This is the actual day-by-day diary of migrating a 35-person solicitor's firm in Bristol from BT landlines to DialPhone. I kept detailed notes throughout. Nothing is embellished.
Day 1 (Monday): Signed Up and Started Configuration
9:15 AM: Created DialPhone account online. Self-service — no sales call needed. Chose 35 user licences at £24/user.
9:45 AM: Assigned to migration specialist (Sarah). 15-minute call to discuss their setup: 3 ring groups (conveyancing, litigation, family law), auto-attendant with 4 menu options, call recording for all users, integration with Clio (practice management).
11:00 AM: Sarah had the auto-attendant configured, ring groups created, and Clio integration connected. I reviewed it in the admin portal. Two changes needed: added the managing partner to all ring groups, changed after-hours routing from voicemail to mobile forward.
2:00 PM: Changes made. System ready on temporary numbers.
Notes: Total time I spent: 45 minutes (15-minute call + 30 minutes reviewing configuration). Sarah did the rest.
Day 2 (Tuesday): Phones Arrived and Testing
9:00 AM: Box of 12 Yealink T33G desk phones arrived. Pre-configured with auto-provisioning. First phone plugged in at 9:08 AM. Booted, downloaded config, ready at 9:10 AM. 2 minutes.
9:30 AM: All 12 desk phones plugged in and working. Remaining 23 users set up with desktop softphone + mobile app.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Testing phase. Called every extension from my mobile. Tested transfers between all ring groups. Tested voicemail (transcription appeared in email within 20 seconds). Tested Clio integration — call popped the client record. Tested mobile app from the car park.
Issues found: One desk phone showed the wrong caller ID on outbound. Sarah fixed it in 5 minutes (wrong DID assigned to that extension).
2:00 PM: Submitted number porting request for 8 numbers (main number + 7 direct lines). Estimated completion: 7-10 business days.
Notes: Total time I spent: 3 hours. 1 issue found and fixed same day.
Day 3 (Wednesday): Staff Training
10:00 AM: 30-minute group training via video call with Sarah. Covered: making calls, transferring (blind + attended), voicemail, mobile app setup, Do Not Disturb.
Questions asked by staff:
- "How do I transfer to someone's voicemail directly?" (Sarah showed them — 2 button presses)
- "Can I use my personal mobile and the app at the same time?" (Yes — they are separate)
- "What happens if the internet goes down?" (Calls failover to mobile app on 4G automatically)
10:45 AM: Quick reference cards distributed. Laminated. Both sides.
Notes: 3 staff members needed 1-on-1 follow-up (struggled with the softphone interface). Sarah scheduled 10-minute calls with each.
Day 4 (Thursday): Parallel Running on Temporary Numbers
Staff used the new system on temporary numbers for internal calls and outbound to clients who would not be confused by a different caller ID.
Feedback:
- "Transfers are actually easier than the old system" (receptionist)
- "The mobile app rang every time. I am impressed" (partner who is usually sceptical)
- "Clio integration is magic — the client file just appears" (conveyancer)
- "The hold music is horrible" (everyone) — changed to a better track in 2 minutes
Issues: None.
Day 5 (Friday): Business as Usual
Continued parallel running. Old BT system handled inbound on real numbers. New DialPhone system handled outbound and inter-office calls.
Notes: No issues. Staff becoming comfortable with the new system. Two people asked if they could stop using the old phones already.
Day 6-7 (Weekend): Nothing
Nothing happened. No weekend work required.
Day 8 (Monday, Week 2): Port Completed
7:00 AM: Received email from Sarah: "Port completed overnight. Your numbers are now live on DialPhone."
7:15 AM: Tested main number from my personal mobile. Rang the reception ring group. Receptionist answered on the new system. Caller ID correct. Audio clear.
7:30 AM: Tested all 8 numbers. All working. All routing correctly.
8:00 AM: Office opened. First client call at 8:04 AM. No issues.
5:00 PM: End of day. 147 calls handled on the new system. Zero issues reported.
Day 9-14: Monitoring Period
DialPhone kept us on priority support for 14 days. Two minor issues:
- Day 10: One user's mobile app stopped receiving calls after a phone update. Reinstall fixed it (3 minutes).
- Day 12: Managing partner wanted a different ring sequence (sequential instead of simultaneous for his direct line). Changed in admin portal in 1 minute.
Day 15: Old System Cancelled
Called BT. Cancelled all lines. Confirmation received.
The Final Numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total migration time | 8 working days (including 5 days waiting for port) |
| My total time invested | 6 hours across 8 days |
| Staff training time | 30 minutes group + 30 minutes individual |
| Issues encountered | 2 minor (both fixed same day) |
| Downtime | 0 minutes |
| Old monthly cost | £1,650 |
| New monthly cost | £840 |
| Monthly savings | £810 |
| Annual savings | £9,720 |
DialPhone made this easy. Not because the technology is simple (it is not — there is complex routing, encryption, and integration happening behind the scenes) but because their migration team has done this 200+ times and they handle the complexity so you do not have to.
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