How to Setup Phone Systems that is Professional and Simple

Your Phone Line Is Often the First Customer Experience

A Brisbane founder told me, “We don’t really need a phone system—we’ve got mobiles.” Then the ads went live. Calls came in while the team was in meetings, customers hit voicemail, and conversion rates cratered. Within a week, they’d spent thousands on clicks with no way to answer consistently or route calls.

Another founder added a simple cloud phone system with a single 1300 number, a 3-option IVR, and after-hours SMS callbacks. Answer rate jumped 35%, demos doubled in a month, and ad spend started pulling its weight.

Phones aren’t old-school—they’re high intent. When someone calls, they’re ready.

Phones aren’t old-school—they’re high intent.

What Is a Business Phone System?

A professional business phone system is how calls reach your team—through a cloud / VoIP platform that routes calls to mobiles, laptops, or desk phones, with rules for hours, queues, voicemail, recording, and reporting.

Here’s what this includes:

• Numbers (local 02/03/07/08, mobile 04, or 1300/1800)

  
  

• Call routing rules (ring groups, hunt lists, queues)

  
  

• IVR (“Press 1 for Sales…”

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• Business hours + after-hours automations

  
  

• Voicemail to email/SMS

  
  

• Call recording & compliance consent

  
  

• Integrations (CRM, helpdesk, analytics)

Each piece is a lever for speed, professionalism, and captured revenue when set it up deliberately.

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Why It Matters ?

Calls are high-intent, high-conversion

Website forms are nice. A ringing phone is a buyer. If you miss that moment, you hand them to a competitor.

Professional trust in 5 seconds

A clean greeting, clear menu, and fast routing signal that you’re legitimate. Customers relax and buy more.

Ads and SEO depend on it

If calls aren’t answered, your cost-per-acquisition quietly explodes. A great phone flow multiplies every other channel.

Team sanity & data

Routing, queues, and reports let you staff smartly and coach with facts—no more “I think we’re busy” guesswork.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

• Your preferred main number type (local vs 1300)

  
  

• Draft business hours and after-hours plan

  
  

• A simple call flow (Sales, Support, Billing)

  
  

• List of users/devices (mobiles, laptops, headsets, desk phones)

  
  

• Your CRM/helpdesk details (so we can integrate)

  
  

• A short voicemail and compliance script (consent for recording)

  
  

At the very minimum, your business must have a phone number, email and website form.

How to Setup a Phone System:

Step-by-Step

Step 1: Pick Your Primary Number (Brand + Strategy)

Choose one:

• Local geographic number (02/03/07/08) – great for local trust.

• 1300/1800 – national presence, portable across providers, good for ads.

• Keep your existing? Plan to port it (can take days–weeks).

Mentor Tip: 

If you serve nationally, grab a 1300 and keep a local on your website footer for local trust.

Result: A number strategy that fits your brand and growth.

Step 2: Choose a Cloud Phone Platform (Don’t Self-Host)

Look for: Aussie call quality, IVR, queues, recording, softphone apps, CRM integrations. Options include Aircall, Dialpad, Zoom Phone, Microsoft Teams Phone (with calling), 3CX via a hosted provider.

Mentor Tip: 

Ask any vendor for a trial and test live calls in your office and on 4G/5G.

Warning: Avoid stacking random mobile numbers; it’s unscalable and impossible to measure.

Result: A platform you can deploy in days, not months.

Step 3: Design Your Call Flow (Keep It Simple)

Draw a one-page map:

• Greeting → IVR (1 Sales, 2 Support, 3 Billing)

• During hours: ring Sales team (10–20 sec), then queue

• After hours: voicemail → auto-SMS: “We’ll call you 9am AEST—book a time here.”

Mentor Tip: 

2–3 IVR options max. Don’t make callers play “menu maze.”

R

esult: Faster answers, fewer hangups, happier team.

Step 4: Set Business Hours & Routing Rules

Add your AEST/AEDT hours into the phone system; route after-hours to voicemail/SMS callback. 

Wix detail: In Wix, add a click-to-call button (link = tel:+61XXXXXXXXX) to your header and contact page; set mobile view so the button is thumb-friendly.

Use Wix Automations to send a “We’ll call you next business day” email when a contact form arrives after hours.

Warning: No published hours + no callback promise = lost leads.

Result: You capture demand, even when you’re “closed.”

Step 5: Record Your Greeting, IVR, and Voicemail

Write tight scripts (8–12 seconds): who you are, what to press, and what happens next. Compliance note (AU): If you record calls, state it clearly and get consent (“This call may be recorded for training and quality…”).

Mentor Tip: 

Use a calm, human voice. Robotic TTS erodes trust.

Result: Professional first impression in under 5 seconds.

Step 6: Connect Devices & Headsets

Install the provider’s softphone app on laptops/mobiles; add USB headsets for clarity. Desk phones are optional.

Mentor Tip: 

Prioritise voice on your router (QoS) and avoid public Wi-Fi for outbound sales calls.

Result: Clear audio that doesn’t make you sound like you’re calling from a tunnel.

Step 7: Integrate Your CRM & Helpdesk

Enable click-to-call, automatic call logging, and screen-pops for known customers (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Zendesk, etc.). 

Wix detail: Add call-tracking numbers to landing pages and connect your forms to Wix CRM so missed calls trigger tasks or automations.

Mentor Tip: 

Tag calls by campaign/source so you can prove which ads make the phone ring.

Result: Real attribution and faster follow-ups.

Step 8: Build Missed-Call Automations

If a call is missed:

• Send instant SMS: “Sorry we missed you—tap to book a call.”

• Create a callback task in the CRM.

• Email a “We’ll call you 9am–5pm AEST” promise.

Warning: “We don’t do SMS” = you’re choosing lower conversions.

Result: You rescue leads without more staff.

Step 9: Train, Coach, and QA

Run a 30-minute script workshop; role-play the first 30 seconds; listen to 5 calls/week.

Mentor Tip: 

Coach for speed to answer, clear next steps, and booking on the call.

Result: More booked revenue from the same call volume.

Step 10: Monitor Metrics and Tune Monthly

Track: answer rate, speed to answer, missed calls, queue abandons, first-call resolution, bookings per 100 calls.

Mentor Tip: 

Fix one bottleneck per month (e.g., longer ring group time, add overflow agent, tighten IVR).

Result: Compounding improvements—not chaos.

If you serve a local region, a geographic number builds trust. National? Pair a 1300 with local numbers on your site footer.

What It Costs and How Long It Takes

Here’s what to budget for:

• DIY (time): 4–8 hours to design flow, set hours, record prompts, install apps, and test.

  
  

• Numbers: Local/1300 monthly fee $5–$25; porting $0–$100 once-off (varies by provider).

  
  

• Cloud phone licences: ~$20–$40 per user/month (features vary).

  
  

• Headsets: $60–$180 each.

  
  

• Specialist help (optional):

  • Telephony/Systems Specialist: $150–$300/hour (2–6 hours for setup and coaching).

    
    

  • Call-flow copywriting/enablement: $300–$900 (greeting, IVR, voicemail, SMS templates).

Money-Saving Tip: Start with 3–5 licences for “frontline” roles and route overflow to mobiles. Add seats only when answer rate suffers.

Costs can vary, but these figures will give you a reliable starting point.

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Common Mistakes Founders Make

Menu maze madness

Five IVR options, sub-menus, hold music for days. Confused callers hang up. Keep it to 2–3 choices and get them to a human fast.

Mobile-only mentality

A patchwork of personal mobiles kills reporting and brand consistency. Centralise on one number, then route smartly.

No after-hours capture

“Leave a message” with no SMS, no booking link, no promise. That’s a revenue leak. Automate the callback path.

Recording without consent

In Australia, disclose recording and get consent. A non-compliant intro puts you at risk and erodes trust.

Set-and-forget

Teams change, volumes spike, seasons shift. Review metrics monthly or your system will drift out of alignment.

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What to Do Right Now

✅ Need help? Want it done for you? Noize manage the entire process from number selection and registration through to system configuration. Our professional 1300 package will have you setup quickly. [Noize.com.au]

✅ Get the StartUp Deck From phones to funnels, get 200+ concepts to build a real business. Includes 6 months of ProDesk access [theStartUpDeck.com]

COMING in 2026...

✅ Download Business Resources — Your quick-start tools, templates & setup checklist. Tested by founders. Built for Australian businesses. [Download from ProDesk.com]

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The Bottom Line

A great phone system doesn’t add complexity—it removes friction. It answers faster, routes smarter, captures after-hours demand, and proves which channels work.

A great phone system doesn’t add complexity—it removes friction.

FAQs

Do I need a 1300 number or a local number? 

If you serve a local region, a geographic number builds trust. National? Pair a 1300 with local numbers on your site footer.

Can we run it without desk phones? 

Yes. Most startups use softphones on laptops/mobiles plus good headsets. Desk phones are optional.

How long does number porting take in Australia? 

It varies by carrier—days to a few weeks. Start the port process early and run both numbers in parallel during the changeover.

Can I legally record calls? 

Yes, with clear disclosure and consent. Add a compliant intro and provide a non-recorded option where appropriate.

How do I add click-to-call on my site?

Use a button linked to tel:+61…. In Wix, add a Button → Link → Phone; make it sticky on mobile and test it on real devices.