What you pay for
- User licences, priced per user per month
- Numbers: local, 03 and freephone
- Call charges or inclusive minute bundles
- Inbound costs for freephone numbers
- Hardware: desk phones, headsets, conference phones
- Optional extras: recording storage, contact centre seats, answering services
Hidden costs to check
- Long minimum terms and automatic renewal
- Annual price rises linked to inflation
- Charges for porting numbers out
- Out-of-bundle call rates, especially to mobiles and international
- Hardware leases that outlast the service contract
Ofcom protections
Since 2022, Ofcom rules give microenterprise, small enterprise and not-for-profit customers with 10 or fewer employees extra protections, including contract summaries and end-of-contract notifications. Ask any provider to confirm which protections apply to you.