VoIP for construction companies in the UK

VoIP phone calls (which take place over the internet) have been used for many years by consumers and businesses; however, it's only recently that companies are switching in swathes. That's partly due to the many associated benefits and cost savings but also because BT is turning off its ISDN network in 2027. 

Unlike traditional business telecoms, where if you want multiple handsets, you'd generally need an onsite telephone system, with VoIP, everything happens in the cloud. No costly hardware to purchase or maintain, just a fully managed cloud solution that you subscribe to.

As it's internet-based, you're no longer tied to your telephone lines, and you can therefore make and receive calls from anywhere, assuming you have an internet connection. For example, during Covid, companies with VoIP phone systems could send their teams home with their desk phones, they could then plug them in and work as they would in the office. 

As it's web-based, you can make calls from other devices too, so mobile phones, computers and even web browsers can be used to pick up company calls. 

For construction firms in the UK, this flexibility is hugely valuable, especially if you have employees moving between sites regularly. 

A high-quality VoIP phone system can bring many game-changing benefits to a construction business. Here are just eight of the benefits you can expect from switching to VoIP:

1 - Lower costs

As with most internet-based, VoIP telephony offers significant cost savings compared to older ISDN and PSTN technologies. Firstly, as we've already highlighted, there's no large outlay in equipment costs. You can use your existing computer network for your phones, and you won't need to worry about buying and looking after expensive hardware. Alongside that, call costs are minimal, too, with most of the leading VoIP providers giving you ample free call bundles.

2 - Work from anywhere

A thriving construction company is not limited to one office or construction site; you'll likely have many team members working across locations. You may also have remote team members such as sales staff.

VoIP allows you to work anywhere without missing important calls from clients or suppliers. As long as you've got a phone and an internet connection (3G, 4G, fibre or broadband connection), you can stay connected to your VoIP phone system and all its features.

3 - Transfer calls between multiple locations

A VoIP service makes it easy to connect calls to your team members, whether they're in the office, onsite or anywhere else.

In days gone by, call forwarding and call transfer were challenging tasks requiring multiple phone lines, extension numbers and high costs. Now, you can do it all through your hosted VoIP system. Because VoIP solutions live in the cloud rather than on-premise networks, everyone can easily access the phone system wherever they are.

4 - Never miss another important call

In a construction company, quickly answering incoming calls from customers, suppliers, and employees is essential. Missing a call could spell disaster.

A VoIP service lets you deal with incoming phone calls however you wish. For example, you could set up 'hunt groups' that route calls into one phone number across a network of other numbers.

So, you could set up a phone number for your sales team. When potential clients call that number, your phone system will direct their calls to a different salesperson each time, ensuring leads are equally distributed throughout the team. It keeps your people happy while ensuring no potential customers slip through the net.

5 - Solve disputes with call recording

In construction, things sometimes go differently than planned. Good communication is essential for settling disputes.

You can set up your VoIP system to enable automatic call recording. That way, if you believe you said one thing, but your clients say something else, you can listen back to the recording and find out who is right.

Call recording is also valuable for training purposes. Managers can also set up monitoring, enabling them to jump into a call, if necessary, quickly.

6 - Read your voicemail

It can be handy to push callers to voicemail on your business phone line if you are busy onsite or dealing with clients. However, listening back to voicemail can be time-consuming, especially if your message is long and detailed.

Your VoIP phone system can transcribe each voice message you receive and send them to you as an email, which you can then read at your leisure and refer back to if necessary.

7 - Direct callers to the right place

VoIP systems can also help your customers find the people they want to speak to quickly and easily with the virtual receptionist feature. This series of menus lets the caller navigate your business structure without any human input. For example, you could set up a virtual receptionist where the caller can:

• Press 1 for company head office
• Press 2 for the London construction site
• Press 3 for the Manchester construction site etc.

8 - Streamline your internal communications

Finally, your Voice-over Internet Protocol phone system can change how you communicate inside your company. It can bring all the various communications tools you use to contact your team (text message, telephone, video meetings) together on one easy-to-use platform.

Your VoIP phone system is also super flexible. Sure, you can schedule a call with one of your employees, but what if you need to get their opinion on something right now? With VoIP, you can instantly bring someone else into your conference call with just a couple of clicks.

It's just another way that VoIP takes internal communications to the next level.

The VoIP phone system from T2k has saved us serious expenditure and has changed the way we work for the better.

Steve Knell -Altogether Care

5.0

on Google

Compare Phone Systems

As you can see, VoIP solutions are a game-changer for businesses, including those working in construction.

However, you need to be aware that in 2027, BT will turn off its traditional ISDN and PTSN phone line networks. Therefore, you'll need to move to a cloud-based VoIP system to keep your business phone line.

Moving to an internet telephone service will future-proof your business.

1 - Gamma Horizon

Gamma Horizon is a cloud-based telephone system suitable for UK construction companies of any size. It has all the features you could ask for, including the ability to call transfer from the office to the construction site and from desk phone to mobile.

It's a VoIP system built for today's construction company, making communication easy and keeping you in contact with your people - at a lower cost than traditional business phone lines.

2 - 3CX

3CX is a VoIP service designed for larger businesses (20+ users). 3CX is about flexibility, enabling you to create a communications environment that suits your business needs.

3CX makes it simple to transfer or receive voice calls anywhere, whether you're at the office or mobile on the construction site. It also has all the video conferencing support you need to stay in contact with your teams. It's also compatible with any handset, so it's simple to migrate to 3CX from your current system.

T2K has been helping construction companies get the most from their telephone systems for more than 25 years. Our expert advisors will talk to you about your company and how communication works in your industry. Then, we'll recommend the right system for you.

We're an independent telecoms provider - and we pride ourselves on high-quality service with a personal touch. For a jargon-free conversation on how VoIP can make your construction business run better, contact T2K today.