When you’re moving into a serviced office, the last thing on your mind is who owns the phone number you’ve been given.
You’re focused on getting settled, serving customers, and getting on with running your business.
The problem only appears when it’s time to leave.
Many serviced office providers include phone and internet services as part of their package. It sounds convenient, and in many cases it works perfectly well day to day. However, what many businesses don’t realise is that the phone number they’ve been using may not actually belong to them.
That can become a costly problem when the time comes to move offices.
What’s Really Happening?
When a serviced office provider supplies a phone number as part of your workspace package, that number is often part of the provider’s own phone system.
In simple terms, you’re using the number, but you may not be the registered account holder.
In most situations, businesses can take their phone numbers with them when changing telecom providers. The catch is that the business needs to be the account holder in the first place.
If the serviced office provider owns the number and controls the telecom account behind it, they may also control what happens to that number when you leave.
The Problem Usually Appears on Moving Day
Many businesses only discover this issue when they hand in their notice and prepare to relocate.
Depending on the arrangement, the number may:
- Stay with the serviced office provider
- Be reassigned to a future tenant
- Require a release process and additional fees
- Be unable to move at all
Every provider has different terms, and it’s not always something that’s discussed during the sales process.
Unfortunately, by the time the issue comes to light, the business may already have spent years promoting that number.
Why It Matters
Your phone number is part of your business identity. It should belong to your business, not your building.
Imagine moving offices and discovering that the number on your:
- Website
- Google Business Profile
- Business cards
- Vans and signage
- Marketing materials
- Customer records
can’t move with you.
Suddenly you’re updating everything, informing customers of a new number, and hoping important calls aren’t being missed in the process.
What looks like a small technical detail can quickly become a disruption to customer service, brand recognition, and business continuity.
The Key Difference
The risk is usually found in bundled phone services where the telephone system is included as part of the workspace agreement.
If your business has its own dedicated cloud phone system (VoIP) or landline account in your company’s name, the situation is typically much simpler. Your number belongs to your business, making it far easier to move offices or change providers while keeping the same contact details.
The important question isn’t where the phone service is installed.
The important question is who owns the telecom account behind the number.
What to Check Before You Sign
If you’re considering a serviced office that includes phone services, ask a few straightforward questions before committing:
- Is the phone number registered in my company’s name or the serviced office’s?
- What happens to the number if I leave?
- Can the number be transferred to another provider?
- Is there a fee or formal process to release the number?
If you struggle to get a clear answer, it’s worth digging deeper before signing any agreement.
The Simple Way to Avoid the Problem
The easiest way to protect your business number is to keep your phone service separate from your workspace.
A dedicated business number in your company’s name means the number stays with your business, regardless of where you work from.
Whether you move to another serviced office, switch to home working, open additional locations, or take on your own premises, your customers can continue calling the same number they’ve always used.
It’s one less thing to worry about when your business grows or changes.
Concerned About Your Business Number?
Not sure whether your business number belongs to your business or your serviced office provider?
We’re happy to have an informal chat about your setup and help you understand what questions to ask before signing a new agreement or planning an office move.
Get in touch to discuss your business phone setup.
