An office move is one of the most common moments for a business to lose calls — and one of the easiest to get right with a little planning. The fear is usually the phone number: it’s on the signage, the vans, the invoices and in every customer’s contacts. Here’s the good news, and the plan.
The short answer: your number can move with you
With a modern phone system, your number isn’t tied to a wall socket or an address — it lives in the cloud, and your phones connect to it wherever they are. Move premises across town or across the county and the number simply keeps working. If you’re still on old-style lines, the move is the perfect moment to port the number to a system where this problem disappears for good.
The moving-day risk nobody warns you about
On traditional lines, a “line takeover” or cancellation at the old address can put your number at risk — cancel the old line before the number has moved and it can be lost entirely. The rule from our switching checklist applies doubly during a move: the old line stays live until your number is safely ported. Sequence matters more than speed.
Your office-move phone plan
- 6–8 weeks out: decide the system. If you’re staying on ageing lines, get a quote for moving to VoIP as part of the move — one project, one switch-over, and the number becomes portable forever after.
- 4 weeks out: sort the broadband at the new place. Order early — installation lead times, not phones, are what delay moves. If fibre isn’t in yet, 5G broadband can carry your calls from day one.
- 2 weeks out: plan the cutover. With a cloud system, you can run the new office in parallel: phones on desks and tested before anyone moves a chair.
- Moving week: calls follow you, not the van. Divert to mobiles during the physical move if needed — callers hear a normal ring, not a dead line.
- After: only then close old services. Once numbers are confirmed working from the new premises, cancel what’s left behind.
Moving is also the cheapest time to fix your phones
You’re already rewiring desks and reviewing suppliers — the disruption is paid for. Businesses that move onto a cloud phone system during a relocation typically come out the other side with better call handling, lower bills and none of the old hardware in the comms cupboard. If the old PBX was due for retirement anyway, don’t pay to move it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my 044 (or other local) number if I move area?
On a VoIP system, yes — geographic numbers can ring anywhere, so moving premises doesn’t force a number change. Customers keep dialling what they’ve always dialled.
What if the new office’s broadband isn’t ready on moving day?
Calls can divert to mobiles automatically, or run over a 5G connection until the line is in — callers never need to know.
We’re moving in a hurry — how fast can phones be sorted?
The phone side can move quickly; broadband lead time is usually the constraint. Ring us early — even a week’s notice widens your options considerably.
Moving soon?
Tell us the dates and the addresses and we’ll map the phone side of your move — number kept, calls flowing right through moving day. Talk to Bellcom, based in Mullingar and working across the midlands and beyond.