Switchvox Phone System Reviews

Pros

The switchboard is the key defining feature of Switchvox. The drag-drop call management and real-time call and queue visibility make it fantastic for receptionists, managers, and call centers.
With Switchvox all features are included for all users, so you don't end up with hidden fees for add-on features. The new licensing model even gives you mobility and softphone options that are part of the base extension license.

Cons

There is a very small subset of features that are available in Switchvox on-premise that are restricted in the Hosted platform due to the shared nature of the system. Unless you're a real power user and already intimately familiar with the on-premise version, you are unlikely to notice, though.

Pros

It really has taken phone and voice mail systems to another level. My favorite feature is that it allows you to connect to your phone online. You can set up your out of office messages for your phone via your computer, you can forward, transfer, and "park" calls all via the online application. You can also listen to your voicemail through the online applications and view your company directory there as well. It has been a great technological advancement for us and especially for those of us fielding high call volumes.

Cons

Employees have seemed to be slow at adopting the online application. My hope was that the online directory would take away the need to publish a paper version, however, after 5 years of having the system we've not gotten away from updating and printing a new directory. The system also doesn't seem to have the capability to store personal cell phone information - which many of our employees must be reached that way as well. The online application could be a bit more user friendly as well. It takes some learning to figure out the 'language' in the system, how things are labeled, and the steps to getting to the employee directory, for example.

Pros

System works well when you get everything right. When is not right then it becomes a big brick.

Cons

This system violates the RFC for SIP clients. If you plan on using this system with any other sip device on your network you will have a big surprise when it stops working. Switchvox knowingky (you can ask their support department) hard codes the return port for the sip client to 5060. This causes the system to stop working in a nat environment when it is assigned a different port.
If you are looking for a system that you will have to babysit all the time and make sure it didn’t use any other port so your client can stay online then this is the switch for you. If that didn’t sound like your cup of tea then buy Cisco and be happy all the time.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Switchvox Phone System

Pros

The Switchvox is extremely customizable so that you can tailor the system functionality to your business' call structure. It can be used for automated answering or as an operator PBX with the ability to set up circular and linear call groups. With the included Switchboard web console, you can view and distribute calls in your organization, dial other users, view and retrieve parked calls, manage voicemails and more right from your workstation's desktop. There are optional add-ons to allow you to dial contacts directly from your web browser and MS Outlook.

Cons

The mobile app for Switchvox has experienced spotty perfromance with intermitent call drops and user status displays. Despite several sessions with Digium suppport, theyhave been unable to resolve the issue. This is an area where they need improvement. Be cautious is your intent is to have an employee use the mobile extension app exclusively.

Pros

The switchboard function is by far the feature I like the most. It allows me to have a single view into everything going on with phone system. I can see all users, queues, etc. in one place. The system is also very easy to program across the board.

Cons

The mobile client is possibly the worst I have ever used. It has severe stability issues and could not be depended on for day to day use. Support pointed us to a web client version and it has been better. Remote physical phones have had some issues as well. Call will ring and after the caller hangs up, it will never stop ringing.

Pros

It offers accessible, economical and easy-to-use communications, VoIP technology allows communications at any time and in any place.

Cons

Digium I love I have not got something that I do not like about this software

Pros

The easy of use, its have voicemail integration with email server, screenshare, videoconference to make use with simple clicks.

Cons

The UI is powerfull but adding lot of elements in layout can be difficult to track all calls, server resources and trunk calls

Pros

I enjoy the flexibility it gives me when working remote. I can monitor call activities and ensure I am not missing a beat, even when away.

Cons

I struggle with toggling between callers with more difficulty than if I was just at my desk. This certainly would not replace my desk phone.

Pros

We like the features when they work. These include all calls are recorded, swutchvox is easy to use, faxes work most of the time.

Cons

When the digium site goes down, you cannot retreice voicemails.
When it is working we have to dial a number, it will ask for password, we do nothing, then it asks for mailbox number, we input that, then it asks for password. We input password. Then we can retrieve our voicemail. Seems like a crazy work around.

Pros

Very nice to be able to use the office phone system while out of the office. Clients have no idea that I'm using my cell phone and helps to keep my cell # private.

Cons

Very buggy. Drops calls and sometimes takes a long time to connect the call. We had several issues where the system blocked my IP address when I was on my home Wifi. We had to contact support and they helped us to "fix" the problem but if my ISP assigns my modem a new IP address, we have to go back into the system and unblock my IP again.

Pros

Works great in VM environment, easy to use web interface, and feature rich, Switchboard is great tool for users, self provisioning phones make installs easier. Digium has great library of videos for training staff. Switchvox is also designed for the users to administrate their own extension and this has greatly reduced tickets to our help desk.

Cons

Digium needs to come up with certification process for end users.

Pros

There are lots of great features included with Switchvox. You can set up an unlimited amount of call rules based on time of day or current phone status. For instance, I have my phone set up to forward to my cell phone if I set my status to "Available - Home Office" and we have our support line set up to bounce between support reps a limited amount of times before going to voicemail.

Cons

It was a bit confusing to set up. The interface is quite dated, but then again that seems pretty common in the VoIP market.

Pros

I need to monitor a small team's phone calls and call logs and numbers. Switchvox reporting is fast and easy and makes good, accurate reports (sometimes some calls seem missing, and they have different parameters you can set to indicate what constitutes a call vs a dial and whatnot).

Cons

Sometimes it seems frustrating when I run a report and the numbers don't seem to line up with my own numbers, but that's usually an error on my part (i.e. what I'm querying). Otherwise, call recording, monitoring, etc is all straightforward.

Pros

Features are comparable to higher priced solutions. Recent update allows up to 5 soft devices per license. VM compatible.

Cons

We haven't used any of the new E-series appliances, but the older appliances are overpriced for the hardware inside.

Pros

We have been happy with bringing in the Switchvox system into our organization. It has been solid since day 1 and setup was relatively painless. Lots of features and functionality. Adds an enhanced level of communication both within and outside our organization.

Pros

Switchvox is simple and very easy to use. It works fast and connects your calls more clearer without any interference. You are able to control your volume, mute/unmute your calls and record your calls at any time. The settings to adjust your needs are simple.

Cons

Haven't experienced any ay this time. Everything has worked out smoothly.

Pros

I love how easy this software is and that I can log in from home if I have to. Its so easy to change the Calling Rules if I have to work from home or on the road traveling and need to forward my phone.

Pros

This software is currently used to maintain our current phone system

Cons

Sometimes calls will take some time to come in through the queue

Pros

-reporting was kind of helpful
-support is responsive

Cons

-app doesn't work very well
-reporting should be more detailed
-need crm integration

Pros

No hardware issues after a year and a half. Easy to use GUI. Simple installation.

Cons

Software is old and outdated even on the latest version which requires an active support contract to stay up-to-date.
Lots of bugs and problems.
The Switchboard lags, crashes, and displays inaccurate information. Switchvox support (which we pay for) acknowledged this as an issue over 6 months ago and have not produced a fix or workaround.
Support is a joke.
No impressive features. API is not very robust. No real integration. No real fault tolerance / high availability options.

Pros

Digium Switchvox is easy to use as it has a familiar interface. Plus, it is easy to control and configure.

Cons

The IVR menu should have more advanced actions in Digium Switchvox.

Pros

Very reliable, able to function for 24/7/365 without any need to reboot. Very Easy to use, with well GUI design.

Cons

Yearly licenses payments, each year you have to pay for the subscriptions

Pros

Ease of configuration, rich feature set, best price for feature set on the market.

Cons

support can be slow at times, some features do not work 100% or are a little flaking

Pros

I like being able to use my pre-set call rules to forward my phone to a colleague when I am on vacation, or to my cell phone if I am working remote.

Cons

Something that I didn't like is when setting up my phone list of auto-dialed phone numbers, it took a full 7 days for the list to be uploaded to my phone screen from Switchvox. Customer Service didn't seem to have good answers as to why they weren't showing up. Luckily, a co-worker had experience in this & told me to just be patient & it will upload in a few more days & they were right.

Pros

Intuitive setup and admin interface. Phone setup works well.

Cons

Support (paid) is horrible. System critical issues take days sometime weeks to get resolved. In Hindsight, if I knew there support was so bad I would not have invested in this system.