“At Applied we’ve been using Bellcom for our phones and internet services for years and couldn’t be happier with the service provided. Everything has been reliable, professional, and handled quickly whenever we needed support. A special mention to Joe, who has always been fantastic with backup service and support. He’s always helpful, responsive, and goes the extra mile to make sure everything is sorted with minimal hassle. Highly recommend Bellcom to anyone looking for reliable phone and internet services along with excellent customer support.”
Most phone-system quotes look similar on page one. The differences that matter — what you own, what you’re locked into, what happens when something breaks or when you want to leave — live in the small print. Before you sign with any provider (including us), ask these questions and insist on written answers. Here’s why each one matters and what a good answer looks like.
1. “What platform is my phone system actually running on?”
Some providers run a well-known platform such as Yeastar or 3CX; others run their own hosted system; some resell a platform they don’t control. None of these is automatically wrong — but you should know which it is, because it decides how portable your setup is, who can support it, and what happens if the provider disappears. A vague answer here is a warning sign. (Background: hosted PBX vs cloud PBX vs on-premise.)
2. “Do I own the handsets, or am I effectively renting them?”
Two honest models exist: you buy the phones outright, or they’re bundled into a monthly fee. Either can be fair — the problem is not knowing which you’re in. Ask: if I leave after the contract, do the handsets stay with me? Is there a buy-out? We supply Yealink IP phones, and your quote from us will state plainly whether they’re purchased or included, and what happens to them if you ever move on.
3. “What’s the monthly cost per user — all in?”
Per-user pricing is standard, but make the provider itemise: user licences, call bundles or per-minute rates, handset cost or rental, installation, and support. Then ask what isn’t included. Our pricing guide explains how these pieces fit together so you can compare quotes like for like.
4. “What’s the minimum contract — and what does it tie me to?”
Be especially careful with 36- or 60-month agreements. Long terms aren’t automatically bad if the pricing reflects them, but ask what the early-exit cost is, whether the price can rise mid-term, and whether the handset rental outlives the service contract. If the answer takes a paragraph of caveats, read the paragraph twice.
5. “If I leave, what exactly do I keep?”
This is the question that separates fair providers from sticky ones. Three things to confirm in writing:
- Your phone numbers — they should be yours to port away. Ask how the provider handles an outbound port. (How porting works: keeping your number.)
- Your handsets — if you bought them, confirm they’re not locked to the provider’s platform.
- The system itself — can another provider take over, or would you be starting again from scratch?
We think a provider should keep your business by being good, not by making leaving painful — which is why we’ll answer all three of these before you sign, not after.
6. “What’s actually included in support?”
“Support included” can mean anything. Get it itemised: handset faults and replacements; internet and network problems (is the provider helping, or pointing at your broadband supplier?); configuration changes (new starters, call-flow tweaks — chargeable or not?); firmware and security updates; and out-of-hours cover (what hours, and is it a person?). Our installation and support page sets out how we work.
7. “What happens when the internet goes down?”
Modern phone systems run over your broadband, so this is the resilience question. There are two layers to ask about:
- Call diversion — if the office connection drops, can calls automatically divert to mobiles so customers still get through? On a properly configured cloud system, yes.
- Connection failover — for businesses that can’t afford any gap at all (card payments, booking lines, VPN users), a second line with automatic switchover keeps everything running. We offer Viatel Orion for exactly this: automatic failover between two connections within milliseconds, with a static IP stream built for VoIP and payments.
Also ask how the platform itself is backed up and monitored — and who tells you when something fails. More on what to look for: cloud PBX security and reliability.
Bring this list to us
We wrote this knowing it would be used on us — and we’re happy with that. Ask Bellcom any of these questions and you’ll get straight answers in writing, from a local team in Mullingar, before a quote is ever signed.
Frequently asked questions
Ask whether it is a named platform such as Yeastar or 3CX, the provider's own hosted system, or a resold platform. It decides how portable your setup is and who else could support it. A vague answer is a warning sign.
Either model can be fair, but you must know which. Ask whether the phones stay with you after the contract and whether there is a buy-out. Bellcom quotes state this plainly for the Yealink handsets we supply.
Have it itemised: user licences, call bundles or rates, handset purchase or rental, installation and support, plus anything not included. Compare quotes like for like.
Be especially careful with 36 or 60 month agreements. Ask the early-exit cost, whether prices can rise mid-term, and whether handset rental outlives the service contract.
Your numbers should be yours to port away, purchased handsets should not be locked to one platform, and you should know whether another provider can take over the system. Get all three in writing.
Get it itemised: handset faults, internet and network issues, configuration changes, firmware updates and out-of-hours cover, with hours and whether a person answers.
Two layers: call diversion to mobiles on a properly set up cloud system, and for businesses that cannot afford any gap, automatic connection failover such as Viatel Orion, which switches between two lines in milliseconds with a static IP so calls and card payments continue.