Full Featured Phone System
What do you like best about the product?
FreePBX allows us to not only take calls while not in the office but also ties into our CRM software to let us know who is calling as well. No longer do we have to wait around for calls. We have the system deployed in the cloud so there is no need for us to keep a system or servers running as well as maintain the firewall permissions for the system. All we have to do is have a VOIP Phone available or use a VOIP mobile app to access the system.
What do you dislike about the product?
Although the system is very powerful and full of features, the interface is a little bit overwhelming. Also, the interface compared to others like 3CX feels more cluttered. In setting up it took a while to find the options and menus that I was looking for in the system.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
FreePBX allows us to make calls while out of the office using our office phone lines. Gone are the times of having to block phone numbers on our cell phones so that we don't have customers calling our mobile phones instead of the office line. Also we can access our voicemail while out of the office as well as have it transcribed and sent via e-mail.
Recommendations to others considering the product:
If you are considering FreePBX, I would recommend finding a hosting provider to set it up on. Doing this fixed our firewall issues as well as the need for the server to be located in-house.
Useful software
Pros: Easy to configure, has all features of a regular FreePBX, 99% uptime.
Cons: EC2 instance will increase this software cost twice or three times.
FreePBX is great!
What do you like best about the product?
I like that FreePBX allows me to check voicemails through my email.
What do you dislike about the product?
I dislike that I can't receive voicemails through my phone and email. I need to pick one or the other.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
A lot of our employees work remotely or have meeting offsite, which means they can't check voicemails directly from their work phone.
Good if You Know What to look for
What do you like best about the product?
An incredible amount of options to choose from, at minimal costs. If you want your phones to do something, they probably have it.
What do you dislike about the product?
On the other hand, the vast amount of customization can feel very overwhelming at times. It becomes harder to find common options.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Managing extensions becomes much easier.
Great service
We had an on-premise freepbx server which worked great for 2 years until it got hacked. The restore process upset some config files and we figured for the same cost we could just move to the cloud and be able to have multiple sites working off one system. Worked great. You need a bit of networking knowledge to be able to set it up yourself but by no means do you need to be an expert.
The only complaint I'd have is that the minimum server available is actually quite powerful and this increases cost a little. The monthly software fee is also relatively high given that the software is open source. If you have 7-10 users minimum then it is very good value. Any less than that you might be better using a shared service.
