A business phone system that works wherever your people work
Your telephone system should make it easy for customers to reach you.
It should help employees answer calls whether they are in the office, working from home or travelling between locations.
It should also be simple to manage.
Yet many organisations still depend on ageing phone systems, fixed desk extensions and equipment that no longer matches how their people work.
Calls go unanswered when employees leave their desks. Remote workers use personal mobile numbers. Reception teams struggle to transfer customers to the right person. Changes take days and often require a visit from an engineer.
Hosted Voice gives your organisation a more flexible alternative.
Stratiis can help you move your business telephone system to the cloud, keep your existing numbers and give employees the tools to make and receive calls from almost anywhere.
Professional call handling. Flexible working. One trusted support partner.
What is Hosted Voice?
Hosted Voice is a cloud-based business telephone service.
Instead of relying on a traditional telephone system stored at your premises, your calls and telephone features are managed through a secure hosted platform.
Employees can normally make and receive business calls using:
- Desk phones
- Laptop or desktop applications
- Headsets
- Mobile applications
- Tablets
- Shared reception devices
- Meeting-room equipment
Your business numbers remain connected to the organisation rather than to one physical telephone or office.
This makes Hosted Voice especially useful for organisations with hybrid employees, remote workers, several locations or teams that regularly work away from their desks.
Hosted Voice is sometimes called:
- Hosted VoIP
- Cloud telephony
- Cloud calling
- Internet telephony
- A cloud phone system
- A hosted telephone system
These terms are often used to describe similar services.
The important question is not what the platform is called.
The important question is whether it will improve communication for your employees and customers.
Is your current phone system holding you back?
A telephone system can continue working for years after it has stopped serving the organisation well.
Because calls still connect, businesses often tolerate problems that have become part of everyday working life.
You may recognise some of these issues:
- Calls ring at empty desks
- Remote workers cannot use the main business numbers
- Employees use personal mobile phones for customer calls
- Transferring calls between locations is difficult
- Voicemail messages are regularly missed
- The reception team cannot see who is available
- New employees wait too long for extensions
- Former employees still appear in the phone directory
- Different offices use different telephone systems
- Nobody has clear information about missed calls
- Call-routing changes require an engineer
- The system is expensive to maintain
- Spare parts or support are becoming difficult to obtain
- Your existing supplier provides little ongoing help
Hosted Voice can remove many of these restrictions.
But replacing the technology alone is not enough.
A successful project should also improve the way calls move through your organisation.
How does Hosted Voice work?
With Hosted Voice, calls are carried using your internet connection rather than relying entirely on a traditional telephone line.
The main telephone platform is managed in the cloud.
Users connect to the service through an approved device or application.
When someone calls your business number, the hosted platform applies the call-handling rules you have chosen.
The call might:
- Ring one employee
- Ring several employees
- Enter a call queue
- Play a welcome message
- Ask the caller to choose a department
- Route to another office
- Redirect to a mobile application
- Go to voicemail
- Follow an out-of-hours message
- Transfer to an external answering service
These rules can usually be updated without replacing the entire system.
This gives your business more control as teams, working patterns and locations change.
Hosted Voice features
Keep your existing telephone numbers
In many cases, existing business telephone numbers can be transferred to the new Hosted Voice service.
This process is known as number porting.
Keeping established numbers helps avoid disruption for customers and reduces the need to update websites, stationery, directories and marketing materials.
Number transfers need careful planning.
The existing service should not be cancelled until the port has been completed and tested.
Stratiis can help gather the correct account information, coordinate the transfer and plan the changeover.
Use your business number from different locations
Hosted Voice can allow employees to make and receive calls through the same business identity from different devices.
An employee may use:
- A desk phone in the office
- A laptop and headset at home
- A mobile application while travelling
- A phone at another company location
Customers continue to see the business number rather than an employee's personal mobile number.
This supports flexible working while protecting employee privacy.
Auto-attendants
An auto-attendant greets callers and helps direct them to the correct person or department.
For example:
Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support or press 3 for accounts.
An auto-attendant can help larger organisations manage incoming calls without requiring reception staff to answer every call manually.
It can also provide:
- Opening-hours messages
- Holiday announcements
- Emergency updates
- Department routing
- Location choices
- Recorded information
- Out-of-hours options
Auto-attendants should be kept simple.
Too many menus or unclear choices can frustrate callers.
We help design a call flow that supports the customer rather than creating a barrier.
Call queues
A call queue places incoming callers in line until an employee becomes available.
This can be useful for:
- Customer service teams
- Support desks
- Repairs teams
- Appointment lines
- Sales departments
- Reception functions
- Accounts teams
A queue can include:
- Welcome messages
- Estimated waiting information
- Music or announcements
- Overflow rules
- Maximum waiting times
- Voicemail options
- Call-back options
- Different routing priorities
The right configuration depends on how your team works and how long customers can reasonably be expected to wait.
Hunt groups
A hunt group sends an incoming call to a group of employees.
Calls can ring:
- Everyone at the same time
- One person after another
- Employees in a fixed order
- The person who has been idle longest
- Different groups depending on availability
This can help reduce missed calls without the complexity of a full contact-centre system.
Voicemail to email
Voicemail messages can be sent to an employee's email inbox as an audio file or notification.
This can make messages easier to notice and manage.
Some platforms may also support:
- Voicemail transcription
- Shared voicemail boxes
- Message forwarding
- Mobile notifications
- Centralised access
- Automated deletion rules
Employees should still have a clear process for responding to messages.
Technology cannot prevent missed calls if nobody is responsible for checking them.
Call forwarding
Calls can be redirected based on your chosen rules.
This may include forwarding to:
- Another employee
- A department
- A mobile application
- An external mobile number
- A different office
- A call queue
- Voicemail
- An answering service
Forwarding can be useful during holidays, staff absence, office closures or business interruptions.
Opening-hours and out-of-hours routing
Your telephone system can behave differently depending on the time and day.
During working hours, calls may go to reception or a department queue.
Outside working hours, callers may hear a recorded message, leave a voicemail or be directed to an emergency number.
You can also create special routing for:
- Public holidays
- Office closures
- Staff training
- Severe weather
- Emergency incidents
- Seasonal working hours
Call transfer and internal calling
Employees can transfer calls between colleagues, departments and locations.
They can also call one another internally without using external numbers.
This can make communication easier across:
- Several offices
- Home workers
- Remote teams
- Shared service departments
- Mobile employees
Call recording
Hosted Voice platforms may provide call-recording options.
Recording can support:
- Staff training
- Quality monitoring
- Dispute resolution
- Note-taking
- Compliance
- Customer-service reviews
However, call recording creates data protection, security and retention responsibilities.
Your organisation should define:
- Why calls are recorded
- How callers are informed
- Who can access recordings
- How long recordings are retained
- How recordings are protected
- How requests for access or deletion are handled
Stratiis can help with the technology while you work with your legal, compliance or data protection advisers on the appropriate policies.
Call reporting and analytics
Modern Hosted Voice systems can provide information that older telephone systems often cannot.
Reporting may include:
- Incoming call volumes
- Outgoing call volumes
- Missed calls
- Answered calls
- Call duration
- Busy periods
- Queue waiting times
- Abandoned calls
- Department performance
- Number usage
This information can help you answer practical questions.
Are customers calling when nobody is available?
Are calls regularly being abandoned?
Does one department need more cover?
Are telephone numbers or licences being paid for but rarely used?
The purpose should be to improve service and capacity planning, not to monitor employees without a clear reason.
Desktop and mobile applications
Employees do not always need a physical desk phone.
A desktop application can allow users to make and receive calls through a computer and headset.
A mobile application can provide access to business calling while the employee is away from the office.
Applications may provide:
- Business calls
- Call history
- Company contacts
- Voicemail
- Availability settings
- Call transfers
- Messaging
- Video calling
- Directory access
The right choice will depend on the employee's role and working environment.
A reception employee may prefer a desk phone and switchboard view.
A hybrid employee may prefer a laptop and headset.
A field-based worker may rely mainly on a mobile application.
Many organisations use a mixture.
Reception and switchboard features
Reception teams often need more visibility and control than other users.
A Hosted Voice solution can provide features such as:
- Company directories
- Employee availability
- Call parking
- Call transfer
- Shared contacts
- Multiple incoming calls
- Queue visibility
- Busy-lamp information
- Reception consoles
- Alternative answering groups
We review how reception currently handles calls before recommending the right setup.
CRM integration
Some Hosted Voice platforms can integrate with customer relationship management systems.
Depending on the platforms involved, this may provide:
- Customer records when a call arrives
- Click-to-dial
- Automatic call logging
- Call notes
- Call-history records
- Contact matching
- Recording links
- Customer-service reporting
Integration can save time, but it should not be added simply because it is available.
We assess whether it will genuinely improve the way your team works.
Hosted Voice and hybrid working
Traditional phone systems were designed around the office.
Employees had an extension connected to a desk.
When they left the building, they left the telephone system behind.
That no longer fits many organisations.
Hosted Voice can give hybrid and remote employees access to business calling from approved devices wherever they have a suitable connection.
This can help employees:
- Use the main business number from home
- Transfer calls to office-based colleagues
- Access company contacts
- Check voicemail
- Join call groups
- Protect their personal number
- Work from another office
- Maintain a professional customer experience
The experience should be consistent.
A customer should not receive a lower standard of service simply because the employee is working remotely.
Hosted Voice and business continuity
Moving telephone services to the cloud can improve flexibility, but it does not remove every risk.
Cloud calls still depend on:
- Internet connectivity
- Local networks
- Routers
- Firewalls
- Devices
- Power
- Supplier platforms
- User accounts
A Hosted Voice project should include a continuity plan.
This may involve:
- Backup broadband
- 4G or 5G failover
- Mobile applications
- Automatic call forwarding
- Alternative office locations
- Cloud-based voicemail
- Emergency routing
- Spare devices
- Documented incident procedures
The right level of resilience depends on the impact of missed calls.
A small professional firm may tolerate a short interruption.
A customer-service, repairs or emergency-response team may need much stronger protection.
Does Hosted Voice need a good internet connection?
Yes.
The quality and reliability of the underlying internet connection affect the quality of cloud-based calls.
A successful Hosted Voice deployment should consider:
- Available bandwidth
- Upload capacity
- Download capacity
- Network congestion
- Wi-Fi quality
- Router performance
- Firewall configuration
- Cabling
- Traffic prioritisation
- Remote-worker connections
- Backup connectivity
Voice calls do not always require large amounts of bandwidth, but they are sensitive to delay, packet loss and unstable connections.
A connection that appears fast during a basic speed test may still provide poor call quality if the network is badly configured or heavily congested.
Stratiis can assess the phone system and the wider network together.
Hosted Voice or Microsoft Teams Phone?
Hosted Voice and Microsoft Teams Phone can both provide cloud-based business calling.
They overlap in many areas, but they are not identical.
Hosted Voice may suit organisations that want:
- A dedicated business phone application
- A broad choice of desk phones
- Traditional telephone-system features
- Flexible call handling
- Straightforward mobile applications
- A platform separate from Microsoft Teams
- Simpler deployment for employees who do not use Teams heavily
Microsoft Teams Phone may suit organisations that want:
- Voice calling inside Microsoft Teams
- One application for meetings, chat and calls
- Closer Microsoft 365 integration
- Teams-certified devices
- Centralised Microsoft user management
- A communications strategy built around Teams
The best choice depends on your users, licences, call flows, contact-centre needs, reporting and support requirements.
We will compare the options rather than recommending one platform automatically.
Hosted Voice or a contact centre?
A standard Hosted Voice system can provide:
- Auto-attendants
- Hunt groups
- Basic call queues
- Call forwarding
- Voicemail
- Reporting
- Call recording
That may be enough for many small and medium-sized organisations.
A contact-centre platform may be more appropriate when you need:
- Skills-based routing
- Large or complex queues
- Supervisor dashboards
- Real-time wallboards
- Quality management
- Call-back automation
- Workforce management
- Omnichannel communication
- Advanced customer reporting
- Agent performance tools
- CRM-driven workflows
We help you avoid buying a contact-centre platform when a well-configured Hosted Voice system would be enough.
We also help you recognise when basic telephony will not support the service your customers need.
The benefits of Hosted Voice
Support flexible working
Employees can access business calling from different locations and devices.
They remain connected to the organisation without relying on personal telephone numbers.
Reduce missed calls
Calls can ring several devices, enter a queue or redirect when an employee is unavailable.
This gives customers a better chance of reaching someone.
Make changes more easily
Adding users, changing call routes and updating opening hours can often be completed without replacing physical equipment.
Connect several locations
Multiple offices can use one joined-up telephone environment.
Employees can share directories, transfer calls and use consistent features across sites.
Improve visibility
Reporting can help managers understand missed calls, demand, waiting times and service levels.
Remove reliance on ageing equipment
Hosted Voice can reduce dependence on unsupported telephone hardware stored at your premises.
Improve business continuity
Employees may be able to continue answering calls from alternative locations when the main office is unavailable.
Create a more professional customer experience
Welcome messages, call queues, opening-hours routing and better transfers can make it easier for customers to reach the right team.
What are the disadvantages of Hosted Voice?
Hosted Voice can provide significant benefits, but it is not risk-free.
A trustworthy provider should explain the limitations as well as the advantages.
It depends on connectivity
Poor internet or network performance can affect call quality and availability.
This makes connectivity assessment and resilience important.
It may involve ongoing licence costs
Hosted systems usually charge a monthly amount per user or feature.
The total cost can increase as more users, call recording, contact-centre tools or integrations are added.
Number transfers require planning
Porting telephone numbers can take time and relies on accurate information from the existing supplier.
A poorly managed transfer can cause disruption.
Users may need training
Features only create value when employees understand how to use them.
Call transfers, queues, mobile applications and availability settings may be unfamiliar at first.
Power cuts still matter
Cloud platforms may remain online during a power cut, but local phones, routers and network equipment may stop working.
Backup power, mobile applications and alternative routing may be required.
Not every feature is included
A low-cost package may exclude reporting, recording, integrations, advanced queues, support or hardware.
The full requirement should be priced before a contract is signed.
Security still needs attention
Cloud telephone accounts can be targeted by criminals.
Weak passwords, excessive administrator access and poor joiner and leaver processes can create risks.
Security considerations for Hosted Voice
Hosted Voice should be included in your wider cybersecurity strategy.
Important controls may include:
- Strong passwords
- Multi-factor authentication where available
- Restricted administrator access
- Regular user reviews
- Prompt account removal for leavers
- Call-fraud controls
- International calling restrictions
- Device security
- Secure mobile applications
- Recording access controls
- Retention policies
- Logging and monitoring
- Supplier security reviews
- Software updates
Telephone fraud can become expensive quickly.
Restrictions should reflect where your organisation genuinely needs to call rather than leaving every destination available by default.
Hosted Voice for different sectors
Accountancy firms
Hosted Voice can help accountancy practices support hybrid work while maintaining professional client communication.
Features may include:
- Business numbers on approved devices
- Call transfer between offices and home workers
- Reception and department groups
- Voicemail to email
- Call reporting
- Microsoft 365 integration
- Mobile applications
- Business continuity routing
Housing associations
Housing associations often manage significant volumes of tenant, repairs and contractor calls.
Hosted Voice can support:
- Repairs queues
- Customer-service teams
- Out-of-hours routing
- Remote housing officers
- Multi-site working
- Call recording
- Reporting
- Emergency messages
- Mobile employees
Where call handling is more complex, a cloud contact centre may be more appropriate.
Charities
Charities may need to connect employees, volunteers, trustees and several locations while keeping costs controlled.
Hosted Voice can provide:
- Flexible user licences
- Remote-working support
- Shared call groups
- Mobile applications
- Simpler administration
- Multi-site calling
- Reduced reliance on office equipment
- Better continuity
Professional services firms
Professional services organisations need clients to reach the right person quickly.
Hosted Voice can support:
- Direct-dial numbers
- Reception services
- Personal business numbers
- Mobile working
- Voicemail management
- Call transfer
- Availability information
- CRM integration
Multi-site organisations
A cloud telephone platform can bring several locations into one environment.
This may provide:
- One company directory
- Internal extension calling
- Shared reception
- Consistent call routing
- Centralised management
- Easier user moves
- Standardised reporting
- Improved continuity
What should you look for in a Hosted Voice provider?
Understanding of your call flows
The provider should ask how calls enter and move through your organisation.
They should understand:
- Who answers first
- Which teams share calls
- What happens when nobody answers
- How calls are handled outside working hours
- Which numbers must be retained
- Whether calls need recording
- Which reports managers require
A generic setup is unlikely to fit every organisation.
Connectivity experience
The provider should be able to assess your internet connection, router, firewall, cabling and Wi-Fi.
Selling the telephone platform without checking the underlying network can lead to poor call quality and difficult fault investigations.
Clear pricing
You should understand the complete cost, including:
- User licences
- Telephone numbers
- Call charges
- Hardware
- Headsets
- Installation
- Number porting
- Call recording
- Reporting
- Mobile applications
- Integrations
- Training
- Support
- Contract length
- Early termination fees
A planned migration process
The provider should explain how they will manage:
- Existing number information
- Number porting
- Call-flow design
- User setup
- Equipment delivery
- Testing
- Training
- Go-live
- Fault escalation
- Contingency arrangements
Ongoing support
Find out what happens after the system is installed.
Who will help when:
- A user cannot make calls?
- A headset stops working?
- A number needs redirected?
- A new employee joins?
- An office closes unexpectedly?
- Call quality becomes poor?
- The internet provider blames the phone provider?
Support should be easy to access and clearly defined.
Our Hosted Voice process
1
Discovery
We begin by understanding your organisation.
We review:
- Users
- Locations
- Current telephone system
- Existing numbers
- Call flows
- Devices
- Mobile working
- Internet connectivity
- Business continuity
- Reporting
- Integrations
- Existing contracts
- Future plans
2
Communications audit
We identify problems, risks and unnecessary costs.
This may reveal:
- Unused lines
- Duplicate services
- Calls going to former employees
- Poor out-of-hours routing
- Limited resilience
- Unsupported equipment
- Missed-call problems
- Unnecessary licences
- Network weaknesses
- Contracts that no longer fit
3
Solution design
We recommend the appropriate platform, licences, devices and call-handling setup.
The design may include:
- Hosted Voice licences
- Desk phones
- Headsets
- Desktop applications
- Mobile applications
- Auto-attendants
- Call queues
- Hunt groups
- Call recording
- Reporting
- CRM integration
- Business connectivity
- Internet failover
4
Migration planning
We build a plan covering:
- Number porting
- User creation
- Call-flow configuration
- Device preparation
- Connectivity checks
- Testing
- Training
- Go-live support
- Temporary routing
- Contingency arrangements
5
Installation and testing
We configure the service and test the key functions before migration.
Testing may include:
- Incoming calls
- Outgoing calls
- Number presentation
- Call transfers
- Queues
- Voicemail
- Mobile applications
- Out-of-hours routing
- Emergency calling
- Failover arrangements
6
User training
We help employees understand the features they need for their roles.
Training may cover:
- Making and answering calls
- Transferring calls
- Using voicemail
- Changing availability
- Using mobile and desktop applications
- Managing queues
- Working remotely
- Reporting faults
7
Ongoing support
Stratiis can continue to manage the service after go-live.
This may include:
- New users
- Departing users
- Number changes
- Call-routing updates
- Device support
- Supplier coordination
- Reporting
- Licence reviews
- Security checks
- Connectivity support
Frequently asked questions
How much does Hosted Voice cost?
Hosted Voice is usually priced using a monthly licence per user.
The total cost depends on:
- Number of users
- Required features
- Telephone numbers
- Call usage
- Devices
- Call recording
- Reporting
- Integrations
- Installation
- Connectivity
- Support
- Contract term
We provide a complete quotation after reviewing your requirements.
Can we keep our current telephone numbers?
In many cases, yes.
Numbers can normally be transferred through number porting.
The process depends on the current provider, number type and account information.
Existing services should not be cancelled before the transfer is complete.
Is Hosted Voice the same as VoIP?
VoIP is the technology used to carry voice calls over an internet connection.
Hosted Voice is a managed cloud telephone service that commonly uses VoIP.
The terms are often used interchangeably.
Do we need new telephones?
Not always.
You may be able to use compatible existing phones, desktop applications, mobile applications or new devices.
We assess your current equipment before recommending replacements.
Can employees use Hosted Voice at home?
Yes.
Employees can normally use a desktop application, mobile application or compatible telephone at home, provided they have a suitable connection.
They can make and receive calls using the business number.
What happens if the internet goes down?
Cloud calls at the affected location may stop unless continuity measures are in place.
Options can include:
- Backup internet
- 4G or 5G failover
- Mobile applications
- Automatic call forwarding
- Alternative locations
- Cloud voicemail
We recommend planning this before migration.
Will call quality be as good as a traditional telephone system?
It can be excellent when the internet connection and network are suitable.
Poor connectivity, overloaded Wi-Fi or badly configured routers can affect quality.
That is why we assess the wider environment rather than looking only at the phone platform.
Can Hosted Voice work across several offices?
Yes.
Users across several offices can share one telephone platform, directory and call-routing environment.
Calls can be transferred between locations as internal calls.
Can we record calls?
Many platforms support call recording.
Your organisation should have a clear reason, policy, retention period and access controls before recording calls.
Does Hosted Voice work during a power cut?
The cloud platform may remain available, but local phones, routers and network equipment may lose power.
Mobile applications, automatic forwarding, backup power or alternative locations may help maintain service.
How long does installation take?
The timescale depends on:
- Number of users
- Number of locations
- Number porting
- Internet readiness
- Hardware
- Call-flow complexity
- Integrations
- Training
A simple migration may be completed relatively quickly.
A multi-site project or complex number transfer requires more planning.
Is Hosted Voice suitable for a small business?
Yes.
A small business can gain professional call handling, mobile working, voicemail, business continuity and easier management without purchasing a large traditional telephone system.
The platform and licences should remain proportionate to the organisation's needs.
Can Hosted Voice integrate with Microsoft Teams?
Some hosted platforms can integrate with Microsoft Teams.
Alternatively, Microsoft Teams Phone may provide the complete telephone service.
We can compare both approaches.
Can Stratiis provide the internet connection as well?
Yes.
Stratiis can support business broadband, leased lines, backup connectivity, managed networks and Wi-Fi alongside Hosted Voice.
This gives you one partner that can investigate the full communications environment.
Make it easier for customers to reach you
Your telephone system should support the way your organisation works today.
It should not tie employees to one desk, force remote workers to use personal numbers or make customers repeat themselves every time a call is transferred.
Stratiis can help you move to a more flexible Hosted Voice service with clear call flows, reliable connectivity and ongoing support.
We will review your current system, explain the available options and build a migration plan around your organisation.
Let's identify what is working, what is being missed and whether Hosted Voice is the right next step.
Call: 0141 348 7960
Email: sales@stratiis.com
```
