Business Phone System Audit: A Spring Checklist

A business phone system audit takes one afternoon: call your own number and listen, check each number's schedule and holiday hours, remove people who left, and make sure voicemail and call groups match your team today. The spring clock change is a good reminder to do it.

Daylight saving time started on Sunday, March 8. Phone settings drift. People leave, menus change, a greeting from two holidays ago is still answering calls. None of it breaks anything on its own. Together, it makes your business sound less put together than it is.

How Does Your Main Greeting Sound?

Call your main number from your cell phone and listen like a customer would.

• Does it name every service you offer, and nothing you stopped offering?
• Is the most common reason people call option 1?
• Does it mention someone who no longer works here?
• Do callers hear their option within about 20 seconds?

If anything is off, rewrite it, record it again on your phone or computer and upload the new audio file (MP3). Our phone menu script examples can give you a head start.

Are Your Schedules and Holiday Hours Still Right?

Cloud phone systems follow the time zone you set, so the clock change takes care of itself. But check that each number's weekly schedule still matches reality. Did you start opening earlier on Saturdays? Does the "at all other times" route still go somewhere useful?

Then look at each number's holiday hours. Past holidays are marked in the list, and dates do not repeat by themselves, so add the closings still ahead this year: Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day and any days you close for training or a move. While you are there, check that a backup number is set, so calls still reach someone if the system cannot be reached.

Which Users Can You Remove?

Every person who left and was never removed is a phone that rings with nobody to answer, and a monthly charge you do not need. Before removing someone, decide where their calls go: forward their direct number to whoever took over, or move it to a user without a phone (forwarding and voicemail only).

Are Voicemail Boxes Going to the Right People?

Check that shared boxes, like sales or support, send to the right inboxes. Remove people who left, add people who joined. Ask everyone to listen to their own greeting. "I'm out of the office until January 3" is more common than you would think.

Do Your Call Groups Match Your Team?

• Is everyone in each group still on that team? Is anyone missing?
• Call groups ring everyone at once. Is that still right, or would a queue, where callers wait in line, suit the team better?
• Where do calls go if nobody answers?

Your call analytics help here: answered, voicemail and missed calls by day or hour, and your busiest times. A group with lots of missed calls may need another person or a queue. Our guide to ringing everyone or letting callers wait in line walks through the options.

Are You Paying for Numbers You Never Use?

Numbers pile up: an old ad, a closed location, a one-off project. If a number has not had a real call in months, consider letting it go. Extra numbers are $5 a month each, so a few forgotten ones add up. First make sure it is not printed on a truck, sign or business card still in circulation.

What Else Should You Refresh?

If your hold message still mentions winter specials, change it. And confirm every phone and app has the right 911 address, the street address and suite or floor sent with the call. People who work from home some days should check the location in their app.

Business Phone System Audit Checklist

• Listen to your main greeting and fix what is out of date.
• Check each number's schedule and "at all other times" route.
• Add this year's remaining holidays to each number.
• Remove old users and redirect their numbers.
• Review voicemail boxes and personal greetings.
• Check every call group and queue.
• Release numbers you no longer use.
• Refresh hold messages and confirm 911 addresses.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Often Should I Audit My Phone System?

Once or twice a year works for most small businesses. The spring and fall clock changes are easy reminders.

Do I Need to Change Anything When the Clocks Change?

Not on a cloud system set to your time zone. It is just a good moment to check everything else.

Can Someone Review My Setup with Me?

Yes. Call Telonium support at 404-566-8888, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.