IT companies charge $1,000-3,000 to set up a phone system for a small office. For most businesses under 20 staff, you do not need one. A good phone provider does the heavy lifting as part of their onboarding -- at no extra cost. Answer these questions and we will give you an honest assessment.
In Australia, expect $1,000-3,000 for a simple 5-15 user setup, $3,000-8,000 for complex setups with CRM integration or multi-site, and $200-500/month for ongoing managed services. For simple setups, your provider includes this at no charge.
Typically: initial setup, ongoing configuration changes (adding/removing users, changing call routing), monitoring, firmware updates, and first-line support. For most SMBs under 20 staff, your VOIP provider's included support covers all of this.
Yes. If you already have an IT partner, most hosted VOIP platforms give them admin access to manage your system. This is often the most cost-effective approach for businesses with 20 or more staff.
No problem. You can bring in an IT company at any stage. The provider's system is already set up and running -- the IT company just gets admin access to manage it going forward.
Because setup fees are how many earn initial revenue. For genuinely complex setups (50+ users, CRM integrations, compliance requirements), they add real value. For a 5-person office on hosted VOIP, the provider handles everything the IT company would charge for.