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Phone systems

Telephone systems
and telephone service.

We install and support FreePBX and 3CX telephone systems for businesses across St. Thomas, Elgin County, and London, and we provide the telephone service on which they operate. Switchyard is your service provider: SIP trunks, local and toll-free numbers, number porting, and a single monthly invoice, supported by the same technicians who installed the system.

Phone system · Call flow

Main number · (519) 555-0100

1Auto-attendant answersBusiness hours

Press 1

Sales ring group

Press 2

Service queue

Press 3

Directory

2No answer in 20 seconds: forwarded to the owner's mobile application
3Still unanswered: voicemail delivered to email

After hours

Closed greeting to voicemail; emergencies routed to on-call staff

Holidays

Applied automatically from the Ontario holiday calendar

Overview

A modern telephone system, with the service to match.

Legacy key systems and analogue lines are expensive to maintain and difficult to change. A VoIP system costs less per month, forwards calls to mobile phones when staff are away, delivers voicemail by email, and routes calls according to how the business actually operates.

  • Telephone lines and numbers provided by Switchyard, on a single monthly invoice
  • Existing numbers retained; we manage the porting process
  • Auto-attendant, ring groups, call queues, and business-hours rules
  • Desk phones, cordless handsets, softphones, and mobile applications
  • Voicemail to email, call recording, and reporting
  • Paging and intercom for shops and warehouses
  • Support for both the system and the service from the same local team

Telephone service

The system, the lines, and the support, from one provider.

Most installers supply a telephone system and refer the customer to a separate carrier for service. When a fault occurs, responsibility is disputed between the two. Switchyard provides the telephone service directly. The SIP trunks, telephone numbers, and calling plan are supplied by us and appear on the same invoice as the system and support.

When you report a problem, the technicians who installed the system also control the lines it operates on. There is no referral to a carrier and no waiting on a third party.

  • SIP trunks sized to your call volume, with per-minute or unlimited calling plans
  • Local and toll-free numbers across Southwestern Ontario and beyond
  • Number porting from Bell, Rogers, Execulink, or any other carrier
  • Carrier-level call forwarding and failover if your site is offline
  • One monthly invoice for telephone service, hosting, and support
Telephone system

FreePBX or 3CX, installed and configured

Hardware and setup

Telephone service

SIP trunks, numbers, and calling plan

Monthly, provided by Switchyard

Support

Changes, troubleshooting, and on-site service

Optional monthly agreement

All three on a single invoice. Telephone service is also available on its own for an existing system.

Platforms

FreePBX or 3CX

Both are established business telephone platforms, and both operate on Switchyard telephone service. We recommend one based on the size of your organization, how you work, and whether you prefer to own the system outright or have it hosted.

FreePBX

Open, flexible, and customer-owned

An open-source PBX that can be configured for almost any call flow. It runs on-premises or in the cloud, carries no per-user licensing, and supports a wide range of desk phones. Well suited to organizations that want full control and outright ownership of the system.

  • No per-user licence fees
  • Extensive customization of IVRs, queues, and routing
  • On-premises or hosted deployment
  • Compatible with Yealink, Grandstream, Polycom, and other handsets
3CX

Integrated applications and straightforward administration

A unified communications platform with well-developed desktop and mobile applications, video conferencing, website live chat, and a clear administrative console. Well suited to organizations with staff working from multiple locations who require a consistent experience.

  • iOS, Android, and desktop applications
  • Video conferencing and website live chat included
  • Straightforward self-service administration
  • Hosted by 3CX, in the cloud, or on-premises

During the site visit we review how calls currently move through your business and recommend one platform, with the considerations explained.

Scope of work

A complete telephone installation

Number porting

We transfer your existing numbers to our service and schedule the cutover so that no calls are missed.

Telephone lines and SIP trunking

Switchyard is the carrier for your system. We provide SIP trunks, local and toll-free numbers, and calling plans, invoiced by us monthly.

Desk and cordless handsets

Yealink, Grandstream, Fanvil, and other handsets, provisioned in advance so that installation is efficient.

Call flow design

Auto-attendants, ring groups, queues, time conditions, and holiday schedules configured to match your operations.

Mobile and remote staff

Softphone applications that allow staff to answer the office line from a mobile phone, presenting the office number as caller ID.

Paging, intercom, and door

Overhead paging, handset-to-handset intercom, and door intercoms integrated with the telephone system.

Fax

Fax to email and email to fax, eliminating the need for a dedicated fax machine.

Recording and reporting

Call recording where required, and reports on call volume, answer times, and missed calls.

Support

Changes, additions, and troubleshooting by the team that installed the system, remotely in most cases and on site when required.

Frequently asked questions

Telephone systems

Can we keep our telephone numbers?
Yes. Numbers in Canada are portable. We port them to Switchyard service, schedule the cutover date, and keep the existing service in place until the new system is operational.
Can you provide service for a telephone system we already have?
Yes. If you already operate FreePBX, 3CX, or another SIP-capable system, we can supply the trunks and numbers alone and configure them for you.
Does VoIP require a fast internet connection?
It requires a stable connection more than a fast one. A typical office uses very little bandwidth per call. We configure the network to prioritize voice traffic, which is one reason we prefer to manage the network as well.
Who provides the telephone lines?
Switchyard does. We provide the SIP trunks, telephone numbers, and calling plans on which your FreePBX or 3CX system operates, so there is no separate carrier to deal with. The system, the service, and the support are all provided by us on a single monthly invoice.
What is the monthly cost?
It depends on the number of lines and call volume, and on whether the system is hosted or on-premises. In most cases the cost is lower than an equivalent number of analogue lines from a traditional carrier. Hardware, setup, telephone service, and support are quoted as separate line items.
What happens if the internet connection fails?
Because we operate the trunks, your numbers can be forwarded automatically to a mobile phone or another site at the carrier level, before the call reaches your premises. We can also provide a backup internet connection, such as 5G or Starlink, with automatic failover.

Next step

Request a telephone system quote.

Tell us how many handsets and lines you require, and we will respond with a recommendation and pricing.