A practical checklist for switching to VoIP.

1. List what uses the current line.

Write down your published numbers, active contracts, handsets and the people who answer calls. Check whether the line is also used by alarms, payment equipment, door-entry systems or other devices. Ask the equipment supplier about compatibility rather than assuming it will work over VoIP.

2. Check your number before cancelling anything.

Give the new provider the exact number you want to keep and the current account details. Ask whether it can be transferred, what paperwork is needed, what the charge is and how the changeover will be coordinated.

Keep the existing service in place until the transfer and live tests have been agreed. Avoid independently cancelling a line that is still needed for an active transfer. For Xtra, number availability and transfer timing are confirmed during onboarding.

3. Test the connection and devices.

Use the actual network and devices your staff will use. Make simultaneous calls if that reflects a normal working day. Check both directions of audio, answering from each device and calls after a device or router restarts.

For remote staff, test from their usual working location. A successful call in the office does not establish how a different broadband or mobile connection will behave.

4. Agree emergency and outage arrangements.

Digital landlines depend on power and an internet connection. Agree how your business will contact emergency services during an outage, and confirm the location information and emergency-calling arrangements supported by the provider.

Ofcom explains the move to digital landlines and the implications for power cuts. If a member of staff depends on the business line, or specialist equipment uses it, raise that before choosing a service. Never place an unarranged emergency test call.

5. Rehearse a normal day and a difficult one.

• Incoming calls reach the intended number and team.
• Outgoing calls show an agreed, valid caller ID.
• Busy, unanswered and closed-hours calls reach the correct fallback.
• Voicemail and recording access work for the right people.
• Transfer, emergency and outage arrangements have been confirmed.
• The plan, call rates, number charges and support process are understood.

Where Xtra is today.

Start with the public demo, then discuss a separate trial number and your actual devices. New live accounts are by invitation while carrier call acceptance is completed. An agreed trial gives you a way to test the proposed setup before moving an existing number.