The short answer
A phone system audit is a 30-minute self-check of your numbers, bill, handsets and call flow, run with nothing more than your latest invoice, your call log and a mobile phone. It usually turns up unused services you are still paying for and numbers held in an account you do not control, the two findings that cost the most once ignored. The result is a short list of what to fix, keep or replace, not a decision to change anything.
On this page
Most small businesses have never audited their phone system. It was set up when the office opened, extended every time someone joined, and patched whenever something stopped working. Nobody has looked at the whole of it since. A phone system audit takes that whole picture and puts it on one page, so the next decision about it is made on facts.
This checklist is designed for an owner or office manager, not an IT specialist. It takes around 30 minutes, needs no technical knowledge, and every check links to a more detailed guide if something turns up.
What is a phone system audit?
A phone system audit is a structured review of your business phone setup: what you have, what it costs, whether it works the way customers experience it, and what would happen if part of it failed. It produces a short list of things to fix, keep or replace.
It is worth doing because the problems it finds are rarely the ones owners expect. Two of the reasons we hear most often behind a new phone system enquiry are paying for services, legacy hardware or features the business no longer uses, and not being able to see missed calls, response times or call volumes. Both are invisible until someone looks. An audit is the looking.
What do you need before you start a phone system audit?
Three things: your most recent phone bill (or bills, if you have more than one provider), access to your phone system’s call log or reporting, and a mobile phone to test-call your own numbers.
Set aside 30 minutes somewhere quiet. Work through the checklist below in order, and write a short note against each item: fine, fix, or unsure. “Unsure” is a legitimate answer, and often the most useful one, because it tells you what to ask your provider.
The 30-minute phone system audit checklist
Work through the ten checks in order. The first four are about what you own and pay for, the next four about how calls behave, and the last two about what happens when something goes wrong.
| # | Check | What you are looking for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | List every number | Main line, direct lines, fax, any 1300 or 1800 number, and any number on old advertising or your Google listing |
| 2 | Confirm who holds each number | The account holder named for each number, and whether that is the business |
| 3 | Match the bill to what you use | Lines, services and features you pay for that nobody uses |
| 4 | Check the handsets | Age, model, whether they are still supported, and any that are broken or unused |
| 5 | Test-call during business hours | How many rings, who answers, whether the greeting is current |
| 6 | Test-call after hours | What the caller hears and whether there is a way to leave a message or reach someone urgently |
| 7 | Test-call while the line is busy | Whether the second caller queues, rings someone else, or gets an engaged tone |
| 8 | Look at a week of the call log | How many calls were missed or abandoned, and when |
| 9 | Check emergency address details | Whether the address registered for your service is where your staff actually are |
| 10 | Ask what happens when it fails | What happens to calls if the internet or power goes down |
The sections below explain the checks that most often turn something up.
Who actually owns your business phone numbers?
The account holder does, and it is not always the business. Check the name on the account for every number you rely on, because that person or entity is the one who controls it.
The ACMA explains that the account holder is the person who was issued the number by the telco, and that a telco must check you are the account holder before a number can be ported. In a small business that often means a number set up years ago by a founder, a former office manager or a previous business entity. It works fine until you need to move it, and then only the account holder can authorise the move.
If any number is in the wrong name, fix it now, while nothing is urgent. The guide to number porting explains what is involved when the time comes.
Are you paying for services you no longer use?
Often, yes. Phone bills accumulate: a fax line nobody has used in years, a second line added for a busy period, a feature bundle taken for one function, a line for an office that has since moved.
Go through the bill line by line and ask one question of each item: does anyone use this? The guide to reading a business phone bill explains what each type of charge is.
Before cancelling any old line, check what is connected to it. NBN Co lists services that can depend on older lines, including lift emergency phones, fire alarms, security monitoring, EFTPOS terminals and fax machines. A line that looks unused may be the one the alarm system dials out on.
How do callers actually experience your phone system?
Find out by ringing it. Three test calls from a mobile, one during hours, one after hours and one while someone else is on the line, show you more about your customer experience than any report.
For each call, write down:
Then check the call log for the same week. The number of missed and abandoned calls, and when they happen, is usually the clearest single measure of whether the system is working for the business.
What happens to your phones if the internet or power goes down?
On most modern phone systems, calls stop unless you have planned for it. Knowing in advance what happens, and what the backup is, is the point of this check.
Ask two questions. First, if the office internet drops, where do inbound calls go: nowhere, voicemail, or automatically to mobiles? Second, if the power goes out, what still works? The post on business internet covers how the connection affects your phones day to day.
While you are here, confirm the address registered for your phone service is where your staff are. The ACMA notes your telco must supply your address to the database used when someone calls Triple Zero, so the emergency details on your account should match your current premises, especially after a move.
Reading the results: fix, keep or replace
Count up the results. Most businesses find a mix, and the pattern tells you what to do next.
| Pattern | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Mostly “fine”, a few “fix” | Keep the system. Fix the items, most of which are settings or admin |
| Several “fix” items about call flow | The system is capable but set up badly. A reconfiguration may be all you need |
| “Unsure” on ownership, handsets or failure | Get answers from your provider before deciding anything |
| Unsupported handsets, no reporting, and calls stop in an outage | The system may have reached the end of its useful life |
If the last row describes you, the post on when it is time to replace an office phone system helps separate the things worth fixing from the things worth replacing.
Where to start
Put 30 minutes in the diary this week and work through the ten checks. You will end up with a one-page picture of your phone system that most businesses have never had, and a list of questions to put to your current provider or any new one.
NexGen has been helping Australian businesses with their phone systems for 17 years, with 7,500+ businesses served and Australian-based support. Standard onboarding is 7 business days. If your audit points towards a change, the comparison page shows what a modern setup could look like for a business your size.
See where your phone system stands
Compare what a modern setup would look like for a 3 to 20 handset business.