A mid-size law firm in Manchester was paying $5,800 per month for their phone system. Two PRI circuits, a maintenance contract that increased 8% annually, and per-feature charges for recording, conferencing, and auto-attendant that had accumulated over 9 years.
They migrated to DialPhone in one weekend. Monthly cost dropped to $1,700. Here is exactly what happened.
The Old Setup
| Line Item | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| 2 PRI circuits (46 channels) | $1,840 |
| Maintenance contract | $580 |
| Call recording (45 users) | $675 |
| Auto-attendant license | $95 |
| Conference bridge | $145 |
| Voicemail licenses | $360 |
| Long distance | $420 |
| IT contractor (phone admin) | $480 |
| Caller ID + misc features | $405 |
| Total | $5,800 |
The PRI circuits had 46 channels. Peak concurrent calls: 14. They were paying for 32 channels that never carried a single call.
The Migration
Friday evening: 45 pre-configured Yealink T54W phones delivered. Auto-provisioning meant each phone was ready in 90 seconds — plug in Ethernet, phone boots, downloads config, done.
Saturday: Ring groups configured (litigation team, conveyancing, family law, reception). Auto-attendant recorded. Call recording enabled for all users (HIPAA-equivalent compliance for UK legal). Integration with their practice management software (Clio) connected.
Monday 7 AM: Number port completed. First call at 7:04 AM. Zero issues reported all day.
The New Setup
| Item | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| 45 users x $24/month (DialPhone standard) | $1,080 |
| Everything included: recording, auto-attendant, conference, video, mobile app, Clio integration | $0 extra |
| 45 Yealink T54W phones | $6,750 one-time |
| Monthly total | $1,080 |
Wait — that is $1,080, not $1,700. The extra $620 was their choice to upgrade to the enterprise tier ($37.78/user) for advanced compliance features (litigation hold, granular recording access controls, audit logging for Law Society requirements).
The Results
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $5,800 | $1,700 |
| Monthly savings | — | $4,100 |
| Annual savings | — | $49,200 |
| Phone hardware investment | — | $6,750 |
| Break-even | — | 1.6 months |
| Missed calls | 19% | 3% |
| Client calls logged in Clio | 35% (manual) | 100% (automatic) |
| Solicitors using mobile app | 0% | 78% |
The managing partner told me: "I wish someone had shown us these numbers five years ago. We would have saved a quarter of a million pounds."
For a free bill analysis, visit DialPhone. Send your current invoices and get a detailed cost comparison within 48 hours.
