AI-Powered Business Phone Systems UK (2026)
AI has transformed business phone systems from dumb hardware into intelligent communication platforms. AI-powered VoIP handles call routing, auto-attendant, voicemail transcription, sentiment analysis, call summarisation, and even real-time coaching during sales calls. Legacy BT landlines at £25/month per line are being replaced by AI phone systems at £8–15/user with 10x the capability.
Penny's take
AI phone systems do what landlines never could: transcribe voicemails to text, summarise calls automatically, route calls intelligently based on caller history, and analyse conversation patterns for sales coaching. If you're still on a BT landline, you're paying more for less. The UK PSTN is switching off by 2027 anyway — move to AI VoIP now and get the upgrade free.
From my notebook
“An estate agent with 4 branches was paying £1,200/month for traditional phone lines and a legacy PBX system. We moved them to RingCentral with AI features at £12/user/month for 20 users: £240/month. But the real win was AI: call transcription meant agents stopped losing lead details, AI routing sent calls to the right branch automatically, and call analytics identified their best-converting scripts. 80% cost reduction plus better sales performance.”
“UK businesses switching from traditional phone systems to VoIP save an average of 50–65% on communications costs.”
— Ofcom Business Communications Report, 2024
What affects the cost — and can AI replace it?
- •Number of users
- •AI features (transcription, routing, analytics)
- •International calling needs
- •CRM integration
- •Call volume
What Penny says
Penny reviews your telecom costs and compares against AI-powered VoIP alternatives. Many businesses switching from legacy phone systems to AI VoIP save 40–60% immediately while gaining AI transcription, intelligent routing, and call analytics they never had.
Ask Penny about AI alternatives →Frequently asked questions
What AI features do business phone systems offer?
Modern AI phone systems offer: voicemail-to-text transcription, automatic call summarisation, AI-powered call routing, sentiment analysis, real-time sales coaching, CRM auto-logging, and conversation analytics. These features are included in standard VoIP plans at £8–15/user/month.
Should I switch from landlines to AI VoIP?
Yes, urgently. The UK PSTN switches off by 2027. AI VoIP is cheaper (£5–15/user/month vs £20–40 for landlines), more capable (AI transcription, routing, analytics), and more flexible (works on mobile, desktop, anywhere). There's no reason to stay on landlines.