Hosted
VoIP

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol – it is a technology that allows you to make and receive phone calls over the internet rather than through traditional copper telephone lines (PSTN). Instead of converting your voice into analogue signals sent along wires, VoIP converts speech into digital data packets and transmits them over your broadband connection. This means you can make calls from a desk phone, a mobile app, or a computer – anywhere you have an internet connection. Key benefits of VoIP for businesses:

• Lower costs – VoIP calls are significantly cheaper than traditional landline calls, especially for international and long-distance calls
• Flexibility – staff can make and receive calls from any location using softphones, mobile apps, or IP desk phones
• Scalability – adding new users takes minutes, not weeks of waiting for new phone lines to be installed
• Advanced features – call recording, auto attendant, call queues, voicemail-to-email, and video conferencing are included as standard
• Future-proof – with the PSTN switch-off approaching, VoIP is the modern standard for business communications

Connection Technologies delivers enterprise-grade hosted VoIP solutions tailored to UK businesses of all sizes. Get a free VoIP quote to see how much you could save.

VoIP works by converting your voice into digital data packets that travel over your internet connection to the person you are calling. Here is a simplified step-by-step overview: How a VoIP call works:

• Step 1: You speak into a VoIP phone, softphone app, or headset
• Step 2: Your voice is converted into digital data using audio codecs
• Step 3: The data packets are sent over your broadband connection to your hosted VoIP provider's servers
• Step 4: The provider routes the call to the recipient – whether they are on VoIP, a mobile, or a traditional landline
• Step 5: The data is converted back into audio at the other end

What you need to get started with VoIP:

• Reliable broadband – a stable connection with at least 100kbps per concurrent call (most business broadband easily handles this)
• IP phones or softphones – dedicated VoIP desk phones (such as Yealink handsets) or software apps on your computer/mobile
• A hosted VoIP provider – Connection Technologies configures everything for you, including number porting, user setup, and call routing

Most businesses are fully up and running within a few days. Request a quote and we will handle the entire setup.

The cost of a business VoIP phone system varies depending on the number of users, features required, and whether you need new handsets. However, VoIP is almost always significantly cheaper than traditional phone systems. Typical UK business VoIP pricing:

• Hosted VoIP per user: £8–20 per user per month, depending on the feature package
• IP desk phones: £50–300 per handset (one-off cost). Popular models include Yealink T-series phones
• Softphone apps: usually included free – turn any laptop or mobile into a business phone
• Number porting: typically free or a small one-off charge to transfer your existing numbers
• Call costs: most packages include unlimited UK landline and mobile calls

Cost comparison – VoIP vs traditional phone lines:

• ISDN line rental: £25–35 per channel per month + call charges
• Hosted VoIP: £8–20 per user per month with calls included
• Typical saving: 30–60% reduction in monthly telephony costs

Hidden savings to consider: no maintenance contracts, no engineer call-out fees, no hardware depreciation, and reduced costs for multi-site businesses as all locations connect through one system. Get a free, no-obligation VoIP quote from Connection Technologies and see exactly how much your business could save.

Modern business VoIP systems deliver call quality that is equal to or better than traditional phone lines, provided you have a decent internet connection. What affects VoIP call quality:

• Bandwidth – each concurrent call requires approximately 100kbps. Most business broadband connections can comfortably handle dozens of simultaneous calls
• Latency – the delay between speaking and being heard. Under 150ms is imperceptible. UK-hosted VoIP providers typically achieve under 30ms
• Jitter – variation in packet arrival times. Quality of Service (QoS) settings on your router prioritise voice traffic to eliminate this
• Packet loss – lost data packets cause audio dropouts. A stable connection with less than 1% packet loss delivers excellent quality

How to ensure reliable VoIP:

• Use a dedicated internet connection or configure QoS to prioritise voice traffic
• Choose a provider with UK data centres – lower latency and compliance with UK data regulations
• Use wired connections for desk phones where possible (Wi-Fi is fine for softphones)
• Have a backup connection – a 4G/5G failover ensures calls continue even if your primary broadband drops

Uptime guarantees: reputable hosted VoIP providers offer 99.9%+ uptime SLAs backed by redundant, geographically distributed data centres. Connection Technologies only partners with Tier 1 UK-hosted VoIP providers. Get a quote and we will assess your connectivity.

One of the biggest advantages of a hosted VoIP phone system is that it works seamlessly for remote and hybrid working. Your team can make and receive calls on their business number from anywhere with an internet connection. How VoIP enables remote working:

• Softphone apps – staff download an app to their laptop or mobile and instantly have their full business phone system available at home or on the go
• Single business number – whether calling from the office, home, or a mobile app, the caller always sees your business number
• Hot desking – staff can log into any IP phone in any office and it becomes their personal extension
• Call routing rules – set up rules to ring desk phones and mobiles simultaneously, or sequentially, so calls are never missed
• Voicemail-to-email – missed calls are transcribed and sent to email so staff can respond quickly from anywhere
• Team presence – see which colleagues are available, busy, or away in real-time

Why this matters for your business:

• Staff working from home have exactly the same phone experience as those in the office
• Customers cannot tell whether they are speaking to someone in the office or at home
• No additional hardware or VPN required – just an internet connection
• Managers can monitor call activity and performance across all locations from a single dashboard

Connection Technologies sets up hosted VoIP systems that are ready for hybrid working from day one. Get a free quote.

A hosted VoIP phone system provides built-in business continuity and disaster recovery that traditional phone systems simply cannot match. Why traditional phones fail during disruptions: With a traditional PBX and PSTN lines, if your office loses power, floods, or suffers a fire, your phone system goes down completely. Calls go unanswered and customers cannot reach you. How hosted VoIP keeps you connected:

• Cloud-based infrastructure – your phone system runs in geographically redundant data centres, not in your office. If your building is inaccessible, the system keeps running
• Automatic failover – if your primary internet connection fails, calls are automatically rerouted to mobile phones, other offices, or voicemail
• Work from anywhere – staff can log into softphone apps from home or any location and continue making and receiving calls on their business numbers
• Instant rerouting – administrators can change call routing rules in seconds through a web portal, diverting calls to alternative numbers or sites
• No single point of failure – unlike an on-premise PBX, there is no single piece of hardware that can take your entire phone system offline

Disaster recovery scenarios hosted VoIP handles:

• Office power outage – calls route to mobiles and remote workers
• Internet outage – calls failover to 4G/5G backup or alternative sites
• Building inaccessible – entire team works remotely with full phone functionality
• Hardware failure – no on-site hardware to fail; swap a broken phone in minutes

Protect your business communications with a resilient hosted VoIP system from Connection Technologies. Get a quote.

Yes, modern hosted VoIP systems offer extensive CRM and business software integrations that streamline workflows and improve customer service. Common VoIP integrations:

• CRM systems – Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive
• Helpdesk platforms – Zendesk, Freshdesk, ServiceNow
• Microsoft Teams – make and receive VoIP calls directly within Teams
• Email and calendar – Microsoft 365, Google Workspace
• Accounting software – Xero, QuickBooks (for click-to-call from invoices)

What CRM integration enables:

• Screen pop – when a customer calls, their CRM record automatically appears on screen before you answer
• Click-to-call – dial any number directly from your CRM with one click
• Automatic call logging – calls are logged against the customer record with duration, time, and notes
• Call recording links – recordings are attached to the CRM record for easy retrieval
• Presence and availability – see colleague availability from within your CRM before transferring a call

These integrations save time, reduce manual data entry, and ensure your team has full context for every customer interaction. Ask about integrations when you request your quote.

A softphone is a software application that turns your computer, tablet, or mobile phone into a fully functional business phone. Instead of using a physical desk phone, you make and receive calls through an app using your internet connection. How softphones work:

• Download the softphone app to your device (PC, Mac, iPhone, Android)
• Log in with your VoIP account credentials
• Make and receive calls on your business number using your device's microphone and speakers (or a headset)
• Access all your phone system features – transfer calls, check voicemail, see colleague availability, join conference calls

Benefits of using a softphone:

• Work from anywhere – your business phone number follows you wherever you have internet access
• Cost savings – no need to purchase physical handsets for every user
• Single business number – customers always see your business number, never your personal mobile
• Seamless handover – start a call on your desk phone and transfer it to your mobile app as you leave the office
• Ideal for remote and hybrid workers – staff at home or on the road have the same phone system experience as those in the office

Most hosted VoIP systems from Connection Technologies include softphone apps for desktop and mobile at no extra cost. Get a quote to learn more.

Yes, this is one of the biggest advantages of hosted VoIP. A cloud-based phone system connects all your offices, remote workers, and mobile staff under one unified system, regardless of their physical location. Benefits for multi-site businesses:

• Single phone system – all locations share the same system with a unified dial plan, so staff can transfer calls and use short-dial extensions across sites
• Centralised management – manage all users, call routing, and settings from one web portal
• Cost savings – inter-site calls are free (they travel over the internet, not the phone network)
• Consistent experience – every location gets the same features, call quality, and professional image
• Flexible number presentation – staff at any location can present local numbers for different regions

How it works: Each location simply needs an internet connection and IP phones or softphones. The hosted VoIP system in the cloud handles all the call routing between sites automatically. There is no need for expensive MPLS networks or site-to-site VPN tunnels for voice traffic. Example: A business with offices in Leeds, London, and Manchester can have all three sites on one system. A customer calling the London number can be seamlessly transferred to a specialist in Leeds, and the caller would never know. Get a multi-site VoIP quote from Connection Technologies.

Hosted VoIP systems include advanced voicemail features that go far beyond a traditional answering machine. Voicemail is built into the cloud platform and accessible from any device. VoIP voicemail features:

• Voicemail-to-email – voicemail messages are automatically sent to your email inbox as audio attachments, so you can listen to them from anywhere
• Voicemail transcription – some systems convert voicemail messages to text, allowing you to read them quickly without listening
• Visual voicemail – browse, play, and manage voicemail messages through a web portal or mobile app
• Custom greetings – record different greetings for business hours, out-of-hours, holidays, and individual extensions
• Shared voicemail boxes – create team voicemail boxes for departments like Sales or Support
• Voicemail PIN protection – secure access to voicemail with PIN codes

Advanced voicemail routing:

• If a call is not answered within a set number of rings, it goes to voicemail
• Different routing rules for different times of day or days of the week
• Overflow to voicemail when all agents in a queue are busy
• Option to press a key during the greeting to be transferred to a mobile or another extension

Voicemail is included at no extra cost with hosted VoIP systems from Connection Technologies. Get a quote.