The real cost of a UK business phone system
A per-user price is a useful starting point, but it doesn't settle what a UK business phone system will cost your team. Calls, porting, hardware and recording storage may be included in that price or charged separately. I want those lines beside each other before I compare two quotes.
From the quote to the invoice
I've sold and installed business phone systems since 2012. At circle.cloud, the UK telecoms company I started in 2015 that installs and supports phone systems for small businesses, I also handled billing and support, so a quote had to make sense after the sale as well as during it.
What actually makes up a business phone system's cost
These are the lines I'd ask a provider to explain, including which are already covered by the subscription.
The seat price is a monthly or annual fee per person. Check whether it includes calls, whether VAT is included, and whether the advertised rate requires annual billing or a minimum number of users.
Call minutes are the second layer. Some plans charge per minute on top of the seat price; others include an allowance or unlimited calls subject to fair use. Compare the options using your outbound call volume, the destinations you call and any charges outside the allowance.
Number porting may carry a one-off fee to move an existing number and an ongoing number charge. Ask for both figures if you're bringing numbers with you, and check any remaining charges from your current provider separately.
Hardware can add desk phones, headsets or adapters to the quote. Ask whether the service works with apps alone, whether your existing handsets are supported, and what any supplied equipment costs.
Contract length changes the commitment behind the monthly price. Compare what you'd pay over the minimum term, and ask for the terms covering cancellation, renewal and price increases in writing.
Recording storage and retention can differ by plan. Compare the available retention periods with your recording policy, and check whether you can export or delete recordings.
What pushes the number up or down
Team size sets the number of subscriptions you'll pay for. On a metered plan, outbound minutes and the destinations you call add to that base cost. Two teams with the same headcount can therefore have different bills, while a larger team taking mainly inbound calls may have little outbound usage to pay for.
If you're using apps and existing headsets, you may not need to buy desk phones. If you do want handsets, check whether you own them, rent them or receive them as part of a subscription, and what happens to them when you leave.
If a longer commitment comes with a lower monthly price, calculate the saving across the full term. Then compare it with what you'd owe if your needs changed before the term ended.
Longer recording retention may require a different plan or an add-on. Choose the period your business needs, then include any extra charge in the comparison.
An example using Olatti's published prices
Olatti has three plans, priced per user per month, excluding VAT. Metered is £6 a month, with outbound calls charged at 1p a minute to UK landlines and 3p to UK mobiles. Plus is £20 a month and pools 1,000 landline and 1,000 mobile minutes per user across the team.
Unlimited is £25 a month, subject to our fair use policy. Its allowance of 2,000 landline and 2,000 mobile minutes per user is a marker for review, not an automatic cut-off. The Unlimited annual plan includes one Yealink T31W desk phone per user if you want one.
Every plan includes a UK number per user, inbound calls, team messaging, video meetings and the desktop and mobile apps. Annual subscriptions work out at £5, £17 and £21 per user per month respectively, billed for the year.
The founding member offer gives the first 100 UK teams 30% off their subscription plan for as long as they stay, on monthly or annual billing. On monthly billing, that's £4.20, £14 and £17.50 per user respectively. Usage, extra numbers and other add-ons are charged normally; the pricing page shows the full comparison.
Porting an existing number is £20 once, when the port is raised, then £5 a month per ported number on top of the plan, excluding VAT. Call recording storage is one month on Metered, twelve months on Plus and three years on Unlimited. There's more on what a UK business phone system actually includes, and on keeping a number when you switch provider.
Frequently asked questions
Why do two quotes for the same team size come out so different? The subscription price, included features, call allowance, hardware and contract terms can all differ. Ask what's included in each quote and what triggers an extra charge before comparing the totals.
Is a longer contract actually cheaper? Sometimes, on paper. But the saving assumes you stay for the whole term. Work out what leaving early would cost before treating the monthly number as the real price.
What's a reasonable one-off fee to expect when switching provider? Porting an existing number is the main one. Anything beyond that, setup fees, activation fees, configuration charges, is worth asking a provider to justify in plain terms.
Ask for the whole number, not the smallest one
Ask any provider, us included, to show the subscription, likely call charges, porting fees, hardware and minimum commitment together. That's enough to compare a quote with how your team actually works. You can see our figures on the pricing page, or try Olatti for free (opens in a new tab) before committing a team to it.