Service
Business VoIP and unified communications
Phone systems are unglamorous until they fail, at which point they are the most visible thing in the business. The platform matters far less than the network underneath it and the call flow design on top of it, which is why this sits with the same team that manages your network rather than with a separate telecoms vendor.
Number porting
2 to 4
weeks, and it cannot be rushed
The old service stays live until the port confirms. Cancelling early risks the number permanently.
What a deployment involves
Six steps, and the order matters. Network readiness comes before the platform decision, because the best system in the world sounds terrible on an unprepared connection.
| Step | Timing |
|---|---|
| Number portingNever cancel the old service before the port completes | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Network readinessQuality of service, bandwidth headroom, switch configuration | Before anything else |
| Call flow designWhere calls go at 2pm, at 6pm, and when nobody answers | 1 week |
| e911 registrationAddress must be registered and kept current. This is a legal obligation | At install |
| Handset or softphonePhysical handsets, computer, mobile, or a mix | At install |
| Parallel runningBoth systems live while confidence builds | 1 to 2 weeks |
Why calls sound bad
In nearly every case we investigate, the platform is fine and the network is not. These five account for the overwhelming majority.
- No quality of service configuration, so a large file upload competes with a call
- Insufficient upstream bandwidth, which is a common issue on older business connections
- Wireless handsets roaming badly between access points
- A firewall inspecting voice traffic it should be passing through
- Double NAT from an unmanaged router left in the path
This is the argument for keeping voice and network under one provider. When they are split, a quality problem becomes a conversation between two vendors who each believe the fault is with the other, and it can run for months.
Call flow is the part worth thinking about
Most businesses inherit a call flow from whoever installed the last system and never revisit it. It is worth an hour.
Where does a call go at two in the afternoon, and does that differ at six? What happens when the person it rings is on another call? How many rings before it moves on, and where does it move to? What does a caller hear at the weekend, and does that message still mention hours you changed two years ago?
These are business decisions rather than technical ones, and they affect how the company sounds to every person who calls it, which for many businesses is the first impression anyone gets.
Common questions
Answered before you ask.
Will we lose our phone number?
No. Numbers are ported, and the process is well established, but it takes two to four weeks and cannot be rushed. The one genuinely dangerous mistake is cancelling the old service before the port completes, because a released number can be extremely difficult to recover. The old service stays active until the port confirms.
Is call quality actually reliable?
On a properly configured network, yes, and it has been for years. Where quality problems persist they are almost always network issues rather than platform issues: no quality of service configuration, insufficient upstream bandwidth, or a firewall interfering with voice traffic. This is why the phone system and the network are managed together rather than by two separate vendors pointing at each other.
Should we use Microsoft Teams as our phone system?
It works well where your business already lives in Teams and your call handling is straightforward. It is less strong where you need sophisticated call queues, contact centre features or deep integration with an industry specific system. The licensing also needs checking carefully, because the calling capability is an addition to most standard Microsoft 365 tiers rather than something already included.
What is e911 and why does it keep coming up?
With a traditional line, emergency services know the address. With voice over internet, the handset could be anywhere, so the registered address has to be maintained deliberately and updated when people move desks or work from home. There are federal requirements around this, including the ability to dial emergency services directly and to notify a central point when someone does. It is a compliance obligation rather than an optional feature.
Related
What sits alongside this.
Network and infrastructure
Firewalls, switching, Wi-Fi, servers and remote access, monitored.
Microsoft 365 management
Tenant hardening, device management, licensing and the backup gap.
IT support and help desk
Tiered support with published response targets, remote and onsite.
What is included in managed IT services
A line by line scope, including the exclusions most contracts hide.
What managed IT services cost in Tacoma
Per user pricing bands, what moves the number up, and how to read a quote.
Check your network before you change your phones.
The assessment includes a voice readiness review of your connection and switching, which is where nearly every call quality problem originates.