If you run a business in Leicester with somewhere between 10 and 50 staff, there’s a good chance your phones are due a rethink. Old landlines are being switched off, more people work from home part of the week, and customers expect their calls answered first time. This guide walks through what to look for in business phone systems in Leicester, what they cost, and how to switch without losing your number.
Why Leicester businesses are reviewing their phones now
The biggest reason is the national PSTN switch-off. BT has confirmed that the old analogue phone network will be switched off for good on 31 January 2027. ISDN lines are going too. After that date, any business still relying on traditional copper phone lines will need to have moved to a digital service.
That affects every business in Leicester, whether you’re in the city centre, on a business park on the outskirts or running a shop on a high street in the county. If you want a full checklist, read our guide to what UK businesses need to do before the PSTN switch-off, or visit our PSTN switch-off page.
It’s also worth checking anything else that uses your phone line, such as alarms, lift lines, door entry or older card machines. Speak to the supplier of each device to confirm it will work on a digital line.
What is a hosted business phone system?
A hosted phone system (sometimes called a cloud phone system or hosted PBX) runs over your internet connection instead of a copper phone line. The “brains” of the system live in a secure data centre rather than in a box in your comms cupboard, so there’s no on-site exchange to maintain.
Your team can make and take calls on:
- Desk phones that plug into your network
- A softphone app on a Windows or Mac computer
- A mobile app, so your office number goes wherever you do
- A web browser
You can read more about how it works on our hosted PBX page.
Features worth having for a 10–50 person team
Most small businesses don’t need anything exotic. They need calls to reach the right person quickly and nothing to fall through the cracks. These are the features we’d put at the top of the list.
Auto attendant and call routing
A simple menu (“Press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts”) sends callers to the right team without a receptionist having to transfer every call. You can set different routing for opening hours, lunchtimes and bank holidays.
Ring groups and call queues
Instead of one phone ringing out, calls can ring a whole team at once or wait in a queue with music and messages. That’s a big help for busy periods such as Monday mornings.
Mobile and home working
Staff can answer the office line from home, a client’s site or on the road, and outgoing calls still show your business number. We cover this in more detail in our post on using your office number on your mobile.
Voicemail, call transfer and Microsoft Teams
Voicemail, transferring calls between colleagues and integration with Microsoft Teams are all available, so your team can work the way they already do.
Keeping your 0116 Leicester number
One of the most common worries we hear is “Will I lose my number?” You shouldn’t. Leicester’s 0116 numbers, along with other local numbers and most non-geographic numbers, can be moved to a hosted phone system through a process called number porting.
We include free number transfer, so you keep the number that’s on your website, vans, invoices and Google listing. A local 0116 number also helps reassure customers that they’re calling a Leicester business, even if the person answering is working from home that day.
How much does a business phone system cost in Leicester?
With a hosted system you pay a monthly fee per user rather than buying an expensive phone exchange up front. 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 higher call volumes.
There is a one-off installation and setup fee, which depends on the number of users and whether you need new handsets. Full details are on our business phone system pricing page.
When comparing quotes, check what’s actually included per user, whether handsets are bought or rented, how long the contract runs, and who you call when something needs changing.
How switching works
Moving to a hosted phone system is usually simpler than people expect. A typical switch looks like this:
- Free PSTN switch-off check – we look at your current lines, numbers and any devices that use them.
- Plan your setup – who needs a desk phone, who needs the app, how calls should be routed and what your greeting should say.
- Check your internet connection – make sure it’s reliable enough for voice calls.
- Configure and test – the system is built and tested before anything goes live.
- Port your numbers – your existing numbers move across and calls start arriving on the new system.
If you already have a phone system you’re happy with, such as 3CX or FreePBX, we can also help with a phone system migration or connect it with SIP trunks.
Local support across the East Midlands
We work with businesses across England, Scotland and Wales, and the East Midlands is a focus area for us, with local engineers based around neighbouring Nottingham. You can see more about our work in the region on our Nottingham business phone systems page.
Already a customer? Our referral programme gives you one free month for every business you refer that signs up. Not a customer yet? Refer a business anyway and you’ll get a £50 gift voucher when they join.
New customers who sign up by 31 October 2026 also get 50% off their first month’s per-user charges.
Get a business phone system for your Leicester team
Tell us how your team works and we’ll recommend the right setup, keep your 0116 number and check you’re ready for the switch-off. New customers who sign up by 31 October 2026 get 50% off their first month.
Ready to switch? See our business phone systems in Leicester.