sangoma does not offer discounts specifically for non-profit organizations, tax-exempt organizations can have applicable taxes removed from their bills.

Partner Program

Sangoma offers a partner program for businesses that offer managed voice services to their customers. The partner program utilizes an agent-to-master agent model, allowing partners to bring business to Sangoma, which handles billing and provides dedicated support. Partners can benefit from upfront spiffs, recurring commissions, and full access to GUI and support entitlements for their customers' PBX systems.

To join the partner program or learn more about it, You can reach out to the sales team for personalized assistance.

SIP Trunking with PBXact Cloud

PBXact Cloud operates as a fully integrated system, meaning it does not support third-party SIP trunking services. To enjoy the benefits of PBXact Cloud, businesses must use Sangoma's SIP trunking services, which are seamlessly integrated with the system. This ensures compatibility, ease of setup, and streamlined support.

Conclusion

In the world of unified communications, Sangoma Technologies stands out with its comprehensive UCaaS solutions. PBXact Cloud offers businesses a feature-rich, scalable, and fully supported phone system in the cloud, eliminating the need for physical hardware and simplifying administration. Sangoma Talk and Sangoma Phone provide seamless mobile and desktop softphone applications, enhancing productivity and collaboration. With features such as voice calling, SMS and MMS support, presence indicators, and chat functionality, Sangoma's UCaaS solutions cater to the evolving communication needs of modern businesses.

If you are interested in exploring Sangoma's UCaaS solutions further, including pricing, promotions, or the partner program, please feel free to reach out to our sales team. We Are here to assist you in finding the right communication solution for your organization.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about Sangoma Technologies and our UCaaS offerings. We look forward to helping you achieve unified communication excellence.

Highlights

• Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) brings together various communication components into a single system.
• PBXact Cloud replaces the need for physical PBX hardware and offers comprehensive support entitlement.
• Sangoma Talk mobile application provides voice, SMS, MMS, and presence indicators for seamless communication on mobile devices.
• Sangoma Phone desktop application offers the same features as Sangoma Talk but on desktop computers.
• PBXact Cloud is highly scalable and supports multi-site deployments.
• Sangoma offers a partner program for businesses offering managed voice services.
• SIP trunking with PBXact Cloud must be done through Sangoma's services for seamless integration.
• Pricing and promotions can be obtained by contacting the sales team directly.

FAQ

Q: Can I use my existing SIP provider for trunking with PBXact Cloud? A: No, PBXact Cloud requires the use of Sangoma's SIP trunking services for seamless integration.

Q: Can I port in mobile numbers from cell phone providers? A: Yes, you can port mobile numbers as long as they are unlocked and meet the necessary requirements.

Q: Can a softphone support multiple extensions? A: Currently, Sangoma softphones support one extension per device.

Q: Are there free trial accounts available to explore the service? A: It is best to contact our sales team to inquire about free trial accounts or personalized demos.

Q: What happens when a successful login is followed by a password change in Sangoma Phone? A: If there are any issues with re-logging after a password change, please open a support ticket for assistance.

Q: Is there an integration with Microsoft Teams? A: Currently, there is no integration with Microsoft Teams, but Sangoma offers a range of other integration options.

Q: Can Sangoma Talk be used with FreePBX? A: Yes, Sangoma Talk can be used with FreePBX by purchasing the licensed commercial module.

Q: Are there discounts available for 401c non-profit organizations? A: While there are no discounts specifically for non-profit organizations, Sangoma offers tax-exempt services that can remove applicable taxes.

Q: Is a trunk required for each extension? A: Trunks are not required for each extension. Sangoma sets a minimum of four trunk plus users, but beyond that, businesses can determine the number of trunks and extensions they need based on their requirements.