Hosted PBX Australia: A Cutover Planning Checklist

Start with a written phone-service scope

A hosted PBX runs business phone-system software outside your office. The service arrangement determines who manages the software, hosting, carrier connection and support. Before comparing suppliers, write down what your staff and callers need and ask each supplier to respond to the same brief.

This checklist is for Melbourne and Victorian businesses planning a change. Bestcomm's delivery elsewhere in Australia is agreed per project. It is a planning aid, not a configuration guide or confirmation that a particular system meets your requirements.

List the numbers, people and call flows

Create a simple inventory that your team can check before a quote is prepared:

• Numbers that must be retained, the account holder and current carrier.
• Staff, locations, working hours and devices needed for each role.
• Who answers the main number, which teams receive transfers, and what happens when nobody answers.
• After-hours messages and holiday arrangements.
• Existing services that may depend on a phone line or number, including alarms, lift communications or payment equipment. Ask the relevant supplier to assess dependencies before changing anything.
• Reports and integrations you actually need, with a named business owner for each.

Use example caller journeys rather than a long feature wish list. For instance: a caller reaches reception, asks for sales, is transferred, and receives the agreed fallback when the team is unavailable. Record the expected result at each step.

Compare the complete commercial proposal

Ask for an itemised quote in AUD stating whether GST is included. Request separate entries for software licensing, hosting, numbers, call charges, handsets, setup, porting, training and ongoing support. Confirm which items are included, optional or billed by usage.

Ask how the quoted capacity is measured: users, concurrent calls or another limit. Record minimum terms, renewal conditions, exit costs and the process for obtaining your configuration and business data when leaving.

If a software trial is offered, get its duration and inclusions in writing. Calls, numbers, hosting, setup and other services may have separate costs. A trial should have agreed evaluation questions and an owner who decides whether to proceed; it should not silently become approval for a full migration.

Agree ownership before booking a cutover

Name the person responsible for coordinating the change and the contacts for the carrier, PBX, hosting and business team. Ask who can authorise number-port requests and configuration changes, who receives incident notifications, and how unresolved issues are escalated.

For any proposed CRM integration, ask the supplier to demonstrate the specific workflow with authorised test data. Record which records are created or updated, who can access them, and what happens if the integration fails. Do not assume that a listed integration includes every action your team needs.

For 3CX or another platform, confirm the proposed edition, supported version, hosting arrangement and included features in the current quotation. This checklist does not make a recommendation to install a particular release.

Ask about emergency calling and service interruptions

Ask the carrier and proposed provider for a written explanation of emergency-call support, caller-location handling and limitations for each intended device and location. Review ACMA's emergency-calling guidance with the provider. Do not make a routine test call to an emergency number.

Ask what happens during an internet, power, carrier or PBX interruption, including which alternative arrangements are available and who maintains them. Have the responsible provider confirm a suitable design for your circumstances rather than assuming that an app or forwarding rule guarantees continuity. Any safety-critical or specialist equipment needs assessment by its relevant supplier.

Define acceptance checks and a recovery plan

Before agreeing a cutover, ask for a written plan covering the proposed window, dependencies, staff communication, support contacts and recovery options. Ask how porting timing and any interruption will be confirmed; do not treat an estimated date as a guarantee.

Agree authorised checks of ordinary inbound and outbound calls, caller ID, transfers, unanswered-call handling, voicemail and after-hours routing. Include every affected role and location. Record the result, time, tester and any unresolved issue. Separately confirm integration behaviour and staff access without exposing customer information unnecessarily.

Have the business owner decide whether the agreed acceptance criteria are met. Retain the old-service details and the provider's recovery instructions until the transition has been reviewed; ask the provider before cancelling any dependent service.

Bring your scope to Bestcomm

Start with your number inventory, users and locations, the three call journeys that matter most, and your preferred change window. These details help make a scoping conversation specific without promising a price, completion date or outcome before assessment.

Explore Bestcomm's unified communications services or contact Bestcomm to discuss the requirements. Please do not include passwords, private recordings or other sensitive customer data in an initial enquiry.

Cover image: illustrative, not a photograph of a Bestcomm customer installation.