If you run a small or medium business in Derby, there is a good chance your phones are due a rethink. The old copper landline network is being switched off, staff split their week between the office and home, and customers expect someone to answer first time. This guide explains how business phone systems in Derby work today, what they cost and how to move to one without disruption.
It is written for firms of roughly 10 to 50 people: offices, practices, trades, retailers and manufacturers across the city and the wider Derbyshire area.
Why Derby businesses are reviewing their phones now
The UK’s analogue telephone network (PSTN) and ISDN lines are being retired, and the final switch-off date is 31 January 2027. After that, analogue and ISDN services are withdrawn, and lines that haven’t moved will not carry on working as normal. Any business still relying on an on-site phone box wired to copper lines needs to move to an internet-based (VoIP) system before then. Our PSTN switch-off guide covers the timeline and what else in your building might be affected, such as alarms and card machines.
The switch-off is often the trigger, but most businesses find it is also a chance to fix long-standing annoyances: calls that can’t be transferred to someone working from home, missed calls nobody knows about, and a reception desk that is overloaded first thing in the morning.
What is a hosted business phone system?
A hosted phone system (sometimes called hosted PBX or cloud phone system) runs in a secure data centre rather than in a cupboard in your office. Your desk phones, laptops and mobiles connect to it over the internet. You get the features of a traditional office switchboard without owning or maintaining the hardware.
In practice that means:
- No phone box to buy, service or replace.
- Staff can use the business number from a desk phone, a laptop or a mobile app.
- Adding a new starter or moving a desk is a settings change, not an engineer visit.
- Calls keep working if the office is closed, because the system isn’t tied to the building.
You can read more about how it works on our hosted PBX page.
Features small firms in Derby actually use
Auto attendant and call routing
An auto attendant greets callers and offers options such as “Press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts”. Calls can also be routed by time of day, so out-of-hours calls go to voicemail or a mobile instead of ringing an empty office.
Ring groups and call queues
Ring groups let several phones ring at once so whoever is free can pick up. When it is busy, a call queue holds callers with a message rather than an engaged tone, then passes each call to the next available person.
Mobile and desktop apps
Staff on the road, on site or working from home can make and take calls from the office number using an app, without giving out a personal mobile number. See how our Android and iOS app works, or read our guide on using your office number on your mobile.
Voicemail to email and call recording
Voicemails can arrive in your inbox as audio files, so messages aren’t lost on a desk phone. Call recording is available for training and keeping a record of what was agreed. If you record calls, remember recordings are personal data, so tell callers and set a sensible retention period.
Microsoft Teams integration
If your team already lives in Microsoft 365, a hosted system can work alongside Teams so people can call from the tools they already use.
How much does a business phone system cost in Derby?
With a hosted system you pay a monthly charge per user rather than buying equipment outright. Our plans start from £14.99 per user per month:
- Basic User, £14.99: a desk phone user with all the core phone system features.
- Business User, £19.99: adds desktop, mobile and web softphones, SMS, voicemail, call transfer, chat and Microsoft Teams integration.
- Call Centre Agent, £29.99: for teams handling high call volumes.
There is a one-off installation and setup fee, which depends on how many users and handsets you have and what needs configuring. Transferring your existing numbers is free. For a fuller breakdown of what affects the price, see our guide to how much a business phone system costs in the UK.
Keeping your Derby number when you switch
Your local 01332 number is part of your identity: it is on your vans, your website and your customers’ phones. In most cases you can move it to a new system through a process called number porting, and with us number transfer is free. Calls continue to ring on your old lines until the port completes, then switch over to the new system.
A few things help the move go smoothly:
- Check who your current provider is and whether you are in a contract.
- Have a recent bill to hand, as the account details need to match.
- List every number you use, including fax lines and numbers that only forward.
- Don’t cancel your old service before the port is complete, or you risk losing the number.
Our phone system migration service handles the planning and the switchover for you.
Local engineers covering Derby and the East Midlands
We work with UK-based engineers across England, Scotland and Wales, and the East Midlands is one of our focus areas. Derby sits a short drive from Nottingham, so the same engineers who look after business phone systems in Nottingham can help with installation, handsets and getting your office set up in Derby.
Most of the setup happens remotely, so you don’t need to shut the office while it is done. Where an on-site visit helps, for example to fit desk phones or check your network, we can arrange it.
Getting started
A good first step is a free PSTN switch-off check. We look at the lines and services you have now, tell you what will be affected by the January 2027 deadline and recommend the simplest way to move. There is no obligation to buy.
New customers who sign up by 31 October 2026 also get 50% off their first month’s per-user charges. And if you already work with us and know another business that should switch, our referral programme gives you a free month for each referral that signs up.
Get your Derby office ready for the switch-off
Book a free switch-off check and we’ll tell you exactly what needs to change before January 2027. New customers who sign up by 31 October 2026 get 50% off their first month.