How to Buy BT Cloud Voice: A Guide to New Orders, Upgrades and Legacy Migration

BT Cloud Voice is BT's hosted business phone service for organisations that need several people to share business numbers, take calls in the office or remotely, and control how calls are routed. Four decisions matter here, those being which BT phone service you have or need, which BT Cloud Voice licence (Basic, Connect or Collaborate) each user needs, whether your network and equipment are ready, and whether your numbers can move, therefore it's worth working through each one properly before committing to anything. Netify, an authorised BT partner, can assess these points and prepare a written proposal for a BT Cloud Voice order, upgrade or migration.

Before you order

• Identify your current service, using the name on your bill or order confirmation.
• Map users and call handling, those being who answers which number, and what must happen to calls.
• Check numbers and dependencies, including the likes of who holds them, and what else relies on the same line.
• Assess connectivity and devices, including any specialist equipment.
• Agree installation and contract details in writing before anything is cancelled, meaning that nothing gets switched off prematurely.

Is BT Cloud Voice right for your business?

BT Cloud Voice, as the name suggests, is cloud telephony, which can suit a business that needs a hosted phone system rather than a single line, but the answer depends on your requirements, not on headcount alone, therefore it's worth working through the below list. Check each requirement below against the licence or setup condition shown.

• Several people answering one business number.
• Office and remote use. The Cisco Webex app is available with Connect and Collaborate, therefore Basic users are not entitled to it. How the business number appears in the app is not verified.
• Multiple locations. Investigate site-level features and the network assessment for each connection.
• Routing calls to the right team. Automatic call routing is listed for all three licences - Auto Attendant is a site option.
• Controlling an existing business number. This depends on number ownership and the transfer checks covered below.

Some situations need assessment before any recommendation, those being specialist connected devices, uncertain number ownership, complex call-centre needs, poor or unmeasured connectivity, native Microsoft Teams calling, and a wish to keep an existing PBX (private branch exchange, an onsite phone system). BT Cloud Voice is not right for every business, and Netify will say so if the checks point elsewhere.

Which BT phone service do you actually need?

Similar names do not prove that services, apps, contracts or migration routes are interchangeable, therefore BT Cloud Voice, BT Cloud Voice Express, BT Cloud Phone, BT Cloud Work, BT Cloud Voice SIP, BT's Microsoft Teams calling service and Digital Voice for Business each need their own checks and their own route.

Netify supplies Digital Voice for Business and BT Teams calling.

BT Cloud Voice is licensed as Basic, Connect or Collaborate, those being licence packs within one service. BT Cloud Voice Express is a different service altogether, a phone system for smaller businesses, supporting up to four phone numbers and usable across four business locations, meaning that it is not a fourth licence.

Check the service name on your latest bill or order confirmation. If you are not sure, that is a valid starting point, since identifying the service is the first check Netify makes.

Which BT Cloud Voice features does your team need?

The BT Cloud Voice licence that fits a user depends on the tasks that user performs, not their job title, therefore the starting point is always the work. Basic covers the online portal, automatic call routing, call transfers and calling several phones with one number. Connect adds voicemail to email, Call Director and voice and video conferencing. Collaborate adds meetings, personal meeting rooms and options to add call recording and analytics.

Keep four things apart when you assess a feature, those being what the licence includes, optional per-user additions such as recording, analytics, CRM (customer relationship management) integration or hot desking, site-level features such as Auto Attendant, Hunt Group plus and Call Centre ACD (automatic call distribution), and the setup work needed to make each one behave as you want. Headsets, phones and apps are separate again.

Webex is not Microsoft Teams telephony. BT Cloud Voice includes Cisco Webex for meetings from Connect upwards, which does not make it a native Teams calling service, therefore the two shouldn't be confused. BT's Teams calling service is marketed separately as Microsoft Teams Operator Connect, and its users need Microsoft Teams and a Teams Phone System licence. An app integration is not proof that Teams Phone licensing and public phone connectivity are included, meaning that if you need calls made and received inside Teams, Netify will assess whether BT Cloud Voice or the separate service meets that workflow.

What must be ready before BT Cloud Voice is ordered?

BT requires its network assessment test to be passed before you can order, given that it checks your local network, broadband connection and voice service, with BT saying it usually takes about three minutes - to complete this, we'd recommend following BT's official instructions for the test and any router or firewall settings. 

Can you keep your business numbers?

Yes, your numbers can be ported, though keeping a number and having a confirmed transfer date are different things, therefore we won't promise a universal timescale even though the porting itself is possible.

We'd ask for the exact current service, the provider, the numbers or ranges, account details, any associated services and the authority to transfer, given that associated services matter here.

Number ownership is a common source of delay, as a number may be held by a previous provider, a reseller or another company in the group, therefore the name on the bill and the name on the account both matter. We'd recommend asking your current provider what its release process is and whether written notice is needed, since a cancellation sent too early can leave numbers with no service to carry them.

Planning reminder: don't cancel your existing service, or any broadband or line that depends on it, until the agreed migration process is confirmed in writing.

Which phones, apps and connected devices can you use?

Only IP phones from the BT Cloud Voice portfolio can be used, given that a phone supporting SIP isn't automatically usable. We'd recommend grouping your choices into an approved desk phone, a cordless phone, desktop or mobile app use, a conference setup and specialist equipment, then checking each against BT Cloud Voice specifically, not against SIP or Webex in general.

For an existing phone, we'd ask for the manufacturer, exact model, firmware where relevant, who owns it and whether it's locked or managed by another provider.

Alarms, lift lines, telecare, door entry, payment devices and fax machines are treated separately - we'd recommend asking the equipment supplier to confirm the proposed configuration, with a specialist review where needed.

How a BT Cloud Voice installation should be planned

A BT Cloud Voice installation is best planned as seven stages. At each stage, one party is responsible and something specific must be confirmed before the next stage starts.

BT provides the assigned Cloud Voice installation and configuration team. Netify works with a dedicated BT Cloud Voice Specialist.

Stages 1 and 2 are the part you can start today without any commitment: identify the service, list users and sites, and run BT's network assessment. Stage 3 turns the assessment into a written scope covering licences, add-ons, devices, what is included and what is not. Stage 4 is where a route is accepted or refused. BT accepting an order is not the same as your site being ready, and a number transfer can be scheduled separately from any connectivity work.

Stages 5 to 7 are the ones people underestimate. Call flows need to be agreed before configuration starts, test calls need people available to make and answer them, and handover needs a named administrator who can make changes after go-live. Cutover checks should cover incoming calls, outgoing calls, routing to each team, voicemail and any feature you named as essential in stage 1. Agree before cutover what happens if a test fails: who decides, who can be reached, and how calls will still be answered while the existing service stays in place.

An order, the connectivity installation and any number transfer can have different dates. Progress can be delayed by a failed network assessment, cabling work, unconfirmed number ownership, third-party contract notice, device or specialist equipment issues and incomplete order information. Netify does not promise instant activation, a fixed lead time or no interruption.

Responsibility checklist

• Customer IT: router and firewall changes, cabling, power, third-party equipment, staff availability for testing.
• Netify: requirements, licence outline, proposal, order submission and coordination.
• BT: network assessment tool, order acceptance, provisioning and number transfer processing.

Neither BT nor Netify is assumed to configure every third-party firewall or device.

How to move your existing phone service to BT Cloud Voice

A move to BT Cloud Voice depends on the service you are leaving. A route that looks possible in general has not been accepted for your account until Netify and BT have confirmed it.

• BT traditional line or Featureline: identify the exact variant, numbers and connected equipment before describing any move.
• ISDN or an onsite PBX: capture number ranges, simultaneous calls, features that must survive, hardware ownership and whether the PBX must be kept.
• BT Cloud Voice Express: moving to BT Cloud Voice is not just changing a licence name. Confirm the account, numbers and broadband dependencies.
• BT Cloud Phone or BT Cloud Work: resolve the current product and contract first. Neither is claimed to be withdrawn.
• Another hosted provider: evaluate contract obligations, transfer eligibility and the feature gap. Like-for-like behaviour is not promised.
• BT One Phone: see BT's replacement guidance for that service.

How existing BT Cloud Voice customers can change their service

Existing BT Cloud Voice customers should plan changes under five headings, those being adding users, adding a site, changing licence features, refreshing devices and renewing, though what's actually possible depends on the account.

Before asking for a change, gather your account name, users by licence, sites, add-ons in use, device list, contract end date and any commitments, and describe the change you want, since some changes need more than a licence update. Adding users can change simultaneous call demand, therefore the network check may need repeating. Adding a site needs the readiness checks run for that site's connection. Changing licence features across packs needs a revised design and an account review. Refreshing devices needs a model check against the current BT portfolio.

Refreshing devices deserves its own check beyond that. Models offered in earlier years may not be in today's BT portfolio, meaning that an older handset may need replacing before a change to the account can go ahead at all. If a renewal falls at the same time as a change, agree in writing which commitments belong to which.

What to plan for continuity and emergency calling

BT Cloud Voice depends on power at the site, an internet connection and an available device, therefore it's worth deciding before you order what should happen when one of them fails. Four questions need answers here, those being what happens during a power cut, what happens if the connection is lost, what happens if a device is unavailable, and how remote workers are handled.

BT does not guarantee emergency calls where mains power, the access line or the access service fails, or from a mobile device not using the mobile network, and recommends considering an alternative means of making emergency calls.

Each fallback has limits of its own. A mobile app depends on mobile signal or data and a working account. A divert depends on what still works to receive the diverted call. A backup connection depends on how it's configured, therefore each must be assessed against the actual failure scenario rather than assumed to just work. Netify does not describe any fallback as automatic failover without written confirmation for BT Cloud Voice.

Home and mobile working sit outside the office arrangements altogether, since home broadband, personal mobile signal and the device in use all change the answer. Write the outcome down as a short continuity plan that names who does what, so it can be reviewed alongside the proposal.

For emergency calls, ask how each user's location is recorded, who updates it when people work from home or move desks, and whether the proposed devices and apps support it - do not test emergency calls except under an authorised procedure.

Two example BT Cloud Voice buying scenarios

Illustrative example: office and remote workers

Starting position: a 12-person business wants a shared main number, with calls answered on desk phones and on mobiles or laptops at home.

Essential questions: who answers the main number and when; which users need voicemail to email or meetings, which point towards Connect or Collaborate; where remote staff work; what the current service is.

Likely checks: hunt group and Auto Attendant options; app and device entitlement; a network assessment based on simultaneous calls rather than 12 users; whether existing phones are in the BT portfolio.

Unresolved conditions: the final licences, add-ons and configuration cannot be stated until entitlements are verified, and number transfer is unconfirmed.

What Netify can do next: assess the answers, outline licence options and dependencies, and provide a written proposal.

Illustrative example: existing business phone system

Starting position: a 25-person business has several numbers, a reception desk, an onsite PBX on ISDN and an alarm connection.

Essential questions: which numbers and ranges are in use and who holds them; how many calls are live at once; what reception needs; who supplies the alarm.

Likely checks: number dependencies, including any broadband on the same line; the PBX and whether it must stay; the switch-off position for the ISDN service; the alarm supplier's confirmation.

Unresolved conditions: the alarm route and number transfer must be settled before a BT Cloud Voice migration is agreed.

What Netify can do next: assess the dependencies, arrange the supplier check and outline options.

Employee count alone does not select a product. These examples are illustrative, not customer results.

Ask Netify to assess your BT Cloud Voice requirements

If you ask Netify to check your requirements, you will receive a suitability recommendation, an outline of the licences that might apply, a dependency checklist covering numbers, connectivity and devices, and a written quotation.

Netify coordinates the order, ensures it is placed correctly in BT’s ordering system and follows up.

You do not need to know your licence, bandwidth or number-transfer route before you ask. Netify needs only your current service (or Not sure), approximate users and sites, the essential requirement, target timing and how to contact you. Bills and detailed number lists are collected later through a private process.

You will not be asked to complete a long technical questionnaire first, and everything in this guide can be read without submitting a form. After you ask, Netify reviews your answers, tells you which checks are still outstanding and explains what happens next. If your answers are incomplete, the assessment can still begin; missing information becomes a checklist item, not a reason to wait.

Ask Netify to check my BT Cloud Voice requirements

To look at pricing separately, use Check BT Cloud Voice pricing.

Trust and proof

BT's authorised partners page carries a testimonial from Robert Sturt, Managing Director of Netify Group. Netify has worked in partnership with BT for the last 10 years. Every material product claim in this guide is based on BT's published material.

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