Cloud PBX for Business: Six Tests Before You Sign
A checklist for choosing a cloud PBX: routing, queues, outbound calls and CRM data. See which call-capture needs Heilo covers and which it does not.
When you choose a cloud PBX, check how a customer's call actually goes, not just the feature list. An IVR menu, call recording and a CRM integration can mean a different scope in different plans. The checklist below helps you prepare a demo with the provider and decide whether you also need to keep what was agreed on calls in Heilo.
Six tests before you sign
| Test | What should be settled? |
|---|---|
| The customer picks a department | Whether the menu reaches the right person, and what happens if the caller chooses nothing |
| Two people call at the same time | Whether the second customer waits, goes to another employee or goes to voicemail |
| The team finishes for the day | How the schedule, the greeting and the follow-up of the enquiry work |
| A salesperson calls back | Which number the customer sees and whether the recording covers the outbound call |
| The customer objects to being recorded | How the employee continues the contact without a recording |
| The call ends | What data reaches the CRM and who can see it |
Ask the provider to show these tests in the plan you intend to buy. A demo recording from a more expensive plan does not confirm the scope of your offer. Also settle the limits on simultaneous calls and the behaviour during an outage.
A PBX and a record of what was agreed are separate criteria
A PBX can connect a customer to a salesperson correctly, and the CRM may still hold only the date and time of the call. To prepare an offer, the team also needs the subject of the enquiry, the terms, amounts and deadlines. Ask whether the integration delivers the content of the conversation or only its metadata.
Heilo is for recording and processing calls, not for routing traffic. Heilo Line is a business number, a Polish +48 number, one per salesperson: they answer inbound calls on it and start outbound calls in the dashboard with the “Call via Heilo” button (+48 numbers only). Calls through that number are recorded automatically. With Heilo Select you keep your current number and add Heilo to a chosen call; your carrier must support conference calls, and Heilo records the call from the moment it joins. Heilo Voicemail takes messages after missed calls that your carrier forwards. After a call the team gets a transcript, a summary and suggested tasks, and for a two-sided call the Conversation coach shows what went well and what to improve. Heilo does not talk to the customer and does not replace a PBX with queues, an IVR menu and ring groups: one number rings one phone.
See how Heilo Line works in a sales team if the problem is agreements getting lost after the phone call.
How do you assess the CRM integration?
Run the test for an existing contact and for a new customer. Check the assignment to a salesperson, the absence of duplicates and whether the note makes sense. In Heilo you set up the integration through the API or webhooks, directly or through Make or Zapier. That does not mean a ready-made connection to every CRM with one click. If you need queues and switching between agents together with a CRM, read about a CRM-integrated phone system.
Also check who can listen to, export and delete recordings. Access for the whole sales team should follow from the user's role, not from a file that happened to be forwarded.
How do you compare the monthly bill?
Count numbers, users, minutes, storage, required add-ons and the integration. Heilo charges per number per month, with VAT added at checkout; the plans and prices are on the pricing page. With Heilo Line the team pays for as many numbers as it has salespeople who answer and call through Heilo. Heilo Line includes 6 hours of recorded calls per number in each billing period; each extra hour is billed per minute at the rate on the pricing page and added to the next invoice. Assess your own carrier's charges and the integration platform separately.
Do not assume a return on investment from the first month. In a pilot, measure whether the team reconstructs agreements from memory less often and prepares complete notes faster. Those observations let you work out the tool's value in your company. For comparison with a landline, see virtual PBX vs landline.
FAQ
Does setup always take a few minutes?
No. A simple forwarding rule may need few steps, but company verification, activating the number, permissions and the CRM integration are separate stages. Set the timeline for your own rollout. In Heilo, a Heilo Line number is ordered after your company is verified by its Polish tax ID (NIP): you choose a number and Heilo orders it from the carrier. The time depends on the verification.
Does adding an employee mean buying another number?
With other providers it depends on the price list. In Heilo, inviting a teammate to the account costs nothing, there is no seat limit and accounts have roles. One Heilo Line number rings one phone, though, so each salesperson who is to answer and dial through Heilo needs their own number. Someone who only reviews calls and notes does not need a number. The prices are on the pricing page.
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