A Cloud PBX provider recently published a direct comparison between its Cloud PBX solution and Switch Telecom’s Hosted Switchboard Solution. Comparisons are useful. Businesses should examine competing Cloud PBX providers, compare pricing, review features and decide which service best fits their requirements. The problem begins when a comparison is built around incomplete solution descriptions, undefined labels, and conclusions that do not match the figures being presented.
The competitor’s own calculations show that Switch Telecom is the more cost effective option. Their articles nevertheless attempt to create the impression that Switch Telecom’s lower price reflects a substantially limited or basic service. That description does not accurately represent the Switch Telecom Cloud PBX Solution.
A proper comparison should consider the actual services offered by both providers, not classify one provider according to only one part of its solution portfolio.
Switch Telecom is Much More Cost Effective
They published the following monthly pricing comparison:
| Users | Competitor | Switch Telecom | Actual Difference |
| 10 | R650 | R360 | Switch Telecom is R290 cheaper |
| 25 | R1,625 | R880 | Switch Telecom is R745 cheaper |
| 50 | R3,250 | R1,400 | Switch Telecom is R1,850 cheaper |
According to its own comparison Switch Telecom costs less in each of the above scenarios. When expressed annually, their calculations indicate estimated savings of:
- R3,480 at 10 users.
- R8,940 at 25 users.
- R22,200 at 50 users.
The published table stopped at 50 Users. It does not show what the difference would be at 100, 200, 300 or even 1000 extensions. Given the contrast between per user licensing and block based extension pricing, the potential cost difference at those larger sizes could be substantial.
A reader searching for an honest comparison should therefore understand the central result; the competitor’s own figures show that Switch Telecom solution fee becomes substantially lower as the number of extensions increase. The competitor acknowledges that Switch Telecom is cheaper on platform fees, but then attempts to minimise that result by suggesting that Switch Telecom provides only “core telephony” or a “working phone system and nothing more.”
That creates a convenient marketing narrative:
- Publish figures showing Switch Telecom is cheaper.
- Suggest that the lower price must mean the service is basic.
- Present the higher priced product as the inevitable choice for growing businesses.
The difficulty is that the second step is not supported by Switch Telecom’s published feature set. Switch Telecom’s Hosted Switchboard (Cloud PBX) is not limited to basic calling. It is a feature rich, managed cloud PBX service that supports professional call routing, remote work, multiple departments and branches, administration, billing visibility and fraud control features.
In this case a lower price does not indicate a limited solution; it indicates a different and more efficient pricing structure which becomes extremely beneficial for both small and large businesses.
Switch Telecom is not Just a SIP Trunk Provider
This competitor goes on to classify Switch Telecom as a “pure SIP trunk” provider supplying “voice transport only.” That is not an accurate description of Switch Telecom’s business. Switch Telecom does offer VoIP SIP Trunks. But we also offer a fully managed and customisable Hosted Switchboard Cloud PBX. These are separate but related services.
A customer that already operates a compatible telephone system may choose a Switch Telecom VoIP SIP Trunk. A customer requiring a complete cloud business telephone system can use the Switch Telecom Hosted Switchboard together with a VoIP SIP Trunk (which the competitor has taken into account within their cost comparison) . The Hosted Switchboard does not require the customer to purchase, host or maintain a physical onsite PABX.
Switch Telecom’s Cloud PBX is feature rich and provides functions such as:
- IVR Menus.
- Automated Reception.
- Call Queues.
- Ring Groups.
- Hunt Groups.
- Time Based Routing.
- Voicemail to Email.
- Browser Softphones.
- Mobile Softphones.
- Direct Dial Numbers.
- Multi Site Calling.
- Online Administration.
- Automated Handset Provisioning.
- Call Detail Records.
- Advanced Fraud Control Features.
- Optional Call Recording.
- Professionally Recorded IVR and Marketing Messages.
Classifying Switch Telecom as voice transport only removes its Hosted Switchboard from the comparison before the comparison has even begun. One wonders why.
A Feature Rich Cloud PBX
The Switch Telecom Hosted Switchboard is designed to manage the full business call journey.
An incoming call can be:
- Answered by an automated receptionist.
- Presented with an IVR menu.
- Routed according to time of day.
- Sent to a department.
- Placed in a queue.
- Distributed through a ring group.
- Sent through a hunt sequence.
- Transferred between branches.
- Forwarded to a remote employee.
- Directed to voicemail.
- Delivered to a browser or mobile softphone.
That is not simply “core telephony.”
IVR and Intelligent Call Routing
The competitor describes Switch Telecom’s IVR as “standard” while presenting its own as advanced. “Standard” is not a technical specification. A useful comparison should identify the functions supported by each system.
Switch Telecom’s Hosted Switchboard can support:
- Multiple IVR Menus.
- Custom Welcome Messages.
- Departmental Selections.
- Automated Directories.
- Business Hours Routing.
- After Hours Routing.
- Time of Day Rules.
- Day of Week Rules.
- Queue Routing.
- Ring Group Routing.
- Hunt Group Routing.
- Voicemail Destinations.
- External Forwarding.
Switch Telecom Cloud PBX Free to Use Softphones
Each Hosted Switchboard extension can use supported browser and mobile softphones.
Switch Telecom’s free browser softphone provides functions including:
- Incoming and Outgoing Calls.
- Call Hold.
- Blind Transfers.
- Attended Transfers.
- Three Way Calling.
- Extension Searching.
- Presence Information.
- Personal Contacts.
- Call History.
- Browser Notifications.
- Click to Call.
The Switch Telecom mobile softphone, which is also offered free of charge with the Hosted Switchboard Cloud PBX, allows employees to operate as business extensions from their Android and iOS smartphones. Employees can make and receive business calls while presenting the company’s approved caller identity rather than their personal mobile numbers.
These softphones allow remote and hybrid work, business travel, multi branch operations, continuity during office disruptions like load shedding and central control of business contact numbers.
Get Up to Three Devices per Extension on the Switch Telecom Cloud PBX
A Switch Telecom Hosted Switchboard extension can be registered on up to three devices. For example; a desk phone, and a browser softphone and a mobile softphone.
This means one employee can remain connected across different working environments without requiring a separate paid user identity for each device. That is an important practical and pricing distinction. It supports flexibility without multiplying unnecessary “licences”.
Multi Site Businesses
The Hosted Switchboard can connect users across different departments, offices and cities, both locally and abroad. As an example, employees in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Dubai can remain part of one extension environment. Calls can be transferred internally between them. Users across branches can participate in shared ring groups, hunt groups and queues. A business does not need to operate an independent physical PABX or switchboard in every office.
That makes the platform suitable for many types of businesses.
Not Every Growing Company Becomes a Call Center
The competitor suggests that growing organisations will eventually require wallboards, predictive dialling, extensive CRM integrations or advanced contact center functions. Some might but the majority won’t. A growing accounting firm does not automatically need a predictive dialler. A national retailer does not necessarily require outbound contact center software. A growing business needs a system aligned with its operating model. It does not automatically need every feature offered by the highest priced competitor.
Customers should compare the relevant products carefully. Customers that do not require them should not be told that an affordable, feature rich Hosted Switchboard is inadequate simply because it does not include every specialised contact center function.
Switch Telecom allows businesses to select an advanced core platform and add optional services where required. This avoids forcing every customer to fund functions it may never use.
Switch Telecom Provides CRM Related Calling Functionality
The competitor characterises Switch Telecom’s CRM capability as limited or suggests that CRM integration is absent. Switch Telecom’s browser softphone supports Click to Call. Telephone numbers displayed in CRM platforms, customer portals and other online applications can be detected and dialled through the Switch Telecom Hosted Switchboard at the click of a mouse. Switch Telecom’s Cloud PBX also offers API integrations for both call detail records and call recording.
Switch Telecom provides practical CRM related calling functionality.
Advanced Cloud PBX services should not be confused with specialised call center software. It’s probably also worth noting, that South Africa is facing a ever increasing spam call problem, many businesses are moving away from predictive diallers, and many simply do not need them.
What they need is a reliable, feature rich Cloud PBX that handles calls professionally and supports their day to day operations.
Reporting is More than a Marketing Adjective
Switch Telecom provides access to call detail records, billing data, itemised charges and usage information through its Client Zone. In some enterprise deployments, reporting is tailored to the specific operational and management requirements of the business.
All Switch Telecom Customers can review calls made, calls received, calls missed, destination numbers and call duration as well as extension activity and costing. A competitor may offer wallboards and customisable dashboards which is a valid differentiator but calling the alternative “basic” without defining the criteria is not a meaningful technical comparison.
Switch Telecom Offers Usage Based and Unlimited Call Packages
The competitor presents Switch Telecom as charging per minute call rates. That is only part of the picture.
Switch Telecom offers different call packages which a customer can choice from, namely, Package 1 which offers the lowest usage based rates with calls charged in 30 second increments with a minimum of 60 seconds, Package 2, which has slightly higher per minute rates but is charged per second and lastly, Unlimited Call Packages which offer unlimited calls to South African local, national and mobile numbers, as well as some popular international destinations.
The accurate comparison is not that one provider offers bundled calling while Switch Telecom charges only per minute. The accurate comparison is that both providers offer different package structures, and customers should compare them against actual usage.
Determining the True Cost of A Provider’s Cloud PBX Offering
A “true cost comparison” cannot be based only on selected monthly platform fees.
A proper total cost calculation requires:
- Number of users.
- Number of concurrent calls.
- Local call minutes.
- Mobile call minutes.
- International destinations.
- Average call duration.
- Required telephone numbers and if porting is required.
- Call recording needs.
- Hardware requirements.
- Integration requirements.
- Setup charges (Switch Telecom doesn’t charge installation or set up fees).
- Support requirements.
Without those variables, the result is a base fee comparison. There is nothing wrong with comparing base fees. The problem is calling that comparison “true cost” while excluding many of the elements required to calculate one.
Fraud Prevention Conscious Telephony
One area that deserves greater attention in any Cloud PBX comparison is fraud prevention. A feature rich telephone system should not provide flexibility without control.
Switch Telecom’s fraud control capabilities include:
- International Destination Restrictions.
- Time Based International Call Barring.
- PIN Dialling.
- Custom Outbound Rules.
- Destination Number Blocking both Inbound and Outbound.
- Destination Type Blocking on Extension Level.
- IP access controls.
- Secure Phone Provisioning.
- Account Credit Controls.
- Authorised Contact Verification.
- Central Platform Maintenance.
These functions help businesses restrict unnecessary calling and reduce exposure to unauthorised use. They are not incidental extras. They are instrumental in any business telephony offering.
International Call Controls
A business may need to call only a small number of international destinations. There is no operational reason to leave every country available when most will never be called. Switch Telecom can apply international calling restrictions by country. Time based controls can also restrict international calls outside approved operating hours. This reduces exposure during evenings and weekends, when suspicious activity may remain undetected for longer.
PIN Dialling
PIN dialling can require authorisation before selected outbound calls are placed.
This is useful for:
- Shared Phones.
- Employee Usage Control.
- Tracking Authorised Callers.
- Unmanned Desktop Phones (in factories or warehouses as an example).
A telephone system should not assume that every person with physical access to a handset should have unrestricted outbound access.
Cloud PBX Secure Provisioning
Supported devices can be configured through automatic provisioning. This reduces the need to distribute SIP usernames and passwords manually. Credential exposure is a major source of VoIP risk. The fewer people who require access to underlying service credentials, the better.
Credit Controls and Billing Visibility
Switch Telecom provides billing and call-detail visibility through its Client Zone. Customers can review usage and charges rather than relying only on a monthly total. Credit limits and prepaid account structures can also help contain potential financial exposure. Unlimited VoIP Call Packages reduce the expose even further with a fixed monthly fee with Unlimited VoIP calling. Fraud prevention is not achieved through a single feature. It requires a layered approach and should be treated as a critical priority by any Cloud PBX provider.
Support from a Specialist VoIP Provider
Switch Telecom is a specialist South African VoIP provider. Our first operating license was issued by ICASA in 2007. We own our own network. Our network has multiple points of presence and interconnects throughout the country which ensures our customers maximum uptime. We are integrated with the Number Portability Company. We have our own number ranges, both geographic and non geographic. Switch Telecom’s Hosted Switchboard is a fully managed, feature rich and customisable solution supported by industry specialists who are highly skilled and trained to offer support and advice. In addition, we have a user friendly online portal which enables businesses to manage their own solution portfolio.
We don’t tie our customers into long term contracts, although, many of them have been with us since inception.
Read what our customers have to say, review the services for yourself, and then compare Switch Telecom with its competitors reviews.
Less Hype, More Accurate Comparison
Businesses do not benefit when competitor comparisons which rely on:
- A pricing narrative that is inconsistent with its own numbers.
- Incomplete product categorisation.
- Undefined terms such as “basic” and “advanced.”
- Selective presentation of calling packages.
- Assumptions about what every growing company will need.
A useful comparison should identify actual functions and actual costs.
It should distinguish between:
- Hosted Cloud PBX services.
- VoIP SIP Trunks.
- Contact Center Products.
- Usage Based and Unlimited Call Packages.
- Standard Included Features.
- Optional Extras.
- Base Fees.
- Installation Fees.
- Total Usage Costs.
Competitors are entitled to promote their products. They are entitled to explain where they believe their services are stronger. They are not entitled to have inaccurate descriptions accepted as fact simply because those descriptions appear in a comparison article/opinion piece. The most notable finding in this particular comparison is not the competitor’s marketing conclusion but in their actual pricing table. The larger the team becomes, the more the competitor’s own figures favour Switch Telecom. That may be less than euphoric for the competitor, but for South African businesses looking for a feature rich, fraud prevention conscious, and cost effective Cloud PBX, it is highly relevant.
