Cloud-based VoIP phone systems

VoIP (it stands for Voice over Internet Protocol) means that you make calls over the internet rather than over the traditional phone network. And with a cloud-based phone system, your call routing takes place in our internet-connected secure data centre instead of in hardware installed on your premises. 

Put these technologies together and you get a cloud-based VoIP system. Why would you want one? How about lower upfront costs, fixed monthly pricing, no maintenance, and automatic updates for starters? Plus, being on the internet means you can manage your system through an online portal wherever you can get an internet connection; and the system easily grows as your business does.

The speed you need basically depends on a couple of things: how many people will be on the phone at the same time; and how much data your business uses.

You might think you need fibre broadband, but this isn’t necessarily the case as a VoIP call only uses a fraction of your broadband's capacity. Don’t worry about this, though. We won’t place any orders until we’ve talked to you about how your business works, what you want to achieve, what your future plans are, and so on. 

We host our cloud-based phone systems across multiple secure data centres, each in a different location. In the unlikely event that one of them has a problem, another takes over.

Our business broadband and fibre broadband networks are 99.99% reliable. And if you're making calls over a dedicated BTnet internet connection, we’ll give you money back if it isn't available 100% of the time.

But let's say your internet connection does have an off day. You can take your IP phones, plug them into another broadband service and carry on as normal, using the same number (note, though that, we’ll only support your cloud-based phone system when you’re using it with the BT Business equipment and internet connection that we set it up to work with). And, when things are up and running again, re-connect your phones as before and you're back in business with high quality phone calls.

Or, using the online portal, you could just re-direct your calls to any other landline or mobile.

Yes.

Security is absolutely crucial.

That's why the data centres where we host our VoIP phone systems undergo robust audits; it’s why they have everything from firewalls to intrusion detection systems; and it’s why all your data is encrypted, to protect it from cyber-attacks and unauthorised access.  

How much you’ll pay depends on several different factors so it’s difficult to give you a price just here.

It all depends on which system is best for your business: how many people will be using the system, now and in the future?  How does your business work? How many IP phones do you want? What type? What about Feature Packs and call minutes? And so on …

So give us a call and we’ll have a chat about what you need.

For starters, everything you need you can get directly from us, making the whole process easy. All the equipment and the internet connections we supply are designed to work together to give you the highest quality of service.

To get you up and running, you'll have support from our team of VoIP experts who will help you set up the system so it works for how you run your business. They’ll show you how to configure and  manage it through the online portal.   

And you’ll be able to call our free helpdesk for technical help or advice, whenever you want. 

Yes, you’ll get the same level of clarity as you do with a regular landline (depending on the set-up of your system and the internet connection, call quality may even be better).  Calls made over your internet connection take priority over data, so you can be sure that your call quality will be consistent. 

When you talk to us about installing a cloud-based phone system, we’ll recommend the type of internet access that you’ll need to make sure your VoIP calls are good enough quality for your business: standard broadband, fibre broadband, or BTnet leased line.

There are several ways you can use your mobile with the system.

You can set your mobile to ring whenever your office phone does, which is handy whether you’ve just popped away from your desk or you’re out of the office.    

With BT Cloud Voice and BT Cloud Phone you can flip calls between phones. So if you get a call on your Cloud Voice number, say, just as you’re leaving the office to go home, you can flip the call seamlessly from the office phone onto your mobile.

And then there’s the mobile app (for Android and iOS devices).

This turns your mobile into an extension of your phone system.  Not only can you answer and make calls, but you’ll also be able to see when people are available to talk, set-up call routing, and transfer calls between colleagues.  

With the mobile app you can control your phone system from wherever you are.

We aim to make setting up as simple as possible, which is why you’ll have a team of cloud system experts to call on if you need help.

Our BT Cloud Phone system is the simple plug and play option where phones arrive ready to go. Just connect things together and we’ll talk you through how to set it up so it’s right for your business, including help with setting up call handling rules and user profiles.

BT Cloud Voice, which is ideal for the business with more than 9 employees, is also a system that you can install yourself, but you've also got the option for us to pop in and set it up if you prefer. 

1. First, you'll need a BT Business internet connection - standard broadband, fibre broadband, or a BTnet leased line - and the equipment that comes with it.
   
   
2. Next, you’ll need IP phones from BT Business (note: our VoIP systems will only work with our IP phones, which are specially designed to work with our cloud-based VoIP systems. We also pre-configure our IP phones before we deliver them to you). If you want to make calls through your computer, you’ll need a headset and microphone that plugs into your computer.
   
   
3. You’ll also need appropriate Feature Packs for each user. The packs offer different levels of features.
   
   
4. You will need to decide how you want to pay for your calls

• BT Cloud Phone: you’ll get 500 UK minutes and the option, with the Connect and Collaborate Feature Packs, to take an Unlimited UK Calls package.
• BT Cloud Voice: you can buy a UK and International Call Sharer plan (these are bundles of minutes that you can share across your employees).
   

If you're ordering lots of phones, you may need a Local Area Network (LAN), which connects all of them together into one phone system. We can supply and install one for you.

And if you want to use a standard phone or even a fax machine on your system, we can supply an Analogue Terminal Adapter that connects to your BT Business Hub or LAN. You can then just plug your standard phone in and use as normal.