Business telephony that fits the way your business works.
Solutions · Business Communications · Business Telephony
Whether you are reviewing your business telephony, replacing legacy analogue (PSTN) or digital (ISDN) lines, or simply unsure which approach is right for you, FVC Solutions can help.
Start with the operation, not the product
Four legitimate approaches
On-premises business phone systems, cloud or hosted systems, SIP trunks and Microsoft Teams telephony each solve different problems and carry different dependencies. Cloud is an option, not a default.
Explore your options
On-Premises Business Phone Systems
Keep the core phone system at your premises or on servers under your control when local control, resilience or integration requirements justify it.
Cloud / Hosted Business Phone Systems
Use a centrally operated service where avoiding central on-site equipment and supporting flexible or multi-site working fits the operation.
SIP Trunks
Modernise telephone connectivity while retaining a suitable phone system or supported device where replacing everything would be unnecessary.
Microsoft Teams Telephony
Use Teams as the calling interface where it fits, without assuming that Teams determines the underlying telephony architecture.
What we consider before recommending an approach
- Call handling for individual users
- Call distribution between people or teams
- Call routing by number, time, menu choice, overflow or failover
- Office, home, mobile and hot-desking patterns
- Internet, local networking and power
- Resilience and continuity requirements
- Existing numbers, handsets and equipment
- CRM, ERP, Microsoft Teams and other integrations
- Migration from analogue (PSTN) or digital (ISDN) services
- Legacy line-connected equipment
- Supplier and support boundaries
- Implementation, handover and ongoing management scope
Call handling, call distribution and call routing are different
Call handling
What an individual user can do with a call, such as answering, holding or transferring it.
Call distribution and routing
Call distribution determines how incoming calls are shared between people or teams. Call routing determines where calls go according to defined rules such as time of day, called number, menu selection, overflow or failover.
Plan legacy services before migration
Telephone migration should include an inventory of anything that depends on the existing service, not just normal business calling.
Check lift alarm lines or elevator remote monitoring systems, alarm signalling, telecare, warden call systems, personal triggers and monitoring services, and older fax equipment with the relevant service or equipment supplier before migration. Specialist services such as BT Redcare or equivalents must not be assumed to work over a replacement voice service.
Emergency calling
Business telephony services may depend on mains power, internet connectivity, network equipment and correctly configured telephone services.
Calls to 999 and 112 should be available from appropriately configured services, but emergency-calling behaviour can vary depending on the telephone system, provider, device and location.
If phones, applications or users move between sites or are used remotely, the location information associated with an emergency call may not reflect the caller’s actual location. Callers should therefore clearly state their location and provide a reliable callback number.
Customers should keep site and service-location information up to date and consider how emergency calls will be made during a power, internet or equipment failure.
In an emergency, call 999 or 112. Do not contact FVC Solutions instead of the emergency services.
Ready to review your business telephony?
We can help you compare the available approaches against your operational requirements, existing environment, resilience needs and commercial priorities.