PBX - Vox

Working to Identify and Protect SA’s Heritage Resources

Posted on 11 November 202511 November 2025 by Natalie van der Merwe

Vox partnered with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) to deliver an integrated programme of connectivity, voice and network security, demonstrating how SAHRA connectivity and SD‑WAN for heritage sites can safeguard archives, improve communication and reduce costs. SAHRA requires a modern, secure and resilient IT environment to protect national heritage records and support remote working.

Planning SAHRA’s Connectivity and SD-WAN for SA’s Heritage Sites

The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) is an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture – formerly known until 2000 as the National Monuments Council – which is tasked with an overall legislative mandate to identify, assess, manage, protect and promote heritage resources in South Africa, and to protect them for future generations.

National heritage sites need to be protected and safeguarded from damage or alteration, and it’s important to prevent development that could endanger their existence. As a national agency with additional provincial authorities, SAHRA works with local communities to identify heritage resources and record their oral and living histories, as well as increase public involvement in the preservation of heritage resources.

“South Africa has a very rich heritage,” says Stephen Muller, SAHRA ICT Manager, “and SAHRA works across a number of business units – including Heritage Properties, Burial Grounds and Graves, the Built Environment and Heritage Protection – to identify and protect heritage resources in South Africa.

“We have a very valuable registry in the form of our internal archives, encompassing a vast amount of heritage documents including old papers, plans, maps, information about graves…. information from the past that it’s important to protect and preserve.

“Overall, our outlook for the future is to become significantly more digitalised, including with our registry and archives, and also as an organisation overall. The work done by SAHRA is valuable and it’s important that it’s assisted in the digital realm, to protect South Africa’s Heritage Sites in the physical realm.”

South Africa has eight World Heritage Sites, as follows: Robben Island (Western Cape), iSimangaliso Wetland Park (formerly known as the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in Kwa-Zulu/Natal); the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng), Maloti Drakensberg Park (Kwa-Zulu/Natal), Mapungubwe Heritage Site (in Limpopo province, located at the border of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana), the Cape Floral Kingdom (Western Cape), the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape (in the Northern Cape, along the Orange River border with Namibia) and the Vredefort Dome (Free State).

In addition, there are also several heritage sites declared by SAHRA, which include the Castle of Good Hope, the Bushmanskloof Rock Painting Landscape, the Daljosafat Cultural Landscape, the SS Mendi Memorial, the South African Astronomical Observatory, Liliesleaf Farm and the West Coast Fossil Park, among others.

4 1080 5 1080x720 1 | Vox | Working to Identify and Protect SA's Heritage Resources — SS Mendi Memorial

The Business Challenge

“It’s our intention to have a proper electronic document records management system in place so that we can get all our information, including our records and administrative systems, more digital,” explains Muller.

“We are moving forward in this regard; for example we have a YouTube channel and we use it to broadcast on pertinent issues, including a webinar in September – which is Heritage Month in South Africa – which is geared towards allowing the public to share in the conversation. I like to say that even though we’re a heritage organisation, it doesn’t mean that our technology or infrastructure needs to be heritage as well!”

In the quest to keep SAHRA’s digital processes and communications systems modern and not ‘vintage’, the organisation has carried out a significant number of implementations or upgrades in the past 10 years or so. These include such important technology elements as:

Business Fibre connectivity;
Voice and Telephony solutions;
Backup of data;
Foundational network security; and
The implementation of an SD-WAN solution.

Some of these implementations have been carried out at SAHRA’s head office in the Western Cape, and others have been at regional offices. SAHRA operates across four sites around the country. Muller clarifies that there have been some challenges previously with getting all the sites connected with fast connectivity, including the use of a slow ADSL line at one of the regional offices.

“Our concerns were around data security and service continuity, as well as site integrations that were required to interlink all our colleagues and allow them to interact and integrate with our existing systems and offices. Vox was able to address these requirements through well detailed bids,” he explains.

The Business Solution

As a government entity, SAHRA is required to follow strict bidding / tender procedures each time a new project or upgrade over a particular Rand value is required. Muller explains: “Being a government entity, we have to follow a formal public procurement process and that’s always done by a means of competitive bidding. SAHRA’s relationship with Vox began when we had to shift our existing voice solution, and then we also added in the Internet connectivity as well. Later on, we found the need to include managed firewall services and most recently we have had a requirement for an SD-WAN solution.

“On each of these occasions, Vox has submitted separate tender documentation in response to the advertised tenders. In summary, Vox has helped SAHRA to improve on our operational efficiency, including the enhancement of our remote working capabilities. Additionally, Vox has helped us to strengthen our cybersecurity posture, while also reducing infrastructure costs over time.”

Vox was the successful winner of a number of tender processes for SAHRA in recent years, as follows:

2018/2019: Hosted Digital Communication System

Fibre connectivity
Verto Hosted PBX and Yealink handsets
Uncapped Voice
Communications Manager (TMS)
Network Cabling
Chrome Air (Voice over LTE)
Number porting

2020: Poly Studio VC Solution

2021: Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Plus

2022: Connectivity and Voice and Network security

Primary and failover connectivity at five sites
- Consists of fibre, wireless and LTE
Moved from Verto Supreme to 3CX Cloud for PBX, Unified Communication and mobility services
Uncapped Voice
Fortigate Firewall at five sites

2024: Connectivity and Voice and Network security / SD-WAN

Provision of two stand-alone internet links at four sites
- Consists of fibre, wireless and LTE
Moved from Verto Supreme to 3CX Cloud for PBX, Unified Communication and mobility services
Uncapped Voice
Fortigate Firewall at five sites with SD-WAN for WAN resiliency

René Minnie, Key Account Manager at Vox, clarifies that the most recent 2024 upgrades are of particular interest and significance for SAHRA, involving upgrades to the entity’s connectivity, voice and network security. She says: “When we look at the migration from Verto Supreme to 3CX Cloud, we see that Vox is providing SAHRA with a solution that is future-proof and rich in functionality, and which allows more control. With regards to the implementation of an SD-WAN solution, it is important to note that Vox has provisioned for the ability to use both links at each site.

“As for the benefits of SD-WAN, it’s a modern networking solution that simplifies the management and operation of a wide area network (WAN) by decoupling the network hardware from its control mechanism, with key benefits including improved network performance, cost efficiency, enhanced security, simplified management, and scalability and flexibility.”

More details on the benefits of SD-WAN are as follows:

Improved Performance: SD-WAN intelligently routes traffic across the most efficient paths, reducing latency and improving application performance, especially for cloud-based services.
Cost Efficiency: SD-WAN allows businesses to use lower-cost internet connections (like broadband) alongside or instead of expensive MPLS links, significantly reducing WAN costs.
Enhanced Security: Built-in encryption, firewall capabilities and centralised security policies help protect data across all network endpoints.
Simplified Management: Centralised control makes it easier to configure, monitor and manage the network, reducing the need for manual intervention and on-site IT support.
Scalability and Flexibility: SD-WAN supports rapid deployment across multiple locations and adapts easily to changing business needs, making it ideal for growing organisations.

A Strategic Partner Towards the SAHRA IT Unit

Muller says he has been very happy with both the service and the products received from Vox overall, and enjoys an extremely positive relationship with Vox. He clarifies: “The service levels have always been consistently high, and in fact have always exceeded what we at SAHRA have requested. We also very much appreciate the scalability of the available offerings.

“You could say that Vox has essentially become a strategic partner towards the SAHRA IT unit, and as a company, its employees and divisions are very good at communicating the available offerings, both for a present requirement as well as for future possibilities and planning – I find Vox to be well-structured and transparent.”

Muller also praises the quality of Vox’s tender documents, which, he says, are unfailingly of a high quality and provide all the information – and sometimes more – than actually required.

“Usually, we look to see that the potential service providers are able to meet or even exceed our minimum requirements,” he explains. “Then we look at proven reliability and uptime, scalability, security and compliance. Cost-effectiveness plays a vital role as well, and we also look at strong support and after-sales service.

“Vox scores consistently highly across all these categories, including with excellent service and competitive pricing across all its products. The type of bid received from Vox overall is always excellent. No matter big or small, there’s always enough information. If it’s a specific brand or model mentioned, there will be a specification sheet that paints a clear picture.”

Minnie adds that the interactions with Muller and the rest of his team at SAHRA have always been most pleasant: “As a company, people across a number of divisions at Vox appreciate SAHRA’s business relationship, which is based on mutual politeness and respect. Our two companies work extremely well together, and we look forward to continuing to be of assistance to SAHRA for many years into the future,” she says.

“I believe that in Vox, SAHRA has found an excellent partner and over the years, we have met regularly and enjoyed smooth operations overall. And so if I could sum it up, Vox’s offerings are a clear commitment to a partnership with long-term value overall, because of the scalability and expansions that are offered by Vox,” concludes Muller.

Download Case Study

FAQs

What is SD‑WAN and why is it important for heritage institutions?
SD‑WAN is a modern WAN architecture that intelligently routes traffic across multiple links. It improves performance, resilience and security, which is critical for institutions needing reliable access to cloud archives and remote collaboration.

Which Vox products were implemented at SAHRA?
Vox implemented Business Fibre, voice platforms (Verto Hosted PBX historically and migration to 3CX Cloud), Yealink handsets, Fortigate firewalls, Veeam backup and Poly Studio VC, plus wireless/LTE failover.

How does SD‑WAN improve security?
SD‑WAN supports centralised security policies, encryption of WAN links and integration with managed firewalls, reducing exposure for distributed sites and sensitive data.

Can SD‑WAN reduce costs for government agencies?
Yes. By enabling the use of lower‑cost broadband and LTE alongside fibre, SD‑WAN can lower WAN expenses while maintaining performance and resilience.

How did Vox ensure compliance with SAHRA’s procurement rules?
All implementations were awarded through formal competitive tenders, with Vox submitting detailed, compliant bid documents for each procurement phase.

Will SD‑WAN help with disaster recovery and backups?
SD‑WAN improves connectivity resilience which supports replication and backup workflows. Combined with solutions like Veeam, it strengthens overall data protection and recovery capabilities.

Is 3CX Cloud suitable for public sector organisations?
3CX Cloud provides unified communications, mobility and scalability, making it suitable for public sector needs when paired with secure network infrastructure and managed services.

How can heritage organisations begin modernising their IT?
Start with a connectivity assessment, define continuity and security requirements, and procure resilient links, firewall protection and a future‑proof voice platform. Consider a phased tendered approach similar to SAHRA’s.

Hot Promotions

Enabling People Through Technology

Posted on 27 August 2025 by Vivienne Fouche

People of Vox: Spotlight on Natalie van der Merwe

“Technology is best when it brings people together.” ~ Matt Mullenweg

As the Vox Head of Products: Telephony, Natalie van der Merwe is another long-serving Vox employee who embodies so much about what makes the company great. She’s smart as a whip, innovative in her thinking, excited about technology and how it can empower people’s lives, and an all-round ‘Just Plain Nice Person’ who is loyal to the core. As such, she embodies many of Vox’s values and is a great fit within our ‘work family’.

Natalie also played a significant role in facilitating remote and hybrid working arrangements for so many Vox customers when Covid struck the world in 2020 – more on this later!

Having joined in July 2008, she’s now clocked up 17 years at Vox and is surprised to find that the next big milestone – 20 years – isn’t that far off. Let’s dive into Natalie’s pathway at Vox.

The Journey to Date

“The great growling engine of change – technology.” ~ Alvin Toffler

“I feel like I’m part of the furniture at Vox now,” says Natalie with a smile when we talk about her recent 17-year work anniversary. “Actually, no – not part of the furniture, because the furniture’s come and gone more than I have!”

She explains that “Telephony is just another word for PBX, really. So it’s always been PBXs since I started with Vox, with my role and the parameters changing over time.”

Natalie started at Orion Telecom, in 2008, which was then bought by Vox. Before that, she’d been in the PBX industry since 2000. “When I joined, I discovered that, while Orion was trying to get into the PBX industry, they were still very newly in this space, so I was able to put my experience to good use in helping to build up this new side of the business.”

Since then, says Natalie, Vox has probably offered its customers over 10 different types of PBX solutions while she’s been on board. Her passion and talent meant that she moved swiftly from starting out as a PBX Product Manager to becoming a Senior Product Manager, and then promoted to Head of Products: Telephony.

From Hardware to the Cloud

“Our business is about technology, yes. But it’s also about operations and customer relationships.” ~ Michael Dell

“When I first started in this industry, even before my Vox days, telephony was very much a hardware business,” says Natalie. “A PBX was something that you sold – it got installed at the customer’s office and everybody could see, touch and feel it. And then we had an evolution!

“I remember that I was about two or three years in at Vox – around 2010 / 2011 – when we launched our first cloud PBX, which was challenging for me at the time – and no doubt for most of my industry peers – because I’d never been involved with cloud PBXs previously But, as technology marches continually forward, we made the shift.”

Natalie clarifies that from Vox first starting to sell cloud PBX systems, up until early 2020, there was still a significant amount of hardware being sold. “However,” she notes, “at the same time, there was also a serous chip shortage globally, which was a really big issue, because many of the components of the products that I sold needed these chips to function.

“Simultaneously, the word was starting to spread about the advantages of cloud telephony options, with its features that included video calls, remote working and mobility. And then, of course, Covid arrived, with the result that everything just speeded up – significantly!”

Before the first whispers of a frightening new global pandemic started doing the rounds in early 2020, Natalie and her team had already been looking into cloud PBX options, which was to prove highly fortuitous.

The Covid Pandemic Kicks Cloud PBX into Play…

“What new technology does is create new opportunities to do a job that customers want done.” ~ Tim O’Reilly

“I’d started looking at a couple of cloud PBX competitors, and we’d done some testing. I’d even started out some research and development (R&D) projects before Covid loomed. And so, when it did arrive, we were able to move very quickly, launching around July / August 2020.

“When you think that we went into lockdown at the end of March that year, it was just four months later that we were able to launch and offer our customers fully tested and researched cloud PBX solutions to help South Africans continue working remotely, as efficiently as possible.”

Four months is an astonishingly short timeframe in which to launch a new product!

Natalie continues: “We sold our first PBX solutions as semi-cloud. After that, in just under a year, we went completely cloud-based, and we haven’t looked back! It provides all the functionality to facilitate ease of remote working, and everything a business needs for unified communications, with its core components of voice calling, messaging and video conferencing.

“Those phrases were such buzzwords just 10 years ago, but they really started coming into play in South Africa for us during Covid. At Vox, we were very proud to be able to help South African businesses and individuals carry on thriving during Covid and beyond. Having the right technology and tools really can make life better.”

On the Home Front

“Innovation is the outcome of a habit, not a random act.” ~ Sukant Ratnakar

Moving away from Natalie’s work persona, we find that she has an interesting heritage, with her father being South African ‘to the core’, and her mother born in Italy. Natalie herself was born in the small Karoo town of Beaufort West, where she lived with her parents for the first year of her life.

“My mom came over with her parents on a ship from Italy – as you did in those days – when she was about four or five. I’ve gone over to see where she originally came from, and where my grandparents lived, which was very special. “I’m also married – to my high school sweetheart – and we have a beautiful 15-year-old daughter who keeps us very busy, as all teenagers do.”

Besides doing some very worthy charity work in her spare time, Natalie relaxes and unwinds with a group of friends who all like to craft. “We get together every couple of months to do something creative. So far it’s involved a lot of painting, for example we’ve painted welcome mats, canvases, bags… We’ve also tried out lipstick making, a macrame class, making chocolate truffles and doing ‘zentangling’… It’s nice to just de-stress and have a good laugh with your friends.

“I still do ‘zentangling’ in my spare time, which is so much fun! It’s actually just scribbling, but you get patterns and you create… Instead of scrolling on my phone at night, I grab a book and the zentangling is a great way to clear my mind a little bit.”

Natalie works from home three days a week and is at Vox’s Johannesburg head office for the other two, an arrangement that suits her. “It’s great to have the option of really getting through my work while I’m at home,” she clarifies, “but those couple of days in the office also serve to re-connect with my colleagues, and experience the company’s energy and friendly vibe. I’m very fortunate to work with team members who are very hands-on and helpful, and always happy to learn new things.

“I think that Vox’s employees are one of the company’s greatest strengths – our culture is one of hard work, but also being prepared, always, to reach out a helping hand whenever anyone has a need.”

And of course, it’s partly thanks to Natalie and her team that Vox employees – and customers – have the option of being able to work from home in the first place, using Vox’s cloud-based telephony and unified communications solutions!

A Constantly Evolving Journey

“It’s not that we use technology, we live technology.” – Godfrey Reggio

As well as Vox’s friendliness and family vibe, Natalie appreciates the company’s culture of innovation, its agility and senior management’s open-door policies.

“In a way it never actually feels like I’ve worked for the same company all this time, because there have been mergers and acquisitions, new CRM systems, and of course an ever-evolving succession of new product offerings. Within our industry, technology changes so quickly that sometimes it’s challenging to keep up.

“It means that yes, you’re on your toes, but it also means that you’re always offering, or preparing to offer, something relevant. The next thing is always coming along, which is fun and enjoyable. And so that’s a great thing about my job – there’s never a dull moment, and my work is always interesting!”

Natalie believes that the world is at the next phase of a massive change with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).

“This will affect the work of anybody who’s selling tech and services – it’s the next evolution! And in the technology world, if you’re not on the bandwagon with what’s happening, you’ll be left behind. If Vox had never launched that first cloud PBX, where would our telephony division be today?”

“Technology like art is a soaring exercise of the human imagination.” – Daniel Bell

Your Company’s Telephony Needs: the Right Choice

Posted on 8 August 20258 August 2025 by Natalie van der Merwe

Considering the differences between traditional and hosted PBX

Even in today’s digital business world, Voice remains a key element in the overall communications offering, and so it’s important to make the right choice for your company’s telephony requirements. This includes whether to choose traditional on-premises PBX or hosted PBX (in other words, cloud solutions).

Being able to speak to a person – rather than engaging with a chatbot or following text-based or voice-activated instructions – allows both a customer and the organisation’s representative the chance to convey the right tone of voice, which sometimes means the difference between a successful sale or retained customer, or lost possibilities. Talking over the phone can also help to build good customer relationships.

In this article, we consider the differences between traditional PBX and hosted Voice. Both options can provide effective and reliable company phone systems that offer different benefits, and each have pros and cons for different business scenarios.

Before we go into more detail on the different telephony systems, let’s look at different factors to take into consideration.

Questions to Consider for your Business

When it comes to choosing your Voice communications platform, there are many things to factor in, such as the size of your business, existing infrastructure, budget constraints, the number of remote offices, the level of your technical expertise, your tolerance for being dependent on service providers, and more.

And so, when trying to decide between traditional PBX or hosted Voice, you could ask yourself the following questions:

Budget: How much money is available and what’s your preferred purchasing model?
Maintenance and upgrades: Does your business require full control of your business phone system or will a managed service model be workable?
Scalability: Do you foresee significant changes in your number of employees in the future?
Security and compliance: Are your IT staff capable of maintaining the system?
Features and futureproofing: Does the system of choice offer modern features, or can it adapt to emerging technologies to ensure long-term relevance?

Bearing these issues in mind, we next discuss on-site (traditional) PBX versus hosted PBX options.

On-site PBX: Where It All Began

Private Branch Exchange (PBX) has been used for decades between employees and customers, with the PBX hardware installed on-site. The business purchases and owns the phone system hardware, networking and server equipment, and your IT staff take care of all the updates and maintenance regarding the system. The calls are routed through traditional phone lines as well as SIP trunking[1].

Budget: On-premises PBX systems usually require a higher initial investment in equipment and installation costs, and maintenance and upgrades will also need to have costs factored in.
Maintenance and upgrades: On-premises PBX systems require on-site technical support. This can lead to operational disruptions and additional labour and parts fees.
Scalability: Expanding an on-premises PBX can often require physical hardware or licensing additions, which could lead to incompatibility issues between the current PBX version and the latest software updates, resulting in costly, unplanned upgrades or system downtime.
Security and compliance: On-premises PBX systems allow companies to directly manage the security policies of their hardware but are more susceptible to data breaches if these policies are not managed correctly. This includes risks from outdated software and weak passwords. On-premises PBXs also require physical security measures to protect them from unauthorised access. This would include secure rooms, surveillance and restricted access, which in turn could be more costly and complex to manage.

Key takeaways: On-premises PBX systems can be more suitable for larger corporations with big budgets and space to host the physical hardware, as well as having the resources to manage and maintain the system. Housing the PBX system on-site brings an organisation maximum control over business communications, which might be a better fit for companies with complex and / or secure communication needs.

Hosted PBX

A Hosted PBX solution is a telephony solution where the PBX infrastructure is hosted in the service provider’s Cloud or network. Instead of using traditional phone lines, it relies on internet connectivity, more commonly known as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).

Budget: Cloud PBX generally involves a lower initial setup cost because it needs minimal physical infrastructure. Due to economies of scale, providers can offer Cloud PBX services at a nominal monthly fee, making it cost-effective for businesses with limited capital, and easy to budget for with a predictable monthly fee. A reliable Internet connection is a critical core cost factor.
Maintenance and upgrades: A cloud-based PBX system is maintained and upgraded by the service provider, and this remote management makes sure your cloud solution is always up to date with the latest features and security patches, with minimal downtime for the business.
Scalability: A hosted PBX solution allows businesses to add or remove services as needed, providing greater flexibility and cost savings without software compatibility issues or platform limitations.
Security and compliance: With cloud PBX solutions, it’s the responsibility of the vendor to ensure that the systems adhere to the latest security standards and compliance regulations, including the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act. Most cloud PBX providers implement advanced security measures to protect the data and prevent intrusions.
Redundancy: With the PBX in the cloud, a reputable vendor will implement multiple layers of redundancy, which are not available with on-site PBX systems. These include platform replication across geographically distributed data centres, redundant network paths between data centres, automatic failover mechanisms, and continuous system monitoring to aid in ensuring high availability and minimising the risk of service disruption.

Key takeaways: Due to ongoing advancements in Cloud technology, Cloud PBXs offer more advanced features than traditional PBXs, without the complexity of on-site installation and maintenance. They provide higher cost savings, minimal hardware requirements, and a wide range of useful functionalities. Cloud phone systems also allow your employees to work remotely, enabling employees to stay connected from anywhere they have internet access.

Your Business Communications and Vox

When it comes to the choice between traditional on-premises versus cloud PBX systems, there are many things to factor in, such as the size of your business, your organisation’s technical expertise levels, the number of remote offices, your preference for in-house or managed service providers, and more.

Whatever your preferences and requirements, Vox has a solution geared to assist your company, and its present and future needs. We look forward to hearing from you for more information on choosing the best PBX offering for your organisation.

[1] Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking is a digital method of making and receiving phone calls and other digital communication over an Internet connection.

WhatsApp and Your Customers

Posted on 10 April 202510 April 2025 by Natalie van der Merwe

A Powerful Channel for Contact Centres

We all know that mobile phones were originally invented to enable Voice calls that could be made and received on the go, and not just through a fixed land line. And so it’s ironic that we’re seeing an increasing trend in recent years for consumers to use their smart phones for text-based communication more than for Voice calls. This pattern brings ramifications for businesses as well as individuals.

The ‘texting versus calling’ trend is highly visible in private conversations as well as in the communication preferences that people have with businesses, including contact centres.

WhatsApp has become one of the world’s most popular and widely used text-based apps, and its features and popularity bring significant benefits to contact centres also – so much so that WhatsApp has, in fact, become one of the most powerful channels for contact centre usage today. Let’s unpack this further, starting with insights on why texting itself can be so useful.

Don’t Call Me (Send Me a Text)

Texting provides a quick and efficient way to communicate. There’s no need for pleasantries or small talk (especially if you’re not in the mood!) – you can simply get straight to the point. In a world where time is a precious commodity, many people see this as an advantage, especially when they’re busy or under stress.

Some of the advantages of texting include the following:

Great for multi-tasking: Texting allows people to communicate during brief free moments, including in the ‘asynchronous’ timing of messages (where both the sender and the recipient of the message don’t have to be in ‘chat mode’ at exactly the same time). For example, you can send a text message just before setting off on a trip to work and then read the response when you’ve arrived at the office, or you could send a text while waiting for your computer to finish a series of planned updates. The important thing is that you can text at a time that works for you.
Texting is easy: Even members of an older generation understand how to text on their smartphones, and it’s easier than a Voice call for anyone who is hearing impaired. For those who are introverts, or living in a country where the primary business language isn’t their first language, texting can be easier than trying to speak on the phone.
Efficiency of use: Texting allows us to get straight to the point – we ask a direct question, get a straightforward answer, and carry on with our schedule.
Written record: In addition, text messages remain with you and can be referred back to for further information or confirmation, if required.
Unintrusive communications: You don’t need to interrupt whatever you’re doing to immediately read or answer a message – you can do it at your convenience (at least most of the time). A phone call, on the other hand, requires real-time (‘synchronous’) communication at a time when it may not suit both parties to make or receive a call.
Synched to your computer: As an additional advantage, WhatsApp’s useful functionality also allows you to synch your smartphone to your laptop or desktop computer, so you can have the additional convenience of sending text messages via a device with a bigger keyboard, which for some people is more convenient.

So much for the advantages of being able to text your messages. Among the many communication channels available, WhatsApp has emerged as a gamechanger.

WhatsApp: Powering Ahead in Popularity and Availability

With over 2 billion active users globally, WhatsApp has become an incredibly popular and important platform within the digital communications landscape. Originally designed as a simple messaging app, it’s now a critical tool for contact centres, providing superb accessibility and efficiency, and enhancing customer engagement.

WhatsApp’s usage in contact centres has been a logical business extension because it’s versatile, widely available as well as extensively used, and able to deliver seamless, personalised experiences at scale.

Here are some thought-provoking statistics:

96% of South Africans use WhatsApp.
Globally, 68% of users check WhatsApp daily, indicating high engagement.
Over 175 million people message a WhatsApp Business account every day.

For contact centres, this means a ready-made audience that prefers the platform for its convenience and immediacy.

Benefits for Contact Centres

Using WhatsApp can benefit contact centres in several different ways, including accessibility, real-time conversations, a variety of media formats and cost-efficiency.

Accessibility: WhatsApp’s widespread usage ensures that businesses can reach customers almost anywhere. Unlike voice or email, which require specific setups, WhatsApp operates on a platform most customers already use on a daily basis.
Real-time conversations: The platform supports fast and efficient interactions for resolving customer queries, sending notifications and collecting feedback.
Rich media capabilities: WhatsApp supports a variety of media formats, including text, images, videos, documents and voice notes. This versatility allows businesses to share detailed information, demonstrate solutions visually, and provide instructions.
Cost efficiency: Compared to Voice or SMS channels, WhatsApp offers a more affordable solution for high-volume interactions. Businesses can save costs while maintaining high levels of service.
Track chat history: WhatsApp keeps track of all customer interactions, providing a complete view of the user journey. This ensures continuity and context, allowing for multiple agents to seamlessly assist customers.
Single place of interaction: Integrating WhatsApp into the contact centre software allows agents to manage all customer communications from one platform, streamlining workflows and improving response times.
Automation: WhatsApp can be integrated with chatbots to handle common queries, freeing up human agents to handle more complex issues.

Smartz Solutions: Integrating WhatsApp into Your Customer Journey

The Ultimate Guide to understanding WhatsApp Business | Vox | WhatsApp and Your Customers — Image courtesy of Smarz Solutions

Vox has proudly partnered with Smartz Solutions, which has been at the forefront of enabling businesses to embrace WhatsApp as part of its omnichannel communication strategy.

By seamlessly integrating WhatsApp with other channels like Voice, email and web chat, SmartzSolutions empowers contact centres to offer customers increased flexibility, helping businesses in the following ways:

Rapid Deployment: The company has a proven track record of being able to deploy a WhatsApp bot in under 24 hours, handling unprecedented interaction volumes effortlessly.
Seamless Integration: SmartzSolutions ensures that WhatsApp is part of a cohesive omnichannel strategy so that every interaction, regardless of channel, contributes to a unified customer experience.
Sentiment Analysis and Personalisation: By integrating sentiment analysis, the company helps businesses to tailor their WhatsApp interactions, ensuring they resonate with a customer’s unique needs and emotions.

Voice and WhatsApp: Coexisting for the Ultimate Solution

It’s important to remember that, while WhatsApp is revolutionising customer communication, Voice will always have a critical place in the contact centre. In particular, we find that urgent, complex or emotionally charged issues often require a human touch, and Voice channels remain the most effective way to provide that – there’s nothing like speaking voice to voice to a sympathetic person over the phone when someone has an issue or challenge.

The future for contact centres lies in balancing these channels, allowing customers to choose the method that best suits their needs at a particular time. WhatsApp can handle routine queries and initial touchpoints, while Voice agents step in for more complex interactions. Together, they form a complementary strategy that maximises efficiency and satisfaction.

Treat your Customers Like Royalty with Vox and Smartz Solutions

Posted on 12 March 202512 March 2025 by Natalie van der Merwe

A partnership designed to revolutionise customer engagement in SA

Poor customer service can have a serious impact on the overall health of your business. In the short term, it can affect sales, and over the longer term, it can lose your business some of its existing clients, as well as harming your reputation and your brand overall. When your employees don’t universally treat your customers like royalty, cracks in your brand loyalty will quickly begin to show.

There’s a little mantra right there: ‘Treat like royalty to ensure brand loyalty.’

For larger organisations, your contact centre is a critical part of offering excellent customer service, being a central point from which your company can manage all customer interactions across various channels. Its primary purpose is to offer customers efficient and effective technical support, customer service and sales assistance.

In this article, we look at how Vox has partnered with Smartz Solutions to offer advanced, cloud-based contact centre solutions that cater to the dynamic needs of the modern market.

From Call Centre to Contact Centre

You could think of a contact centre as being an upgrade of the original call centre, which traditionally relied on phone lines for both inbound and outbound calls. Today, contact centre technology – which encompasses the software and hardware used in contact centres for digital customer service and support – extends beyond phone systems, although the use of phone systems still has an important role to play.

The customer contact digital channels that are used by contact centre technology include email communications, text messages, web-based live chats, and social media interactions including WhatsApp and video chats.

Integration of the contact centre software with applications such as customer relationship management (CRM) software and workforce optimisation software (WFO) adds deeper understanding and analytics to the contact centre’s operations.

These integrated tools enhance efficiency, improve customer service and allow for better data analysis. With the increasing demand from customers for organisations to be consistently available on various channels, and not only over the phone, contact centres are embracing multichannel (or omnichannel) approaches to enable them to refine their customer service, increase efficiency and improve insights into customers’ behaviours and needs, in a holistic virtuous circle to create better customer experiences overall.

Adding to this virtuous circle is the importance of retaining top talent in your contact centre. High attrition rates cost businesses, both in recruitment and training expenses, as well as the quality and consistency of their customer service. By empowering the agent with the right tools, organisations can build contact centres where agents thrive and want to work, which is essential for building long-term customer relationships and trust.

Vox and Smartz Solutions: Ensuring that the Customer is King

Contact centre technology shapes a customer’s journey by supporting interactions across channels. It ensures that interactions reach agents, and facilitates seamless communication between customers and the brand, regardless of the channel used.

The partnership between Vox and Smartz Solutions – an omnichannel communications solutions specialist – is designed to offer advanced, cloud-based contact centre solutions in a collaboration aimed at enhancing customer engagement solutions across South Africa.

Terminology note: Omni-channel means an integrated customer service experience across all possible channels that a customer uses to engage with a business. These channels could include Voice, video, SMS, WhatsApp, e-mail, web chat and social media.

Smartz Solutions’s feature-rich, cloud-based contact centre technology is designed to reduce your total cost of ownership (TCO) and increase your return on investment (ROI), while improving both client and employee experience at the same time. Vox is able to tailor-make a Smartz Solutions offering for your business.

Smartz Solutions features and benefits include the following:

Completely local and Rand-based: Buying in Rands helps customers avoid unfavourable, fluctuating exchange rates, which can double or triple the costs of these platforms, wreaking havoc with budgets.
Omni-channel integration: Unified customer experience across all channels with seamless transitions.
AI-Powered analytics: Real-time insights into customer behaviour for data-driven decision-making.
Intelligent routing: Efficient call handling and prioritised issue resolution based on customer needs.
Predictive customer support: Anticipates customer needs for proactive problem resolution.
Scalability and flexibility: Easily adaptable to growing business demands, reducing total cost of ownership.

Redefining Customer Experience

Nobody likes having an issue with a company that’s providing a service, but then being unable to get hold of anyone to assist them. The days of being on hold indefinitely belong to the dark ages of customer service.

By maximising Smartz Solutions’ innovative platform, Vox is set to redefine customer experience for businesses of all sizes. The partnership aims to deliver exceptional experiences and support businesses in their growth and customer engagement strategies.

By choosing Vox as your Smartz Solutions provider, customers can benefit from Vox’s market-leading expertise and commitment to service excellence, combined with Smartz Solutions’ innovative and customer-centric communication platform.

What’s a 3CX – And What Does Titanium Status Actually Mean?

Posted on 22 November 20242 December 2024 by Natalie van der Merwe

In an IT world full of acronyms, we unpack this brilliant technology

3CX is an open-standard[1], software-based business phone system that delivers advanced telephony functionality and is super easy to use, manage and install. 3CX is an Enterprise-grade communications platform that is primarily targeted at the SME market due to its affordability – and yet, in an interesting twist, many enterprise businesses are also adopting 3CX, as they take note of its benefits.

3CX offers very competitive pricing, as well as feature-rich Unified Communication functionality, which includes instant messaging or chat; Voice; video conferencing and data sharing; email, voicemail and SMS; and out-of-the-box integrations into popular CRMs.

Vox is a 3CX Titanium Partner – we operate at the highest 3CX partnership level, to the tremendous benefit of our customers. We are also one of a select few Titanium partners in South Africa, the highest level that a 3CX partner can achieve, and awarded only to 3CX’s most successful and experienced partners.

Benefits for Vox Clients

Titanium partner status is reserved for true 3CX all-stars! This, together with our Advanced Technical Certification, guarantees our customers excellent service and support. In addition, Titanium partner status ensures we get the best price from 3CX, which allows us to offer an enterprise grade product at pricing all customers can afford.

We are also Certified as a Preferred 3CX SIP Trunk provider[2] (one of only two in South Africa), which gives customers additional peace of mind that our network is compatible with any 3CX deployment. We have been thoroughly tested with 3CX to ensure no manual configurations, which means you can simply plug and play your PBX with our SIP trunks.

How the Vox-3CX Partnership Began

Before onboarding 3CX, Vox was selling a combination of open-sourced, on-premises and cloud-based solutions, which provided very basic PBX functionality. Although it satisfied the requirement for thousands of customers, we knew that we needed to expand our portfolio to be more relevant with our offerings and technology.

Simply put, we needed a product that would carry us into the future.

Before 2020, on-premises solutions were becoming less relevant, and our customer demands for UC&C[3] were increasing significantly – which our solutions at the time did not offer. When we were faced with the pandemic in 2020, it became clear that we required UC&C offerings to cater to our customers’ work from home communication requirements.

Becoming a 3CX partner for Vox was a very seamless process, but it did take drive, dedication and ambition to take this further and achieve Titanium status. Vox is an agile business, and so we are able to make decisions and change direction very quickly to ensure that our customers have the products and services they need.

In the quest to present the best solution possible, we spent significant time in our R&D labs running tests, documenting our installation best practices and automating many of our provisioning processes. The end result was being able to go to market confidently with a working solution, and without any hiccups. This was a critical step, as it cemented our long-term relationship with our customers.

Our engineers flew through the technical certification process and managed to achieve Advanced Technical certification within the first two months of becoming a 3CX partner.

Our team of sales specialists, who are dedicated to anything PBX, also completed their technical certifications, which gave them the ability to confidently design and sell 3CX solutions to prospective customers.

3CX made it easy for Vox to become technically certified with their free on-line training and assessments.

Along the Way

Together with the certification for Technicians and Sales Specialists, we also upskilled all our direct and indirect sales force employees, equipping them to understand the value of 3CX and uncover opportunities with customers. Overall, our comprehensive training programme included everyone from sales, pre-sales, installations engineers, support engineers, and core engineers.

We moved through the partner status ranks in record time – starting at Bronze, we worked our way up to Titanium status in less than one year (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium) – a feat of which we’re very proud, as it shows our ability to adapt, and our willingness to do more.

It wasn’t very long after launching that we realised we had hit the jackpot – our customers loved 3CX, our sales staff loved 3CX and our engineers loved 3CX! This was a recipe for success and before we knew it, we were hitting the lights out.

Moving forward

Vox is able to support all types and sizes of customers – we have 3CX customers ranging from two or three extensions to customers with thousands of extensions.

And in addition to this, we don’t only sell 3CX – Vox offers a complete suite of complementary products: from last mile connectivity and market leading uncapped or rated calling plans, world-class data infrastructure to host customers 3CX services, to telephone expense management reporting. We are proud to add this to our 3CX achievements over the last three to four years.

The journey to Titanium Partner status demands a high level of technical skill, dedication to customer satisfaction, and a proven track record in implementing 3CX solutions.

Becoming a 3CX Titanium Partner marked a significant achievement for Vox, and we are very proud to be able to let our clients know that we have achieved this milestone in supporting and maintaining their 3CX systems.

[1] An open standard is a standard that is freely available for adoption, implementation and updates. Examples include XML, SQL and HTML Businesses within an industry share open standards because this allows them to bring value to both themselves and to customers.

[2] SIP Trunks are virtual phone lines that are delivered over the internet, replacing the need for physical telephone lines.

[3] Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) integrates diverse communication tools, such as Voice, IP Telephony Calling, Instant Messaging, Desktop Sharing, Presence, and Web Conferencing, Audio Conferencing, and Video Conferencing, to interact together in a virtually seamless way.

On-Premises or in the Cloud: Which PBX Works Best for Your Business?

Posted on 13 November 20242 December 2024 by Natalie van der Merwe

People still need to be able to talk voice to voice for best results

In a world with abundant business communication channels – emails, texting, website dropdown platforms and chatbots – speaking to an actual person through a voice solution is still a hugely important element of the overall communication suite. Texting or chatbots alone can’t replace the personal touch.

Having the option of speaking to a person in real time enables a more intimate connection, helping to develop strong relationships and trust between your customers and your company.

In this article, we’ll compare on-premises PBX with cloud solutions – which one is best for your business?

Outlining Your PBX Options

“Hold on please while I put you through…”

Is there any customer out there who has never yet heard these words? Probably not – it comes with the traditional PBX and customer service territory.

PBX, or Private Branch Exchange, is a well-known element of any organisation’s communications systems between employees and customers. The technology provides telephony functionality such as call transferring, conference calling and voice mail.

The traditional PBX, which has been used for decades, is a business phone system that connects all office desk phones within an organisation on the same network, relying on copper landlines, with the PBX hardware installed on-site.

Over the last decade, we’ve seen a rise in hosted PBX solutions, which are cloud-based alternatives offered by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) providers. Cloud PBX offers many of the same features as traditional PBX, with less complicated on-site installation and maintenance, potential cost savings, a number of useful features and minimal hardware requirements.

Differences Between On-Premises and Cloud PBX Systems

Different aspects of each system provide insights into how each one could align with your different business needs and environments.

Costs

On-premises PBX systems usually require a higher initial investment in equipment and installation costs. There are likely to be costs associated with maintenance and upgrades.
Cloud PBX generally involves a lower initial setup cost because it needs minimal physical infrastructure. Due to economies of scale, providers can offer Cloud PBX services at a nominal monthly fee, making it cost-effective for businesses with limited capital. A reliable Internet connection is a critical core cost factor, but with advancements in technology, high-speed internet is becoming more accessible and affordable. This allows customers to maximise their investment into quality data connections for their Cloud PBX services

Scalability

Expanding an on-premises PBX can be expensive, often requiring physical hardware or licensing additions.
In contrast, a hosted PBX solution allows businesses to add or remove services as needed, providing greater flexibility and cost savings.

Maintenance and Upgrades

On-premises PBX systems require on-site technical support for maintenance and hardware upgrades. This can lead to operational disruptions and additional labour and parts fees. Furthermore, when parts become obsolete, businesses may face significant challenges in sourcing replacements, leading to unnecessary downtime and further expenses.
A cloud-based PBX system is maintained and upgraded by the service provider, and this remote management makes sure your cloud solution is always up to date with the latest features and security patches, with minimal downtime for the business.

Security and Compliance

On-premises PBX systems allow companies to directly manage the security policies of their hardware but are more susceptible to data breaches if these policies are not managed correctly. This includes risks from outdated software and weak passwords. On-premises PBXs also require physical security measures to protect them from unauthorised access. This would include secure rooms, surveillance and restricted access, which in turn could be more costly and complex to manage.
With cloud PBX solutions, it’s the responsibility of the vendor to ensure that the systems adhere to the latest security standards and compliance regulations, including the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act. Most cloud PBX providers implement advanced security measures to protect the data and prevent intrusions.

Reliability and Performance

On-premises PBX systems are vulnerable to issues such as wear and tear and power outages, because they use traditional phone lines to transfer phone calls. The costs to implement a Disaster Recovery (DR) strategy for on-premises PBX systems can add further expenses for a business.
The reliability of your cloud PBX system requires an excellent Internet connection. It’s useful to implement an Internet failover solution to ensure your internet connection remains up during any disruptions. The cloud PBX vendor should ensure the cloud PBX platform has sufficient redundancy built into it to provide continuous services for customers.

Vox and Your Business Communications: Key Takeaways

Each of the offerings discussed has its own set of advantages and challenges to consider.

Cloud phone systems, particularly hosted PBX systems, are fast gaining popularity as the preferred modern telephone solution for many businesses throughout South Africa. They are suited for companies looking for a minimal initial investment, and their flexibility is perfect for growing businesses or those with fluctuating needs. Furthermore, businesses can enjoy the benefits of a fully managed service where the service provider takes care of the support and maintenance.
On the other hand, on-premises PBX systems are generally more suitable for larger corporations with big budgets and space to host the physical hardware, as well as having the resources to manage and maintain the system.

Choosing between on-premises or cloud PBX must be based on careful assessment of a business’s specific communication needs, growth expectations and budget constraints.

The decision of which offering to take up lies with your business. The ability to offer the best of each possibility lies with Vox – with superb offerings such as our multiple PBX offerings, both on-premises and cloud, and including 3CX (Vox is a Titanium 3CX partner, the highest ranking that can be achieved).

Contact us for more information on choosing the best PBX offering for your business, and keep those voice-to-voice communications enriching your organisation’s customer experience on a daily basis.

Good Things Come in 3s

Posted on 19 June 20241 August 2024 by Natalie van der Merwe

The days of on-site PBX systems connected via theft-prone, vulnerable copper cables are gone.

Even in today’s digital era, every organisation still needs to make and receive telephone calls. And with as many as 28.2% of American employees working in a hybrid manner, and up to 16% of companies fully remote[1], businesses have found that Cloud-based phone systems have helped employees – and therefore the companies they work for – to remain productive.

3CX is a leading global, software-based Cloud PBX provider that uses Voice over Internet Protocols (VOIP). This innovative brand has made the business world sit up and take notice.

3CX is accessible via the Cloud over any means of data connection, and empowers organisations to embrace hybrid working without sacrificing the essential features and functions needed for their business. In South Africa, according to the BrandMapp 2023 annual survey, 53% of employed adults earning R10,000+ per month are working remotely or according to a hybrid work model[2].

Embrace the Future of Communications

The days of on-site PBX systems connected via theft-prone, vulnerable copper cables are gone.

As a hosted phone system – meaning a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) – using VoIP, 3CX eliminates the need for legacy infrastructure. Instead of relying on traditional copper lines, your business can make calls over the Internet and have access to a wide range of advanced features, such as video calling, instant messaging, an integrated call centre, mobile applications and more.

3CX was founded in 2005, when VoIP was still an emerging technology, and since then, it has gone on to establish itself as a global leader in business communications. Today, the company is a Cloud PBX leader empowering more than 600,000 customers across 190 countries.

You could think of 3CX as being the pioneers in the Cloud PBX space: the Cloud PBX provider that dared to dream beyond traditional boundaries, making communication smoother, smarter and more efficient. And as one of the largest 3CX partners in South Africa, Vox is proud to carry a 3CX Titanium partner status – 3CX’s highest partner tier, reserved only for 3CX all-stars – and offers tailored solutions for businesses of all sizes. Our Advanced Technical Certification guarantees you excellent service and support.

How Can 3CX Help Your Business?

Many people still want to be able to contact a business through a voice call, as they feel more comfortable talking to a person, instead of sending emails into the ether that may or may not be read – let alone receive a reply. Combine this with the new world order in which people work from home at least some of the time, and 3CX is a winning choice.

With 3CX, you can ensure that your business operates smoothly, while also keeping the costs of communication down. Because the company uses the Internet to transmit and receive calls, 3CX provides more features while allowing for better flexibility.

With one unified system, your team is able to work efficiently from anywhere at no extra cost – so there is no need to purchase any add-ons for web conferencing, mobile apps, live chat, business text messaging and Facebook integration, because they are all included in the annual cost. Employees can easily make inbound and outbound calls in or outside the office.

As a hosted phone system, 3CX offers great functionality and reliability across desktop and mobile devices, and can also be used with conventional SIP phone handsets.

At Vox, we work with respected SIP phone providers like Yealink, SNOM and Gigaset. 3CX has evolved from its roots as a PBX phone system to a complete communications platform, offering customers a simple, flexible and affordable solution to call, video and live chat. Your business will be enabled to increase productivity and enhance customer experiences, while cutting costs and giving management something to smile about.

And with 3CX and Vox, there’s a lot to get excited about, because this partnership is not just about phone calls – it’s about transforming the way you do business with 24 / 7 support when you need it.

As a Titanium 3CX partner, let Vox help your business to keep growing, without outgrowing your phone system.

[1] Info obtained from Forbes report: Remote Work Statistics & Trends In (2024) – Forbes Advisor

[2] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/whyfive_hybridwork-brandmapp-newinsights-activity-7159136052845129729-tQ7i/

Hot Promotions

Available in your area