Voice over IP (VoIP)
Offerings / Voice
Phone systems for business, without the PBX in the cupboard.
THUSA Voice over IP (VoIP) is a cloud phone system for business, hosted on geographically redundant infrastructure, priced per user and managed by THUSA. Desk phone, softphone or Microsoft Teams: the same number rings wherever the person is. A cloud PBX leaves no PBX hardware on site to maintain.
The operational communication challenge
Old phone systems for business were built for one building. They tie up capital in PBX hardware, then keep charging through licences, maintenance contracts and the upgrade that arrives when the business outgrows the box. Remote and distributed teams expose the rest of the problem. Telephony built for a building does not serve people who no longer work in one.
Six problems follow when a business phone system is tied to one site. A hosted phone system takes the PBX off the premises. Users are added or removed without hardware changes, and calls reroute if a location becomes unreachable.
High capital and operating cost.
A traditional PBX is a large upfront purchase followed by an annual maintenance contract. Licences, trunk charges and add-on features keep the bill growing after the hardware is paid for. A hosted phone system swaps the upfront purchase for a monthly fee per user.
Limited scalability and flexibility.
Adding users means hardware expansion and more licences. Seasonal and project-based organisations cannot scale capacity up and down with the work.
Poor remote work support.
Premises-based systems push remote workers onto personal phones, paid call forwarding or awkward VPN set-ups. Remote capability is an afterthought, where a cloud phone system makes remote work native.
Feature limitations.
Auto-attendants, call routing, voicemail-to-email and CRM integration are costly add-ons on an old business phone system, where they exist at all. Analytics are primitive.
Vendor lock-in.
A proprietary business phone system depends on one supplier. Phones, modules and support are single-sourced, with little room to negotiate.
Disaster recovery gaps.
When the business phone system fails, communication stops with it. A disaster at the premises takes down the system installed there.
The figures below come from THUSA's implementation plan and company profile, and each states its scope.
4 weeks
From requirements to cutover in THUSA's implementation plan, with number porting started in week 1.
3
Deployment models for the hosted phone system: full cloud, hybrid and Microsoft Teams calling.
25+
Years in operation, THUSA company-wide.
15 minutes:
THUSA's reported company-wide average response time for critical incidents. This is a company figure, not a VoIP provider's service level.
What THUSA VoIP delivers
THUSA VoIP is a managed service. It delivers a hosted phone system for business, with cloud-hosted telephony, call management, mobility, Teams integration, continuity cover and proactive support on one platform. The aim is a cloud PBX phone system that supports flexibility and continuity, without the capital cost of traditional telephony. As a hosted business phone service, it follows the person rather than the building.
THUSA partners with VoIP providers for the hosted voice platform, and works with SIP infrastructure and Yealink and Poly hardware. It manages the service around them: call routing design, deployment, handset provisioning, migration and ongoing review.
Core VoIP capability areas
The table shows what the hosted phone system covers.
Capability area
What THUSA's hosted business phone system covers
Platform
A cloud PBX phone system on geographically redundant infrastructure, with no on-premises PBX hardware, a monthly fee per user and automatic rerouting if a location becomes unreachable.
Features included
Auto-attendant, call queuing, find-me/follow-me, music on hold, voicemail-to-email, call recording, conference bridging, mobile apps, desktop softphones and call analytics, all as standard.
Routing and integration
Time-based, skill-based, overflow, geographic and caller-ID-based routing, CRM screen-pop and call logging, and call reporting with executive dashboards.
Numbers
Existing numbers ported across, with THUSA managing the process with the incumbent carriers, plus local presence numbers in several cities or countries.
Hardware options
Desk phones from Yealink, Poly and Cisco, conference phones, headsets, DECT handsets and gateway devices for fax machines, door phones and lifts.
Deployment models
Three models cover how a business moves to a cloud phone system. Microsoft 365 users have a Teams-based route.
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Deployment model
What it means and who it suits
- Full cloud VoIP
- Every user moves to a cloud PBX, with IP desk phones, softphones or mobile apps. It suits new deployments, complete replacements of an old business phone system and organisations with remote workforces or several sites.
- Hybrid
- Cloud VoIP runs alongside the existing business phone system during the transition, and users migrate in stages. It suits organisations with a significant investment in existing telephony that need a controlled move.
- Microsoft Teams calling
- PSTN calling is added to an existing Teams deployment, so users handle voice in the Teams interface they already know. It suits cloud-first organisations and hybrid workforces already invested in Microsoft collaboration.
The THUSA approach
THUSA treats phone systems for business as a continuously governed capability, not just a cloud PBX deployment. There are four steps: Assess, Prioritise, Implement and Continuously Improve.
Assess.
Review the current telephony and call flows, user and mobility needs, connectivity and Teams integration, and operational communication risk.
Prioritise.
Rank improvements by operational impact, user experience, continuity exposure and scalability.
Implement.
Deploy the hosted business phone system, Teams integration, call routing design, handset provisioning and migration.
Continuously Improve.
Review through call analytics, operational reporting, routing optimisation, user feedback and continuity testing.
Requirements change. The review does not stop at go-live.
Implementation timeline
Moving a business phone system to the cloud takes four weeks in THUSA's plan, and the old system is switched off last. Number porting starts in week 1 and is completed in week 4.
-
When
Weeks 1 to 2
PhaseRequirements and design
What happens in the move to a hosted phone system- Call flow design,
- auto-attendant configuration,
- user requirements,
- integration needs and
- number porting initiated.
-
When
Weeks 2 to 3
PhaseInfrastructure setup
What happens in the move to a hosted phone system- Platform configuration,
- user provisioning,
- call routing setup,
- voicemail configuration and
- integration configuration.
-
When
Weeks 3 to 4
PhaseTesting and training
What happens in the move to a hosted phone system- Test calling,
- user training,
- call flow validation,
- emergency calling tested and
- integration validation.
-
When
Week 4
PhaseCutover
What happens in the move to a hosted phone system- Number porting completed,
- production go-live and
- legacy system decommissioned.
How VoIP is priced
A hosted business phone system is priced as one monthly fee per user, with call minutes billed by usage and hardware bought once. A cloud PBX needs no capital expense on the platform and no maintenance contract. Ask any VoIP provider whether hardware sits inside or outside its monthly fee.
Per user, per month.
The fee covers features and support of the hosted phone system, and platform infrastructure is included. Call minutes are billed by usage.
Once-off and scoped.
Desk phones and equipment, implementation, training and integration consulting sit outside the monthly fee.
Where it fits
Five situations point towards a move to VoIP.
Facing a PBX replacement.
The existing business phone system is at end of life or out of capacity, and the next step would be a fork-lift upgrade. A cloud PBX phone system replaces it outright.
Distributed and remote teams.
People work from offices, homes and the road, and a cloud phone system gives them the same number and features without call forwarding or VPN workarounds.
Seasonal or project headcount.
Capacity has to rise and fall with the work, and a hosted phone system scales per user without buying hardware and licences for the peak.
Already on Microsoft Teams.
Teams is in place for collaboration, and adding PSTN calling gives users voice in the interface they use every day.
Presence in several cities.
Local numbers in multiple cities or countries give one business phone system a local identity without a physical office in each.
Choosing between VoIP providers
Comparing VoIP providers for phone systems for business is easier with five questions. Each is below, with THUSA's answer.
What does the VoIP provider's monthly fee cover?
THUSA's per-user fee covers features and support with platform infrastructure included, and call minutes are billed by usage.
Does the VoIP provider handle number porting?
THUSA manages the porting process with the incumbent carriers.
Can the VoIP provider move you in stages?
THUSA offers full cloud, hybrid and Microsoft Teams calling, so users can migrate from the old system gradually.
How does a VoIP provider's hosted phone system behave when a site goes down?
THUSA's platform reroutes call flows automatically, and calls can ring on mobile apps.
Which handsets does the VoIP service provider support?
THUSA supplies Yealink, Poly and Cisco desk phones, with Teams-certified hardware for Teams environments.
Why THUSA VoIP
THUSA delivers more than a hosted phone system for business. It acts as a communications partner focused on flexibility, resilience, visibility and continuity, with outcomes you can read in call analytics and reporting.
THUSA works with VoIP providers on the platform and looks after how business phone systems support continuity and flexibility. When you compare VoIP providers, look at what happens after go-live: THUSA's service includes call analytics, routing optimisation and continuity testing. A cloud PBX is only as good as the line beneath it, so the service pairs with business connectivity and internet access. Per-user pricing supports IT cost efficiency, and automatic failover supports business continuity. Read how THUSA has worked with clients in its client case studies.
Next steps
Whichever VoIP provider you are comparing, begin with the call flows of your current business phone system. The three options below are the way in.
Talk to us about voice. The THUSA communications team will start from your current call flows and the phone system for business you run today.
Call flow review.
THUSA maps your current numbers, queues, auto-attendant and integrations, and shows how each translates onto the platform.
Complimentary communication assessment.
A review of current telephony and capability, a remote work and hybrid gap analysis, Teams and Microsoft 365 alignment observations, continuity and resilience exposure, and prioritised improvement recommendations.
Pilot group.
A hybrid deployment for one team alongside the existing system, so the business proves the platform before the cutover to the cloud phone system.
FAQ
What is a hosted business phone system?
A hosted business phone system runs in the provider's cloud, not in a cupboard at your office. There is no PBX hardware to maintain. THUSA provides this cloud PBX on geographically redundant infrastructure. A hosted phone system gives users desk phones, softphones or Microsoft Teams, and the same number rings wherever they are.
Can we keep our existing phone numbers?
Yes. When THUSA moves a business phone system to the cloud, existing numbers are ported across and THUSA manages the process with the incumbent carriers. Porting starts in week 1 of the four-week plan and is completed in week 4. Local presence numbers can be added to the cloud phone system too, in several cities or countries.
Does a cloud PBX phone system work on our current internet connection?
Users connect over any internet connection. The mobile apps, softphones and desk phones of a cloud phone system behave the same at the office, at home or on the road. How well your own lines carry calls is part of the Assess step, which reviews connectivity before anything moves. If the line needs work, THUSA also provides business connectivity and internet access.
How do we choose between VoIP providers for a business phone system?
Compare what each VoIP provider's monthly fee covers, who handles number porting, which deployment models are offered and what happens to calls when a site goes down. THUSA partners with VoIP providers and manages the service for you, with full cloud, hybrid and Microsoft Teams options and automatic failover.
How do VoIP providers price a hosted phone system?
Ask each VoIP provider what the monthly fee includes. At THUSA it is one fee per user per month, covering features and support, with platform infrastructure included. Call minutes are billed by usage, and handsets, implementation, training and integration consulting are priced outside the monthly fee.
Can a cloud phone system work inside Microsoft Teams?
Yes, where Microsoft Teams is already in place. THUSA adds PSTN calling to the existing Teams deployment, so people place and receive business calls in the interface they use for messaging and meetings. Voicemail, call transfer and call management stay within Teams, and a hybrid set-up can keep desk phones running beside it. See the Microsoft 365 service.
How long does it take to move phone systems for business to the cloud?
THUSA's implementation plan runs four weeks. Requirements and design take weeks 1 to 2, infrastructure setup weeks 2 to 3, and testing and training weeks 3 to 4. Cutover happens in week 4, when the legacy business phone system is decommissioned and number porting is completed.
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