Telephone Systems in Transition – From Telephone Operators to Cloud Telephony

Telephone systems simplified and accelerated communication long before the Internet. Mobile telephony is on the rise. Nevertheless, landline connections can be found in 85% of households. Young people, in particular, are increasingly doing without a telephone system, including telecommunications systems (TK systems). In the age of smartphones, instant messaging, and voice messages, telephone systems will change. What options do PBXs offer? What’s behind VoIP and SIP? And why have ISDN systems finally been taken care of?

What is a Telephone System?

The central office, which manages all incoming, outgoing, and internal calls, called the telephone system (PBX). A quick look at the past of the telephone system shows that a lot has happened in less than 100 years. While hardly anyone remembers telephone operators whose job in the 1930s was connecting callers and calling parties to each other via plug-in connections.

The piercing noise that could be heard on the receiver when someone surfed the Internet with the 56K modem more people known. With ISDN telephony, more than one participant could contact the outside world by telephone or computer. Later that served Session Initiation Protocol ( SIP ) to determine the conditions for a telephone call fully automatically, and modern VoIP telecommunications systems make it possible to dispense with conventional landline connections.

Important Functions of Telephone Systems

A private conversation offers a quick and straightforward exchange of information. Most PBX functions only used in more extensive networks with several participants, such as in companies or call centers. Which features the most popular and used the most?

Parking, Stopping

Does a caller need information for which a colleague has to asked? The children are playing soccer and the expensive vase, an heirloom from the great-grandmother, is in the field of fire? With the Park function, the caller muted and put on the line. The interlocutors can no longer hear what is happening at the other end until all information has obtained and problems have resolved. The conversation continued at the push of a button.

Forward, Connect

In a group of telephones that can reached with the same number or when callers have made a mistake, the “Forward and connect” functions used. To do this, the caller initially put on Hold , the desired interlocutor dialed and the conversation connected. Before the caller forwarded, the telephone system offers the option of briefly informing the caller about the call and then either putting the caller through or taking him back.

Fetch

Another phone rings in the network, and the person currently not at the desk? By picking up, the caller can picked up on his telephone. The function mainly used when a colleague is not at the desk for a short time. Automatic diversions set if you absent for a more extended time.

Night service, Forwarding

The function enables automatic forwarding to another number at times when a line not busy. It happens either automatically at certain times of the day or manually by setting on the phone. Either a connection within the telephone system, i.e., an internal number, or an external number, e.g., the mobile phone of a sales representative, can selected as the number.

Brokering

Brokering involves switching between two different call partners without ending a call. This function used in offices when a caller needs information that has to obtained from someone in another room or a supplier. The two interlocutors do not communicate with each other.

Conference, Meeting

If several participants to communicate simultaneously, the conference or meeting function offers all callers to connected at once. Video conferences are replacing this function more and more.

Line and Music on Hold

Everyone has been in a queue before. Whether calling a government agency or a company, more callers at peak times can served at once. Instead of hearing a busy signal, the callers then put into a queue. In this, you will often hear a melody, which occasionally interrupted by the information that charges will apply for the call or that the line should held (Please, have the line.). Music or a melody adds variety to the queue. Music on Hold assures the caller that the connection is still open, that the phone not muted, or that the other person is listening in without saying anything.

Do-not-Disturb

Although the called party is not on the phone, a busy signal sent to the callers. The function used when higher-position employees have a bad day or are busy doing important tasks that do not want to disturbed.

The Beginning of The End of Classic Telephony

Telephone systems change due to new technologies and growing needs. Even more extensive networks require the handling of increasing amounts of data and modern possibilities simplify many aspects of telephony and data transmission. ISDN systems followed 56K modems, which now followed by Voice-over-IP (VoIP systems). Telephones, like computers, are provided with a digital address (an IP) in the design and can used to make calls thanks to VoIP. The Session Initiation Protocol ( SIP ) used in this system to control and establish sessions. The technology makes the classic telephone connection overdue so that only the Internet connection has to taken into account when planning a new system. “In addition to these advancements, the shift towards digital telephony has also led to a notable trend—the most searched phone numbers in the US now often revolve around customer service hotlines, technical support, or inquiries related to various services, showcasing the reliance on accessible and immediate assistance in the digital age.”

For the conversion, users of ISDN systems usually need new telephone systems or set up a digital telephone system in a cloud, an online storage facility. Callers, internal calls, and the various functions of the traditional PBX are then controlled by software on the PC. The advantage of cloud telephony is that hardware, i.e., devices for handling calls, no longer required, and everything takes place on a server.

Telephony via a computer or notebook also goes hand in hand with this technology. A headset connected to the computer serves as a handset, and all functions are controlled by software with a click of the mouse. The option popular in call centers or companies there no need to purchase telephones. And aspects such as collecting statistics on telephony are covered. The phone’s function is then linked to the computer, but in a modern workplace, a telephone connection without a PC for information useless anyway.

Goodbye landline

Telephones and landlines will gradually disappear over the next few years. Computer and intelligent devices are replacing communication in the private sector and companies. The advantages of the installation, the savings in acquisition. And the simple administration of the systems ensure the change in companies. In the private sector, functions such as video telephony or sending voice messages offer attractive functions. That will soon replace conventional telephone calls.