Virtual PBX vs Landline: What to Compare Before Switching
Compare mobility, simultaneous calls, your number and the cost of a landline and a cloud phone system, and see where Heilo fits and where it does not.
Having a landline number does not mean you can only answer at your desk. What is possible depends on your carrier and service: the forwarding options, the apps and the way calls are handled. A virtual PBX is useful when you need rules for routing calls to a team. Heilo is worth considering when the goal is to keep what was said on calls, and the agreements made, in your CRM.
What are you comparing?
A landline can mean a number, a handset or a carrier service. A PBX is a system that organises call traffic: routing to departments, queues and transfers. Cloud phone system, hosted PBX and virtual PBX usually name the same thing: the switchboard runs at the provider, not in your office. Moving such a service to the cloud does not by itself confirm every feature or a lower bill.
| Area | Your current phone service | A cloud PBX offer |
|---|---|---|
| Answering away from the office | Check forwarding and the apps available | Check answering on an employee's phone, in an app or on a desk phone |
| Several calls at once | Check the limit and what happens on a busy line | Check channels, ring groups and queues in the specific plan |
| The number customers know | Stays active under your current contract | Confirm whether it can be ported or forwarded |
| Internet outage | Depends on the carrier's technology | Check the fallback route and the devices that answer |
| Cost | Subscription, traffic, hardware and upkeep | Licences, numbers, traffic, setup and any add-ons |
| Call notes in your CRM | Check what recordings and export are available | Check the integration data, not only the fact that a call took place |
There is no basis for promising the same quality on every call once a single internet speed figure is exceeded. Test quality on calls from the places where your team actually works.
When should you keep your current phone service?
If answering and transferring calls works well, missing notes do not have to justify replacing the whole system. First check which information is missing after a call and whether your current tool can provide it. For a single number, properly configured voicemail and a person responsible for calling back may be enough to solve the problem of missed enquiries.
If you need a queue for several agents or routing to departments, compare PBX offers against those requirements. Heilo does not offer an IVR menu, queues or ring groups: one Heilo number rings one phone. More: CRM-integrated phone system. The tests worth running at a PBX demo are described in the cloud PBX checklist.
Where does Heilo fit?
Heilo is not a PBX: it has no queues, voice menu or extensions. Heilo records messages or calls, depending on the plan. Heilo Voicemail takes messages after missed calls that your carrier forwards to a Heilo number. 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 Line is a business number, a Polish +48 number, one per salesperson. Inbound calls to that number, and outbound calls started in the dashboard with the “Call via Heilo” button (+48 numbers only), are recorded automatically. A number dialled in the ordinary Phone app does not go through Heilo, so that call is not recorded.
After the call you get a transcript, a summary and suggested tasks, and for a two-sided call also notes from the Conversation coach on what went well and what to improve. Once you set up an integration, the results reach your CRM through the API, webhooks, Zapier or Make. See how calls reach your CRM.
How do you work out the cost of switching?
List your subscriptions, how many numbers you need, traffic charges and the cost of setup. Add integration work and the time to train the team. Heilo charges per number per month, and the plans and prices are on the pricing page. A Heilo business number is included only in Heilo Line; Heilo Voicemail works on your existing number through carrier forwarding. 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. Heilo Voicemail and Heilo Select carry an indicative limit of 500 recorded minutes per number per month that never blocks calls.
Before you end your current contract, check inbound and outbound numbers, behaviour outside office hours and how the call lands in your CRM. The article on call forwarding vs virtual PBX helps separate forwarding from porting.
FAQ
Will I lose my current number if I change service?
Not necessarily, but it depends on the route you choose. Forwarding leaves the number with your current carrier, while porting is arranged with the new provider and needs a confirmed procedure. Do not cancel your current service before continuity is settled.
Will Heilo work without office internet?
The dashboard needs internet. Answering calls on a phone and forwarding depend on network availability and carrier settings. Do not assume it works in every outage; test a fallback plan for your team.
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