Switching phone provider as a recruitment agency
Most agencies stay with a telecoms provider they are unhappy with for one of three reasons: they think they will lose their numbers, they do not know when their contract actually ends, or they suspect a change means a day of silent phones. All three are manageable, and the third is largely a myth if the migration is planned properly. This page is the practical sequence, including the contract clauses that catch recruitment businesses out.
- UK geographic numbers can be ported between providers
- PortableUK geographic numbers can be ported between providers
- Old and new platforms live together over the cutover
- Parallel runOld and new platforms live together over the cutover
- Notice periods and auto-renewal reviewed before anything is signed
- Check firstNotice periods and auto-renewal reviewed before anything is signed
- Your numbers come with you — that is the part agencies worry about most and need to least.
- Notice periods and auto-renewal clauses mapped before a switch date is chosen.
- Parallel running over the cutover, so no inbound client or candidate call is lost.
- A free contract and bill review, whether or not you end up moving to us.
The switching sequence
Done in this order, a provider change is undramatic. Done in the wrong order, it is expensive.
- What happens
- Every line, circuit, number and service on your bills is identified
- Why it matters
- Agencies routinely pay for services nobody uses
- What happens
- End dates, notice periods, auto-renewal and any finance agreements identified
- Why it matters
- Determines when you can move without penalty
- What happens
- Numbering, routing, CRM integration and recording policy agreed
- Why it matters
- Avoids rebuilding your setup twice
- What happens
- New platform built and tested before anything changes
- Why it matters
- Nothing is switched until it works
- What happens
- A small group works on the new platform on real calls
- Why it matters
- Catches integration and routing issues safely
- What happens
- Numbers ported on a scheduled date, platforms running in parallel
- Why it matters
- Calls keep arriving throughout
- What happens
- Legacy services cancelled once you are satisfied
- Why it matters
- Stops you paying twice for longer than necessary
Contract traps we find in recruitment telecoms agreements
These come up repeatedly when we review agency contracts. None of them are unusual, and all of them are easier to deal with when you know they are there.
- Auto-renewal clauses that roll the agreement forward for another full term if notice is missed by a matter of days.
- Equipment finance or lease agreements bundled inside what looks like a single phone service contract — these often survive independently of the service.
- Minimum-term handset rentals with a separate end date from the calling service.
- Early termination charges calculated on the full remaining term rather than a realistic loss.
- Numbers held in the provider’s name rather than yours, which complicates a port.
- Call charges outside a bundle, particularly to mobiles and international destinations, which is where a lot of recruitment dialling lands.
- Annual price increases linked to an index, applied to a rate you already thought was fixed.
- A maintenance agreement for hardware that has been unsupported for years.
We offer a free contract and bill review. Upload the agreement and we will tell you plainly what you are paying for, what is service and what is finance, and the earliest date you can move without penalty — including if the answer is that you should stay put for now.
Want this looked at on your own setup?
A review is free, there is no obligation, and you keep the written summary either way.
What agencies worry about, answered
The three fears that keep agencies on a provider they have stopped liking.
- “We will lose our numbers.” UK geographic numbers are portable between providers. The important check is who holds them and whether the contract position allows a port — which the audit establishes.
- “The phones will be down.” Old and new platforms run in parallel over the cutover, and the port is scheduled. Inbound calls continue to be answered throughout.
- “Our CRM integration will break.” The integration is rebuilt and tested on the new platform during the pilot, before any numbers move. You see it working first.
What to have ready
The more of this you can gather, the faster and more accurate the review.
- Your last three bills from each telecoms and connectivity supplier.
- Any signed agreements, including finance and hardware rental documents.
- A list of numbers you know you hold, including any on adverts and job boards.
- Your recruitment CRM and how consultants currently dial.
- Seat count by desk and site, and where consultants work from.
- Anything specific that has made you consider moving.
Before you sign anything with anyone
- Confirm the true end date and the required notice period of every existing agreement.
- Identify whether any element is equipment finance rather than service.
- Confirm who holds each of your numbers as the customer of record.
- Check the new contract for auto-renewal and index-linked price increases.
- Confirm what happens to your call recordings if you leave the new provider.
- Get the CRM integration demonstrated before, not after, you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Can we really keep every number?
UK geographic numbers are portable, and in practice the overwhelming majority of agency numbers move without difficulty. The exceptions relate to who holds the number and the contractual position, which is exactly what the audit checks before we plan a date.
How long does a switch take?
Building and testing the new platform is quick because it is cloud-delivered. The timescale is set by your notice period and the number porting process, so the honest answer depends on your contract rather than on our capacity.
What if we are mid-contract?
Then in most cases you should wait, and we will tell you that. We would rather diarise the right date and earn the business then than push you into an early termination charge.
Is the contract review really free?
Yes, and there is no obligation. You get a plain-English summary of what you are paying for and when you can move. If your current deal is genuinely good, we will say so.
Will you handle the cancellation with our old provider?
We will handle the porting process and tell you exactly what notice to serve and when. The cancellation itself has to come from you as the account holder, and we will draft the wording if that helps.
Related recruitment guides
Have your current contract reviewed free
Upload your telecoms agreement and we will tell you what you are paying for, what is finance, and the earliest date you can move without penalty.
- Full audit of every line, number and contract you hold
- Honest view of what your CRM will and will not integrate with
- The call data you are not currently seeing, including missed inbound
- A written summary — yours to keep either way